# 7 Jackson Meadows
Infielder
Senior
6-1, 177 lbs
Lexington, NC

Meadows started 40 games as a sophomore and 53 games as a junior for the Seahawks, primarily at Second Base. Now, as a senior, he could be out of a starting job entirely, as the infield is flooded with young talent.

Jackson is limited as a contact hitter and in his ability to get on base, which also caps his upside. He hit .252 in consecutive seasons, and his OBP only went up from .302 to .335 between his sophomore and junior campaigns. Still, even if he is only a bench option this year, he's a very good one. Especially since he saw improvements in the power and base-stealing departments as well as on defense. Meadows massively increased his XBH's from 3 to 17, his stolen bases from 7 to 17, and his Fielding % from .932 to .959 between 2018 and '19.

Thus, even if Meadows doesn't start in 2020, we can expect him to at least serve as a valuable second baseman/pinch-hitting option off the bench who also has outfield experience.

# 6 Jac Croom
Infielder
Freshman
6-0, 195 lbs
Wilmington, NC

A winner of back-to-back 3A State Championships with the New Hanover Wildcats, Croom is quite used to winning, as NHHS sported a 100-14 record during his prep career. Now Jac joins another winning tradition at UNCW without having to leave his hometown.

Croom hit .388 with 32 runs scored and a .479 OBP his senior season with the Wildcats, and for his career he batted .368 with 50 RBI and 85 runs scored. In the process he earned All-Mid Eastern Conference honors in 2017 & '19.

Croom didn't receive as much national attention as his fellow incoming freshmen, but that hasn't prevented him from impressing the coaching staff almost immediately. He's most certainly going to be in the mix for some middle infield duties in 2020.

The NCBWA Top 30 preseason poll, the last of the major polls, was released yesterday. We did not receive any votes: http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/poll/

They're all sleeping on us.


How we did in the 6 Major Polls (Preseason) summary:

* USA Today: NR, 3 votes (# 51)
* Collegiate Baseball Newspaper: NR, Received undisclosed number of votes
* NCBWA: NR, Not listed for consideration/votes
* D1Baseball.com: NR, Not listed for consideration/votes
* Baseball America: NR, Not listed for consideration/votes
* Perfect Game: NR, Not listed for consideration/votes

Unless I'm missing something, this team is loaded. Looking forward to waking up all the pundits and making a lot of noise.

(02-04-2020 10:23 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Unless I'm missing something, this team is loaded. Looking forward to waking up all the pundits and making a lot of noise.

While i tend to agree with you guys, major coaching change. Tends to affect how voters vote. Even though we all know not much will likely change

(02-04-2020 10:23 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Unless I'm missing something, this team is loaded. Looking forward to waking up all the pundits and making a lot of noise.

(02-04-2020 10:25 AM)Seahawkhoops Wrote:  

(02-04-2020 10:23 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Unless I'm missing something, this team is loaded. Looking forward to waking up all the pundits and making a lot of noise.

While i tend to agree with you guys, major coaching change. Tends to affect how voters vote. Even though we all know not much will likely change

Eh, I don't think if Scalf were still here we'd be getting any more votes than we are currently. I think the college baseball community knows that when you transition to an assistant who has been here a long time, not much of the day-to-day operations change. To them, it's all about the talent you have on the field anyways.

In Baseball America's case, they base almost all of their predictions on their own prospect ratings. The more high-end prospects you have, the more consideration you get for their preseason poll. We're typically lacking in this area. A site like BA sees that we lost Greg Jones and dismisses us. And even at our best, BA never gives us love.

D1Baseball.com usually gives us a lot of media attention compared to the other publications/sites, but they also don't list many teams beyond their Top 25 when they do their polls.

Rather have votes at the end of the season and show the experts a thing or two. The CAA does not help with the rankings-it's usually pretty weak.

(02-04-2020 12:34 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  Rather have votes at the end of the season and show the experts a thing or two. The CAA does not help with the rankings-it's usually pretty weak.

Fully agreed with all of this. The CAA never does a good job of promoting their teams. They do it poorly for Basketball and it's non-existent for any of the other sports that aren't Football. And that goes back to Yeager.

Any promotion/media attention we've gotten for Baseball has come from our own department pushing it and/or the success of the program itself making it impossible to ignore. The CAA doesn't give a damn about Baseball. Which is sad, because we've had some pretty good coaches/programs in this league. Mike Glavine is doing a great job up in Boston, for instance.

# 5 Noah Liles
Outfielder
Junior
6-0, 181 lbs
Angier, NC

Liles has been the 4th or 5th Outfield option for the Hawks from the start of his collegiate career, and that shouldn't change in his junior season despite the injury to Kep Brown.

