|
| No. 11 Misericordia stole 157 bases in 180 attempts in 2023 and many of the top base thieves are back for another season in 2024. d3photography.com photo by Doug Sasse |
|
| Arcadia athletics photo |
Arcadia, Montclair State and Penn State-Harrisburg are the second tier of favorites In Region 4 to break into the Top 25. All three are receiving some votes but will need to play themselves into the Top 25 and a spot in the regional playoffs. Arcadia will see a change at the top of their coaching staff but a culture of winning has been instilled in the program. More often than not, the NJAC gets two playoff bids and Montclair State is poised to claim the second if one goes Rowan's way. The NJAC season is no cake walk and anyone can win in the tournament and the Red Hawks could very well be continuing their season past the regular season.
The UEC playoff bid has been earned by the Lions of Penn State Harrisburg in each of the last four playoff seasons and they will have a challenger now that the UEC and the CSAC merged this summer. Going over the reports we get at the beginning of the season, we ask the coaches who is a top school in the region. You expect the teams from NJAC and the MACF to dominate but an early contender in neither conference was mentioned frequently - the Keystone Giants. It has been some time since Keystone has been a player on the national stage but this year the Giants are a dark horse candidate to make their first appearance in the super regional round.
New Faces
Charles Thielmann, Arcadia - Thielmann was introduced this summer at Arcadia. "I look forward to adding to the strong culture of this program and to help propel us to the next level. I would also like to thank Stevens and everyone that took part in my development as a coach to get me to where I am today," Thielmann said. Thielmann comes to Arcadia after serving as an assistant coach at fellow MAC Freedom competitor Stevens for six seasons, including the last season as the associate head coach.
Ryan MacFarlane, Lancaster Bible - Lancaster Bible hired MacFarlane as the 19th head coach in program history. MacFarlane replaces Caleb Abney, who stepped down following the 2023 season. MacFarlane served as an assistant coach on last year's team, joining the staff in August of 2022. He worked primarily with pitchers during the 2023 campaign, helping the Chargers' pitching staff improve from the sixth-best staff in 2022 to the third-best staff in 2023. "Last year provided an ideal on-ramp because of the relationships and trust that were built with the guys," MacFarlane explained. "To me, that's foundational in order to have success. Last season, I learned the rhythms of Lancaster Bible and NCAA Division III athletics that will enable me to form a system that works for these student-athletes. Coach Abney also gave us a lot of tools to help shape our offense, which I plan to continue to utilize."
Matt Backert, Notre Dame (Md.) - Notre Dame (Md.) will be led by Backert when the new program begins competition in NCAA Division III and the United East Conference starting in the 2024-25 academic year. Backert joins the Gators after serving as the head coach at CCBC Dundalk for the past four years. CCBC Dundalk reached new heights during his tenure, earning a berth in the NJCAA Region 20 Division II tournament in 2022. "I want to build a team that consists of high-character, hardworking young men that take great pride in what we do," said Backert. "I want each of them to be students first, while also contributing to the NDMU community. By building a team guided by these principles, a successful and impactful future is assured."
Vaughn Parker, Wilson - Wilson announced the promotion of Parker as the head coach of the Phoenix squad in the offseason. He becomes the second head coach in program history and takes over the reins after former skipper John Poss accepted a position as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the Wilson College baseball program," said Parker. "This is the start of a new era for the team. We're going to play our brand of baseball, use the sport to learn life lessons, and focus on paying it forward." Parker initially joined the Phoenix coaching staff as an assistant coach in November. This past season the Blue and White went 34-10 setting multiple program records including most wins in a season.
Key games
Misericordia at Arcadia: Misericordia opens their season with an opponent they expect to see at the end, Arcadia. The Cougars and Knights play a single game on Arcadia home field on March 16th then on the 17th a doubleheader in Dallas, Penn. A loss to either will not knock out either team but will be important when seeding the teams for the conference tourney.
Penn State-Harrisburg at Keystone: Penn State-Harrisburg travels to Keystone for a doubleheader on April 6. While the Old UEC and CSAC are competing in different divisions of the new United East, this game will show which who has the upper hand when the conference bid is decided.
Rowan at Montclair State: April 6 will also be a big day in the NJAC where Rowan will play Montclair State in Upper Montclair, N.J. in a clash of NJAC titans. The conference season will only be in their first week but a sweep by either could set the winner in course to a top seed when the tournament is played in May.
