Like many others on the Brandeis baseball team, Justin Gallanty ’18 started his career in the Little Leagues, playing for his hometown team in Westport, Conn. 

While hailing from Conn., Gallanty maintains strong ties to his home city of New York through his fanhood of the New York Yankees, New York Knicks and New York Giants, but, obviously, his passion for baseball supersedes all.  

While he has only made a few appearances for the team this season as a first-year player, he is enjoying his time as a young member of the Judges’ team. 

“It’s interesting, because it’s the first time ever really where people four, five years apart in age are all playing together. I mean, in high school that was technically true, but freshmen didn’t really get any playing time; it was mostly the seniors. But here, it’s an interesting dynamic that you don’t get anywhere else in your life,” Gallanty said. As an 18-year-old, he is one of the youngest members of the team, and he acknowledges the value of playing and bonding with the older upperclassman veterans. 

“Everyone on the team has things in common, mainly the fact that they play baseball and love baseball enough that they’ve chosen to continue it in their four years here [at Brandeis],” he added. 

So why choose Brandeis? Gallanty was particularly attracted to some of the non-baseball opportunities offered at the school, emphasizing the “academics and the opportunity to keep playing baseball.” 

He is currently undecided on a major, but he is leaning toward a business major with a possible journalism minor due to his interest in sports. He is a featured guest on a weekly sports talk radio show and shares valuable baseball and college athletics insight. 

Additionally, he has broadcasted basketball games for WBRS as a color commentator and hopes to continue to do so in his offseasons.  As a passionate baseball fan, he can make the claim that he has been inside the stadiums of all 30 Major League baseball teams in the United States and is a proud supporter of his brother’s and parents’ colleges—Syracuse University and Duke University, respectively.  

So far, in three pitching appearances for the Judges, Gallanty has a 0-1 record with two earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched. 

All of his innings have come in relief, in which he has allowed five hits. Gallanty looks to get batters out with the use of the strikeout, as he has amassed three strikeouts in his outings. 

For now, while pitcher Kyle Brenner ’15 remains the Judges’ ace, Gallanty remains waiting in the wings for his opportunity to be a more prominent part of the Judges’  starting rotation.  

This season, the conditions have not allowed for many game opportunities, but as the snow begins to melt, the resolve stays the same, and Gallanty is more than aware of the commitment needed to compete at a collegiate level, no matter the division of play.

Gallanty and the Judges will be back in action on the road against New York University on Saturday and Sunday.

After that conference showdown, the squad will play its first home contest against Rhode Island College on April 2.

It will then be up against regional foe Tufts University on April 4.