Projected Regional Team (1): Canisius

Player of the Year:Tyler Kapuscinski, 1B, Marist

Pitcher of the Year: Tommy Miller, LHP, Siena

Freshman of the Year: Dylan Vincent, 1B, Canisius

PROJECTED REGIONAL TEAMS

• Canisius won their third conference tournament last year, defeating top seed Monmouth 11-0. The offseason was a tough one for the Golden Griffins though as they lost a number of their top players. Ace J.P. Stevenson who went 10-2, 2.73 with 93 strikeouts and 21 walks in 99 innings now plays in an independent league, and Tyler Smith who went 2-3, 0.98 with 43 strikeouts was selected in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Angels. But the team still has a good young staff lead by Andrew Sipowicz after he went 7-2, 5.65 with 48 strikeouts in 63 ⅔ last season. A two year starter already, Sipowicz offers great command on the mound. He’s followed by Andrew Kneussle who pitched out of the fourth spot last year and pitched well in the MAAC Championship, and Omar Ward, an athletic right hander with a 90-92 fastball and good movement with his pitches. 

The Golden Griffins lost some of their offensive power from last season with Liam Wilson, Ryan Stekl, and Christ Conley all graduating. But the team has compensated by replacing them with athletic and fast players in the lineup. 2018 CBN All-Canadian Second Team shortstop Conner Morro returns after hitting .342/.448/.457 with 30 RBIs. 2018 MAAC All-Championship Team right fielder Mark McKenna will be the leadoff guy, with a great all-around bat with good speed. William Krull will add some pop to the lineup in the cleanup spot after hitting .286/.394/.419 with 3 home runs last year. Canisius may have lost a number of key players last season, but their replacements all saw playing time last year and come in experienced, and ready to make another title run.

KEEP AN EYE ON

• Marist had a down year last season, sneaking into the tournament as a fifth seed before losing in the first round after winning the title the season before. Good news for the Red Foxes is they kept the majority of their everyday lineup going into this season as they look to rebound. The team had two 1st Team All-MAAC players last year in Tyler Kapuscinski and Anthony Lazar. Kapuscinski batted .366/.450/.511 with 30 RBIs and 27 runs and Lazar hit .305/.415/.506 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs. Senior Randy Taveras started 44 games last year and hit .308/.385/.440 with 3 home runs and 21 RBIs and will be a focal point of the lineup as well. 

On the mound the team lost starter Charlie Jerla, and relief pitcher Mike Coss, both pitchers for the Red Foxes last year. This year the team will be lead by Tony Romanelli who went 55,3.94 with 70 strikeouts in 82 ⅓ innings. He is followed by Nick Cantone who in limited time was solid as he went 2-0, 3.57 with 18 strikeouts in 17 ⅔ innings. Righty Skyler Pichardo will take over as they key in the bullpen after he went 2-3, 4.10 with 36 strikeouts in 37 ⅓ innings. Marist will rely on experienced role players stepping up as they seek their seventh MAAC title.  

THE REST OF THE PACK

• Monmouth was dominate in the MAAC last year going 16-7 last year, and earning the number one seed in the MAAC tournament before being blanked in the title game. The Hawks will have to shake off the crushing defeat and a couple of key losses if they hope to return back to the title game. Shaine Hughes graduated and signed with the Martinez Clippers and pitcher Austin Counsellor is gone after a 0.79 ERA out of the bullpen. Senior Kyle Norman will be the focal point for leadership and at the plate after he batted .298/.412/.439 with four home runs and 41 RBIs last season. Catcher Zach Schild will hit out of the three-hole after batting .328/.362/.405 with 23 RBIs. The pitching staff is full of new faces for the Hawks this season as freshmen Stephen Aldrich is third in the rotation this Spring, and Nick Houghton will serve as on the first guys out of the bullpen. Dan Klepchick will be the experienced leader after making 14 starts and going 5-1, 3.47 with 78 strikeouts and 18 walks in 85 ⅔ innings last year. Lefty Ryan Steckline will be second in the rotation after making just one start in his 14 appearances this year. Monmouth has a good team this season, but will need their young pitching staff to find its identity if they want to make it back this year.        