CCNY at Baruch: Baruch and CCNY play a doubleheader at Baruch on May 3. There should be no NCAA playoff implications but this two-game set is a playoff of its own as the top teams in the CUNYAC clash in a conference battle.
Conference previews
|
| Baruch shortstop Joseph Cocozza earned second team D3baseball.com All-Region honors in 2023. Baruch athletics photo |
City University of New York Athletic Conference: The four teams in the CUNYAC will be competing in Pool B this season and for any one of the four to earn a playoff bid, they will have to make greater strides than we have seen in the past decade. CCNY (16-18) secured the program's second CUNYAC Championship and its first since 1994 after sweeping Lehman to win the 2023 CUNYAC Baseball Championship. In doing so, they ended the season on a five game win streak, tied for the longest active streak in DIII baseball.
Baruch (11-14) has seen the most success among teams in the conference with the only 20 win seasons among the CUNYAC schools in the last decade. Lehman (7-23) found their greatest success at the end of the season, knocking off Baruch before falling to CCNY. To compete for a conference title, John Jay (3-38) will have to reverse their fortunes. They have had losing records every year since their last winning season in 2007.
FAVORITE: Baruch
Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom: Expect the MAC Freedom to be "up" with the arrival of super regional squad Lebanon Valley and the departure of Wilkes and Lycoming. One of the reason the conference is more competitive is the continuing success in the Arcadia (32-14) program. The Knights are a battle tested team and with added wealth of experienced newcomers will be better this year. Anthony Bruno (.327, 6 HR, 58 RBI) is the big bat in the middle of the order with the potential to leave the yard at any point. The pitching staff is less defined today and there will be opportunities for new and returning players to compete for spots. Hunter Curley (.273, 1 HR, 13 RBI; 3-0, 2.77 ERA, 34K) will be the lone starter back in 2024 and Jack Dovidio, a grad transfer from Juniata could work himself into the rotation.
Misericordia (40-15) made it to the World Series with an at-large bid, went 1-2 in Cedar Rapids and claimed a top 10 finish in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25. Misericordia returns a lot of experience positionally but losses three key hitters. The identity of the Cougars as being fleet of foot will continue with All-Regional players Garrett McIlhenney (.392, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 46 SB) and Brock Bollinger (.370, 4 HR, 56 RBI, 22 SB) continuing to cause havoc on the base paths. Add in Jason Sanfilippo (.383, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 12 SB) and defensive wizard Connor Maryniak (.281, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 10 SB) and you have a core group that will keep the Cougars on top offensively. They also return five starting pitchers with one coming off a selection to the All-MACF team, David McCurry (7-1, 4.09 ERA, 47K). The rest of the returning starting staff was 18-8 in 2023 but both the starters and relief corps will still need to improve if they want to repeat the success of the 2023 season.
Lebanon Valley (31-17-1) made it two playoff bids in a row but to earn the MACF auto bid in 2024, they will have to get past the defending champion and a 2023 World Series participant. Head coach Jonas Fester believes they can. "We will have an experienced, mature, and diverse lineup, the best I think we have had yet", said Fester. "We were 3 wins away from the World Series last year, and played Lynchburg toe to toe for 3 games in our regional." LVC is returning three of their starting pitchers, Shane Stossel (7-2, 3.73 ERA, 75K), Jacob Horton (2-1, 3.79 ERA, 29K) and Andrew Spaan (1-4, 6.23 ERA, 29K), and have a crew of sophomores that are ready to step up. Returning hitters, Nico Santoro (.418, 2 HR, 37 RBI), Stossel (.331, 10 HR, 55 RBI) and Logan Brewer (.320, 8 HR, 26 RBI) will be the middle of the lineup of an offense that scored more than 100 run than their opposition in 2023.
DeSales (22-19) and Stevens (27-16) put up winning seasons last year and have needed just one lucky break to reach the Regionals. DeSales last made the regional playoffs in 2007 with Stevens more recently in 2022 and 2014. DeSales brings back a ton and is eyeing a conference title. Center fielder JT Anderosky (.393, 16 RBI, 13 SB) is part of a team that will emphasize speed and defense to remain competitive in the MACF. To top the standings at the end of the season, pitching will have to improve. Stevens returns nearly the entire offense from last year. Michael Reyes (.320, 7 HR, 35 RBI) heads the offense and a power year can see him become the Ducks' home run king. Six other returners also hit at a .280 or better clip so look for Stevens to put up big offensive numbers all season. They will need some new faces to step up on the mound after seeing three of our top arms transfer to D1. Look for a pair of sophomore arms in Will Sotiropoulos (3-0, 3.48 ERA, 26 K) and Erik Sibbach (6-4, 4.50 ERA, 50K) to anchor the rotation.
