I just got back from Wilmington, NC where I got a great look at Hofstra. They entered the series against CAA-rival UNC-Wilmington red-hot and I wanted to get a close look. It was great baseball–if you haven’t had the chance to take a weekend trip to the south and experience Division-I baseball I highly recommend you do so. The only downside was that I apparently missed out on an epic double header between St. Joseph’s and Maritime this afternoon in Throggs Neck, NY. It was a match up that could determine home field advantage in the Skyline Conference playoffs and St. Joseph’s made the statement that their not done yet and came back from a 9-2 deficit in the second inning.
Sidenote: with the high school season opening this week, we will transition to more high school coverage, but the weekly Power Rankings will continue and we will continue to have game coverage on the weekends.
Without further ado, here’s this week’s top 5 based on their performance this week:
- St. John’s (Record: 11-7, Trending UP)
They recapture the top spot after winning both games against Binghamton this weekend while allowing just one ER. Kevin Magee and Sean Mooney set the pace with stellar starting pitching. John Valente has been other-worldly offensively. He already has 31 hits on the season and is batting .413 with a .600 SLG. They will travel to play Wagner on Tuesday.
2. Fordham (Record: 12-7-1, Trending UP)
Great weekend taking two of three against Davidson down in North Carolina despite losing a tough one on Friday night. They bounced back with a strong performance from senior Ben Greenberg on Saturday and today on a squeeze bunt in the ninth inning by Jake Baker. How about the incredible job Brian Weissert has done? Through 22.1 IP, he’s allowed only 1 ER. That’s huge in the back end of the bullpen.They will host St. Peter’s on Tuesday.
3. Stony Brook (Record: 12-7-1, Trending UP)
They bounced back from Tuesday’s loss against Manhattan with a three-game sweep over Quinnipiac. All three of the victories came from their starting pitchers (Brian Herrmann, Bret Clarke, Greg Marino). In the case of Marino, today’s 7 inning outing was huge. He was their opening day starter and he has struggled but if he can find his 2017 form they will benefit greatly. Also, they received a huge first-inning grand slam from Chris Hamilton in Friday’s game and that really set the tone for the weekend. Andruw Gazzola is back and they could really use his steady offense and leadership, he was out since opening day with a wrist injury. The offense has really gotten a boost from sophomores Nick Grande (.357 AVG, .422 OBP) and Michael Wilson (team-leading 22 RBI). They will travel to play LIU-Brooklyn on Tuesday.
4. Hofstra (Record: 10-6, Trending EVEN)
Friday night’s victory was a huge statement for the team. I was sitting behind home plate and there was dozens of MLB scouts and I heard a couple of them mention how surprised they were with the depth of the team. Of course, it helps when you have a potential first-round pick on the mound. John Rooney was facing a dynamic offense, struggled early (allowed runs in the second, third and fourth innings) but settled down and was lights out in the fifth, sixth and seventh. He does so many things great; and he even showcased a premier pickoff move and ability to field his position to go along with his 88-91 MPH heater and wipeout slider. Vinnie Costello‘s HR tied it up and Rob Weissheier‘s bloop single gave them the lead and Chris Weiss did what he does–he struck out six in a two-inning save. They did lose the next two games, but Teddy Cillis looked really good. Also a good sign is Vito Friscia leading the CAA in hitting (.424). He’s been unreal. They will need some more help from other hitters in the lineup. If Steven Foster can get going, they will really benefit. They have a 2.71 team ERA which is still stellar. They will be back in action on Wednesday at Monmouth.
5. Farmingdale (Record: 10-3, Trending UP)
We knew they’d be improved over last season but they’ve came out of the gate like wild fire. They’re flying high on a five-game winning streak and began Skyline Conference play with a sweep over Mount St. Vincent. Big game from 1B Ernie Geraci on Saturday with a 4-for-4 performance, who is leading the team in hitting at .436. Their 3.39 team ERA is strong and if they can continue that, they will be in great shape. Coach Osik was very pleased with his pitching depth this year. They will have two tests this week at Kean and Ramapo, two strong Division-III northeast programs.
6. LIU Post (Record: 11-8, Trending UP)
They bounced back from their loss against Adelphi on Monday with a sweep of NYIT yesterday. They really look like a complete team and they are very fortune to have Jame Varela emerge into a legit ace. He is off to an amazing start, the type that could warrant All-American status. He is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA and a 56: 11 K:BB ratio. He has really stepped up in the absence of Jake DeCarli. They have a balanced attack with four hitters already having eclipsed 20 hits (Rob Andreoli, Dave Brehm, Jimmy Mendyk, Ramger Iglesias, Anthony Vaglica). They are about to get on a hot streak, in my opinion.
7. Molloy (Record: 11-11, Trending UP)
Huge weekend for them with a four-game sweep over Bridgeport. The pitching answered the bell. Today, Kevin Hiss fired a complete game shutout. Anthony Catinella, C.J. Schildt and Anthony Vano all firing quality starts. Last year they got off to a dismal start before reaching the ECC Championship game so perhaps they just take a little longer to get going. Offensively, they look very strong with Sean Hogan (.360 AVG) leading the way and Angelo Navetta (.357) and Jack McCarty (.356) right behind. Freshman Matt Overton (.322, .455 OBP) has really been impressive as well. He hasn’t missed a beat since being named Axcess Baseball League 5 MVP last year.
8. St. Joseph’s (Record: 6-7, Trending UP)
They got off to a surprisingly slow start, but today was a huge step for them. With a road sweep against the reigning champs, they reaffirmed that they are not going anywhere. They trailed 7-0 in the first inning and 9-2 in the second inning and found a way to come back. Great sign for Lou Doria hitting his first home run of the season. They need to get him going. They are hitting .312 as a team but are just scratching the surface and much of that is due to Paul Britt and Anthony Raucci‘s unreal starts (.450 AVG, .511 OBP, .800 SLG for Britt, .410 AVG, .467 OBP, .513 SLG for Raucci) Huge grand slam from Tyler Costa today with the game tied 9-9 in the seventh inning. This could propel them.
9. Maritime (Record: 11-7, Trending EVEN)
They had been rolling but today was a tough series sweep against St. Joseph’s. These teams will likely see each other again in the Skyline Conference championship and today could mean it will be in Patchogue. On a bright note, the offense has continued to perform well. Antonio Diaz, Travis Zurita, Phil Russo and Matt Costleigh have led the way. On the mound, Anthony D’Ancona (3-0, 1.21 ERA), Travis Bruinsma (2-1, 2.28 ERA) and Brady Dolan (2-2, 1.72 ERA) have anchored the rotation.
10. Suffolk (Record: 7-3, Trending UP)
They didn’t play this week, but I wanted to get them their due after getting off to a nice start. Jeff Towle has been on fire, with three HR and eight RBI, he will be a great fit at a four-year program next year. Nick Morena has been dominant (18.0 IP, 4 ER, 20 K) and Michael Bovenzi has been really solid in his two starts (10 IP, 1 ER, 8 K). They will face Manhattan on Tuesday.