Liles has appeared in 74 games over two seasons, starting in 40. In his career he's slashed .243/.316/.266 with 4 doubles, 14 RBI, 22 runs and 2 SBs. As a lefty hitter, he's been used primarily as a platoon option, rarely seeing lefty pitchers. Liles has also been an effective late-inning defensive replacement in the OF, where he has not made an error to this point in his career.

In order to earn an expanded role, Liles will need to put up far better offensive numbers than he did in his first 2 seasons.

# 4 Kevin Pitarra
Catcher
Freshman
5-11, 178 lbs
Cary, NC

A teammate of fellow freshman Kohl Abrams' at Green Hope, Pitarra arrives at UNCW as one of 2 highly touted catching prospects along with Long Islander Matt Yip.

In his senior season, Kevin hit .337 with 2 HR and a .423 OBP, earning All-Tri-6 honors in the process. Over his High School career, Pitarra hit .334 and also boasted a school record 18-game hitting streak. According to Perfect Game, Pitarra was the # 9 Catcher in the state among the 2019 class and # 353 Catching prospect in the nation.

Matt Suggs may well be entrenched as the starter to begin the 2020, but Pitarra and Matt Yip represent challengers for the role in the future.

The CAA Preseason Coaches Poll results are in. UNCW (7-first place votes) picked to win the league in 2020, ahead of Northeastern (2 first-place votes).

4 Seahawks made the Preseason All-CAA Team: Weiss, N. Bridges, Roupp, Sharpe. Baldwin made the Honorable Mention List.

Northeastern 3B/DH Ian Fair (the 2019 CAA batting champion) is the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. I know that he only was the DH due to injury last season, but still not sure how I feel about a guy who was a non-position player all of last year getting that recognition. But that's OK, all that matters in that regard is who finishes the season with the award.


https://caasports.com/news/2020/2/5/uncw...nship.aspx



BASEBALL
2/5/2020 11:00:00 AM
UNCW PICKED TO WIN 2020 CAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Rob Washburn

RICHMOND, Va. (February 5, 2020) – UNCW, which has captured the past two CAA Baseball Championships, is the overwhelming favorite to claim the title again in 2020 according to a vote of the league’s head baseball coaches.

The Seahawks received seven first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 63 points. Northeastern got a pair of first-place votes and was picked second with 54 points, while Charleston and Elon were tied for third in the preseason rankings with 44 points. William & Mary (40 points) finished fifth in the voting, followed by James Madison (32 points) and Delaware (23 points). Hofstra and Towson were tied for eighth with 12 points.

UNCW begins its first season under head coach Randy Hood, who spent the previous 18 years as an assistant to legendary skipper Mark Scalf. The Seahawks return five starting position players and several top starting pitchers from last year’s 32-31 squad that became the first team to win back-to-back CAA championships since 2003. Pacing the offense are senior third baseman Cole Weiss (.305, 4 HR, 49 RBI) and junior outfielder Noah Bridges (.263, 4 HR, 45 RBI), who both earned All-CAA honors a year ago. UNCW features a veteran group of starting pitchers led by senior Luke Gesell (5-5, 3.59 ERA) and juniors Landen Roupp (6-3, 3.47 ERA) and Zarion Sharpe (3-3, 4.21 ERA).

Northeastern welcomes back the majority of its starting lineup from last year’s 28-29 team. Topping that group is junior Ian Fair, who received first-team All-CAA accolades last season after leading the conference with a .357 batting average. He is joined by infielders Scott Holzwasser (.254, 27 RBI’s) and Jake Rosen (.237) along with all-conference outfielder Jeff Costello (.267, 29 RBI’s). Back on the mound are senior starters Kyle Murphy (5-4, 4.66 ERA) and David Stiehl (6-4, 4.82 ERA) as well as junior reliever Brandon Dufault (1-2, 3 saves).

Charleston went 36-21 a year ago and finished second in the CAA with a 16-8 mark. Among the returnees to the Cougars’ starting lineup are seniors Chris Graham (.291, 15 RBI’s), Harrison Hawkins (.252, 26 R) and Ari Sechopoulos (.202, 14 RBI’s). Charleston’s pitching staff includes sophomore Brooks Lucas (5-2, 4.83 ERA) and senior Josh Price (7-5, 3.33 ERA).

