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Virginia Commonwealth University

#LetsGoVCU

2026 Baseball Roster

8 Dante DeFranco

  • Position Utility
  • Height / Weight 5-10 / 180
  • Class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Hillsborough, N.C.
  • High School (Prev. School) Orange (Charlotte)
  • B/T R/R

Biography

Atlantic 10 Champion (2026)
Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team (2026)
Brooks Wallace Award Initial Watch List (2026)
CUSA Champion (2023) with Charlotte

2026/GRADUATE STUDENT
  • Atlantic 10 Tournament Champion
  • Named to A10 All-Championship Team
  • Named to the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation's Top Shortstop) Initial Watch List on March 4
  • Played in 61 games, making 60 starts 
  • Had 67 hits, 52 runs, 35 RBI and 29 walks as a Ram
  • Went a perfect 15-15 in stolen base attempts
  • Opened his VCU career with five RBI, four hits and three XBH as a pair of runs in first four games vs. Holy Cross and Illinois (Feb. 13-20)
  • Had two 3-5 games and scored four runs in weekend series win at Dayton (March 20-22)
  • Scored a career-high four runs and went 3-5 in series-clinching run-rule victory at A10 Regular Season Champion Saint Joseph's (May 10)
  • Compiled eight hits, including four doubles and a triple, with eight runs, eight RBI and five walks in A10 Championship (May 20-24) 
  • Tallied a hit and scored a run in NCAA Regional victory over No. 23 Tennessee (May 30)
2025/R-SENIOR (Charlotte)
  • American Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference
  • Saw action in six games while making two starts
  • Totaled a pair of hits in eight at bats and drove in one run
  • Penciled into the starting lineup and drove in a run with a hit, a walk, and a sac bunt in the finale against UTSA (March 23)
2024/R-JUNIOR (Charlotte)
  • American Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference
  • Played in 55 games while making 40 starts - both career highs
  • Set career highs in batting average (.259), hits (37), runs scored (25), doubles (8), triples (3), home runs (1), and RBI (18)
  • Tied for the team lead with his three triples
  • Picked up his first hit of the season on opening day against Virginia Tech as a pinch hitter (Feb. 16)
  • Earned his first start of the season in the second game of the year (Feb. 17)
  • Drove in his first run of the year in the finale with the Hokies (Feb. 18)
  • Hit a double against UNCW (March 15)
  • Missed the cycle by just a home run with a three-hit game at Florida Atlantic (March 23)
  • Tripled in a run in Charlottes walk-off win over Memphis (April 20)
  • Hit his first career home run at Winthrop (April 23)
  • Drove in a pair of runs at UAB with a double and a single (April 27)
  • Had another multi-hit game against the Blazers in the very next game (April 28)
  • Had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs in Uptown against No. 4 Clemson (May 7)
  • Doubled in a run against UTSA in the first game of the American Athletic Conference Championship (May 21)
  • Had a pair of hits, including a triple, and drove in three in the AAC Tournament against Florida Atlantic (May 24)
2023/R-SOPHOMORE (Charlotte)
  • Conference USA Champion
  • Played in 44 games and made 30 starts
  • Used as a utility player in both the infield and outfield
  • Batted .247 with 21 hits, six doubles, and nine RBI
  • Made his season debut as a defensive replacement in the season opener against Ball State (Feb. 17)
  • Earned his first career start against UNC Asheville and drove in three with a double in the win (Feb. 28)
  • Scored a run and stole a base at No. 11 Virginia Tech (March 5)
  • Worked his way back into the starting lineup for the first game against Old Dominion (March 10)
  • Started in the conference opener at Louisiana Tech (March 17)
  • Had a career day in the second game at LA Tech, going 5-5 with three RBI and a double, scoring two runs as well (March 18)
  • Drove in a pair in the series finale against Dallas Baptist (March 26)
  • Had a pair of doubles and scored twice against Radford (April 4)
  • Picked up a critical RBI with a double as part of a three-hit game to help the Niners knock off No. 7 Coastal Carolina on the road (May 2)
  • Doubled and scored a run against No. 9 South Carolina to help CLT complete its first season sweep of the Gamecocks (May 16)
  • Had a pair of hits against Middle Tennessee (May 18)
  • Had two more hits against Middle Tennessee in the Conference USA Semifinals (May 27)
  • Entered as a defensive replacement in the C-USA Championship game against No. 16 Dallas Baptist (May 28)
  • Saw action in the NCAA Regionals as a defensive dub against Lipscomb (June 3) and No. 16 Tennessee (June 4)
2022/R-FRESHMAN (Charlotte)
  • Saw action in 20 games off the bench, mostly as a defensive replacement
  • Ended the year with two hits, two runs scored, and one RBI
  • Made good on all four defensive chances that came his way throughout the season
  • Made his collegiate debut against West Virginia (Feb. 25)
  • Scored a run against Western Illinois (March 5)
  • Recorded his first hit at Marshall (April 29)
  • Picked up his first RBI with a single in against the Thundering Herd while also recording his first defensive assist (April 30)
2021/FRESHMAN (Charlotte)
  • Member of the American Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion Squad
  • Did not play, earned redshirt season
HIGH SCHOOL
  • Four-year varsity letterwinner at Orange High School in Hillsborough, N.C.
  • Four-time All-Conference honoree
  • Helped the Panthers to 57 wins in his career
  • Also played football at Orange High School
PERSONAL
  • Born July 10, 2000, in Cary, N.C.
  • Son of Mike and Suzette DeFranco
  • Has three siblings, Sydney, Jake and Gia
  • Dad, Mike DeFranco, played baseball at Wake Forest
  • Favorite baseball memory is winning the Conference USA Championship with Charlotte in 2023
  • All-time favorite athlete is Tom Brady
  • Enjoys golfing on off-days
CAREER HIGHS
  • Hits: 5, at Louisiana Tech, 3/18/23 (with Charlotte)
  • Doubles: 2 (2x), last No. 2 CLEMSON, 5/7/24 (with Charlotte)
  • Triples: 1 (4x), vs. Saint Joseph's, 5/22/26
  • Home Runs: 1 (5x), last at Fordham, 4/10/26
  • Runs: 4, at Saint Joseph’s, 5/10/26
  • RBI: 3 (6x), last vs. Saint Joseph’s, 5/22/26
  • Walks: 3, at Rice, 4/15/23 (with Charlotte)
  • Stolen Bases: 1 (21x), last vs. Saint Joseph’s, 5/22/26
  • At-Bats: 6 (3x), last DAVIDSON, 5/16/26
  • Hitting Streak: 10 games, 5/8/26–5/23/26

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.