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NJAC Preseason Poll

Getting to Know (Ep 5): Justin Marks

NEWARK, N.J. (February 15, 2018) – The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team will travel to Virginia to open its 2018 season this weekend, squaring off against nationally-ranked No. 10 Roanoke College Friday and the College of Mount Saint Vincent Saturday.
 
The Scarlet Raiders are coming off an excellent 2017 season in which they went 24-15-1 overall, returned to the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship Tournament for the first time since 2011 and had five players named All-NJAC.
 
Captains:
The '18 version of the Raiders will be led by co-captains Justin Marks and Ryan Zucker.
 
Marks has been the Rutgers-Newark starting catcher for the last three years and is coming off his best season to date, hitting .293 with an OPS of .834. He was one of the five all-conference selections for R-N, and comes into his senior season having thrown out 49 would-be base stealers. Marks has 112 hits in his career for 156 total bases, and he has caught no less than 35 games in his previous three campaigns.
 
Zucker came into his own as a sophomore, playing sparkling defense and hitting to a tune of a .325 batting average and a .401 on-base percentage. The now-junior was an honorable mention all-conference performer in 2017, getting on base in 25-straight games at one point. He finished second on the team with 39 runs scored and 61 total bases, swiping seven bags and working 17 free passes.
 
Seniors:
Head Coach Mark Rizzi has a very deep and veteran squad boasting 11 seniors in total.
 
Senior center fielder Anthony Perconte is coming off a career year in which he was named All-NJAC and led the Scarlet Raiders in batting average (.348), stolen bases (26 in 29 tries), runs scored (43), on-base percentage (.467) and walks (29). He was excellent on defense, not making a single error, totaling 47 hits, 33 RBI and 60 total bases.
 
Senior third baseman Brian Boulineau is back for his final season in the Brick City after hitting .294 in 37 starts in 2017. Boulineau slugged a lofty .479 which was second on the team, blasting three home runs and posting 36 RBI. His OPS (on-base plus slugging) finished at an excellent .928 and 15 of his 35 hits went for extra bases.
 
First baseman Ross Halkias and his powerful bat will look to continue making a big impact for R-N. Halkias hit. 296 as a junior, roping four long balls, eight doubles and one triple. He drew 15 walks and drove in 28 runs, slugging .472 while playing solid first base.
 
Outfielder Adam Tricarico made his presence felt as a junior after transferring to Rutgers-Newark following two years at Canisius. Tricarico has a strong arm and powerful bat, going deep four times and drawing a team-high 34 walks. His OPS was over .900 and he had six assists from his starting right field position, and he will be another feared bat in the Scarlet Raider lineup.
 
Outfielder Danny Iannaccone will provide depth for the Scarlet Raiders after limited action as a junior. He comes into his final season with 50 career games played, totaling 23 hits, five doubles and a trio of triples. The lefty slugged .364 as a freshman and .382 as a sophomore and hopes to see similar numbers as a senior.
 
Outfielder Joe Biggiani is an excellent defender that brings great speed and athleticism to the roster.He played in nine games as a junior in his first season with the program, and hopes to see that number increase in 2018.
 
Catcher Nick Dispenza will provide depth at the backstop position. A hard worker and superb teammate, Dispenza has nine career games played and a pair of runs scored. He has an excellent knowledge of the Scarlet Raider pitching staff and will be ready to go when called upon.
 
A trio of seniors will take the bump for Rutgers-Newark this year in Mike Zibrin, Dominick Fazio and Greg Sampson.
 
Zibrin and Fazio profile as frontline starters for the Scarlet Raiders after solid 2017 seasons. Zibrin led Rutgers-Newark in wins, going 5-3 in nine starts. He tossed 51 innings and struck out 41, going at least five innings in every outing but one and the Scarlet Raiders won five of his first six starts last year.
 
Fazio pitched to a tune of a 4.09 ERA and was 2-2 overall, making 10 appearances, eight of which were starts. He racked up 37 strikeouts in his 44 innings, leading Rutgers-Newark to wins over NJAC foes Rutgers University-Camden, William Paterson University and Kean University.
 
Sampson returns to the Scarlet Raiders after missing most of last year due to injury. Sampson made two appearances as a junior and will look to provide depth for the pitching staff in 2018.
 
Juniors:
Three pitchers headline the junior class for Rutgers-Newark in starter Anthony Rosoline and fireballers Luis Rojas and Yanni Vayas.
 
