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Baseball Ready For 2010 Campaign
The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s baseball team, fresh off a 21-20 season and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Tournament championship game berth, enter the 2010 campaign with hopes of capturing their first-ever Empire 8 crown. With a roster laden with veteran leadership, complimented by a talented corps of newcomers, tenth-year head coach John Crane’s squad stands poised to surpass last year’s 11-win improvement, while pushing the Ducks’ unparalleled heights.
“We had a really strong finish to last season and we only lost one everyday player, so with the freshmen we have coming in, plus our returning group, we’re pretty confident that we’ll have a strong season this year and our expectation is to compete for the Empire 8 championship,” said Crane. “Ithaca has won the league eight years in a row and they’ve set the bar pretty high, but our goal is to try and knock them off this year. It won’t be easy, but we think we’ll be really competitive.”
Returning to help lead the Ducks are seniors Anthony Andrews (Hampton Bays, N.Y.), Eddie Daniele (Colts Neck, N.J.), Joe Finora (Mattituck, N.Y.), and Mark Rasulo (Irvington, N.Y.). One of the team’s resident speedsters, Andrews, who ranks third all-time in career stolen base percentage, hit .319 last year with 25 RBI and 30 runs scored, while going16-for-16 on the basepaths. Meanwhile, the sure-handed Daniele had 133 assists last season, the second-best single-season total in Duck history.
Finora, went 3-5 a year ago while headlining the team’s pitching staff, posting a 5.55 ERA, with 69 strikeouts – good for fourth on the school’s single-season charts. His 73.0 innings pitched also ranked second in the conference. Rasulo, meanwhile, hit .291 with 24 RBI, six homeruns, and a team-high 11 doubles en route to second-team all-league accolades.
“Our seniors, Andrews, Daniele, and Rasulo, have been starting for the last three years so they have a lot of veteran experience,” Crane said. “Rasulo is one of the top hitters in our conference and he’ll be a key guy for us, while Joe (Finora) has been at or near the top of our rotation the whole time he’s been here so we expect big things from him.”
Also returning are juniors Denis Ackermann (Rutherford, N.J.), Dan Anunziatta (Schenectady, N.Y.), Mike Caruso (New Tripoli, Pa.), Shawn Dorman (Weehawken, N.J.), Matt Glassman (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Russ Grimes (South Brunswick, N.J.), Kyle Hanas (Garland, Texas), Kenneth Meerendonk (Vernon, N.J.), and Mike Paligaro (Duncannon, Pa.).
Last season, Meerendonk pulled double-duty, serving as both the team’s primary third-basemen as well as one of its starting pitchers. The Vernon, N.J. native blasted a single-season program record eight homers a year ago, while hitting a team-high .347 with 30 RBI en route to first-team all-Empire 8 honors and third-team New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) third-team accolades. The junior also earned a second-team all-conference nod as a starting pitcher after posting a 5-5 mark with a 4.28 ERA.
Ackermann will look to follow-up on a successful sophomore season in which he earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Golden Glove Award and hit .319 with 22 RBI, while Grimes comes off a year where he clubbed a program-record eight round-trippers and drove in 29 runs.
“Returning are (Ken) Meerendonk, (Russ) Grimes, (Denis) Ackermann, to the three, four, five holes, and having that continuity in the middle (of our lineup) will be key for us,” said Crane. “Last year, they each had big seasons for us offensively, and they should be able to take the next step forward this season and be at the point where they are a very difficult part of the lineup for opposing pitchers to navigate.”
Meanwhile, sophomore returnees include, T.J. Alcorn (Turnersville, N.J.), Sal Amato (Livingston, N.J.), Chris Coutros (Howell, N.J.), T.J. Griffin (Livingston, N.J.), Ryan Kiczek (Rutherford, N.J.), Corey Linden (Hawley, Pa.), John Martelle (Colonia, N.J.), Rudy Morin (Dumont, N.J.), Tom Phillips (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.), Chris Tucci (Riverhead, N.Y.), Vincent Vinci (Howell, N.J.), and Brad Warren (Brookeville, Md.).
Phillips and Vinci return after each enjoying breakout seasons as freshmen and earning NJCBA All-Rookie team honors. A patient hitter, Phillips drew 36 walks on the year – good for second on the program’s single-season charts – while sporting a team-high .444 on-base percentage. The then-freshman second baseman also nabbed a team-high 22 bases, while scoring 32 runs.
