Last Year’s Record: 25-22
Key Roster Losses: Jonathon Mulford (RHP), Alex Zykoff (OF)
Key Roster Additions: Tyler Becker (SS/3B), Tom Macri (INF) Andrew Sesto (RHP), Troy Simpson (RHP)
Key Returning Players: TJ Santiago (RHP, senior), Robert Vani (1B, senior), Eric Hassell (OF, senior), Matthew O’Connor (LHP, redshirt junior), Kory Cassara (C, senior), Brett Malm (SS, sophomore), Ed Baram (RHP, sophmore), Mike Demarest (RHP, sophomore), Michael Tarpey (RHP, junior), Mike Stack (SS, senior)
Coming off of a first-round exit in the 2016 NE-10 Conference tournament, Adelphi is entering the season with a chip on their shoulder. Luckily for the Panthers, they have a ton of talent to help guide the way for a successful 2017 season.
Strengths
As we all know, the heart of every team begins with the starting rotation. This season, the Panthers have one of the most imposing rotations in the NE-10, including arguably the best pitcher in the conference–TJ Santiago. In 2016, Santiago posted a 2.54 ERA while going 6-2 over 74.1 innings pitched, and has a real chance to get drafted. Following Santiago in the rotation is redshirt junior Matthew O’Connor and sophomore Ed Baram, who are both coming off extremely successful seasons in 2016 and are expected to build off that success. The southpaw O’Connor finished his sophomore campaign with a 2.62 ERA over 58.1 innings pitched. Baram earned NE-10 first team All-Rookie honors as he struck out 38 batters over 45.1 innings pitched while finishing with a 3.38 ERA. They will have to cope with the loss of Jonathon Mulford, who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals following a strong performance in the Battle of the Border.
The backend of their bullpen should be a strength too. Mike Demarest showed his poise as the closer and will be expected to provide stability in the ninth inning. Michael Tarpey, a 6’6″ RHP, threw the ball very well in the fall and garnered the attention of some MLB scouts as he was working in the low 90s. They also added a key transfer in Andrew Sesto from Dowling. Two other names that could contribute significantly out of there are Michael Ceparano and Chris Lemorocco. Both are seniors, but Lemorocco is coming off two Tommy John surgeries, so they will certainly take precautions to keep his arm healthy.
Aside from the pitching staff the Panthers also excelled on the base paths. They’ll look to take the league by storm this year by using their speed to their advantage. In 2016, they swiped 61 bags in 47 games.
Although they lost their leader in average and RBI’s in Alex Zykoff, the Adelphi lineup still features some extremely talented players with some experience under their belts, including seniors Eric Hassell and Robert Vani. The latter of which is a two-time All-Long Island player, he led the team in OBP while batting .325, playing in all 47 games and leading the team in home runs with four. He excelled in the Hamptons League, smacking a league-high nine long balls. Hassell also had an extremely impressive year in 2016 in which he batted .305 over 46 games. They will also be counting on Brett Malm, Kory Cassara, Mike Cattani and Brandon Morse to provide punch. Morse and Malm both got off to torrid starts last year, but tapered off down the stretch.
Weakness
Although it might be nitpicking, the Panthers do have one potential chink in the armor. According to assistant coach Kevin Salmon, Adelphi is lacking in experience. While they have some veteran leadership, they will be counting on some green players in their lineup. In a tough conference like the NE-10, that could be the one area of concern.
Overview
This Adelphi roster possesses talent from top-to-bottom. It is certainly their most talented team since 2014 and possibly since their 36-win team in 2011, in which they were on the precipice of a World Series appearance. They have been picked to win the southwest conference of the NE-10, where they will compete with other talented teams like Pace, Le Moyne, New Haven, Southern Connecticut, Saint Rose and AIC. Obviously, they will be staring at tough matchups against Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce from the Northeast Division.
They have a real chance to make noise in the postseason thanks to their veteran pitching staff and with four seniors in the lineup.