• Quinnipiac tied Monmouth for the lead with 16 conference wins last season, but lost to eventual champion Canisius in the second round last spring. Quinnipiac was one of the best offensive teams last year, and that narrative looks like it may repeat itself again this season. The Bobcats had three of the top five home run hitters last season and two of them are back this season. Liam Scafariello hit .232/.331/.512 with 45 RBIs and 15 home runs, his second consecutive season with at least 15 as he possesses the power to get under the ball and drive it deep every at-bat. Evan Vulgamore had a breakout year for the Bobcats as he hit .298/.338/.495 with 10 home runs and 40 RBs, and Vulgamore looks to continue his progression with even more power at the plate this season. Shortstop Dylan Lutz will be the leadoff man, as he possess the ability to spread the ball around the field as well as a great arm on defense. Lutz batted .336/.402/.420 with 14 RBIs last season. Tyler Poulin will be the leader on the mound with a fast ball that reaches up to 95, with a slider that can make batters miss. Chris Ennis and Arthur Correria both have pitches in the upper 80s with a number of good off-speed pitches and room for improvement. Quinnipiac returns 95% of their lineup and some quality pitching, and could be a threat in the MAAC.    

• Manhattan narrowly missed out on the conference tournament after a 13-11 conference record last season. The loses two of their best arms in Matt Simonetti and Joe Jacques, both accounted for 114 ⅔ innings and 114 strikeouts last season. John Cain transferred over from Lafayette where he went 0-6, 5.96 with 43 strikeouts and will be the leader of the staff. Marc Galvan will be second in the rotation after he went 4-4, 4.70 with 33 strikeouts and 21 walks. TJ Stuart will continue to close after a great season in which he went 6-2, 2.57 with 50 strikeouts and 10 saves. The lineup will feature a number of new players including Shawn Blake and Cam Crabbe, both transfers from D1 programs, and Nick Cimillo, a freshman with a good bat who will be hitting from the three-hole this season. Will Trochiano will be the leadoff man after he hit .333/.426/.441 with 12 RBIs last season. Manhattan will rely on their depth and experience on the mound and in the bullpen this season, with a number of new faces in the everyday lineup this spring.   

• It’s no secret that Fairfield had a down year last year after winning a MAAC leading 17 conference wins in 2017, they finished with nine this past season. On offense, the Stags return a good number of players from last season. Shortstop Jack Gethings is one of the top returning bats for the team as he hit .293/.405/.398 with 3 home runs and 30 RBIs last season. First baseman James Venuto is also back after hitting .253/.379/.382 with 6 home runs and 24 RBIs. Where Fairfield holds the advantage over most teams will be their veteran pitching presence. The Stags have one of the best arms in the conference with John signore. Signore has great size standing at 6’4, he’s uses that advantage to over power batters. Last season Signore went 6-4, 2.93 with 91 strikeouts to use 19 walks in 83 innings pitched. He’s followed by Austin Pope who went 3-3, 2.98 with 48 strikeouts in in 48 ⅓ innings pitched, and Trey McLoughlin who went 3-5, 5.60 with 33 strikeouts and 9 walks in 45 innings. Fairfield will rely on this three man rotation and the bullpen to rebound after last years disappointing season.    

• Niagara’s MAAC tournament appearance was their first since 2006 as the team finished with 13 conference wins. The team will look to improve on last seasons success but they will have to do it with a number of key players departing. Top bats Greg Cullen, Owen Dziados, and Julian Gallup gone there will need to be some new faces taking over in their place. Peter Battaglia will be the focal point after he hit .357/.443/.595 with seven home runs and 49 RBIs. Fellow junior Michael Gabriele will also be a key starter after hitting .280/.337/.337 with 35 runs and 10 doubles. Redshirt senior Zachary Kolodziejski will be the veteran on the mound after he went 1-3, 6.75 with 24 strikeouts in 56 innings. Freshman Kyle Smyth will look to get more reps after a good freshman year when he went 0-0, 2.66 with 16 strikeouts and 6 earned runs in 20 ⅓ innings. Niagara will hope to build on last years success despite a number of big departures.   

