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| Hoftra Athletic Communications |
Like Stony Brook, Hofstra had their first series cancelled last weekend. They will begin their 2014 campaign in Arizona this weekend against Grand Canyon University.
The Pride finished the 2013 season with an overall record of 26-27, 11-16 within the Colonial Athletic Associate (CAA). The team will be playing for Head Coach John Russo in his sixth season.
The offense will be led by Kenny Jackson, who hit over .300 last season. Jackson is an elite power hitter, who knocked nine home runs last season. He will need to replace the production of Matt Reistetter, a star catcher who was of the best on the island and now plays in the Washington Nationals system. I picked him to represent the All-Long Island team last season. Fortunately, the team will benefit from the return of second basemen Matt Ford and SS Dalton Rouleau, both of whom missed 2013 due to injury.
The pitching staff will need to be improved from last season, when they recorded a 5.42 ERA. That was with Bryan Verbitsky who was drafted in the third round by San Diego. The most effective returning pitcher is Brett Schreiber who recorded a team-best 2.48 ERA with six saves. The Pride will need to find a way to get him the ball. Frontline pitcher David D’Errico and Nick Kozlowski will have to have strong performances in order for the team to return to their 34-win form of 2012.
