INTRODUCTION: Inspiration comes in all forms. As a first-year player in 2019, Joseph Rende saw a picture in the locker room of an opponent celebrating a league title on UR's field. The message was clear: don't let this happen again. By the end of the 2019 season, UR was the team celebrating.

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Was Little League your first exposure to baseball? Was it on Long Island?
Yes, Little League on Long Island was my first exposure to baseball
 
How did you become involved with it?
My dad coached my brother, who is a couple years older, so when I was as young as 3 years old I was going to practice with my brother and his team. And I have been playing ever since
 
Your teams made the Suffolk County playoffs eight times in a variety of sports (football, basketball, baseball). The county stretches as far as Montauk Point on the South Shore. What was the farthest your Babylon teams traveled for a playoff game?
I was very fortunate to be on some talented teams throughout my high school career. Most of our league was out East in the Hamptons, so we traveled a little over an hour for some games. 
 
Did you play summer league ball when you were in HS? Where did those teams travel?
I have been playing summer league ball since I was 10 years old all the way through high school. We traveled to the typical places. We went to Maryland for the Ripken Tournament, Diamond Nation in New Jersey, MSI in Pennsylvania to name a few. 
 
When were you first approached by the University of Rochester? How did that happen?
I was first approached by (Assistant) Coach (Jake) Shattuck at the Headfirst Showcase on Long Island. He actually first saw me as a Pitcher on the last inning of the last day of the showcase. Our showcase team needed a guy to throw the last inning and he liked that I jumped in from Shortstop to throw. I really did not know much about U of R, but when Coach Reina took my mom and I around campus, I knew this was where I wanted to be. I committed within a week after that visit.
 
When you were heading into your first season here, UR was coming off a runnerup spot in the Liberty League playoffs. What did the team talk about as you started prepping for that initial 2019 season?
We had a really strong upperclassmen presence when I first got here, so they made it clear what we had to do to take the next step to win the Liberty League. They constantly reminded us what it was like to watch Union celebrate on our field, and that we had to put in the extra work to make sure that didn't happen again. We had a picture of Union dogpiling on our field when you first walked into the locker room, so that was also a good reminder of what could be if we didn't put the work in. 
 
What do you remember about that playoff run in 2019 – which resulted in a league championship and an NCAA playoff appearance?
That 2019 run was so electric. It was really a roller coaster of a year. We came off a tough weekend vs Clarkson in mid April and we weren't sure we were going to make the playoffs, let alone host. We all decided we needed a team bonding that Sunday night. Something clicked after that because we went on to win 11 of our last 12 conference games - including a big sweep at Union. On that championship Saturday we needed to win two vs Clarkson. We went down 6-0 in the first inning of Game 1, but we rallied back to win 8-7 after Kevin Ho threw seven innings of shutout baseball. A Jack Herman grand slam in the first inning of Game 2 was the cherry on top. A couple hours later we were dog piling on the mound and Coach Reina was sobbing like a baby!!! He might get mad at me for saying that but there's pictures to back it up!! A week later Jon Turk carved up a legit Wooster offense and we won the first regional game in U of R baseball history. It was an incredible 6 weeks of baseball and I am just thankful I was able to be a part of it. 
 
Coaches tell very young players to think about what they will do if the ball is hit to them. OK, runners on first and second. What are you thinking about as the pitcher works to the batter?
In that scenario I am hoping for a ground ball to shortstop to turn a 6-4-3 double play and help our bats get back in the dugout.
 
You took a leadership course here led by Coach Chris Apple. What did you learn from that course? How do you hope to apply those principles?
Jon Turk and I took that class together last fall. Coach Apple is the man and we both learned a lot about how to lead a team, especially during a tough time like Covid. 
 
When you are home, do you plan to work with any youth programs – coaching, counseling, working behind the scenes, etc.? What do you like about doing that?
I have worked with youth programs for the majority of my high school / college years. I come from a very small town in Babylon, so that allowed me to get involved in various ways. I helped teach religion to special needs children, I coached a CYO basketball team with my best friend from home. And more recently, I have given hitting lessons during quarantine. I really enjoy working with kids - from all age groups - and just teaching and coaching things that I am super passionate about. 
 
What led you to the University of Rochester?
For as long as I can remember I wanted to play college baseball. On top of that, I always wanted to attend a highly academic school. I was fortunate to combine my baseball and academics to get into a "reach" school of mine. When I first visited campus, I was blown away by how beautiful it was. It was just a no brainer to come here, and I haven't looked back since. 
 
Did you speak with any UR alumni before making the decision to come to UR?
Yes, Martin Messinger, an alum, put me in touch with former player Jake Meyerson, whose brother Luke also played baseball here. We spoke on the phone for about an hour. Jake played a significant part in my decision to come here and ultimately put any reservations I had to bed. Shortly after that phone call, I called Coach Reina to commit. 
 
Why did you choose Political Science as your major?
Political Science, and politics in general, has something I have always been interested in.
 
Do you plan on working with any campus groups tied to your studies?
I am not really fully tied to any groups related to my studies, but I am actively involved in a campus group called St. Sebastian Society with campus Priest, Father Cool. It is a group of Varsity student-athletes dedicated to serving the Rochester community. Father Cool is the man. He and I have developed a really close relationship over the last few years, and has been a shining light for me and my experience here at Rochester.
 
In the metropolitan NY area, there are 9 major league teams: 3 in hockey, 2 in basketball, 2 in football, 2 in baseball. So it begs the question right now: Yankees or Mets?
Mets for sure. My dad raised me to root for two teams: the Mets and whoever was playing the Yankees.