Elon is coming off a 33-24 campaign in 2019 that included its first CAA regular-season title with a 19-5 mark and its first appearance in the conference championship game. The Phoenix has seven regulars returning to the lineup led by All-CAA standouts Joe Satterfield (.325, 35 RBI’s) and Anthony Galason (.274, 43 R). Elon’s pitching staff is anchored by junior left-hander Jared Wetherbee (7-4, 3.00 ERA, 98 K’s) and senior southpaw Dean McCarthy (2-3, 3.70 ERA.

Northeastern’s Fair was selected as the preseason Player of the Year and headlined the preseason All-CAA squad. UNCW and Elon both had four players chosen to the team.


2020 CAA BASEBALL PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. UNCW (7 first-place votes) 63
2. Northeastern (2 first-place votes) 54
3. Charleston 44
Elon 44
5. William & Mary 40
6. James Madison 32
7. Delaware 23
8. Hofstra 12
Towson 12


2020 PRESEASON ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM

Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown 2019 Stats

Matthew Trehub, William & Mary C Sr. Southborough, Mass. .282, 2 HR, 20 RBI
Joseph Carpenter, Delaware IF So. Cornwall, Pa. .300, 5 HR, 37 RBI
Ian Fair, Northeastern IF Jr. Walpole, Mass. .357, 8 HR, 33 RBI
Scott Holzwasser, Northeastern IF Sr. Sudbury, Mass. .254, 5 HR, 27 RBI
Joe Satterfield, Elon IF Sr. Greenville, S.C. .325, 4 HR, 35 RBI
Cole Weiss, UNCW IF Sr. Winston-Salem, N.C. .305, 4 HR, 49 RBI
Kyle Baker, Delaware OF Grad. Hockessin, Del. .354, 2 HR, 39 RBI (’18 stats)
Noah Bridges, UNCW OF Jr. Benson, N.C. .263, 4 HR, 45 RBI
Trevon Dabney, James Madison OF So. Douglassville, Pa. .306, 6 HR, 29 RBI
Javon Fields, Towson OF So. Bear, Del. .272, 33 R, 17 RB
Anthony Galason, Elon OF So. Colts Neck, N.J. .274, 43 R, 25 RBI
Brandon Raquet, William & Mary OF Sr. Boalsburg, Pa. .269, 8 HR, 31 RBI
Garrett Stonehouse, Elon UT Sr. Westport, Conn. .311, 15 R, 16 RBI
Kyle Novak, James Madison DH So. Oakton, Va. .303, 26 R, 28 RBI
Landen Roupp, UNCW SP Jr. Rocky Mount, N.C. 6-3, 3.47 ERA, 91 K’s
Zarion Sharpe, UNCW SP Jr. Greenville, N.C. 3-3, 4.21 ERA, 61 K’s
Jared Wetherbee, Elon SP Jr. Fiskdale, Mass. 7-4, 3.00 ERA, 98 K’s
Brett Ayer, James Madison RP Sr. Mechanicsville, Va. 4-1, 2.52 ERA, 52 K’s
Chris Farrell, William & Mary RP Sr. Great Falls, Va. 5-2, 6 saves, 2.58 ERA
Josh Price, Charleston RP Sr. Dillon, S.C. 7-5, 1 save, 3.33 ERA

CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Ian Fair, Northeastern

Honorable Mention: Austin Gauthier, IF, Hofstra; Fox Semones, IF, James Madison; Jeff Costello, OF, Northeastern; Jordan Hutchins, OF, Delaware; Brooks Baldwin, UT, UNCW, Jake Rosen, UT, Northeastern; David Stiehl, SP, Northeastern; Nick Stewart, SP, James Madison; Wade Strain, SP, William & Mary; Billy Sullivan IV, SP, Delaware; Brandon Dufault, RP, Northeastern; Derek Wakeley, RP, Delaware

Baseball America's 2020 CAA College Baseball Preview ...

The 2019 season in the CAA looked like it was going to be headlined by Elon. The Phoenix not only won the regular-season title, but advanced to the CAA Conference Tournament championship game with their 36th win of the season. It was there that the team’s run ended, however.

UNC Wilmington upset the top seed in the title game with a thrilling 6-5 win in 10 innings to advance to the NCAA Tournament in the final season of longtime coach Mark Scalf’s tenure.

The offseason that followed that run was not kind to the Seahawks, or other teams in the conference. Not only did 2019 CAA player of the year Greg Jones get drafted in the first round by the Rays, but two other key Seahawks—lefthander Blake Morgan and righthander Justin Crump—said goodbye to the school. Elon, meanwhile, lost the 2019 CAA pitcher of the year George Kirby in the first round to the Mariners, and righthander Kyle Brnovich and hitters Ty Adcock and Cam Devanney also moved on. College of Charleston won’t have Danny Wondrack, the 2019 CAA home run leader, and five other top hitters.

