Many of the local teams have begun to turn their seasons around just at the right time. The early season struggles of the non-conference games are in the rear view mirror with conference play in full swing. Admittedly, with many of the teams now playing well, the difference between many of the teams is virtually razor-thin.
The Elite-
St. John’s (Record: 22-5, Stock DOWN)
It was their first difficult weekend of the season. They lost two of three to Creighton. They won on Friday night in 14-innings, but it definitely took a toll on them. Sean Mooney threw well that night, he’s been lights-out through 44.2 IP this season. Jesse Berardi already has 43 hits and his name is skyrocketing up the draft boards. They will take on Albany and Butler this week.
Trending Up
Stony Brook (Record: 15-14, Stock UP)
The Sea Wolves have won seven in a row after a weekend sweep of Sacred Heart. Bret Clarke won his first game of the season, and they really need him to perform like that the rest of the way. Brandon Janofsky has been red-hot, he’s up to .359, Casey Baker, Toby Handley and Nick Grande have all been swinging the bat well also. They are 12-3 at home, but they’ll be away all week so it will be a test for them.
St. Joseph’s (Record: 13-7, Stock UP)
Huge sweep today of Maritime, who was red-hot entering the day. Brandon Lubrano and Josh Outsen fired shutouts, while Paul Britt, Lou Doria, Anthony Bonilla and Matt Burnett did the heavy lifting at the plate. They look like the class of the conference right now.
Fordham (Record: 14-13, Stock UP)
They went 3-1 this week. Today they got another great start from Jimmy Murphy who now has a 2.83 ERA through 47 innings. They have really turned their season around.
Mike Trout photographed for BodyArmor sports drink by Monte Isom
Nassau (Record:10-5, Stock EVEN)
They went 3-2 this week and are scoring 7.8 runs per game. Nick Marino is batting .462, Brian Perez is at .417, Elijah Tavarez .412 and Mike Siklas .370. The staff is led by Joe Minucci who is 4-0 with 14.06 K/9. They have a big four-game set with rival Suffolk CC this week.
Suffolk (Record: 11-5, Stock UP)
They have won seven consecutive games and look like a different team from the first couple weeks of the season. They are hitting .337 as a team with a .458 OBP, averaging 8.6 runs per game They defeated Kingsborough 18-2 and 11-3 yesterday in two mercy wins. Jimmy Mattera has been especially hot with a triple slash line of .425/.511/.550. Jeff Towle is right behind him with a .405/.510/.548 line. The pitching staff has compiled a stellar 2.94 ERA.
Adelphi (Record:16-12, Stock EVEN)
They went through a rough patch but they swept Assumption today in dominating fashion banging 25 hits in the DH. Both T.J. Santiago and Matthew O’Connor pitched lights-out, while Thomas Colombo had a big four-RBI day. They have five games this week, it will be crucial for them to keep up their winning ways.
LIU Post (Record: 14-12, Stock UP)
They had an important 11-inning victory over Bridgeport today on a HBP with the bases-loaded. They have really benefited from Dan Jagiello’s dominance at the backend of the bullpen–he has fanned 19 in 11.2 innings. Rob Andreoli and Jimmy Mendyk have been tremendous all season in the lineup, while Anthony Vaglica is leading the team with 21 RBI.
Molloy (Record: 11-17, Stock UP)
What a wild DH it was yesterday. They swept Queens by the scores of 18-13 and 10-9, winning the second game in walk-off fashion. Fortunately, the offense has really began to swing the bats collectively. Jake Saltzman is up to .392, and Angelo Navetta is beginning to look like more like the 2016 Most Valuable Player again. The pitching staff has been carried by Ron Bauer, but they will need another one of their starters to join him if they are to make another run at the regionals.
Farmingdale (Record: 14-11, Stock UP)
They have really come around, they are now 9-3 in conference play. Freshman Vinny Rice has been a savior for them–hitting .413/.477/.467. Dalton McCarthy has been the middle-of-the-order hitter they were hoping for. The pitching has been very solid–with the trio of Matt Seelinger, Matthew Constantine and David Otero all posting ERAs of 2.51 or lower. Freshman Joe Marino has been steady as well.
Maritime (Record: 14-9, Stock DOWN)
They swept Purchase yesterday, but suffered a letdown this afternoon against St. Joseph’s with the bats going cold. On a bright note, they remain right in the thick of the Skyline Conference with a DH against Farmingdale still remaining. Brian McLaughlin has already set the program-record with 27 RBI in a single-season. He’s hitting .417, and Steve Semler is right on his heels with 22 RBI and a .377 AVG.
Treading Water:
Old Westbury (Record: 14-12, Stock DOWN)
Very unusual for them to get swept by Purchase. They are still over .500 for the year, but are 6-6 in conference play. Very strong outing from Adam Heidenfelder today but the offense was only able to put up six runs in the double header.They have only one game this week and it will be against No. 11 ranked Ramapo. They are hitting .329 as a team and averaging 7.3 runs but it hasn’t been translating into wins.
Queens (Record: 8-13, Stock EVEN)
They had a nice victory today over Molloy, and will get a chance to salvage a series split tomorrow. Thomas Parish has been the biggest contributor on offense with a .333/.470/.424 line. The pitching staff’s number took a hit with yesterday’s 28 runs allowed against Molloy in the DH. They do have a chance to turn their season around beginning tomorrow but they also have a four-game set against LIU Post this weekend.
