As we get into the middle of April, we are seeing the cream rise to the top, but in general the quality of play has been terrific. At the Division-III level, we have all five teams at .500 or greater, which bodes for a thrilling first weekend of May.
Let’s jump into this week’s rankings…
Division-I:
- St. John’s (Record: 19-12, Past Week: 3-2)
2. Stony Brook (Record: 20-11, Past Week: 4-1)
3. Fordham (Record: 22-15, Past Week: 2-3)
4. Hofstra (Record: 7-24, Past Week: 2-3)
Analysis: Tremendous show of resiliency for the Red Storm winning a 14-inning and an 11-inning marathon this weekend against Xavier, that is extremely telling about the team’s character. Stony Brook had the best week of any of these four teams with four wins in five games. Bret Clarke improved to 5-0 on the season, he has quietly become their most effective starter. The team’s average of .290 is greatly helped by the success of Nick Grande and Michael Wilson, but they’ve also gotten great seasons from Brandon Alamo and Chris Hamilton. Fordham lost two of three to VCU, but they will be back home this weekend against Saint Louis, where they have a record of 13-2, so I expect them to play very well this weekend. Also of note, Jake MacKenzie reached 50 hits this weekend and continued to smack the ball, finishing with 54 through 37 games.
Division-II:
- Adelphi (Record: 23-5, Past Week: 3-0)
2. NYIT (Record: 22-8, Past Week: 2-2)
3. LIU Post (Record: 22-12, Past Week: 2-2)
4. Queens (Record: 19-13-1, Past Week: 2-2)
5. Molloy (Record: 11-20, Past Week: 2-2)
Analysis: Same order as last week due to four of the five teams going 2-2. The Panthers enjoyed a huge week in which they defeated Bridgeport, Southern Connecticut and Dominican College while posting 32 runs. They have gotten contributions up-and-down the roster. They will face Pace, Kutztown and Saint Rose this week. What really stands out is the remarkable run production, they have four players with over 20 RBI already (Lawrence Cicileo, Brandon Morse, Brett Malm and Thomas Colombo. NYIT split with Mercy this weekend, but they are still 12-4 in ECC play. DJ Masuck improved to 5-0 this week, he was even able to get the win in a game he didn’t start. E.J. Cumbo is still unconscious at the plate, hitting a sizzling .438 with a .518 OBP. LIU post had a 13-run sixth inning today, they have had an incredible knack for putting up crooked numbers, they will finish up their series with Bridgeport tomorrow.
Division-III:
- Farmingdale State (Record: 24-6, Past Week: 4-1)
2. USMMA (Record: 22-9, Past Week: 3-2)
3. Maritime (Record: 19-13, Past Week: 3-2)
4. Old Westbury (Record: 15-13, Past Week: 2-3)
5. St. Joseph’s (Record: 14-14, Past Week: 1-2)
Analysis: Farmingdale started the week with a loss, but more importantly they swept rival Old Westbury yesterday with strong outings from Matthew Constantine and Steven Burke, who is looking like the biggest addition of the year. Not only does he have a 1.94 ERA but he has a .342 AVG, that’s two-way production that you rarely see. They will look to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the Skyline Conference tournament next weekend with a double header at Maritime. In my mind, USMMA is the clear-cut second team in the league and they have gotten some great pitching performances recently. Andrew Spinnenweber is clearly their ace, but Joe Raab and John Kelly Jr have been outstanding as well, providing not only quality innings but also volume of innings. Kyle Cunningham has eight saves already. Offensively, they have been outstanding compiling a team AVG of .338 led by Jesse Reinebold‘s .430 AVG and Vincenzo Alteri’s .415 but also Garrett Aichele’s .381.
