NCAA DIVISION II BASEBALL TOURNAMENT EAST REGIONAL PREVIEW
No. 5 Southern Connecticut State University (30-13-1)
vs. No. 4 Wilmington University Wildcats
Date: Thursday, May 19, 2022
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Wilson Field (Newark, Dela.)

Live Video | Live Stats | NCAA East Regional Webpage
@SCSU_BASE (Twitter) | @SCSU_OWLS_BASEBALL (Instagram)
 
NCAA East Region No. 5-seeded Southern Connecticut will take on regional host No. 4 Wilmington on Thursday, May 19 at 12 PM at Wilson Field in Newark, Dela.

Live video of the Owl's NCAA East Regional matchup against Wilmington will be available on the CACC Network courtesy of Wilmington Athletics. Live stats will also be available. In addition, Owls' baseball fans should follow @SCSU_BASE on Twitter for highlights and postgame interviews and @SCSU_OWLS_BASEBALL on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at the Owls in the NCAA's.
 
THE OWLS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• The Owls have recorded a mark of 16-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Owls went 7-3 in the NCAA Tournament in 2011 to reach the College World Series and finish fourth overall in the nation.
• The Owls swept through the regional in 2005 with three wins before losing their first two games at the College World Series.
• SCSU also reached the regional finals in 2006 and 2010, posting a 3-2 record on both occasions.
• SCSU lost its first two games in 2001, 2008 and 2017.  

SCSU BASEBALL NOTES

• Southern Connecticut enters the 2022 NCAA Division II East Region with a record of 30-13-1 overall after completing a Northeast 10 Conference slate at 14-8-1. The Owls are also 16-5 in 21 non-conference games this season.
• The Owls earned the No. 2 in the NE10 Championship Tournament and hosted a First Round game against Le Moyne that saw the Dolphins take a 6-0 decision.
• Southern clinched a spot in the NCAA field after the team posted its ninth season of 30-or-more wins, and 16^th with 20-or-more, after finishing the season at 30-13-3. The Owls' at-large bid marks the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2017. The Owls also received a bid in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2017 with the 2005 and 2011 teams advancing to the College World Series.
• This season, the Owls featured eight all-Northeast 10 Conference selections led by a First Team nod to Andrew Eng while the Second Team featured Mike DeMartino, Billy Sullivan and Nick Guarino. Tony Zambito, and Tommy Hughes earned Third Team honors and Connor Goggin and Alec Erskine were named to the All-Rookie team.

SCSU HEAD COACH TIM SHEA

• Head Coach Tim Shea is currently in his 20th^t season as the Owls head coach and hosts a career record of 512-368-8 (.581).
• Shea won his 500^th (and 501^st) in a doubleheader sweep of Adelphi on Apr. 10, 2022.
• With the milestone, Shea becomes the first coach in SCSU Athletics history to reach 500 wins in a career. Currently Owls volleyball head coach Lisa Barbaro passed the 500-win mark with combined win totals from softball and volleyball, while Shea is the first coach to do it with one team.
• Seven NCAA Tournament appearances (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2022) as the Owls head coach, as well as one (2001) as the Owls' assistant coach
• Two NCAA World Series berths (2005, 2011)
• Three-time Northeast 10 Conference Coach of the Year (2005, 2008, 2010)
• Three-time Northeast Regional Coach of the Year (2005, 2008, 2010)
• 2005 NEIBA Division II Coach of the Year
• 2012 Jack Butterfield Award winner by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association
• Two-time Northeast 10 Southwest Division Championships (2016, 2017)
• Has won 30-or-more games in nine seasons as the Owls' head coach and has 16 seasons of 20-or-more wins
• 108 All-Northeast 10 Conference selections
• 30 All-Region selections
• Eight All-Americans
• As a student-athlete, She was a two-year captain for the Owls. He led the nation in doubles per game his senior season of 1987. He was named team MVP in 1985 and Second-Team All-Conference in 1986

Andrew Eng

• Andrew Eng (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood HS/Binghamton Univ.) completed his second season with the Owls as a contender for the NE10 Southwest Division Player of the Year honor after receiving Second Team recognition in 2021.
• Eng powered the Owls with a team-leading nine home runs and 58 RBI, which was 10 more any other player in the conference and 12 more than SW Division Player of the Year Matt Alifano, as well as a .675 slugging percentage and a .488 on-base percentage.
• In conference games only, Eng ranked in the top five in every offensive category, leading the conference in doubles (13) and RBI (36), while also ranking second with seven home runs, on-base percentage (.543), second in slugging (.829), third in total hits (35) and fifth in runs scored (25).
• He was also the only player in the conference to drive in 50 runs (58) and score 50 runs (52) and was the first NE10 player since Le Moyne's Andrew Taft did it in 2018 to post a 50-50 season.

