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| Photo Credit: Stony Brook Athletics |
10. NYIT: 4-36
The record says it all. They began the season with a losing streak of 14 games and followed that up with a 19-game streak. They have lost 12 games by 9+ runs. The silver lining is that Joe Daru has a .327 average and has been successful on 24 of 26 attempts.
9. St. Joseph’s: 16-17:
Since their 2-8 start, they have actually played very well but they struggle against teams over .500. They could’ve really built up some credibility by sweeping Farmingdale but narrowly missed the opportunity in both games and are back under .500. They will have a tough path to win the conference.
8. Old Westbury: 18-19
They are 12-4 in the conference but have not done themselves any favors by losing winnable games to NYU-Poly, NJ City and Manhattanville. They will have a chance to undo many years of disappointment if they can get over the top against Farmingdale in the playoffs. They will have the benefit of hosting the tournament which could be a huge determining factor. They will be relying on Arismendy Nunez and Tim Ingram to lead the rotation with Alex DiSanto in the back end of the bullpen.
7. Molloy: 17-19
They have been wildly inconsistent. They are coming off a three of four series win but it’s tough to have confidence in a team that has been outscored by 22 runs. Offensively, freshman Ron Bauer has carried the load with a .340 average and .412 OBP. Kevin Podell is hitting .317 with a .388 OBP but after that nobody is hitting better than .280. The pitching staff is top heavy. Ace Max Schonfeld has a 1.78 ERA in 65 innings, Shea Spitzbarth has a 2.44 in 51 innings and Alex Miden is 5-1 but there is a dropoff after that. Reliever Bobby Kelly has been lights out with a 0.92 ERA in 19.2 innings despite only 9 strikeouts.
6. Adelphi: 19-19
Here is another team that has not been able to sustain success this season. They have had impressive victories but seem to follow it up with difficult defeats. The southwest NE-10 is very talented with Southern Connecticut and New Haven and they will need to improve across the board to win it all. The team has been led by its duo of Cliff Brantley and Rich Mejia who have combined for 111 hits and 51 RBI. Mejia has struck out only seven times all season and has a Miguel Cabrera-like 1.004 OPS. Vincent Sharkey is also hitting .304 with 13 stolen bases. The pitching staff has been inconsistent with a 4.44 team ERA. That is a bit tainted because of a 21-run game. The rotation is young led by sophomore John Mulford (2.88 ERA) and freshman TJ Santiago (3.48 ERA). Ultimately, they may be best served relying on seniors Matt Abramowitz and Stephen Bove in big games.
5. CW Post: 16-16
They are playing much better of late, but a 9-11 conference record will give them a tough route to winning the ECC. They impressed me by splitting a four-game set with a superior team like Dowling. Despite a dismal .234 team average, they have a chance against almost any team because of their 2.84 team ERA. Jake DeCarli, Mike Eckerle and Joey Arena all have sub 2.00 ERAs in the rotation with James Long not far behind at 2.41. In the bullpen it’s Dan Jagiello and Brian Tinney who have been shutting the door. The offense will need to step up. Tom Tolan leads the way with a .364 average but after that it’s been a lot of ineptitude.
4. Farmingdale: 21-10
It impossible to count these guys out who have won six straight conference championships. They will not be hosting it but it’s clear they have the mental edge over Old Westbury when it comes down to it. The team has bludgeoned opponents again with a .309 average but they did it without much from a few of the big bats that led the way last year. Rather, the lineup has been led by Mike Marino (.371 average, 31 RBI) and Ed Bergmann (.454 average, 25-26 stolen base attempts). The rotation has been led by Alex Weingarten (1.85 ERA) and Mike Dolce (three wins). The bullpen is led by Chris Dragone, who leads the team with a 1.44 ERA. They have a 16-man pitching staff that doesn’t lack options but the key will be who steps up when their number is called.
3. Hofstra: 17-17
The big surprise is that senior Kenny Jackson is only hitting .242 with two home runs. He was a beast for the team for three years, and that has hurt their offense as the team average has sunk to .266. Robbie Cafiero has led the way with a .324 average including many clutch hits. Brian MacDonald is having a nice season with a .319 average. The rotation features David Jesch, Nick Kozlowksi and David D’Errico, who has recently returned to game action after an injury. Brett Scheiber has been steady in the bullpen with eight saves and an ERA of 1.86 in 29 innings.
2. Dowling: 29-11
This is a very balanced team. They have an average of .294, averaging 6.25 runs per game. They are pretty deep top to bottom starting with Jon Cruz (.364 Avg), Andrew Abreu (.310 avg), continuing to RJ Going and JC Brandmeier. The team ERA is a ridiculous 2.24. Everyone knows the dominance of Badamo, but Tom Bammann is 8-1 with a 2.23, Kyle DeMeo is 4-1 with a 1.01 ERA and JJ Bessell is 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA. I can envision them winning the region.
1. Stony Brook- 25-14
Their 11-3 record in the conference and 15-1 at home is a great combination. They have played exceptional since they began 0-6. The middle of the lineup with Robert Chaverria, Kevin Krause and Kevin Courtney might not be as potent as 2012 but it is formidable. The 3.74 team ERA might not be great but the combination of Frankie Vanderka, Tim Knesnik, Brandon McNitt, Ryley MacEachern and Tyler Honahan has kept the team in almost every game. Cameron Stone and Bryan Tatelman have been tremendous in the backend of the bullpen.
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