Delaware Valley (15-22), King's (16-21) and FDU-Florham (8-23) all finished with single digit wins in conference play. King's recruited one of the largest classes this year with 28 new faces , the first year players will be about half of the roster. Even with the challenge of learning so many names, the coaching staff will still have some experience with ten players who played key roles in 2023. Tops on the squad is senior outfielder Chase Yochem (.375, 6 HR, 56 RBI) who is a two-time All-MAC Freedom selection with All-Region honors from 2023 on his resume. Pitching will need an upgrade so look for some freshmen to get a chance for the Monarchs.
FAVORITE: Misericordia
|
| Phil Sedalis was tabbed earlier this year as a 2024 D3baseball.com Preseason All-American outfielder. Rowan athletics photo |
New Jersey Athletic Conference: Rowan (33-15) has been the class of the conference since the teams returned from the Covid Break. Rowan's offense will be as potent in 2024 as they were last year. The Profs will return the first six hitters in the lineup. Tyler Cannon (.382, 2 HR, 41 RBI), Phil Sedalis (.413, 6 HR, 60 RBI), Anthony Schooley (.371, 44 RBI) and Dylan Maria (.358, 14 HR, 68 RBI) will be the 1-4 hitters for Rowan. Sedalis is a returning All-American and as a sophomore, set several season records. Another big season and when Player of the Year gets decided, D3baseball.com might look his way. The biggest question will be the pitching staff but three senior are back toeing the rubber in Mike Shannon (5-2, 3.37 ERA, 38K), Matt Choi (5-1, 6.97 ERA, 29K) and Jake Reese (2-3, 5.61 ERA, 33K).
Kean (27-17-1) finished second in the regular season and second in the conference tournament, missing out on a Regional Bid. It has been seven years since the last title for the Cougars. The biggest loss for Kean will be the graduation of 2023 Pitcher of the Year Collin Kiernan and his battery mate Josh Jackson. Among the returning players on offense it is the infield that will be a strength with everyone back with All-NJAC honors already in their bios. First baseman Gianni Marano (.321, 6 HR, 36 RBI; 4-3, 4.25 ERA, 21K, 2 Saves) earned first team honors for his work at the plate and on the mound. Second baseman Christian Pellone (.369, 4 HR, 32 RBI) and third baseman Brett Hilsheimer (.317, 1 HR, 28 RBI) are expected to get better. The speedster of the group is shortstop Caleb Rodriguez (.331, 23 RBI, 8 SB). Marano and Nolan Rowan (6-3, 2.83 ERA, 52 K) combined for over a third of the teams wins and are the top returners throwing the rock.
Montclair State (26-11) will be looking to build off a 26-win campaign and make a run at the NJAC Championship to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. Key to their success will be D3baseball.com All-American Sam Angelo (.457, 13 HR, 54 RBI) who is one of the top players in one of the top conferences in DIII nation. He will be joined by Miles Feaster (.405, 1 HR, 39 RBI, 19 SB) as the Red Hawks bring back 5 of their top seven hitters for the 2024 season. Patrick Cuccurullo (3-2, 3.86 ERA, 24K), Matt Pontari (4-0, 3.35 ERA, 49K) and Michael Timberlake (4-1, 3.03 ERA, 33K) led the team in wins and will return for another season. Look for the Red Hawks to once again be at the top of the standings and in place for a regional playoff bid.
William Paterson (25-15) has some work to do to get back into the quest for a conference, regional or national championship. The Pioneers added a mature group of junior college transfers and a strong freshman class. Catcher Connor Luckie (.391, 55 RBI), third baseman Jordan Brown (.382, 34 RBI) and pitcher, Chase Geisler (4-3, 2.89 ERA, 62K) transferred to the Wayne, N.J school and should make an immediate impact. To compete with the top teams in the NJAC the pitching will have to improve. They start the season with Darmany Rivas (6-3, 5.37 ERA, 52K), Ian Metzger (2-3, 4.67 ERA, 29K) and Matt Lemieux (4-0, 8.71 ERA, 17K) on the mound with opportunities for the pitchers in WPU's 16 man recruiting class to break into the rotation. TCNJ (24-24) needed the conference Pool A bid to make the Regional round and shocked Shenandoah in an opening day win. Their offense that put up 22 runs, disappeared as they finished 0-2 in the next two games with just four tallies total. They will have an ace in Jackson Malouf (5-2, 2.81 ERA, 69K) and production with the bat with Justin Marcario (.365, 3 HR, 30 RBI). Both players are sophomores and should be the foundation of the Lions for the the next three seasons.