“Tom (Phillips) did a great job as a freshman last year getting on base and he’ll be in the lead-off spot. We expect him to be in that 30-stolen base range and he should score a lot of runs for us,” explained Crane. “He’s the prototypical lead-off guy. He can not only get on base, but he can drive the ball and hit it out of the ballpark to start off the game and we’ll have him and Rasulo in some combination at the top of the order.”
Vinci finished the season ranked second in strikeouts (32) among all Division II and III rookies in New Jersey. He posted a record of 2-3 with a 5.74 earned run average, but went 2-0 with 24 strikeouts in his final16 innings pitched (four appearances). The Howell, N.J. native also earned the win in Stevens’ first-ever ECAC Tournament victory, tossing five innings and striking out eight against the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
Rounding out the Stevens’ squad this season are a talented collection of freshmen in Tyler Courter (Vernon, N.J.), Chris Daniele (Colts Neck, N.J.), Michael Donovan (Long Grove, Ill.), Craig Leopold (Edison, N.J.), Kevin Mathews (Jackson, N.J.), Mark Poinsett (Ocean Gate, N.J.), Matt Rodgers (Brick, N.J.), and Cory Stryker (Kenilworth, N.J.).
As a team, Stevens smashed a single-season school record 34 homeruns, ranking first in the conference. The Ducks also led the league in on-base percentage (.395), steals (98), and walks (172), while ranking second in runs scored (258). Defensively, Stevens ranked first in nine of the conference’s statistical categories including, fielding percentage (.957), putouts (958), assists (477), and double-plays (33), while the Ducks’ pitching staff ranked third in ERA (5.73) and strikeouts (205).
“We have our whole pitching staff back from last year and that kind of continuity will certainly help us. We also led the league in fielding percentage, so we feel like our pitching and defense are going to be strengths of ours,” Crane said. “Offensively, we feel like we have excellent team speed and we’re going to have one of the deeper lineups we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
In order to reach its goals, the Ducks will first have to navigate a challenging non-league schedule before beginning their equally rigorous conference slate. Stevens will open its season at home on February 21, when it plays host to the College of Staten Island. From there the Ducks take on preseason No. 6 Kean University on February 27 before hosting Mount Saint Mary College on February 28.
Stevens also takes on No. 3 Eastern Connecticut State University on March 10 and No. 17 SUNY Cortland on March 14, along with defending Liberty League champion Clarkson University on March 15. The Ducks are also slated to face Rowan University (3/19), William Paterson University (3/27), and Rutgers University – Newark (3/28) from the always competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
Stevens begins its Empire 8 schedule on April 2-3 against No. 23 Ithaca College. Following the home-stand with the Bombers, the Ducks take a break from league play to face the College of Mount St. Vincent (4/5) and Gwynedd-Mercy College (4/7).
The Ducks will then face league rival St. John Fisher College on April 10-11 before facing Drew University and Utica College on April 14 and April 17-18, respectively. Stevens then hits the road for dates with SUNY Old Westbury and 2009 NJAC champion The College of New Jersey on April 25 and April 27 before returning home to wrap up its regular season against Rochester Institute of Technology on May 1-2.
“Our philosophy has always been to play a challenging schedule. I think playing that schedule serves as a measuring stick for us. It shows us where we are and we have those games spread throughout the season,” Crain explained. “We open up Empire 8 play with Ithaca, who’s always a top-25 team, so that will be a big challenge for us right out of the shute. Then we have Fisher who won the ECAC Upstate last year the following weekend. Utica has a good coach and we expect that they’re going to be improved and RIT were the preseason favorites last year. They’ve lost a couple of guys but they have a key group coming back, especially their pitching staff. It’s going to be a competitive league and while Ithaca is still the class of the conference, behind them it’s pretty wide open.”
Hoping to help guide the Ducks through the season are assistant coaches Corey Paluga, Ken Zinchiak, and Matt Girnys. Paluga will begin his first season at Castle Point after having served as an assistant coach at his alma mater Lynchburg College for the past three seasons. Zinchiak enters his fifth season on the Hudson, while Girnys, a former Duck, will begins his first-year as the team’s graduate assistant coach.