Rosoline has been sterling in his first two years for Rutgers-Newark, making 20 starts and going 11-4. The Paramus Catholic product has 132 career innings pitched, issuing just 29 walks while striking out 50. His career earned-run average sits at 3.14 with three career complete games and two complete-game shutouts. Rosoline has yet to receive the respect he deserves, but with continued success and consistency he should be one of the most recognized pieces on the '18 Scarlet Raiders.
 
Rojas was one of the best relievers in the conference after making his return to the program after injury. He made 14 appearances and converted seven saves which was good for second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, and he averaged more than a strikeout per inning with 29 K's in just 20.1 innings pitched.

Vayas made his return from injury last year and profiles as a back end bullpen arm for Rutgers-Newark. He has great stuff and showed it in many of his 12 appearances, striking out 14 in 20.2 innings pitched. The flamethrower finished the year with a record of 2-0 and two saves.
 
Rounding out the returning juniors is hurler Casey Hanley. Hanley was a reserve infielder for the Scarlet Raiders as a freshman and sophomore, playing well in limited action, but the Woodland Park native will primarily pitch this year. Hanley has looked very strong in preseason and profiles as another hard thrower out of bullpen.
 
A trio of juniors have transferred in Dominic Magliaro, Luke Magliaro and Timothy Kales. Dominic Magliaro will play shortstop for Newark, demonstrating excellent defensive ability and instincts with a good all-around bat. Luke Magliaro will figure into the equation at second base, forming a strong double play tandem with Dominic. Luke is a well-rounded baseball player that understands all aspects of the game and figures to have success as a Scarlet Raider.
 
Kales has good command and will be another nice arm for Coach Rizzi and the coaching staff to rely on out of the bullpen, coming to Newark from Morris County College.
 
Sophomores:
A deep sophomore class is headlined by returning All-NJAC performer JC Ball who hit .303 as a rookie, playing excellent defense. He made 39 appearances and 38 starts, tallying 43 hits, 31 runs scored and 17 RBI. Ball is versatile and solid all over the field and anywhere in the lineup and hopes his sophomore season is even better than his rookie year.
 
First baseman and DH Connor Clare has an excellent bat and hit .340 as a rookie, making 11 starts and 20 appearances. Clare thumped 16 hits and slugged .447, totaling 21 bases and eight walks in his 21 games played.
 
Sophomore Kevin Tamsula will look to carve out a solid role for himself and has the ability to do so, showing off a slick glove and some pop with the bat as a freshman and throughout preseason, while infielders Christian Diaz and Tommy Scanlon will both look to seize opportunities early on.
 
Sophomore outfielder John Klimowich provides splendid defense, great speed and base running and a solid bat. He took the diamond 19 times in 2017 and will look to build on what was a quality first season as a Scarlet Raider. Second-year Corey Kiernan will provide depth in the outfield as well after limited action as a freshman.
 
Sophomore hurlers Michael Katims, Vincent Conti and Jason Palmeri all pitched well as freshman for Rutgers-Newark. Katims picked up three scoreless appearances and struck out five in nine innings of work, and Palmeri went 2-0 with wins over Baruch College and John Jay. Conti tossed more than 20 innings for the Raiders, picking up one win and making seven appearances.
 
Freshmen:
The coaching staff has brought in nine freshmen to compete for time in first baseman Ryan Watson, outfielder Lisandro Ulerio, catcher Chris Suleski, third baseman Kyle Johnson, first baseman Christian Shelley, outfielder Anthony Ricardo and hurlers Eric Morales, Anthony Moccio and Michael Matusz.
 
Watson has solid fundamentals and power after playing at Saint Mary in Rutherford, and Ulerio brings great speed to the roster along with bat control. Suleski is an excellent catcher with a strong arm and gap-to-gap power, with Johnson putting a smooth lefty swing on display throughout the fall and preseason. Shelley has a great deal of offensive ability and gap-to-gap power, and Ricardo adds to the outfield depth with his speed and strong arm.
 
Morales throws three pitches well with solid command and a nice mound presence, and Moccio has a lot of potential throwing from the left side. Matusz should make an impact as a reliever or starter and has looked to have a maturity about him when taking the mound.
 
Outlook:
After making it back to the conference tournament for the first time since 2011 and winning 24 games, Rutgers-Newark will look to make it back to the postseason and push for a league crown this year.
 
Following the trip to Virginia, the Scarlet Raiders will travel to Fayetteville, North Carolina and then out to California for their annual Spring Break trip. Upon returning to Newark, a six-game home stand awaits with the final two showdowns coming against league favorite The College of New Jersey.
 
TCNJ was picked to finish first the NJAC Preseason Poll which had the Scarlet Raiders a distant seventh despite returning just about every starting pitcher and all but one starting position player.
 
Fans can follow @ScarletRaiders on twitter for the latest all season long!