He Covers All the Bases

(Photo Sherry Saccoliti)

By Scott Giglio

To win baseball games, players need to get on base and score runs. Jack Giovenco, BS’25 (Flor), did that at an impressive clip, with an on-base percentage of .503, in the 2025 season.

“This year, I decided I was going to stand really close to the plate,” says Giovenco. “I was going to let anything near me hit me. If I could get hit by a lot of pitches and get on, I figured I would score a lot of runs. So, I got hit about 30 times.”

That tactic resulted in Giovenco ranking third in NCAA DIII and leading the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom in hit-by-pitches per game.

“That’s the kind of guy he is. Selfless,” says teammate Mark Geist, BS’25 (Flor). “He doesn’t want to hit doubles and triples every time. He’ll do whatever he can to grind out an at-bat and get on base.”

Other elements contributed to his high on-base percentage. He walked 16 times and hit .349, second on the team. His ability to steal bases (22-for-27), and to score runs (45), both tops on the squad, made him the consummate leadoff hitter this season. One stat jumps out: a team-best 32 runs batted in.

“He was our leadoff guy, and just really would get on base, set the table, and steal bases,” says Head Coach Jamie Quinn. “If we needed a clutch base hit with a runner in scoring position two outs, he’s one of the guys I was hoping was walking to the plate.”

He received the team’s most valuable player award for 2025.

Giovenco was first recruited to play for the Knights. A coaching change led him to decide to transfer. But, he liked his computer science major and the FDU culture, so he visited the Florham Campus first. Seeing the baseball field and the campus, he was sold. He maintained a connection to the Metropolitan Campus, sometimes visiting to watch his girlfriend play on the Knights softball team.

He served on the team’s Player Leadership Council, essentially as a team captain. An outstanding student, Giovenco plans to move in with his brother in Philadelphia, Pa., and seek employment in the area.