This week we will limit it to the Top 10 local colleges. It’s getting very difficult to differentiate the teams and that’s a testament to how they’ve turned their seasons around and improved the overall product of Long Island baseball. Without further ado, here’s my best effort at our latest installment of this season-long series.
The Elite
- St. John’s (Record: 26-5, Stock UP)
They won all four games this week by the cumulative score of 32-11 and that was with two extra-inning wins! Jesse Berardi is having one of the finest years in the rich tradition of the program’s history. He played in front of 20 scouts the other day–he’s putting up numbers better than World Series winner Joe Panik did. He and John Valente already have 50 hits. They are the only team in the country to be in the top-10 in hitting (No. 4) and team ERA (No. 7). Special year for them.
2. Fordham (Record: 18-13, Stock UP)
They won all four games this week as well, and now five consecutive overall. They are firing on all cylinders right now. They swept Saint Joseph’s (Philadelphia). Reiss Knehr had one of the best outings you’ll see–8.1 IP, 1 H 16 Ks and he has been outstanding of late. Kyle Martin pitched great in relief and he now leads the team with five wins. Jimmy Murphy fired another lights-out outing yesterday with seven strikeouts over eight innings of one-run ball.
Getting Hot
3. Adelphi (Record: 19-14, Stock UP)
They went 3-2 this week, but they swept the College of St. Rose in dominating fashion with 29 runs in 3 games, so they are trending up. They got home runs from Mike Cattani, Brandon Morse, Steven Withers, Rob Vani and Brett Malm so they are beginning to drive the baseball. T.J. Santiago and Matt O’Connor had dominant outings, the presence of O’Connor really helps the rotation, as he compliments the duo of power RHPS (Santiago and Ed Baram) very well.
4. St. Joseph’s (Record: 17-8, Stock UP)
They’ve been rolling of late–winning six of seven. The impact that the transfers have had (Lou Doria, Paul Britt, Anthony Raucci, Dylan Piscitelli) is huge. Doria is leading the team with a .641 SLG percentage, Britt is leading the team with 27 hits and Raucci had the big go-ahead hit the other day. Catcher Daniel Campanelli (.404 AVG) has been tremendous and he is really an impact two-way player. Brandon Lubrano (1.33 ERA 4 wins) and Josh Outsen (1.50 ERA, 5-0) have been lights-out–both are in the running for Pitcher of the Year. Big weekend with Old Westbury and Farmingdale in consecutive days.
5. Stony Brook (Record: 17-16, Stock EVEN)
They went 2-2 this week, defeating UMASS-Lowell yesterday. Bret Clarke had a strong outing and it cannot be understated how important he will be down the stretch now that Greg Marino and Brian Hermann appear to have solidified the top of the rotation. Brandon Janofsky (.337/.394) has really been swinging a hot bat and Dylan Resk has been providing the pop, he now has eight home runs and is slugging .568. They will be off until Friday, when they open up a big series against Hartford.
5. LIU Post (Record: 16-14, Stock EVEN)
They went 2-2 this week, but they are coming off a big win over Queens yesterday in which they scored 12 runs on 14 hits. Brian Kavanaugh improved to 2-0 on the season and he could make a significant difference in the rotation. They will look to make some progress this week when they have six games–including a big game against Molloy on Saturday and a DH on Sunday against Southern Connecticut. A successful week will shoot them up the rankings. Rob Andreoli, Anthony Vaglica and Jimmy Mendyk have led the offense
6. Nassau (Record: 12-8, Stock EVEN)
6A Suffolk (Record: 13-8, Stock EVEN)
It’s difficult to differentiate these teams, they are very similar and they split their four-game set this week. They both have well-rounded teams that can smack the ball. Nick Marino is hitting .500 leading an attack that is scoring 7.0 runs per game. Suffolk has a ridiculous .444 team OBP with two regulars (Joe Murphy and Ron Linsalato) over .500. Chris Mott, Joe Murphy and Joe Mattero have led the rotation–combining for 11 of the team’s 13 wins while all fanning over 9.0 per 9 IP.
8. Maritime (Record: 16-10, Stock UP)
They scored 40 runs in their three games this week. They have stung the baseball all season–as displayed by their team .455 SLG percentage. Brian McLaughlin is slugging an unbelievable .762 and Stephen Semler is just behind at .700. The pitching has hit a rough patch, but they will have St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn and Mount St. Vincent’s this weekend in double headers as they prepare for their big showdown against Farmingdale the following week.
9. Farmingdale (Record: 17-12, Stock UP)
They went 3-2 this week and appear to have turned a corner. They’ve done it with a well-rounded team as they are hitting .305 as a team with a 3.82 ERA. Matt Seelinger is making a case for Pitcher of the Year–1.53 ERA with 11.72 K/9 and 0.91 WHIP. Left-handed pitchers David Otero and Joe Marino have been very solid as well–contributing out of both the bullpen and starting games. Big opportunity this weekend against St. Joseph’s.
10. Molloy (Record: 14-19, Stock UP)
They went 3-2 this week and look like a new team from the opening month of the season. With Dominick Danetti and Bobby Kelly throwing the ball very well to go along with Ron Bauer, the rotation appears well-equipped to handle any team. They have six hitters (Kevin Podell, Angelo Navetta, Elijah Leerdam, Brian Murphy, Michael Rahn, Jake Saltzman) that are swinging hot bats and really lengthen the lineup. They are on their way up.
Just missed: Old Westbury, Queens