“Corey (Paluga) comes from a strong program in Lynchburg and has NCAA Tournament experience and he’ll play an instrumental role in working with our catchers and outfielders, while Ken (Zinchiak) enters his fifth year with us and will work primarily with the hitters,” Crane said. “He has a really good group to work with this year and he brought them along last year, especially in the second half of the season and we’re looking for him to continue that. Matt (Girnys) was a four-year member of the team and the team-MVP in 2008 and he has the respect of everyone in the program because of the effort he put in while he was here. He’ll be our first-base coach and will work primarily with our infielders. Overall, we have a good staff that is pretty knowledgeable and I believe we have a good mix of guys experience-wise.”
Also serving on the staff this season is former Duck Dan Silva, a volunteer assistant coach, who will work with the catchers and infielders.
“We had a really good fall season. We only did three weeks, but we got a lot done during that time. We’re ready to hit the ground running. We have some tough games right out of the shute, but I feel like everyone has put the work in to this point so we should be ready to go,” said Crane in closing. “This team has certainly been through some low-points and the guys are really hungry, especially early on, when we had a lot of freshmen and sophomores playing. I think they saw how much they improved last year and they’re really looking to take that next step this season.”
Positional Breakdown
1st Base
Matt Glassman (Junior * 6-0 * 185 * L/R)
Tyler Courter (Freshman * 6-0 * 182 * R/R)
Kenneth Meerendonk (Junior * 6-0 * 225 * R/R)
Chris Tucci (Sophomore * 5-11 * 210 * L/L)
Coach Crane’s Take
“We have a junior Matt Glassman, he’s pretty solid defensively and he’s a lefty hitter so he’ll be in the mix there. Tyler Courter will also be pushing for time there and how quickly he matures and settles in will be a factor. Kenny (Meerendonk) should also see some time at first. He’s our primary third baseman and with his role as also a pitcher for us we’re going to look to save his arm a little and work him in there as well. Chris (Tucci) is another guy who can play first. He’s one of our best defensive guys who should complement the group well and it’s a luxury to have four capable guys ready to step in over there.”
2nd base
Tom Phillips (Sophomore * 5-9 * 160 * L/R)
Mike Pagliaro (Junior * 6-0 * 195 * R/R)
Mike Caruso (Junior * 5-10 * 200 * L/R)
Brad Warren (Sophomore * 5-6 * 135 * S/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Tom (Phillips) returns as the starter and behind him we have Mike (Pagliaro) who’s a junior who has a pretty solid glove and can swing the bat as well and Mike (Caruso), who will see time at DH and as well as compete for the backup job. We also have Brad (Warren) who’s a switch hitter with a pretty steady glove.”
Shortstop
Eddie Daniele (Senior * 5-10 * 170 * R/R)
Corey Linden (Sophomore * 5-9 * 155 * R/R)
Shawn Dorman (Junior * 5-10 * 175 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Eddie's in his third year as our starting shortstop and has some of the best hands on the team. His backup, Corey (Linden), has also shown a lot of improvement from last season and is playing with more confidence, and I expect he will be pushing for playing time there. We also have Shawn (Dorman), one of our best speed guys and our top pinch runner off the bench, who will serve as the third-string.”
3rd Base
Kenneth Meerendonk (Junior * 6-0 * 225 * R/R)
Chris Coutros (Sophomore * 5-11 * 195 * R/R)
Michael Donovan (Freshman * 6-1 * 175 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Ken (Meerendonk) returns as our primary third baseman, but we’re going to try to save his arm a little bit and move him around whether it’s to DH or first base. Chris (Coutros) is also going to see a lot of time. He got starts late in the year, in the second half of the season, and did a really nice job defensively for us and his hitting has really come along. He could always hit, it was just a matter of getting a little more confidence which he now has. He’ll play third when Kenny pitches and will get some other opportunities there as well. We also have a freshman in Mike (Donovan) from Illinois, who is coming off surgery to his non-throwing shoulder. He was unable to participate in the fall, but he should be cleared and ready to go for the spring and we’re going to give him a shot there to see what he can do.”
Catchers
Denis Ackermann (Junior * 6’2 * 195 * L/R)
T.J. Alcorn (Sophomore * 5-11 * 190 * R/R)
Sal Amato (Sophomore * 6-0 * 220 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Denis (Ackermann) returns for his third year as the starter. He was the gold glove winner for our region last year and he’s one of the top defensive catchers, not only in our region, but in my opinion the country. He’s also a good lefty-hitter and we’re pretty fortunate to have him. We also have T.J. (Alcorn), who will get a lot of time at DH in addition to backing up Dennis, and Sal (Amato), who could be one of our better offensive players. He’s improved a lot behind the plate and his offense is coming along so we certainly have a good situation there with those three guys.”