The losses leave holes in the rosters of three of the conference’s top teams. Coming into the 2020 season, UNCW has the strongest combination of depth and talent to offset its losses, but will have to hold off a determined Northeastern team in its pursuit of an NCAA Tournament bid.

Preseason Awards

Player of the Year: Ian Fair, 3B, Northeastern

Fair has put together an impressive resume in his two seasons suiting up for the Huskies. As a redshirt freshman, he was named CAA co-rookie of the year and a second-team all-CAA selection. As a redshirt sophomore, he was even better, leading the league in average (.357), hitting eight home runs and driving in 33 runs and earning a first-team all-CAA selection. As a redshirt junior, there’s every reason to think that Fair should take another step forward and earn player of the year honors as the leader for a Northeastern team looking to bounce back from a tough season. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Fair has good size and speed, evidenced by his 14 stolen bases in two seasons, and he will continue to wreak havoc with his bat in 2020.

Pitcher of the Year: Jared Wetherbee, LHP, Elon

After spending his freshman season primarily in the bullpen, Wetherbee moved to the rotation as a sophomore and went 7-4, 3.00 with 98 strikeouts in 84 innings. He should follow in the footsteps of former Elon righthander George Kirby, the 2019 CAA pitcher of the year, as the next Phoenix pitcher to take home the award. With both Kirby and righthander Kyle Brnovich having been selected in the 2019 draft, the 5-foot-10, 203-pound Wetherbee, who possesses a three-pitch mix headlined by a low-90s fastball, will be the undisputed ace of Elon’s staff and should take another step forward with an impressive junior campaign.

Freshman of the Year: Sebastian Keane, RHP, Northeastern

Keane became the first Northeastern player in program history to honor his commitment after being selected in the MLB draft. The Red Sox 11th-round selection was the top high school prospect in Massachusetts and brings a projectable 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame to campus. Keane relies on a fastball that sits at 90-92 mph to go along with an improving low-80s slider, a curveball and a changeup. Keane should take little time in getting comfortable with his new surroundings before putting the rest of the conference on notice.

Predicted Order of Finish (2019 record)

1. UNC Wilmington (32-31, 12-12)

There will be a different feel around UNCW this spring. Coach Mark Scalf retired following last season, his 28th at the program’s helm, and Randy Hood, his longtime assistant, was promoted to take his place. Hood has been on staff at UNCW since 2001 and played a key role in the program’s growth over the last two decades. Now, his task is to keep it rolling in 2020, after losing 2019 CAA player of the year Greg Jones and key relievers Blake Morgan and Justin Crump. Despite those losses, the Seahawks return much of their core from last year’s roster. Back to lead the lineup is senior third baseman Cole Weiss (.305/.387/.434, 49 RBI), junior center fielder Noah Bridges (.263/.324/.390, 17 SB) and senior DH Kep Brown (.273/.343/.449, 8 HR). Two-way player Adam Smith steps up to take over the reins for Jones at shortstop and provides solid defense and a strong arm at the position. Meanwhile, talented freshmen Trevor Marsh and Jac Croom will slide in at left fielder and second base, respectively, to give the Seahawks a talented lineup to lead them back to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. Their real strength, though, is on the mound. All three starters that pitched at least 50 innings are back to lead the way, starting with Friday starter Luke Gesell (5.5, 3.59). He’s joined by junior lefthander Zarion Sharpe (3-3, 4.21), who was drafted in the 19th round in 2019, but decided to return to school for his senior season, and junior righthander Landon Rouppe (6-3, 3.47). Rounding out the pitching staff is Smith (0-0, 1.64), who will be asked to take on the closer role. With quality bats in the lineup and three quality starters returning to lead the pitching staff, the Seahawks should capture the CAA regular-season title for the first time since 2016.

