Yesterday, we went over the major points of interest among the high school baseball season and now we will discuss the college community. The season approaches much quicker, in fact, only 43 days until the Division-I seasons kicks off.
Below are some thoughts I have as it pertains to the upcoming season…
How will Hofstra replace John Rooney?
Rooney is the type of arm that doesn’t come around often to a mid-major like Hofstra. He came from upstate NY and in three years turned into one of the most dynamic pitchers in the country and was drafted by the Los Angleles Dodgers. It’s pretty interesting because had Kyle Young opted to go to school instead of signing with Philadelphia, he would’ve been in line to step right in the ace role for the Pride, but obviously that’s not the case as he is entering his fourth minor league season with a 2.74 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.
They will undoubtedly be auditioning for roles throughout the non-conference schedule. With the absence of Rooney and Cillis, they will be counting on pitchers like Michael James, Brad Camarda and Andrew Mundy to transition into weekend roles. With only five seniors on the team and a very strong freshman class, they will the chance to let their young players cut their teeth at the college level in a difficult conference so that they are impact players in 2020 and beyond.
They will open up Friday, February 15 in San Antonio at the University of the Incarnate Word.
Could Nick Grande get drafted earlier than Jesse Berardi did?
Stony Brook took Hartford to the edge of the America East tournament, nearly pulling off a major upset, but had their season end short. They have not won the tournament since 2015, but the biggest story I’m interested in this season is their draft prospects, notably Nick Grande and Jared Milch. The former is coming off a first-team All-American season and the ladder is a transfer from the College of San Mateo in California. Getting players like him is the value of having a well-respected coach like Matt Senk. He is a southpaw that throws in the low 90s and has a chance to really make a name for himself this season.
Grande has a chance to get selected before Berardi did in 2017 in my opinion, if he has another outrageous season like he did last year. His make-up is off-the-charts, he’s a defensive wizard and his slugging jumped to .652 last season, which was a major reason we awarded with the 2018 Axcess Most Valuable Player Award.
I’ve seen more of Grande than I did of Berardi, but he was a player that was universally admired for the way he played the game, his defensive ability and his improved offensive ability as he got older. Grande fits that mold, and I think if he replicates 2019, teams won’t view last season as an anomaly, but one of the premier SS prospects in the nation.
Is this the year for Adelphi?
2011 was the last NE-10 title for the Panthers, although they’ve come awfully close to winning notably in 2014. This is the best team they’ve had since then by far. I’ve spoke to some of the players who are convinced they have what it takes this year. The lineup is deep top-to-bottom with bats like Thomas Colombo, Brett Malm, Tyler Becker, Lucas Terwilliger, Lawrence Ciclieo, to name a few. The pitching staff is a year older after enduring some growing pains with their many freshman flame-throwers last year and they will be throwing to the well-respected Jack Ryan behind the dish. All-but-one of those guys are back. I think they might win the conference–but even if they don’t, they will receive an at-large bid for the regionals.
Who’s turn is it in the Skyline Conference?
It’s hard to believe, but teams have taken turns winning the Skyline and if not for St. Joseph’s defeating Merchant Marines last year, that would’ve been a different winner FIVE years in a row. Instead, the narrative becomes St. Joseph’s building a dynasty if they capture another. Here’s the winners over the past decade.
2018: St. Joseph’s
2017: Maritime
2016: St. Joseph’s
2015: Old Westbury
2014: Farmingdale
2013: Farmingdale
2012: Farmingdale
2011: Farmingdale
2010: Farmingdale
2009: Farmingdale
2008: Farmingdale
To be clear, there’s never been more competition in the conference. There’s never been more parity with more teams having a realistic chance to capture the title. Years ago, it was always between Farmingdale and Old Westbury and now it’s really a six-team race. I was very, very impressed with Merchant Marines last season. they went 28-14, they took SJC right to the edge and they had two of the better pitchers in the conference that are both coming back. The hit .308 as a team and stole 133 bases, so they were clearly not a one-trick pony. With the presence of Andrew Spinnenweber and Joe Raab, they have a very good shot to compete for a championship, but I will go on record predicting Farmingdale to win it all this year.
They were the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last year and they are getting back not only Nick Attardi and Cameron Alfano from injury, but they performed some amazing work in the off-season to get high-end recruits. With players like Vin Napolitano, Morgan McCarthy and Brian Perez all coming over from Nassau coming off monster seasons, that’s three upperclassmen ready to have an immediate impact. Steven Burke from the College of St. Rose, Mike Amandola from Stony Brook, Jason Conti and Jimmy Mattera from Suffolk and Nick Vitale from NYIT all bring credibility and experience to the table. They are also returning Vinny Rice, one of the most feared bats in the conference as well as Ernie Geraci, Shawn Blasberg, Joe Roche and Tyler Schrimpf. That’s basically 15 position players they should be able to count on. That’s the way it was during their run of titles. With toys like that, Keith Osik usually thrives.
The pitching staff will have some question marks after Matthew Constantine, who was lights-out in the playoffs. My guess is Steven Burke will join him in the rotation, which means they will be looking for two more arms, but that is what the pre-season is for. I think this is their year.
Who might get drafted?
There’s always several local college players get drafted and more that grew up here and are currently away at college. I’ll give you a few of the local college ones:
Stony Brook: Nick Grande, Jared Milch, Greg Marino, Bret Clarke, Michael Wilson
St. John’s– Sean Mooney, Wyatt Muscarella, Jeff Belge
Fordham: Kyle Martin, Alvin Melendez
Hofstra: Vito Friscia
Adelphi: Ed Baram, Tyler Becker, Brett Malm
LIU Post: James Varela
Farmingdale: Vinny Rice
USMMA: Andrew Spinnenweber
And here are some local players that went away to college…
Andrew Misiaszek – LHP Northeastern University
Lucas Hall – LHP Columbia University
Straton Podaras – C Radford
Sam Kessler – RHP Mt. Sinai
