RICHMOND, Va. (February 5, 2020) – UNCW, which has captured the past two CAA Baseball Championships, is the overwhelming favorite to claim the title again in 2020 according to a vote of the league’s head baseball coaches.
The Seahawks received seven first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 63 points. Northeastern got a pair of first-place votes and was picked second with 54 points, while Charleston and Elon were tied for third in the preseason rankings with 44 points. William & Mary (40 points) finished fifth in the voting, followed by James Madison (32 points) and Delaware (23 points). Hofstra and Towson were tied for eighth with 12 points.
UNCW begins its first season under head coach Randy Hood, who spent the previous 18 years as an assistant to legendary skipper Mark Scalf. The Seahawks return five starting position players and several top starting pitchers from last year’s 32-31 squad that became the first team to win back-to-back CAA championships since 2003. Pacing the offense are senior third baseman Cole Weiss (.305, 4 HR, 49 RBI) and junior outfielder Noah Bridges (.263, 4 HR, 45 RBI), who both earned All-CAA honors a year ago. UNCW features a veteran group of starting pitchers led by senior Luke Gesell (5-5, 3.59 ERA) and juniors Landen Roupp (6-3, 3.47 ERA) and Zarion Sharpe (3-3, 4.21 ERA).
Northeastern welcomes back the majority of its starting lineup from last year’s 28-29 team. Topping that group is junior Ian Fair, who received first-team All-CAA accolades last season after leading the conference with a .357 batting average. He is joined by infielders Scott Holzwasser (.254, 27 RBI’s) and Jake Rosen (.237) along with all-conference outfielder Jeff Costello (.267, 29 RBI’s). Back on the mound are senior starters Kyle Murphy (5-4, 4.66 ERA) and David Stiehl (6-4, 4.82 ERA) as well as junior reliever Brandon Dufault (1-2, 3 saves).
Charleston went 36-21 a year ago and finished second in the CAA with a 16-8 mark. Among the returnees to the Cougars’ starting lineup are seniors Chris Graham (.291, 15 RBI’s), Harrison Hawkins (.252, 26 R) and Ari Sechopoulos (.202, 14 RBI’s). Charleston’s pitching staff includes sophomore Brooks Lucas (5-2, 4.83 ERA) and senior Josh Price (7-5, 3.33 ERA).
Elon is coming off a 33-24 campaign in 2019 that included its first CAA regular-season title with a 19-5 mark and its first appearance in the conference championship game. The Phoenix has seven regulars returning to the lineup led by All-CAA standouts Joe Satterfield (.325, 35 RBI’s) and Anthony Galason (.274, 43 R). Elon’s pitching staff is anchored by junior left-hander Jared Wetherbee (7-4, 3.00 ERA, 98 K’s) and senior southpaw Dean McCarthy (2-3, 3.70 ERA.
Northeastern’s Fair was selected as the preseason Player of the Year and headlined the preseason All-CAA squad. UNCW and Elon both had four players chosen to the team.
2020 CAA BASEBALL PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
- UNCW (7 first-place votes) 63
- Northeastern (2 first-place votes) 54
- Charleston 44
Elon 44 - William & Mary 40
- James Madison 32
- Delaware 23
- Hofstra 12
Towson 12
2020 PRESEASON ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown 2019 Stats
Matthew Trehub, William & Mary C Sr. Southborough, Mass. .282, 2 HR, 20 RBI
Joseph Carpenter, Delaware IF So. Cornwall, Pa. .300, 5 HR, 37 RBI
Ian Fair, Northeastern IF Jr. Walpole, Mass. .357, 8 HR, 33 RBI
Scott Holzwasser, Northeastern IF Sr. Sudbury, Mass. .254, 5 HR, 27 RBI
Joe Satterfield, Elon IF Sr. Greenville, S.C. .325, 4 HR, 35 RBI
Cole Weiss, UNCW IF Sr. Winston-Salem, N.C. .305, 4 HR, 49 RBI
Kyle Baker, Delaware OF Grad. Hockessin, Del. .354, 2 HR, 39 RBI (’18 stats)
Noah Bridges, UNCW OF Jr. Benson, N.C. .263, 4 HR, 45 RBI
Trevon Dabney, James Madison OF So. Douglassville, Pa. .306, 6 HR, 29 RBI
Javon Fields, Towson OF So. Bear, Del. .272, 33 R, 17 RB
Anthony Galason, Elon OF So. Colts Neck, N.J. .274, 43 R, 25 RBI
Brandon Raquet, William & Mary OF Sr. Boalsburg, Pa. .269, 8 HR, 31 RBI
Garrett Stonehouse, Elon UT Sr. Westport, Conn. .311, 15 R, 16 RBI
Kyle Novak, James Madison DH So. Oakton, Va. .303, 26 R, 28 RBI
Landen Roupp, UNCW SP Jr. Rocky Mount, N.C. 6-3, 3.47 ERA, 91 K’s
Zarion Sharpe, UNCW SP Jr. Greenville, N.C. 3-3, 4.21 ERA, 61 K’s
Jared Wetherbee, Elon SP Jr. Fiskdale, Mass. 7-4, 3.00 ERA, 98 K’s
Brett Ayer, James Madison RP Sr. Mechanicsville, Va. 4-1, 2.52 ERA, 52 K’s
Chris Farrell, William & Mary RP Sr. Great Falls, Va. 5-2, 6 saves, 2.58 ERA
Josh Price, Charleston RP Sr. Dillon, S.C. 7-5, 1 save, 3.33 ERA
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Ian Fair, Northeastern
Honorable Mention: Austin Gauthier, IF, Hofstra; Fox Semones, IF, James Madison; Jeff Costello, OF, Northeastern; Jordan Hutchins, OF, Delaware; Brooks Baldwin, UT, UNCW, Jake Rosen, UT, Northeastern; David Stiehl, SP, Northeastern; Nick Stewart, SP, James Madison; Wade Strain, SP, William & Mary; Billy Sullivan IV, SP, Delaware; Brandon Dufault, RP, Northeastern; Derek Wakeley, RP, Delaware
