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HEADING BACK TO WARM WEATHER
The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team heads back down south after opening up the season last weekend in South Florida. The team will play four games in Myrtle Beach, S.C. this weekend against Mercy, Nyack, Chestnut Hill and Felician.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
The Owls hold all-time records of 14-5 against Mercy,  3-0 against Nyack and 9-3 versus Felician. The Owls have no previous matchups against Chestnut Hill.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
Mercy was picked to finish sixth in the East Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. They open up their season this Friday against Stonehill and SCSU, before playing seven straight games against teams ranked in the region's top 10. The team graduated its top two hitters from a season ago, as returning senior Joseph Gismondi (.308) will look to spark an offense that batted   .221 and finished with a record of 14-27 last year.
 
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Nyack also opens up its season this Friday against Franklin Pierce before facing the Owls on Saturday morning. The team finished 22-20 last season, its best record since the 2004 season. Their key returner is senior outfielder John Kennedy, a Preseason All-Region selection. He is a three-time all-conference selection and batted .356 last season with a career-best 21 extra base hits and a batting average of .412 during conference games.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Chestnut Hill returns seven starts and six pitchers from a team that won a school record 12 conference games and made their conference tournament for the fourth time in five years last season. The team stole 93 bases in 35 games last season, with seven different players stealing at least eight bags. The Griffins open the season on Friday in Myrtle Beach against Molloy.
 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FALCONS
Felician opened up its 2015 season last weekend in North Carolina with three losses to East Stoudsburg, getting outscored 46-12 in three three games. After posting a team batting average of .294 last season, Felician will look to replace four of its top five hitters they lost to graduation. The team finished 2014 with a 30-20 record en route it a conference championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA East Regional.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Owls were swept in their first three games of the season at Barry University this past weekend. Redshirt junior Matt Burns (Cheshire, Conn.) had four hits in the season opener and batted .500 in the three games (6-for-12) with a double, walk and two steals. After dropping their first two games by scores of 9-3 and 10-1, the Owls' game three comeback came up just short as they fell 5-3 on Sunday afternoon. Seniors Nick Baviello (Orange, Conn.) and Julian Sobin (Ansonia, Conn.) each had three hits and a RBI in the game, as Baviello scored twice and Sobin drove in his first run of the season batting out of the cleanup spot. In his SCSU debut, junior Jordan Picini (Attleboro, Mass.) allowed just one run on two hits over four innings of relief in Sunday's loss.
 
IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
SCSU was picked to repeat as champions of the NE-10 Southwest Division in the NE-10 preseason coaches poll.
2015 Northeast-10 Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll:
Northeast Division:
1. Franklin Pierce – 99 (8)
2. Southern New Hampshire – 95 (6)
3. Stonehill – 77
4. Bentley – 67 (1)
5. Merrimack – 55
6. Assumption – 38
7. Saint Anselm – 29
8. Saint Michael's – 16
 
Southwest Division:
1. Southern Connecticut – 81 (6)
2. New Haven – 77 (5)
3. Le Moyne – 66 (2)
4. Adelphi – 62 (2)
5. Pace – 40
6. Saint Rose – 27
7. American International – 18
 
THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Tim Shea has announced that Nick Baviello, Brandon Docimo and Pat Egan will captain the Owls this spring.
 
TWO NAMED PRESEASON ALL-REGION
Nick Baviello and Matt Burns were both named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All East Region Team.
 
A STRONG VETERAN PRESENCE
Southern Connecticut has 18 student-athletes returning from last year's team that finished with a 24-15-1 mark and won the Northeast-10 Southwest Division Championship.
 
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome 10 newcomers to the team for the 2015 season - Griffin Bremer, McNeill Finnegan, Mike Giordano, Jason Harper, Nilson Ibert, Ryan Kaplan, Zach Merkle, Jordan Picini, Jeremy Rodriquez and Jake Santamaria.
 
CUNDARI SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES
Rocco Cundari signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves following the 2014 season.
 
BUSY SUMMER FOR BREEN
Joe Breen was named a Summer All-American by the D2 Baseball News for his play with the Wachusett Dirt Dogs at the FCBL.
 
THREE NAMED ALL-ECAC
Rocco Cundari, Nick Baviello and Matt Burns were recognized with All-ECAC honors at the conclusion of last year.
 
AMONG THE NCAA STATS LEADERS
Pat Egan was sixth with 12.09 strikeouts per nine innings for Southern Connecticut. Rocco Cundari was 13th in earned run average with a 1.56 mark. The Owls were seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 12th in strikeouts per nine innings, 15th in shutouts, 17th in WHIP and 25th in walks per nine innings.
 
TWO TABBED FOR NEIBA ALL-STAR GAME
Nick Baviello and Rocco Cundari took part in the 2014 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game.
 
PAIR NAMED ALL-REGION
Rocco Cundari and Nick Baviello were recognized with All-Region honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2014.
 
REGIONAL GOLD GLOVE HONOREE
Kyle Holland was awarded American Baseball Coaches/Rawlings Second-Team-All-Region Gold Glove honors for his defensive play in 2014.
 
EIGHT NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Nick Baviello, Matt Burns, T.K. Kiernan, T.J. Shea, Mike Yerina, Jordan Hamler, Ethan Joyce and Rocco Cundari all earned All-Northeast-10 Conference Team honors in 2014. Rocco Cundari  also earned the NE-10 Conference Pitcher of the Year Award.
 
ON DECK
After returning from South Carolina, the Owls are scheduled to play three games next weekend on Feb. 28-March 1 against Merrimack at Baseball Heaven on Long Island.