SOUTHINGTON, Ct. - Would Genn Halliday hit or pitch in college? That was the dilemma for the 308th-ranked New England senior.

Right now, the answer is both following a recent commitment to Hofstra.

“When I was younger hitting was my big thing, I was really good at it,” related the Choate Rosemary Hall 18-year-old. “When I got to high school my coaches saw me as a tall lefty and I almost became a pitcher-only. I love pitching, but getting back into hitting this summer was a lot of fun. I want to change my mentality to that of a two-way player.”

Hofstra has given Halliday that opportunity.

“One of the things the coach said was he liked that I was a 6-6 lefty,” the 29th-rated 2021 southpaw in New England explained. “He said they don’t have that in their program and it would help to have it.”

But there was more that impressed Hofstra on video in regards to the 210-pounder 

“Obviously they like my size, but I also have 97 exit velo hitting,” Halliday noted. “He likes that I’m not just a pitcher. I’m athletic, someone that can be at first base. They have two first basemen leaving after this year so that gives me a goal to reach. He said when I get there he’ll evaluate me hitting and pitching.”

Interest initiated after a simple comment made by Halliday.

“I mentioned to my pitching coach I had a little interest in Hofstra,” Halliday said in reference to Dennis Long. “He knows many college coaches and he reached out to them, maybe back in August and I called a couple weeks later. They had a talk with admissions about money and academics.”

Eventually, it all worked out.

“I called and said I want to be part of the team a day after the letter-of-intent signing,” Halliday said.

The chance to be a two-way player has the eighth-ranked 2021 left-handed pitcher in Connecticut ecstatic.

“What a great opportunity,” Halliday pointed out. “At the D-I level not too many have opportunities like this. I’ve always been slightly more of a pitcher, but now I can grind and work on hitting.”

There was more that Halliday liked about the Colonial Athletic Conference school.

“Academics are important to me,” noted Halliday, who carries a 3.55 GPA at the college-prep boarding school in Wallington which has alumni such as John F. Kennedy, Michael Douglas and Jamie Lee Curtis. “It’s a good academic school, especially the business program which is one of the top 10 in the country. 

“Playing Division I baseball at the highest level has been a dream my whole life,” added Halliday. “And it’s not too far away, less than two hours if there’s no traffic. I also like the coaches a lot.”

Improvement to this point has come in spite of the pandemic.

“It’s been a lot different with corona,” Halliday pointed out. “A lot of guys may have taken time off but it allowed me to stay focused and try to do as much as I could at my house. I lost my spring season as a junior which would have been key, but going out this summer and competing was a great experience. By getting more reps I had one of my best hitting seasons.”

The need to continue making strides remains, particularly with hopes of playing as a two-way.

“With pitching, the big thing for me is increased velocity if I want to make an impact,” Halliday admitted. “While power is there, my hitting overall needs improving. Speed is something else I can improve on.”

Halliday believes he can provide strong qualities to the program at Hofstra.

“Going to a highly-academic school, it’s important to put academics first,” Halliday noted. “As far as baseball, I’ll bring a great work ethic and leadership ability. I always want to get better at everything I do.”

Halliday, who has been to Hofstra on two occasions, is pleased to be done with the recruiting process.

“This is truly a hard topic for me,” Halliday said about recruitment during COVID-19. “I’m truly excited about Hofstra but there were other schools with interest like Dartmouth and some others that had full rosters all because of corona. It’s been tough on me and others with all the limited space.

“But I’m glad for the opportunity with Hofstra. All my friends are super happy for me and my family is super excited. I’ve worked hard my whole life and I’m glad to be able to continue playing the next four years and, hopefully, after that.”