Baseball Lifestyle 101’s deep dive into the social media industry has expanded once again, now as the official sponsor of the Ball 5 podcast, hosted by influencer Nick Cassano (@nicky.cass) and his former college teammate, Perry Quartuccio (@perry.quartuccio), at Montclair State University.
Their first episode is live on YouTube with a ton of shorter-form content that covers their experience as teammates, living together, their favorite meal after a game, and other aspects of being a college baseball player.
Better known as Nicky Cass or Coach Al, Cassano has built up a massive social media following and become one of the most notable baseball influencers, with over 1.8 million followers on Instagram and 1.6 million on TikTok.
The duo of Cassano and Quartuccio in the world of podcasts are new, but the content they have already put out in a short time has already reached a large segment of their audience. They recently traveled to Florida for Spring Training and interviewed Baltimore Orioles stars Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter for Ball 5.
Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@ball5pod
Cassano has been all over the country and met some of the brightest stars in the game like Henderson, Rutschman, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto. One of Cassano’s most famous videos featured Judge and Soto at Yankee Stadium, where he played his famous Coach Al role teaching the former teammates the right way to hit, met by hesitation from the two and telling Soto he needs to share that Coach Al taught him his famous shuffle towards the pitcher.
In addition to the players he has collaborated with, Cassano has worked with his hometown team, the New York Yankees, taking fans through his journey as a special advisor with the team and how he taught them the skills that should’ve got them voted into the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.
His work in social media has rewarded him with full-circle moments like throwing out the first pitch at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, to none other than his father. “Came a long way from the backyard, pops. Thanks for a moment I’ll cherish forever,” Cassano said on his Instagram.
Cassano started posting on YouTube four years ago, and ever since then, his page has grown to 200,000 subscribers and has been a platform for people to go when they need a laugh or to watch some relatable content. He is most known for his videos where he plays the role of an old Italian man with his personality on full display. Every post on his pages has comments from followers asking to do specific segments, and he delivers and takes the ideas to the next level to make for hilarious content that keeps people entertained and engaged.
Photo Courtesy of YouTube/@nickycass
His blend of creativity and authenticity has been a major part of his success and will continue to be a part of his process to create quality content going forward.
They talk about the importance of culture within a locker room, the grinds of being a college baseball player in the lower ranks of collegiate baseball, the best advice Carpenter has received in both baseball and life and the little things that allow him to go through a long season and be the best version of himself every day.
Cassano’s ability to mix all of the different aspects of his life has led to his success in a social media industry that is difficult to navigate and thrive as he has. Ball 5 adds to his impressive resume of avenues he’s been able to establish with his content as he looks to connect with an even bigger audience.
Cassano and Quartuccio envision Ball 5 as a platform that curates current and former ballplayers to experience the joys of the game, on and off the field. They don’t care about the win/loss record or who has the highest average in the league. As a matter of fact, they have a rule to never talk about stats on the show. They also go in-depth to show that baseball is just a game that should not get in the way of all the great things life has to offer. Their topics of discussion talk about all of the different things that come along the way in life and how there are memories that last a lifetime with the people in your life that cannot be replaced.
While their journey as a podcast duo has just begun, the connection they are building with their audience is truly unique to what they want to accomplish and what they’ve experienced as baseball players and friends. The insight they give and have received from just two episodes of the podcast reflects on their work to turn Ball 5 into something that people can turn to for a laugh or advice as they move forward in life.
