Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame
GREG POLLI
An outfielder on the baseball team from 1983 to 1986, Greg Polli was an All-East Coast Conference (ECC) selection in 1985 after batting .496, an average that ranked third in the nation. In addition to having the third-best batting average in the country, Polli led the NCAA in RBIs per game at 2.07 and was sixth with 14 home runs.
He followed his terrific 1985 season with a .478 average, 12 home runs and 57 RBIs in 1986, earning second team All-America honors, as well as All-ECC accolades. He also became the first player in East Coast Conference history to win the Triple Crown, as he led the league in average, home runs and RBIs. He also led the nation once again in RBIs per game with 1.90 per game.
In 1984 Polli was an All-Metropolitan Conference selection after batting .371 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs.
A three-year team captain, Polli's career average of .446 ranks seventh all-time in NCAA Division I. He also holds the third and seventh best RBIs per game totals in Division I as well.
His 31 career home runs are third on Hofstra's all-time list, while his 140 RBIs rank seventh on the career list for the Pride. The Hicksville, New York, native also holds the single season record for slugging percentage at Hofstra with a .950 mark in 1985 and was Hofstra's Athlete of the Year in 1986.
The Most Valuable Player of the Atlantic Coast Baseball League in 1985, Polli recorded a home run at Fenway Park during the league all-star game that season. After graduating from Hofstra, Polli played for several minor league baseball teams and finished his career with the San Jose Bees in the California League.
Currently the Vice President, Product Management and Global Sourcing for MSC Industrial Direct, Polli has been with the company for 25 years. He has served on the board of directors for many organizations with the industry including the Industrial Supply Manufacturers' Association (2000-03) and the Industrial Supply Association (2006-09). He also served as Chair of the Industrial Supply Association's Strategic Planning Committee from 2009 to 2010.
Polli also lends his time to charitable endeavors, serving as President of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Board of Directors, Long Island Chapter for two years (2007-09). He has been a member of the JDRF Board since 2003 and is currently the Chairman of the Nominating Committee. Polli also serves as President of the George Polli Foundation, named after his late father. Through the Foundation's annual golf outing, more than $855,000 has been raised for the JDRF over the last 11 years.
A resident of Asharoken, New York, Polli and his wife, Christine, have three children - Alexandra, Christian and Gerard.
