Andre Pallante came to the Anteaters with already high expectations even starting Opening Day as a freshman, but he's never been one to focus on expectations focusing mainly on what he expects out of himself. "When you talk about what do you expect, it's one of those things you always expect the most out of yourself. In terms of what I expected out of myself was to go out there and give my best effort".

The 2019 draftee had a successful career as an Anteater going 26-9 on the mound with a 2.59 ERA and 260 strikeouts over three seasons. His sophomore year he was a unanimous All-American, a finalist for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Award behind a 10-1 record and 1.60 ERA, and by the 2019 draft he was selected in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The results definitely came, but the process has always been most important to Pallante. For him, he's always looking at what's right in front of him, improving on what just happened to him and getting to  his next step and eventually the end goal, and that's what his 'Eater career played out as.

"It's all part of a process. I can look back at almost every year and see how I improved on where I was, and I can tell you exactly how I got better."

"My first year, I came out here and had a hard time throwing strikes. I had about five walks per nine innings and got moved out of the rotation into the bullpen." His difficult freshman season saw him relegated to a reliever where he still finished with six wins, two saves, and over a strikeout per inning. The next step in his process was a trip to the Cape Cod League where he developed a curveball to help as a strikeout pitch.

"My first game at UCI against Minnesota Opening Day, I had eight of nine batters at two strikes and seven of those eight reached base. So, I really struggled at finishing and getting the outs. During the course of my freshman year, I found the zone, then that summer I found a curveball and how to put guys away."

Back on campus and ready for a sophomore season, he felt really good and showed that with his All-American campaign. "I was putting everything together, throwing my fastballs for strikes, striking guys out with a fastball, curveball, and slider. I had to fine tune what my fastball moves like. It started cutting that sophomore year and that development was what brought me all that success as a sophomore."

The adversity came in the classroom prior to a stellar sophomore season, and Pallante again went back to his process. After failing a math class in the Fall, he took the course again over his Winter break. "I learned that if I just do the work, the results will come; if I keep at it and keep at it and keep pushing. When I took the class again in the Winter, I passed with a 'B'. That was a big thing in terms of my maturity of learning, not giving up, and how important work ethic is and staying focused on the day-to-day and not the end goal."

"It all comes back to focusing on the process. You can't be like I'm going to make the team or be a starter because that's something that's out of your control with coaches and front office and decisions like that. Where I can control is where I need to improve; what I need to do in terms of the process to become a better pitcher. If we sign a bunch of guys and I'm moved to Triple-A, that's what happens but I'm going to control what I'm able to and become the best pitcher I can be. That was a lot of what I learned at UC Irvine."

The process was in full swing heading into a junior season full of expectations after his award-laden sophomore year. Hard to replicate that year but he managed another 10-win campaign along with an ERA under 3.00. All of his other stats and numbers didn't see much change.

"My peripherals were all similar in terms of walk rate, strikeout rate, WHIP, so it wasn't like I was a worse pitcher, I didn't get any better either. Not getting better and allowing those kinds of opportunities where I didn't give up runs, and now I was giving up runs my junior year, I could have become a better pitcher."

Pallante was looking to expand on his repertoire by working on a two-seamer that year and a changeup, but ultimately got away from who he was. "From that I learned that I tried to become something I wasn't, so that junior year, even though I didn't improve on my main pitches, I learned what I wasn't." And the process continues.

Next up was the draft and his pro career starting off with the State College Spikes in Short Season Single-A; a really good introduction to minor league baseball as he put it to adjust to a five-day rotation, making new friends in the process, and pitching well to boot helping him land a spot in the All-Star Game.

Excited for his first full season in 2020, Pallante like every other minor leaguer had to sit on the sidelines without a minor league season. But the process never sleeps and Pallante took action and took advantage of the situation.

"I was able to take advantage of that pandemic throwing in San Clemente. We weren't allowed on the baseball fields, so I was throwing on this grassy strip, throwing long toss on this grassy knoll with my dad about 10 minutes from my house. Long toss out there almost every other day for four or five months, and it really helped my arm strength."

He even took the time to obtain his Business Economics degree which provided another relief know he's got that stashed in his back pocket.

By the next Spring Training, he was back and throwing three to four miles an hour harder that sprung him to a good season in Double-A Springfield and an invite to the Arizona Fall League.

"I really found everything there. That was a big thing for me, talking to a lot of guys from different teams and that extra environment of stretching myself past where I had been allowed me to focus on my mechanics and find things and a good "sweet spot" for how everything would feel out of my hand. I was able to ride that through last year and had a really good year with the Major League team."

The process led to the big leap from Double-A in 2021 to the roster of the St. Louis Cardinals to open the 2022 season. Like with everything, the process didn't fail him. "I was fortunate to have the expanded roster because I was the 28th guy on the 28-man roster. As a player, you just go in as the best I can because it doesn't matter where you are. The spot will find you so your goal is to come in as best as you possibly can be and then everything else works its way out. For me, they just happened to need an extra arm in the bullpen, and I had proven that I had good stuff and I've kept good poise and worked out."

All the process and poise couldn't prepare him for that first appearance as a big leaguer. "I was very nervous on Opening Day, my heart's beating a mile a minute. I was telling myself don't think about everything that's going on around me."

Pallante's grandfather had recently passed away and the rest of his family was back home at the gathering. "It was cool in a way because I got to call my dad. I can't believe it, I just pitched in the Major Leagues. My dad was so ecstatic, and my whole family was on the phone with him together for my Grandpa's funeral. I wish my grandpas could have been around to see it, but I know he's knows somehow, and really cool to have my whole family there supporting me."

His UCI support was in the stands as well in his good friend and Anteater Adrian Damla. "He actually came out to Opening Day. That was one of the coolest experiences that happened, having your best friend there when you're making your debut in the big leagues."

Now a full season under his belt, even an outing in the Postseason, Pallante is back at his old stomping grounds throwing bullpens at Cicerone Field. He was excited for the Alumni weekend even though he didn't plan on doing any pitching, but said it wasn't out of the question that maybe he'd "get some swings in".

It's all another part of the process when it comes to facilities and development and leaving it better than you got it. "I know how important facilities are and all that does to developing a player. I come back here every offseason and I live nearby, I'm very fortunate that I get to come back and use what we have."

Pallante's personal goal is to help find ways to help the guys here now in any way. "I know with the stadium; I'd like to be able to take advantage of that and I'm all for any improvements. Mostly, it's just how important it is to guys and having everything you can to become the best player you can be."

His 2023 season is closing in with Spring Training starting up. Pallante has another experience on the horizon with the World Baseball Classic set to begin in March. Pallante's family heritage is allowing him to compete with Team Italy and is sending him to Taichung, Taiwan in a pool to play four games against Cuba, Chinese Taipei, Panama, and The Netherlands looking to advance to the knockout rounds that take place in Tokyo and Miami.