Billy Sullivan

• Billy Sullivan (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Nyack HS) had an incredible season after earning All-Rookie honors in 2021.
• Sullivan led the conference in runs scored (60), while becoming the first player in the conference with 60 runs and 60 hits in the same since 2018.
• He also ranked third in walks (31), seventh in average (.361/60-166), fifth in on-base percentage (.468) while also slugging .476.
• His 28 runs scored in 23 NE10 games were second in the conference, behind Zambito, and he was one of 19 players to collect 30 hits in conference action.
• Sullivan posted a team-best 19 multiple-hit games, had a 14-game hitting streak and reached base in the last 25 games of the regular season.

Mike DeMartino

• Mike DeMartino (New Haven, Conn./Hamden Hall HS) caps one of the most-decorated careers in program history as he earned his fourth All-NE10 selection in seven seasons.
• DeMartino was previously a Third Team selection in 2017 and 2019 and was also named to the All-Rookie team in 2016.
• On Tuesday, May 10, Demartino became the first player in SCSU Baseball history to play in 200 career games and also holds the record for career at-bats (760) and is the first player in program history with 200 hits, 150 RBI, 100 runs scored, 50 doubles and 10 triples in a career.
• For the year, DeMartino ranked fourth in RBI (46), led the conference with four triples, while also totaling six home runs, 11 doubles and hitting .291 (48-165) with 38 runs scored.
• DeMartino also collected 21 walks and posted a .376 on-base percentage while slugging .515. Catching every inning of the season for the Owls, DeMartino ranked among the conference leaders with a .988 fielding percentage.
• He was third in the Owls lineup with 14 multiple-hit games and second in multiple-RBI games (10).
• Completed his seventh season on the Owls' roster in 2022. Completed an undergraduate degree in sports management and will complete his graduate degree in athletic administration this Spring.

Nick Guarino

• First-year Owl Nick Guarino (East Haven, Conn./Clark Univ.) joined Southern after completing his undergraduate career at Clark University.
• The Owls' southpaw led the conference, with an 8-1 record, while also leading the conference in starts (14) and innings pitched (84).
• Guarino totaled 62 strikeouts, good for ninth in the conference behind teammate Phillips' 68.
• Guarino also led the NE10 in innings pitched (49) in NE10 play, as well as eight starts.
• Guarino was one of two pitchers in the NE10 with eight wins this year, matching rotation mate Steve Phillips, who was mysteriously snubbed from the all-conference team by the conference's head coaches despite leading the conference in wins and ranking in the top 10 in ERA.

Tony Zambito

• Tony Zambito (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) was named to the Third Team after being honored as the NE10 Southwest Division Player of the Year and First Team selection in 2021.
• High school teammate of teammate Andrew Eng.
• This season, the Owls' second baseman broke Southern's all-time stolen base record of 81 with his 82nd stolen base of his career against Stonehill, and has since gone on to steal 15 bases in his last 11 games to give him a career total of 97.
• Against Le Moyne in the NE10 Championship First Round on Tuesday, May 10, Zambito tied the single-season mark of 39 set by Mike Diaz in 2008.
• In conference play, Tony Zambito hit .333 (24-72) in 21 NE10 games, with 11 RBI, a conference-best 30 runs scored and 20 stolen bases as well as 16 walks and nine hit-batsmen. 
• For the year, Zambito hit .294 (40-136) with 48 runs scored, 29 walks, a team-high 13 HBP's and a conference best 39 stolen bases. 

Tommy Hughes

• Tommy Hughes (Newington, Conn./E.C. Goodwin Technical) finished the year with six saves, good for second in the conference, with 41 K's in 38 innings pitched for a 9.91 K/9 IP rate.
• Hughes made history on Feb. 27 against Felician when he became the first pitcher in SCSU history to strike out 10-straight batters.
• While the stat is believed to not be recorded historically, it has yet to be disproven that it is the first time in NCAA baseball history as well.
• Hughes struck out 13 total batters in that game which was the most for a reliever in program history and the most at Southern since Pat Egan sat down 13, as a starter, against Mercy on Feb. 20, 2015.  