• Siena had a solid season last year with a 14-10 conference record, but this season looks to be much different. The everyday lineup features six freshmen starting for the team this spring, and the roster includes 18 total freshmen this year. Siena will be one of the youngest teams in the conference after departures of players like Joe Drpich, Marcos Campos, and Jordan Bishop who were all great offensive leaders for the Saints. Freshman Ryan McGee will leadoff with great speed and ability to get on base to go along a solid glove on defense. Brian Kelly will be the leader on offense after batting .295, .399/.398 with 32 RBIs last season. Freshman Nate Toms will add good power to the lineup with great strength and also adds pitching depth as well. The Saints return a First Team All-MAAC Pitcher in Tommy Miller who went 9-6, 3.70, with 84 strikeouts and 28 walks in 104 ⅔ innings, as well as throwing six complete games. Behind him is Brendan White, a junior with a good fastball and slider, and Dylan D’Anna, a senior who has been hampered with injuries for two years, but possesses good size and a mix of pitches that when healthy can make batters miss. Siena has a talented group of freshman, but it will be up to them to help translate that talent into wins.  

• Rider had a tough season last year winning just seven games in conference play last season. The team went out and recruited a few transfers to hopefully turn the teams luck. 5th year transfer from Saint Peters, Mike Ionta will immediately be one of the teams best bats. Left Fielder Jack Peterson, a transfer from JUCO, will add plus power to a lineup that lacked in that department last year. Joe Simone will the best returning bat for the Broncs this season as he hit .331/.446/.480 with 18 RBIs last season. On the mound Pete Soporowski will lead the rotation after he went 3-7, 5.35 with 48 strikeouts in 65 ⅔ innings. Vin Vitacco will look to improve on a freshman campaign in which he went 0-5, 7.60 with 34 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched. Vitacco did showcase four different pitches in his arsenal in year one, and we will look to increase his command with those pitches this year. Filling the gaps of key departures with experienced players, Rider hopes to get past a disappointing 2018. 

• Going down to just 10 conference wins this past season Iona struggled on the offensive end, and that may follow them into this season. The Gaels had just two players hit over .300 last season and both graduated after the season, so they will have to look to other players for more consistency. Second baseman Brian Picone will be a focal point at the top of the lineup with a great speed and base running ability. Last season Picone hit .252/.292/.350 with 12 doubles and 17 RBIs. All-conference catcher as a freshman, Sam Punzi will be big in year two as he hit .270/.323/.371 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. Third baseman and freshman Jake Field is considered to be one of the best pure-hitters on the team and will hit middle of the lineup. Stephen Hansen will be the ace of the staff after he went 3-3, 4.24 with 21 strikeouts in 46 ⅔ innings. Mario Ferraioli will be an important pitcher in the rotation with a high 80s fastball and he is improving his command after a high number of walks last season. Iona will have a mix of talent on both ends, but will need offensive consistency to make a run in 2019. • Saint Peters hopes to quickly forget about 2018 and focus on this season after registering just two wins on the entire season last year. It was an all-around bad year on offense and defense for this team. But the coaching staff hopes that the season provided some players with good experience and the disappointment will drive them to a better season. First baseman Jared Quintero was among a few good batting performances from last season as he hit .263/.354/.395 with 9 doubles and 15 RBIs. Anthony Ramos also returns after hitting .214/.267/.268 with 10 RBIs. The pitching rotation features new faces at the top of the rotation with Dawy LeBron, Edwin Feliciano, and Ryan Wappaus. Stephen Epstein is one of the few returning pitchers, but he went 0-9, 15.96 with 22 strikeouts in 36 ⅔ innings. This team will have to improve across the board if they hope to move up the MAAC standings.