This is the second installment of our Fall Ball Series Presented by The Greene Turtle in which we visit the local colleges and provide an in-depth, inside look at how their 2019 teams will look featuring photos, videos and interviews with players and coaches. Up next is LIU Post coming off a 29-20 season last season.
I was bullish on LIU Post all last year, often featuring them at the top of the Division-II Weekly Power Rankings even when they weren’t playing their best. A major reason for that was their overall depth in the lineup but also a very talented pitching staff that featured some younger arms that were ready to come into their own.
They made a postseason run but ultimately were defeated by Molloy, 11-4. They graduated three impact players; Rob Andreoli, Ramger Iglesias and Joe Spitaleri. Without a doubt, those are three significant losses, but they make up for it with a bevy of quality arms that will undoubtedly be their strength this season in addition to the emergence of Dave Brehm and Michael Manzione in the middle-of-the-order.
Senior Dave Brehm led the team in hitting at .364 with a .436 OBP and 16 stolen bases. He will be leading the charge offensively once again pic.twitter.com/6CW4gyG5DD
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 24, 2018
Anchoring the pitching staff is junior RHP James Varela. To say he experienced a breakout season in 2018 would be an understatement.
He captured All-American honors after compiling a record of 11-1, with an ERA of 2.40 and 116 strikeouts over 101.1 IP. He was lights-out from day one. More impressively, he provided a seamless transition atop the rotation after the graduation of Jake DeCarli the previous season.
It came as no surprise to Head Coach Mike Gaffney.
“I wasn’t surprised because of his work ethic,” said Gaffney. “It’s the best I’ve ever had here–he’s a baseball junkie and he’s constantly working to get better both physically and mentally,” he added.
It will be close to impossible to improve on those numbers, but assuming he provides ace-level production the rotation will be in good hands. Joining him will be southpaw Noah Lorenzo. They are a perfect complement for each other with Varela attacking hitters with his 90-91 MPH heater and devastating slider, Lorenzo is a crafty left-hander that rarely breaks a sweat. He has been rock-solid his first two seasons, and he’s coming off a season in which he compiled a 5-3 record, 3.53 ERA over 79.0 IP. Last year’s breakout star was Julian Arcos, who went from a seldom-used reliever in his freshman season to a bonafide starting pitcher that threw 66.2 IP with a 3.91 ERA and 6 wins. Those three starters accounted for 76 percent of the team’s wins. That alone is a pretty strong barometer for what is to be expected this season, but they have plenty of more arms behind that.
They will be looking for junior Mike Stiles to compete for a rotation spot. The Comsewogue grad was fifth in innings pitched at 35.0 and limiting opposing hitters to a .240 AVG. Now a junior, he appears to have the fast track to a spot in the rotation.
Gaffney also spoke highly of Mike Andreoli, brother of Rob. He is coming off surgery, but was lights-out at MacArthur HS the previous two years. During his senior year, he was 5-1 with a 0.85 ERA. He throws in the mid 80s and has the type of swing-and-miss stuff that plays at this level. Another two names Gaffney mentioned was Matt Miller and Josh Loeschorn.
The pitching staff appears to be in good hands. First-year pitching coach Kevin Martinez stated that he has been very pleased with the early signs that he has seen.
Gaffney is also excited about transfer Rey Guillen. The Bronx-native transferred from East New Mexico, and he is coming off a great season, hitting .319 with 18 stolen bases. He noted that he is a “top-of-the-order guy” and a potential “draft-caliber player”.
He mentioned freshman OF Giovanni Ciaccio. The New Jersey native run a 6.7 and Gaffney described his defense as “advanced”. He will be potentially starting in CF, taking over for Andreoli, who had himself quite a career for the Pioneers.
Another strength of the team is in their depth offensively. While Anthony Vaglica performed well last year (.275 AVG, 29 RBI), Gaffney feels he tired down the stretch by taking a beating behind the plate and starting 46 of 49 games. The return of Ryan Dalton and the presence of freshman Andrew Primm could provide much-needed breaks for him throughout the season.
Last but not least, Gaffney is confident in outfielder Joe Piscitelli, second baseman Sal Geraci and third baseman Jimmy Mendyk to provide steady defense to help prevent runs. Mendyk was also more than simply a defensive-first player–he added 48 hits and a solid .372 OBP.
They will play this weekend against Nassau, allowing the team to get their work in, as they prepare to try and de-throne St. Thomas Aquinas from the throne in 2019, and re-capture the magic of their 2017 season.
