It’s a script Garrett Scavelli couldn’t have written at this time last year.
It would’ve been too fantastical.
Not realistic enough.
He was looking for a Division I home for his final year of college baseball.
But to do it at St. John’s, the school he grew up rooting for?
And to not only prove he belonged, but to excel and help that program snap its six-year NCAA Tournament drought?
The outfielder shook his head at how much has changed over the past year, like it was out of some kind of fairytale.
“It’s amazing,” the senior outfielder from Franklin Square, L.I., told The Post this week, as the third-seeded Johnnies prepared to open play in the Charlottesville, Va., regional on Friday night against No. 2 Mississippi State. “I met a bunch of friends, family forever. I’ll never forget anything. I’ll tell all these stories to my kids one day.”
In many ways, Scavelli symbolizes this memorable St. John’s season, a former Division II star who thrived in his lone year at the Division I level, producing in a big way for a team that entered the year with low expectations from the outside.
St. John’s was picked sixth in the Big East.
It was 25-40-1 in league play the previous three seasons and hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2018.
Scavelli was a major factor in the Johnnies’ breakthrough spring, a first team All-Big East selection who hit .328 with 33 RBIs and a .416 on-base percentage.
A hot hitter, Scavelli was elevated to the No. 2 spot in St. John’s lineup in the Big East Tournament, and produced five runs scored and three RBIs in its three victories.
On top of that, he made the championship-sealing catch against Georgetown last Saturday, a leaping grab up against the fence.
“I wanted to catch that last out,” he said. “To do it like that was unbelievable.”
Scavelli grew up on St. John’s.
Several family members attended the school.
He frequently attended baseball and basketball games with them.
Coming out of high school, though, St. John’s didn’t show much interest in him.
He was set to attend NYIT before the program was shut down weeks before his freshman year was set to start.
He wound up going to Molloy College and developing into a standout there.
Scavelli was the East Coast Conference Player of the Year as a junior.
But after his junior year, he wanted to challenge himself and give Division I a shot.
Danny Bethea, a St. John’s assistant who left for Rutgers prior to this season, felt he was the kind of under-the-radar prospect who could make an immediate impact.
Johnnies’ star catcher Jimmy Kennan was in Scavelli’s ear throughout the recruiting process — the two played together in the summer with the New Britain Bees — imploring him to join the Red Storm. Keenan even lobbied coach Mike Hampton to prioritize Scavelli.
“We need this guy, because he’s going to help us win,” Keenan told the coach.
The catcher added: “I nudged [Scavelli] in the right direction I think. … I told him if you want to be part of a team that’s going to win the next Big East championship, you should come here.”
Scavelli started off slow offensively, but it didn’t sour Hampton on his new outfielder.
He was a plus defensively, highlighted by his team-leading nine outfield assists, and his struggles at the plate didn’t impact him otherwise.
He has an even-keeled approach, which earned him the nickname “Grandpa” from teammates.
As the weather began to warm up, so did Scavelli.
In league play, he led St. John’s in batting average (.341), slugging percentage (.573), on-base percentage (.426), total bases (47) and was tied with Keenan for the most extra-base hits (nine).
“I knew making this move wasn’t going to be easy. It was a very hard decision to leave all my friends at Molloy, but I knew I could do this, and I wanted to prove to everyone I could do this at the higher level,” he said. “I had a lot of success at the Division II level, and I always saw a bunch of my friends playing Division I ball on TV and stuff. I thought, ‘Man it would be so cool to really try to do that my last year.’ I went for it and did it.”
It’s not over yet.
St. John’s is hoping to have a big weekend in Virginia and reach the Super Regionals for the first time in 12 years.
But even if that doesn’t happen, Scavelli won’t forget this final season.
He couldn’t have dreamed of a better finish to his college career.
“It makes me feel proud that all this hard work paid off,” he said. “I can have every single one of my family watching the games, coming to the games and really supporting me, and they all love it. They can’t wait to watch us keep going in Virginia.”
