Biography
Personal: Full name is Justin Michael Cassella...Born on July 2, 2001...Son of Richard and Donna Cassella…Father played lacrosse and rugby at Sienna and brother Jared Lanzi played rugby at Fairfield...Pursuing a degree in Finance.
Honors & Awards
• 2023 All-CAA First Team
• 2022 Preseason All-CAA Team
• CAA All-Rookie Team (2021)
• CAA Rookie of the Week (April 13, 2021)
• CAA Player of the Week (May 15, 2023)
2023: Played in 51 games, making 44 starts during his junior season...Slashed .343/.402/.715 while registering career highs in all three categories...Amongst the CAA, his slugging percentage was first in the conference, and his OPS was ranked fifth...His 17 home runs were second in the conference and tied for the sixth most in Elon's history for a single season...Cassella led the club in slugging, OPS, hits, home runs, runs, total bases and was second in batting average and stolen bases...Following a rough start to his season, he errupted with a seven-game hitting streak to increase his batting average by over .300 points...Cassella jump started his campaign with a grand slam to help the Phoenix beat #23 NC State in Raleigh, 14-6...Cassella continued his strong play with an eight-game hitting streak featuring seven multi-hit outings...Cassella racked up three home runs during the stretch and drove in ten runs over a five-game span...He clubbed five home runs in a four-game span at Latham Park against Gardner-Webb and a series with Stony Brook...In the final CAA series against North Carolina A&T, he finished 8-for-14 driving in eight runs with three doubles and two home runs to go with two stolen bases, earning CAA Co-Player of the Week honors...He went 5-for-12 in the CAA Tournament including a solo home run in the season finale against Northeastern...Became just the second Phoenix since 2009 to have double-digit home runs and double-digit stolen bases in a season (Tanner Holliman, 2023).
2022: Played in 46 games, making 37 starts in center field...Slashed .206/.317/.369 while registering career highs in home runs (five) and RBIs (19) over 167 plate appearances...Led the CAA with 19 stolen bases on 22 attempts...Ranked 74th nationally with 0.41 stolen bases per game...Logged five multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games...Posted a six-game hitting streak and a 10-game on-base streak...Recorded three two-steal games and a seven-game stolen-base streak...Owned a .958 fielding percentage with 90 putouts and two assists...Fell a triple shy of the cycle in his season debut against Longwood on Feb. 25, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored...Finished 5-for-11 with two doubles, a homer, three walks, two RBIs and five runs scored in the three-game series against the Lancers...Went 4-for-10 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and two runs scored in the three-game series against Army...Hit a pinch-hit three-run homer against UNC Asheville on April 15...Finished 3-for-8 with two homers and five RBIs in the three-game series against the Bulldogs...Went 3-for-10 with two walks, two stolen bases and three runs scored in three CAA Tournament games.
2021: Made 26 starts in 31 games, hitting .276 (32-for-116) with a .466 slugging percentage and a .364 on-base percentage. His season totals also included 27 runs scored, three home runs, two triples, nine doubles, 16 RBIs and 11 walks...Was a perfect 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts...Recorded nine multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games, had a four-game hit streak and reached base in 11 straight games...Defensively, he owned a .933 fielding percentage with 63 putouts and seven assists. He turned one double play...Made his collegiate debut against UNCG on March 7...Went 1-for-3 with an RBI double at N.C. A&T on March 13. He scored three times, walked twice and also stole two bags...Scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning to help secure a come-from-behind victory over HPU on April 6. He had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with a double, two runs and a walk...Followed with a huge series vs. W&M on April 10-11 as he hit 10-for-15 (.666) with two home runs, two doubles, seven runs, six RBIs and two stolen bases...Tripled, doubled and scored twice in a 3-for-5 performance at W&M on April 17. He then went 2-for-6 with a double, two runs and an RBI in the series finale vs. the Tribe on April 18...Drove in four runs on a 3-for-5 day against CofC on May 1 to help earn the series win over the Cougars. He doubled, scored a run and stole twice...Finished 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI in the series opener vs. GSU on May 13...Batted 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base at CofC on May 21...Hit 1-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs vs. W&M on May 26 at the CAA Championship Tournament.
Prep: Played shortstop and center field for Coach Michael Sheppard at Seton Hall Prep...Was ranked in the Top 1,000 nationally, the 432nd shortstop in the nation, 75th overall in New Jersey, and the 12th-ranked shortstop in New Jersey.
