John Natoli

Biography

John Natoli was named director of player development by Chris Pollard on June 14, 2025. Natoli comes to UVA after spending one season with Pollard at Duke as the director of baseball operations and pitching development. Natoli, a former right-hander for Duke in 2022, was a part of the 2024 squad’s run to the program’s second ACC Tournament championship. At Duke, the Fairfield, Conn., native assisted with coordinating all on-campus recruiting visits, serves as the Duke Baseball Camp Director and managed all day-to-day duties of the baseball program. His role in Durham included the handling of team travel, meals and the daily operation of all baseball technology. Following his time as a player for Duke, Natoli spent a year and a half with the Glacier Range Riders of the Pioneer League. With the Riders, Natoli posted a 4-0 record, tallied three saves and struck out 50 batters in 42 appearances across two seasons. Before he arrived in Durham, Natoli enjoyed a four-year career at Cornell where he was named a unanimous selection as the lone relief pitcher on the All-Ivy League First Team in 2019. He posted a 5-2 record with a team-best 1.72 ERA. He held opponents to a .178 batting average and allowed just two of his 18 inherited runners to score.