Molloy (31-21) will open up the 2016 NCAA East Regional tonight against St. Thomas Aquinas (35-15) in Rindge, N.H. at 7pm.
The Lions will have ace Ron Bauer (7-2, 1.94 ERA) on the hill. He was roughed up in his last start against Dowling in the opening round of the ECC tournament.
The Spartans ended their run of three straight ECC titles but they still received an at-large bid due to their 35-win season.
They are a potent team in all aspects and we will break down their strengths.
Pitching:
They were fifth in the nation with a 2.94 ERA. They were close to a run better than Molloy in terms of run prevention and they will have the ECC Pitcher of the Year, Matt Kostalos (7-0, 1.41 ERA, 89.2 IP, 105 Ks) on the hill. The Spartans will be hoping he can hand the ball right off to closer George Navadel. The junior saved 12 ballgames and compiled a 2.95 ERA, despite striking out only 12 batters against 8 walks. Long Island native Frankie Moscatiello is another bullpen arm that has been called upon to put out fires. The Rocky Point grad has a devastating fastball, overhand-curve combination but has struggled with command this year (26 K, 23 BB), over 30 IP.
Offense:
They have some dangerous bats in the lineup. The biggest threat is sophomore sensation Giovanni Dingcong. He was named ECC Rookie of the Year last year and he built on that success this year with 5 HR and 34 RBI with a .302 AVG. He does strikeout a ton (48 Ks), but also has drawn 34 walks. Greg Dawber, Joseph Pena, Deven Del Priore and Nicholas Gargan are all regulars that have hit over .300.Pena has drawn a team-leading 43 walks which gives him a tremendous .451 OBP.
Base Running:
They stole 80 bases this year, led by Pena’s 18. They have not done so at a high success rate, though. Their 64 percent rate is far below the norm for elite Div-II teams. To put in context, Molloy has stole 102 bases in 125 tires (81.6 percent).
Dowling will hope that their catcher Michael Rizzitello can nab some runners and possibly end a rally.
Defense:
Molloy has the slight advantage in fielding percentage at .968 to .965. The difference is negligible, but they did commit four errors in their 14-12 loss to the University of Bridgeport.
The teams are familiar with each other. They have met five times this season, with St. Thomas Aquinas winning three of those meetings. Molloy did defeat them, 3-2, in the ECC tournament.