Ramapo (21-17), Rutgers-Camden (22-18) and Stockton (22-20) all finished with identical NJAC records of 8-10 with Stockton getting the tie breaker as the final team invited to the conference tournament. Ramapo has put together the most experienced pitching staff they have had in a long time. How the junior heavy rotation and All-American closer, Will Paoli (1-0, 1.02 ERA, 27K, 6 Saves) pitch will be important for a successful season for the Roadrunners. It is a different story on offense with 3-4 new position players to play a big part in this phase of the game. Stockton will still be young in 2024 with only one senior/grad student among their top players. To advance in the NJAC, they will need improved pitching and defense. As for the hitters, keep an eye on Jordan Nitti (.287, 4 HR, 31 RBI) who was an All-Region player as a freshman. Camden brings back almost everyone and also added a few impactful D1 transfers along with a couple talented freshman. With a senior/junior heavy lineup it is a sophomore in the mix that is getting the most attention. Outfielder Jake Watson (.338, 22 RBI, 33 SB) is one of the fastest guys in the country and with seven outfield assists last year, a defender that one should not test by taking an extra base.
Rutgers-Newark (21-16-1) and New Jersey City (13-27) finished off the pace after starting with their longest win streaks of the season. Last season Rutgers-Newark claimed its most wins since the 2017 season when they finished with 24. Rutgers-Newark returns a veteran team with newcomers ready to make an impact and lift the team to new heights. Eric Recchia (.356, 1 HR, 27 RBI) and Vince Taylor (6-1, 3.00 ERA, 28K) are two returners alot is expected and were named team captains. The Scarlet Raiders will start the season with a big task when they open with top ranked Johns Hopkins. New Jersety City will have a couple big holes to fill with one of the best players in the Green and Gold history graduated, Ricky Voss. NJCU All-NJAC honorable mention Dom Yarson (.333, 1 HR, 24 RBI; 1-5, 4.77 ERA, 36K) is one of three NJAC all-stars back in 2024.
FAVORITE: Rowan
United East Conference: Over the summer the UEC welcomed the members of the Colonial States Athletic Conference into their conference and in 2024 will play in two divisions based on their conference affiliation in 2023. The conference says goodbye to Wells who is now playing in Region 7 as a member of the AMCC. In 2025, the addition of Notre Dame (Maryland) will bring the membership back to 16 teams. Penn State-Harrisburg (34-13) has dominated the conference recently and should continue in their new division. Hitting has always been a strength of the program and will be again in 2024. Of the five batters that batted above .350, three: Kevin Lehner (.438, 12 HR, 44 RBI), Dallas Hite (.353, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 21 SB) and Brendan Henn (.370, 10 HR, 45 RBI, 21 SB) will provide plenty of punch. The Lions will bring their top ace back in sophomore Fisher Druck (8-0, 3.29 ERA, 55K) as well as reliever specialist Josh Berzonski (2 SV, 4-1, 2.74 ERA, 52K) as PSH is more than a great hitting team.
|
| Keystone is the top team just outside the 2024 preseason D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25. Keystone photo by Timothy R. Dougherty |
Keystone (30-14) has represented the CSAC in the NCAA Playoffs since they became eligible for the Regional round. Finally they will have competition on the diamond. Last year it was the sophomore class that dominated the ALL-CSAC team and Keystone had a third of the two year players named to the first team. Look for Bobby Pokorney (.348, 5 HR, 29 RBI) and Griffin Yastremski (.423, 9 HR, 43 RBI; 3-1, 4.08 ERA, 17K) as big bats in the offense. Part of their junior class are a pair of outfielder, Robert Estrada (.378, 4 HR, 28 RBI) and Josh Parks (.381, 5 HR, 31 RBI), that will contribute as well. Add in Justin Mann (.432, 1 HR, 17 RBI), the 2023 CSAC Rookie of the Year, and you have a core for this spring and beyond. The top three pitchers in wins were seniors last season with Yastremski, Logan Lexie (2-2, 4.58 ERA, 9K, 4 Saves) and Drew Sorrentino (2-0, 4.44 ERA, 23K) the remaining pitchers with at least two wins.
