On Oct. 13, Cole Donato signed the dotted lines to play Division III baseball at Tufts University. Donato, who has played baseball since the age of three, looks forward to his future of pitching and continuing his education at Tufts.

Donato recalls the most memorable part of his high school career, the second game last season where Walpole came back to beat Newton North handedly after suffering a significant loss in their first game. He attributes his love for the sport to a prominent coach in his youth, Larry Yaffe who served as his first club team coach.

“Mr. Yaffe started coaching me when I was 11,” Donato said. “I had always been hyper-passionate about hockey up until that point. However, Coach Yaffe taught me how to love baseball, not only by teaching me how to be better in my life skills but by demanding only the best from his players and showing integrity in how to become better.”

Tufts hope to continue their success from last season, where they celebrated a 15-8 overall record. They compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, or NESCAC, where they play other schools like Colby, Bates, Wesleyan and Trinity. Their first game of the 2022 season is on March 12, against Eastern Nazarene College. 

Donato has plans to go into the medical field, in which Tufts offers some of the strongest pre-med programs across the country. His long term goal is to hopefully attend a reputable medical school after college and become a doctor. Their pre-med courses are one of Tufts’ most appealing features to Donato.

“As much as I’ve loved baseball,” Donato said. “I’ve always set a priority on school and with Tufts it allows me to play for a school with incredible academic standards and a great baseball team.”

His decision to further his baseball career stemmed from the time and effort he put into his youth as a developing player. Devotion towards nutrition, time at the gym and practice for both town and club baseball have prepared him for his Tufts future. Donato’s older brother Matt also attends the school and plays baseball there. He will be a senior when Cole is a freshman, and he hopes to enjoy their one year playing together. 

“A baseball dream of mine is becoming a NESCAC all-star, which I feel is within my grasp at some point,” Donato said. “A maybe less realistic goal would be to play in the Cape League, which is out of reach as of right now but possible in the future.”