Connor Goggin

• Connor Goggin was named to the All-Rookie following his first season with the Owls after transferring from University of Hartford.
• Goggin hit .282 (43-158) with nine doubles, a home run, 36 RBI and 36 runs scored with 19 walks for a .380 on-base percentage. 

Alec Erskine

• Alec Erskine (Killingsworth, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth) also earned All-Rookie recognition with a record of 3-2 with two complete games and 33 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched.
• Erskine hurled a complete-game shutout at Bridgeport in a 4-0 win that saw him scatter six hits and strikeout four.
• He followed with another complete game against Pace in a 12-3 win that saw him give up three runs on six hits.
• He also picked up his third win in three-straight starts in his next outing against American International. 

Steve Phillips

• Steve Phillips finished the year at 8-1 with a team-best 3.39 ERA, which is good for 11^th in the NE10, as well a 7.95 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate after striking out 68 batters in 77 (4^th NE10) innings pitched.
• Phillips spun seven scoreless innings against Le Moyne in the NE10 first round in which he gave up three hits, walked one and struck-out five.
• For his career, he is 9-2 with 86 K's in 93 innings pitched with a career ERA of 3.94.  

Chad Fedeli

• Owls' shortstop Chad Fedeli (Monroe, Conn./Masuk HS) started in 42 games for the Owls, and hit .293 (41-140) with 22 runs scored a home run and 14 RBI. 

Jack Drewry

• Jack Drewry (Wolcott, Conn./Wolcott) started all 44 games for the Owls at first base and hit .227 (35-154) with 27 RBI and 24 runs scored as well as 29 walks for a .356 on-base percentage. 

Zach Bedryczuk

• Zach Bedryczuk (Watertown, Conn./Watertown HS) appeared in 32 games for the Owls this season, totaling 20 hits, 20 runs and 15 RBI. 

Dave Christoforo

• Dave Christoforo (North Haven, Conn./North Haven HS/UConn) hit .287 (25-87) at DH for the Owls with two home runs and 20 RBI as well as eight doubles for the year. 

The Owls' Bullpen

• Tommy Hughes appeared in a team-best 19 games this season, logging 38 innings pitched out of the bullpen with 41 K's against 11 walks with a 3-3 record and six saves.
• Pete Phillips has appeared in 16 games for the Owls, also all out of the bullpen, and hosts a 3-0 record with three saves and a 3.16 ERA.
• Phillips' 10.17 K/9 rate is the best on the Owls staff while he has also walked just six batters against 29 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings pitched.
• Spencer Fox has seen action in 14 games this season, eating 27 innings out of the 'pen. 

Team Notes

• As a team, the Owls hit .290 (423-1461) with 24 home runs, 300 RBI and 348 runs scored.
• The Owls had 219 walks and a .396 on-base percentage.
• The Owls hit .318 (249-784) with runners on base, led by Andrew Eng who hit .400 (38-95) and Billy Sullivan at .349 (29-83).
• The Owls were also 23-for-74 (.311) with the bases loaded, while Andrew Eng was 4-for-7.
• The Owls hit .335 (172-513) with runners in scoring position, led by Eng (.452/28-62), Sullivan (.333/20-60) and DeMartino (.329/23-70).
• The Owls have scored a run 66.7% of the time with a runner on third and less-than two outs while Eng is 15-for-21, DeMartino is 11-for-16 and Connor Goggin is 17-for-24 while Sullivan is also 11-for-17.
• Chad Fedeli is the Owls' best two-out hitting, checking with a .395 (17-43) clip.
• DeMartino leads the team with 17 two-out RBI, followed by Drewry (14), Eng (13) and Christoforo (10).
• Southern is 5-3 in eight 1-run games, 4-2 in six 2-run games and 16-7 in 23 games decided by five-or-more runs.
• The Owls are also 3-2-1 in six games that have gone to extra innings.
• Southern is 24-0-1 when leading after the sixth, 12-0-1 when leading after the seventh and 13-2 when leading after the eighth.
• The Owls are 12-7-4 when committing one error-or-less.
• Southern is 20-0 when out-hitting their opponent.
• The Owls are 23-1 when scoring seven-or-more runs and 18-1 when allowing four-or-fewer runs.