Wilson (34-10) is the third 30 win team in the new look UEC. The 2023 squad finished second in the CSAC but their chances to stay at the top of the standings took a hit with the graduation of CSAC Player of the Year Michael Marrale. While the Phoenix is relatively young, they have a good core of upperclassmen and are ready to build off of last years success. Jordan Mckenzie (.450, 9 HR, 55 RBI) is a hard worker and it shows in his stat line. Joining Mckenzie in the lineup are Brady Andre (.318, 4 HR, 41 RBI) and Dean Mercer (.389, 3 HR, 34 RBI) who produced runs last year and will again take up that role in 2024. While the starting pitchers are not back with gaudy win totals, it is the bullpen where Wilson excels. Jack Pachella (2-0, 0.71 ERA, 18K) and Emilio Rodriguez (2-0, 3.18 ERA, 41K, 2 saves) will top a bullpen that is prepared to lock down wins late in the game.
Penn College (22-20) and Cairn (22-21) are the only other teams that have a winning record in conference and the regular season. Cairn is coming off of a season with a lot of ups and downs in 2023 and their cocahing staff will challenge the squad with a tough non-conference schedule. Seven players are back in the starting lineup like Tyler Warr (.491, 4 HR, 45 RBI) and Tyler Fox (.377, 3 HR, 36 RBI). With the addition of some key transfers this should be a strength of the Highlanders. The pitching staff returns Ronaldinho Alcin (5-1, 4.53 ERA, 59K) and Sam Spadea (5-1, 4.38 ERA, 33K). With some key arms back from injury and some freshmen that will make an impact right away, expect the fortunes of Cairn to be on the rise.
Penn State Berks (11-24) made five straight Regionals between 2014-18 but those days are just a memory. Penn State Abington (19-21) had their best success when superstar Ryan McCarty was on the roster but with him gone from the team, the wins became fewer and harder to get. The latest PS-Abington all-star is catcher Justin Fogel (.497, 15 HR, 53 RBI) who lead the conference in nearly every offensive category in 2023. Tim Petrucelli (.364, 13 HR, 46 RBI) batted ahead of Fogel and that pitching to either batter turned out to be the wrong decision. The combination of these offensive all-stars will be key for Abington to get past the teams that finished ahead of them last season.
Lancaster Bible (16-25), Rosemont (15-20), St. Elizabeth (14-28), St. Mary's (Maryland) (11-17) and Valley Forge (14-22) all finished at the back end of the two conferences in 2023. Brian Coburn (.294, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 20 SB; 5-3, 3.63 ERA, 39K) will be a big part the Lancaster Bible's success as he excelled in multiple areas for the Chargers in 2023 but really impressed was when he stood on the mound to earn conference Pitcher of the Year honors. Rosemont is in its third year of existence. With the majority of the team in their junior year with a great deal of game experience they are poised to make a run at making its first playoff appearance. Jamen Palladino (.351, 4 HR, 32 RBI) is the top returning hitter and reliever Mike Denton (2-1, 4.72 ERA, 15K, 1 Save) the best hurler. Gallaudet (7-31) and Clarks Summit (4-33) both finished the season with double digit losing streaks. Clarks Summit's streak of 26 straight losses is the longest active streak in DIII Baseball. Gallaudet's streak will still be intact next season as the Bison could not field a full team and cancelled their 2024 season.
FAVORITE: Keystone
Independent: New York University (17-16) finished the season above .500 but only managed to win a third of their conference games, finishing eight games behind Emory, the UAA champion. The Violets finished the season strong with a five game win streak and things are getting back to normal after years of disruption due to COVID. The best player starting the season is Cam Dunn (.386, 7 HR, 39 RBI) who is more than a bat and will be depended upon for his defense. Other key players on offense are Nate Pallotta (.319, 7 HR, 31 RBI), Alex VanLandingham (.316, 2 HR, 22 RBI), Nick Argenziano (.273, 2 HR, 16 RBI) and Connor Roggero (.425, 1 HR, 10 RBI). While things look great at the plate, it is the pitching staff that will need the help of an 18 player recruiting class. Look for a young starting rotation as first year players get opportunities to pitch significant innings. Success for 2024 will depend on finding the next generation of NYU pitchers.