Somerset, NJ – Central Connecticut has done it twice in the past three years and the 2020 preseason coaches’ poll results suggest Charlie Hickey’s Blue Devils will achieve NEC supremacy again this spring.
Defending champion CCSU, which defeated California last June to become the second NEC program to record a NCAA Regional victory, pulled in six first-place votes to headline the preseason predicted order-of-finish.
Bryant, which won 40 games last year before falling to CCSU in the NEC Tournament title tilt, secured the remaining two top nods to claim second place in the poll.
Wagner took third place in the poll ahead of Sacred Heart in fourth. Both teams qualified for the 2019 NEC Tournament.
New-look Long Island University, which will compete as the “Sharks,” was tabbed for a fifth-place finish followed by NEC newcomer Merrimack in sixth. Mount St. Mary’s and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the poll results in seventh and eighth, respectively.
Central Connecticut and Bryant clashed thrice during the 2019 NEC Tournament with CCSU winning the last two to clinch the title. Bryant, which entered as the No. 1 seed, has captured eight consecutive regular season crowns, but has not won it all since 2016.
With accomplished manager Steve Owens having landed at Big Ten member Rutgers, Bryant has new leadership for the first time in 10 seasons. Vanderbilt alumnus Ryan Klosterman has taken the reins following eight years as Central Florida’s top assistant coach.
Meanwhile, legendary skipper Charlie Hickey returns for his 21st season at the helm in New Britain. Hickey, who has presided over 15 seasons of at least 25 wins, welcomes back a bulk of battle-tested talent from last year’s championship team.
CCSU’s entire batting lineup from its NCAA Tournament win over Cal remains intact entering the 2020 campaign. The decorated heart of the order, which features corner infielders TT Bowens and Buddy Dewaine along with cleanup-hitting outfielder Dave Matthews, was responsible for 12 RBI and nine runs scored over three games at the 2019 NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
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Like Bryant, Fairleigh Dickinson has a new skipper at the wheel. Rob DiToma, who most recently served as associate head coach for A-10 champion Fordham, was named the 12th head coach in FDU’s program history.
Nick Barese, who amassed a 128-98 career record over the past five years as head coach, leads Merrimack into its first season of competition at the Division I level. The Warriors, which are reclassifying from the Division II ranks, are not yet postseason eligible.
Both CCSU position players who earned NEC All-Tournament Team honors in 2019 return for 2020. TT Bowens, a former NEC Tournament MVP (2017), hit .389 with three extra-base hits, three walks and three RBI over a five-game Memorial Day Weekend. Buddy Dewaine, who is cousins with Bowens, batted .471 with eight hits, six RBI and two walks during the four-team postseason tournament.
Wagner has qualified for the NEC Tournament in five of the last six seasons under head coach Jim Carone. Two key hitters are back in the fold following a fruitful 2019 campaign – DH Freddy Sabido (Staten Island, NY), an All-NEC Second Team pick, and 1B Tyler Sanfilippo (Wayne, NJ), who led the Seahawks in on-base percentage and earned a spot on the NEC All-Tournament Team.
Sacred Heart, which has qualified for the NEC Tournament 10 times in the last 11 years, has two 2019 all-conference performers on its roster – All-NEC First Team third baseman Jake Frasca (Darien, CT) and All-NEC Second Team starting pitcher Ryan LaMay (Washington Depot, CT).
LIU welcomes back a number of experienced arms headlined by reliever Rob Griswold and starter Jackson Svete. The former notched four wins while pitching to a 3.18 ERA out of the bullpen, fanning 43 batters and not allowing a homer over 39.2 innings. The latter made a team-high 12 starts, including a 1-0 victory over No. 9 Georgia.
Bryant returns a pair of All-NEC First Team selections – senior designated hitter Gaby Cruz (Miami, FL) and junior starting pitcher Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, NY)
Fairleigh Dickinson second baseman Nate Brodsky (West Palm Beach, FL) is set for his second season in Hackensack after earning All-NEC First Team honors as a rookie.
Mount St. Mary’s welcomes back the majority of its 2019 lineup highlighted by All-NEC First Team outfielder Myles Nicholson (Falling Waters, WV), who led the circuit in stolen bases (37) while hitting .365.
