Baseball 1/17/2023 10:32:00 AM

SCSU Baseball Picked Second In NE10 Preseason Poll

Baseball 1/17/2023 10:32:00 AM

SCSU Baseball Picked Second In NE10 Preseason Poll

MANSFIELD, Mass. – Southern Connecticut baseball was picked to finish second in the Northeast 10 Conference Southwest Division, as chosen by the conference's coaches in the 2023 Northeast 10 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

The Owls are coming off the seventh NCAA tournament appearance in program history after advancing to the East Regional in 2022. The Owls defeated Wilmington, but lost twice to Southern New Hampshire. The Owls' latest national bid came after finishing the year at 31-15-1 overall and 14-8-1 in the NE10, good for second place in the NE10 Southwest Division.

The Owls will bring back a majority of their 2022 lineup and will look to replace former NE10 Player of the Year Tony Zambito as well as four-time All-NE10 selection Mike DeMartino. Returning to the Owls' offense is two-time All-NE10 pick and 2022 All-Region selection Andrew Eng, a NE10 Player of the Year candidate after hitting .357 with nine home runs, 59 RBI, 16 doubles and seven stolen bases.

Also returning to the Owls' lineup is two-time All-NE10 selection Billy Sullivan, who hit .341 with a pair of home runs and totaled 27 RBI, nine doubles and 16 stolen bases. All-NE10 pick Connor Goggin hit .288 with two home runs and 39 RBI while also basting a .393 on-base percentage and .406 slugging.

The Owls rotation will be anchored by 2022 All-NE10 and All-Region pick Nick Guarino who finished the year 9-1 with a 3.91 ERA after logging a team-high 92 innings pitched. Steve Phillips was 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA. Joining the Owls' rotation is Tom Benincaso, who posted a 7-0 record with a 2.51 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched at Eastern Connecticut last season. Beninsaso picked up the save in last season's NCAA Division III National Championship game, pitching 2 2/3 shutout innings in the Warriors' win.

Tommy Hughes, another All-NE10 pick, anchors the Owls' bullpen after appearing in a team-leading 21 games and recording six saves with 45 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. Alec Erskine, named to the NE10 All-Rookie team, was 3-2 while Pete Phillips was 3-0 with three saves while appearing in 17 games out of the bullpen. Spencer Fox, a former All-NE10 All-Rookie pick, appeared in 15 games out of the pen and recorded 29 K's in 30 innings pitched.

The Owls open the 2023 season on Feb. 17-18 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. The Owls' first home game is slated for Saturday, Mar. 4 against Mercy at The Ballpark at SCSU.

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