This season there should be quite the battle at the top with two really good teams in Bryant and Central Connecticut. Here are our previews for each NEC team with predictions at the bottom.
Bryant (2017 Record: 29-26, 20-6)
Bryant really struggled out-of-conference last year with just nine wins out of conference. On the flip side, they dominated during conference play with 20 wins, but lost a couple of 1-run games in the NEC Tournament.
Lineup:
Infielder Jimmy Titus returns to lead the Bryant lineup after hitting .296 as a freshman with 42 runs scored, 16 doubles, 8 home runs, and 42 RBI. Those numbers were good enough to earn him NEC Rookie of the Year honors. Mickey Gasper should be back behind the plate after hitting .342 a year ago with 45 runs scored, 11 doubles, 7 home runs and 53 RBI. Outfielder Nick Angelini is back as well after hitting .318 with 46 runs scored, 15 doubles, 6 home runs, 37 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Chris Wright is a two-way player that will play some first base. He hit .273 last year with 33 runs scored, 4 home runs and 31 RBI. Freshman Shane Kelly could see some early playing time in the outfield.
Pitching:
Steve Theetge returns to the starting rotation after leading the team with 81.2 innings pitched last year to go with a 3.86 ERA and 60 strikeouts. Nate Wrighter was solid out of the bullpen last year with a 1.80 ERA in 40 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts. Jack Patterson could get a shot in the starting rotation after posting a 2.90 ERA last year in 40.1 innings pitched with 39 strikeouts. Vito Morgese had a solid freshman season with a 4.89 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts. He’ll likely be a weekend starter. Freshman Tyler Mattison, Will Treuel and Matthew Stanksy could have an immediate impact on the pitching staff.
2018 Outlook:
The coaching staff would love to see the team improve defensively. They’d also like to see some more consistency out of the arms coming out of the bullpen. With four of their top five hitters and four of their top six pitchers from last year returning, this could be a dangerous team with a chance at an at-large bid with some key wins early.
Central Conn. St. (2017 Record: 36-22, 21-7)
CCSU had a very strong 2017 season winning the most conference games with 21, and then breezing through the NEC Tournament on their way to a championship. They advanced to the Fort Worth regional where they lost a couple of close games to TCU and Dallas Baptist.
Lineup:
Infielder Dean Lockery returns to the lineup after hitting .330 last year with 51 runs scored, 22 doubles, 2 home runs and 30 RBI. First baseman TT Bowens had a very solid freshman season hitting .279 with 30 runs scored, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs and 35 RBI. Nick Garland should return behind the plate after hitting .250 last year with 23 runs scored, 11 doubles, 1 home run and 18 RBI. DH Mitch Guilmette hit .331 last year with 35 RBI. Newcomers Christian Layne, Jake Siracusa and Peyton Stephens will compete for time in the outfield. Jeremy Sagun could play at shortstop.
Pitching:
Andrew Hinckley is a two-way player that had a 3.00 ERA in 21 innings pitched last year in just 4 starts because of an injury, while striking out 28 batters. He’ll likely take over a weekend spot in the rotation. Mike Appel and Ron Grant should get another shot in the starting rotation after starting 14 and 12 games respectively last year for CCSU. Appel had a 4.52 ERA, while Grant had a 5.54 ERA. Brett Susi should be back after sitting out with an injury in 2017.
2018 Outlook:
Head Coach Charlie Hickey said he would like to see their starting pitching improve in 2018.
Some newcomers coach Hickey said to keep an eye on include: Christian Layne, Jake Siracusa, Peyton Stephens and Jeremy Sagun.
Fairleigh Dickinson (2017 Record: 12-34, 8-18)
After starting the season 0-8, they went 8-5 over their next 13 games. But it didn’t get much better from their as they only won four games the rest of the season.
Lineup:
Catcher Evan McDonlad is back in the middle of the lineup after hitting .333 last year with 24 runs scored, 12 doubles, 7 home runs and 34 RBI. He is very solid behind the plate throwing out 17 would-be base stealers. Outfielder Mike Veit led the team with a .382 average last year in just 89 at-bats, while scoring 18 runs. Shortstop Bobby Romano hit .289 a year ago with 41 runs scored, 10 doubles, 9 home runs, 41 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Steven Yelin has a chance to get plenty of playing time as a freshman with a powerful bat. Peter Theodorellis is a two-player that could see some time in the outfield. Assistant Coach Justin McKay said he was one of the leading hitters in during the fall season.