Outfielders
Anthony Andrews (Senior * 5-10 * 170 * R/R)
Mark Rasulo (Junior * 5-10 * 200 * L/R)
Russ Grimes (Junior * 6-1 * 215 * R/R)
Matt Rodgers (Freshman * 6-0 * 170 * L/L)
Cory Stryker (Freshman * 6-1 *160* L/L)
Ryan Kiczek (Sophomore * 6-0 * 195 * R/R)
Chris Daniele (Freshman * 5-10 * 145 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“In the outfield from left to right, our starters will be Andrews in left, Rasulo in center, and Grimes in right. All three of those guys are third year starters so we have a veteran group out there. We also have a good bunch of guys behind them. We have two freshmen, Matt (Rodgers) and Cory (Stryker), who are both lefty hitters. They can really play all three outfield positions, so we plan on plugging them in as needed, getting them some reps, and grooming them to be our starters next season. We also have Ryan (Kiczek) and Chris (Daniele), who will see time at both corner spots, and we’re really looking at those guys as our outfield of the future.”
Starting Rotation
Joe Finora (Senior * 6-2 * 205 * L/L)
Kenneth Meerendonk (Junior * 6-0 * 225 * R/R)
Dan Anunziatta (Junior * 6-1 * 180 * R/R)
Chris Tucci (Sophomore * 5-11 * 210 * L/L)
Tyler Courter (Freshman * 6-0 * 182 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Joe (Finora) and Ken (Meerendonk) both return to the top of our rotation. Joe is a lefty and an innings-eater. He was second in the league in innings and strikeouts last year and was in the top-five in innings the year before. He should get a lot of the tough-assignments and he usually gets first game on the weekends – that’s been his track record here – and his strength of schedule is tough. He’s a battle-tested guy and he’s a guy we’re going to definitely lean on this year. Ken was a right-handed reliever his first year and started last year, and now that he has that season as a starter under his belt, we’re really expecting big things from him as well. Those two guys are really both number ones. They’re both very capable and we’d be comfortable with either one of them out there in a big spot. We also have Dan (Anunziatta), a third-year starter, who had a little arm trouble at the start of last year but really came on towards end of the season, and we expect him to be 100% this year. Also, Chris (Tucci), who redshirted last year due to an arm injury, and Tyler (Courter), a freshman, should also get some time as a starters. Courter is a pretty mature kid with good stuff and we expect him to contribute right away.”
Bullpen
Kyle Hanas (Junior * 6-3 * 200 * R/R)
Vincent Vinci (Sophomore * 5-7 * 145 * R/R)
Rudy Morin (Sophomore * 6-0 * 185 * R/R)
T.J. Griffin (Sophomore * 6-2 * 150 * R/R)
John Martelle (Sophomore * 6-0 * 180 * R/R)
Kevin Mathews (Freshman * 6-2 * 165 * R/R)
Craig Leopold (Freshman * 6-0 * 190 * R/R)
Michael Donovan (Freshman *6-1 * 175 * R/R)
Mark Poinsett (Freshman * 5-9 * 150 * L/L)
Chris Coutros (Sophomore * 5-11 * 195 * R/R)
Ryan Kiczek (Sophomore * 6-0 * 195 * R/R)
Coach Crane’s Take
“Our top two relievers are Kyle (Hanas) and Vinny (Vinci). Hanas set the program record for appearances last year (22). He’s a rubber-arm guy and he can go out there every day if we need him to and he is a valuable piece of our pen. Vinny saw some time as a starter last year and could see some again this year depending on how things shake out, but him and Kyle will be the top two guys out of the bullpen. He’s a strikeout pitcher, who throws a lot of strikes, challenges hitters, and has a couple of good pitches to finish guys off. Rudy (Morin), T.J. (Griffin), and John (Martelle), all got time last year and should see an increased role this season and with a year under their belts we expect them to contribute. Kevin (Matthews), Craig (Leopold), Mike (Donovan) and a lefty in Mark (Poinsett), throw strikes, and all of those guys should also be in the mix. Chris (Coutros) and Ryan (Kiczek), are both position players who should get time on the mound as well, and they do a good job of throwing strikes. We have a deep bullpen with a lot of options and we are really comfortable with that group.”
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