Freshman JJ Lantigua has increased his velocity since getting on campus and looks like he could be a weapon out of the bullpen pic.twitter.com/uZiWtUFKY8
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 25, 2017
The LIU Post baseball team has a lot to look forward to this season. After a seven-year title drought, the Pioneers finally recaptured the Division-II East Coast Conference title last season, defeating Molloy College 9-7. Now, they turn to 2018, with a sight of taking home back-to-back championships.
In 2017, scoring runs became routine for the Pioneers as they notched double-digit run totals six times throughout the season. That includes a 20-run, 21-hit outburst against Merrimack. The lineup will look almost the same coming into this season. Outfielder Kenny Daley and catcher Thomas Asbaty are the only graduating seniors from last year’s lineup.
With reigning Axcess Baseball Most Valuable Player Rob Andreoli leading off followed by Joe Spitaleri and Anthony Vaglica, the Pioneers are likely to put up runs at a high clip again. They will be counting on Jimmy Mendyk and Dave Brehm to continue to build on their success as well. Andreoli is coming off his most impressive season in a Pioneers uniform, averaging .346 while also hitting five home runs and driving in 44 runs.
Andreoli’s leadership and offensive presence is a huge key to another successful season. The senior will look to help the younger guys on the ball club improve.
“It is definitely important. I’ve been at times in my career where I’m not playing and times where I am the leader,” said Andreoli. “As an old guy everyone is looking up to me. And the same goes for the other seniors too.”
Not only will he be in his final season with the team, but another impressive outbreak might be enough to have his name heard at next year’s MLB draft.
The departure of closer Dan Jagiello to the Los Angeles Dodgers leaves the Pioneers with a vacancy in the back of their bullpen. Jagiello was dominant in almost every appearance he made, giving up just five runs over his 23.1 innings of work while posting a 1.93 ERA. He saved 12 games for the Pioneers last season, including the clinching game in the ECC Championship.
Head Coach Mike Gaffney will have some deciding as to who gets the ball when the ninth inning approaches.
“We’re not going to be able to fill the position with just one guy,” Gaffney said. “We have a stable of young arms, so it will be interesting to see who steps up and fills that role.”
There is 10 incoming freshmen, with most of them looking to produce straight from the get go. Four of those are pitchers, including 6’6” Joe Valentino from West Islip. Valentino towers over the mound with his freakish size and body structure.
“Joe has unlimited potential. He’s a great athlete with a power arm,” Gaffney said.
Last season the rotation mainly consisted of Jake DeCarli, Noah Lorenzo, James Varela and a mix of Brian Kavanagh, Kurt Rissland and Nick Schoen, who all made three to four starts respectively.
DeCarli was without a doubt the ace of the staff, spotting a 9-1 record, logging over 100 innings and finishing with a 2.22 ERA. DeCarli has since graduated, so expect Lorenzo to become the main guy at the top of the rotation. Whoever takes the leap into the rotation is up in the air at this point. Coach Gaffney believes Julian Arcos could be that guy.
“Arcos has the potential to be effective. He might step into a starting role this season and really come into his own,” said Gaffney.
He struggled last season but was the type of pitcher in high school that outdueled St. Dominic ace and MLB Draft pick Kyle Young in 2016.
The upcoming season certainly has a lot of interesting story lines to it. Living up to expectations and recapturing another ECC title will be priority number one for the Pioneers. They were recently voted as the second-best team in the ECC in the preseason poll and the fifth best team in the East Region Poll by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Another story to keep close watch is whether Andreoli can duplicate or even surpass last year’s breakout season, good enough so that he can follow in his former teammate Dan Jagiello’s footsteps and make the jump to the minor leagues. He’s not shy about his passion for it either.
“It’s something I want to pursue. I’ve played baseball since I was little and that’s the next goal of mine,” Andreoli said. “I’m in a position where I think I can get there. So I just have to remain focused on what’s in front of me.”
The Pioneers first test comes February 16th, when they travel to Gaffney, South Carolina to take on Gannon University in the Limestone classic.