Pitching:
Corey Zeller battled through some arm injuries last year and posted a 7.81 ERA in 70.1 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts. He should be a solid weekend starter for Fairleigh Dickinson. Freshman Trent Valentine and Aaron Cohn have a chance to have an immediate impact in the rotation. Theodorellis could get some significant innings out of the bullpen.
2018 Outlook:
Assistant Coach Justin McKay said that after finishing 32nd in NCAA Division 1 in batting average and top 15 in stolen bases per game, they need to continue to improve in those areas and several others. He also mentioned that the pitching staff suffered a high number of injuries last year and saw their team ERA rise to 7.96 with a high amount of walks. After a national ranked recruiting class, 8-of-9 of their top arms in 2018 will be freshman. Coach Gary Puccio expects the Knights to be much improved on the mound this season. They will have to replace two First Team NEC Players in Ryan Brennan and Matt McCann.
Long Island-Brooklyn (2017 Record: 22-28, 12-14)
The 2017 season saw some ups-and-down for LIU-Brooklyn, but they ultimately didn’t do enough in conference to be able to compete for a NEC Championship.
Lineup:
Third baseman Andrew Turner should be back for his senior season after leading the team with a .339 average last year to go along with 37 runs scored, 14 doubles, 6 home runs and 37 RBI. He was drafted in the 40th round of the MLB Draft last year but didn’t sign. First baseman Dom Paiotti hit .310 a year ago with 40 runs scored, 10 doubles, 3 home runs, 26 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Outfielder Joe Curcio hit .299 in 2017 with 3 home runs and 34 RBI.
Pitching:
Patrick Clyne had a solid freshman season posting a 4.18 ERA in 60.1 innings pitched with 42 strikeouts. He should have a bigger role in the starting rotation this year. Anthony Rupp threw the most innings last year and should get another shot in the rotation. Mike Kreiger was the team’s closer last year with a 4.99 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched with 46 strikeouts and 9 saves.
2018 Outlook:
They return their top three hitters from last year and a lot of innings in the pitching staff, so expect another solid year from LIU-Brooklyn. If a few players step up in the rotation, they could make some noise.
Mount St Mary’s (2017 Record: 8-39, 5-23)
Mount St. Mary’s didn’t win their first game last year until March 24, starting the season 0-14. They only won three games out-of-conference. It was not a pretty season, but there is nowhere to go but up.
Lineup:
Second baseman Alex Kriss hit .259 last year with 18 runs scored, 10 doubles, 1 home run, 15 RBI and 4 stolen bases. Shortstop Patrick Causa hit .287 with 26 runs scored, 9 doubles, 2 home runs and 26 RBI. Third baseman Vaughn Parker hit .298 with 3 home runs. Outfielder Jared Urban is back after a solid freshman season. Catcher and first baseman Sean Kelly should have an impact on the lineup as well. Utility Player Myles Nicholson should get some playing time.
Pitching:
Michael Collins started 12 games last year and posted a 6.59 ERA in 57.1 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts. He should get a weekend rotation spot this season. Trey McGough worked mainly out of the bullpen last year as a freshman, but should have a bigger role in 2018. Head Coach Scott Thomson said they get back three of their top arms that were out last year with injuries: Cole Reeder, Michael Kuypers and LHP/1B Pat Daly. Newcomers Michael Yetter and Andrew Malone could get some significant innings this year.
2018 Outlook:
“We would like to get back into the NEC Tournament. We need to be able to execute the little things and put pressure on our opponents.” – Head Coach Scott Thomson
Sacred Heart (2017 Record: 23-26, 14-13)
The 2017 season was full of up-and-downs for Sacred Heart. But they put it together in the NEC Tournament to make a run at the championship, only to fall short in the title game.
Lineup:
Infielder PJ DeFilippo is back after hitting .315 last year with 36 runs scored, 12 doubles, 4 home runs, 44 RBI and 8 stolen bases. Austin Markmann and Elijah Brown both had good freshman seasons on the infield. Markmann hit .293 in 140 at-bats with 22 runs scored, 4 home runs and 28 RBI, while Brown scored 36 runs. Catcher Cody Doyle should also be a big part of the lineup in 2018 as well. Freshman outfielder Isiah Daubon could have an immediate impact, as could transfer Jake Frasca who is a two-way player.
Pitching:
Brent Teller and Baylor Sundahl should return to form a formidable 1-2 punch in the starting rotation. Teller had a 4.43 ERA last year in 81.1 innings pitched with 58 strikeouts, while Sundahl had a 4.21 ERA in 83.1 innings pitched with 49 strikeouts. James Taubl led the team with 89 innings pitched last year and 64 strikeouts to go along with a 4.85 ERA. Jackson Aldam was very good out of the bullpen last year with a 3.80 ERA in 47.1 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts. Freshman Joe Greco could see significant innings this year.
2018 Outlook:
Head Coach Nick Restaino said he would like to see his team have more consistency in all three facets of the game (hitting, pitching and defense). He also said he’d like to do a better job of getting on base, moving runners over and scoring runs.
Wagner (2017 Record: 22-28, 13-12)
It was a mediocre year for Wagner in 2017, but they did qualify for the NEC Tournament where they eliminated the one seed Bryant, but lost the following game and were eliminated.
Lineup:
Second baseman Nick Mascelli returns to the lineup after missing 2017 with an injury. In 2016 he hit .374 in 195 at-bats with 36 runs scored and 3 home runs. Shortstop Sean Mazzio hit .303 last year with 41 runs scored, 9 doubles, 5 home runs, 27 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Phil Capra returns behind the plate after leading the team with a .351 average last year to go along with 34 runs scored, 10 doubles, 7 home runs and 42 RBI. First baseman Freddy Sabido hit .297 last year with 9 home runs and 31 RBI. Outfielder Anthony Godino was second on the team with a .328 average last year as well as 45 runs scored, 13 doubles, 4 triples, 7 home runs, 37 RBI and 17 stolen bases. The lineup also returns outfielder Kyle Cala who hit .286 last year with 29 runs scored, 5 home runs and 29 RBI.
Pitching:
They return senior Danny Marsh to the rotation after he posted a 1.96 ERA in 13 starts and 78 innings pitched with 69 strikeouts. Head Coach Jim Carone will count on several newcomers to have an immediate impact on the pitching staff. Junior college transfers Eric Ligda, Koby Bishop and Keaton Freire will be counted on to pitch significant innings. The same can be said for freshman pitchers Pat Gallagher, Kevin Wiseman and Mike Pirrotta.
2018 Outlook:
Coach Carone said they still need to figure out the back of the bullpen and the last rotation spot for 2018.
This team looks to be loaded offensively. If they can fill out the pitching staff this could be a big year for Wagner.
2018 All-Northeast Preseason Team
C: Mickey Gasper (Bryant)
1B: Freddy Sabido (Wagner)
2B: Dean Lockery (CCSU)
SS: Jimmy Titus (Bryant)
3B: Andrew Turner (LIU-Brooklyn)
OF: Nick Angelini (Bryant)
OF: Anthony Godino (Wagner)
OF: Mike Veit (Fairleigh Dickinson)
DH: PJ DeFilippo (Sacred Heart)
SP: Steve Theetge (Bryant)
SP: Danny Marsh (Wagner)
SP: Andrew Hinckley (CCSU)
SP: Patrick Clyne (LIU-Brooklyn)
SP: Brent Teller (Sacred Heart)
RP: Nate Wrighter (Bryant)
RP: Mike Kreiger (LIU-Brooklyn)
RP: Jackson Aldam (Sacred Heart)
Honorable Mention:
C: Phil Capra (Wagner)
C: Evan McDonlad (Fairleigh Dickinson)
1B: TT Bowens (CCSU)
1B: Dom Paiotti (LIU-Brooklyn)
2B: Nick Mascelli (Wagner)
SS: Bobby Romano (Fairleigh Dickinson)
SS: Sean Mazzio (Wagner)
SP: Baylor Sundahl (Sacred Heart)
Predicted Order to Finish:
- Bryant
- Central Connecticut
- Sacred Heart
- Wagner
- LIU-Brooklyn
- Fairleigh Dickinson
- Mount St. Mary’s