2. Northeastern (28-29, 12-12)

Coming off a disappointing season in 2019, coach Mike Glavine and his squad will be out to prove the season was an aberration for a program that consistently finishes near the top of the conference. The Huskies will have to do so without key players from last year’s team, including leading home run threat Jake Farrell and Friday starter Sean Mellen. Fortunately, the Huskies do return a lot of speed from a lineup that stole 101 bases last season, good for the third-best mark in the conference. Redshirt-junior third baseman Ian Fair (.357/.419/.520, 8 HR) has gotten better every year on the diamond and should be the conference’s best hitter this season. He’s joined in the lineup by three seniors in DH Jake Rosen (.237.,380/.356, 9 SB), left fielder Kyle Peterson (.167/.321/.182) and second baseman Scott Holzwasser (.254/.394/.402, 27 SB). Junior right fielder Jeff Costello (.267/.348/.351, 19 SB) will also prove to be an integral part of the lineup and redshirt junior Teddy Beaudet (.200/.333/.200) provides quality defense behind the plate. The loss of Mellen in the rotation should be offset by the arrival of the conference’s top freshman in righthander Sebastian Keane, who bypassed a chance to sign with the Red Sox as an 11th-round draft pick in order to honor his commitment. Keane brings a strong four-pitch mix led by a fastball that can top out at 95 mph. Redshirt-senior righthander Kyle Murphy (5-4, 4.66) provides experience at the top of the rotation, and junior righthander Sam Jacobsak (2-6, 5.34) converted from a reliever to the team’s Saturday starter and is expected to have a strong year. Even with heavy losses from last year’s squad, the Huskies have enough talent to challenge the Seahawks at the top of the conference.

3. College of Charleston (36-21, 16-8)

For the second consecutive season, College of Charleston finished with 35 or more wins and 15 or more conference victories, but it could be tough to accomplish that feat in 2020. Losing leading hitter Danny Wondrack is tough, but he’s far from the only player from last year’s team who won’t return this season. Of the team’s top seven hitters, only senior outfielder Chris Graham (.291/.352/.346, 13 SB) will this spring take the field for the Cougars. He will need help from other returning hitters in seniors Harrison Hawkins (.220/.305/.364) and Ari Sechopoulos (.202/.312/.327). With many more questions than answers, it’s tough to envision the Cougars leading the league in hitting once again. On the mound, Charleston faces more heavy losses with the departure of dominant righthander Griffin McLarty and closer Nathan Ocker. Fortunately, senior righthander Tradd James (3-0, 2.77) and junior lefthander Zach Williams (3-3, 4.58) return to school. It could be a rebuilding year in Charleston, but it’s tough to count out the program after seeing the results from Chad Holbrook’s first two seasons at the helm.

4. Willam & Mary (33-22, 12-11)

Even with the loss of lefthander Bodie Sheehan, the Tribe returns a strong core of pitchers to once again features one of the better staffs in the league. Senior righthander Wadee Strain (6-4, 3.61) will be the team’s Friday starter and fellow senior righthander Chris Farrell (5-2, 2.58) brings a strong fastball/slider combo to the Saturday starter role. Sophomore lefthander Zach Tsakounis (4-2, 3.60) should continue to get better after being a CAA all-rookie selection in 2019. Junior righthander Randy Prosperi (3-2, 3.52) will take over in the closer role after striking out 42 batters in 38.1 innings last year. The real question for the team lies with the Tribe’s hitting after losing catcher Hunter Smith, Zach Pearson and Kyle Wrighte. If other hitters can step up to help senior left fielder Brandon Raquet (.269/.402/.531, 8 HR), a third-team all-CAA selection last season, and junior second baseman Matt McDermott (.251/.292/.330, 35 RBI), then the Tribe can reach its ceiling and potentially make it to a regional after a three-year absence.

5. Elon (33-24, 19-5)

After taking home the CAA regular-season title in 2019, Elon looked like it was on its way to its first regional bid since 2013. The Phoenix got all the way to the CAA Tournament championship game before losing in heartbreaking fashion in a 6-5 extra-innings loss to UNC Wilmington. Elon will be determined to avenge that defeat in 2020, but perhaps no CAA team lost more of its core from last season than the Phoenix. Not only did the 1-2 combo of starting pitchers George Kirby and Kyle Brnovich leave in the draft, but catcher Cam Devanney and outfielder/closer Ty Adcock also must be replaced. With the return of senior third baseman Joe Satterfield (.325/.438/.476), senior outfielder Tyler Stanley (28 SB) and sophomore DH Matt Oldham (.224/.320/.362, 5 HR), Elon still retains a strong lineup, however. On the mound, junior lefthander Jared Wetherbee (7-4, 3.00) is the easy choice for the team’s Friday starter and will be aided by freshman righthander Spencer Bauer and senior lefthander Dean McCarthy (2-3, 3.70) who transitions to a role as a starter after appearing in 27 games as a reliever in 2019. Sophomore righthander Joe Sprake (0-2, 4.91) will take over the closer role for Adcock after earning one save as a freshman. Elon faces a tough test after losing so much talent to remain in the conference’s top tier.

6. James Madison (31-26, 11-15)

The Dukes return their nine most productive hitters from last year’s team, led by speedy left fielder Trevon Dabney (.306/.457/494, 17 SB). Joining Dabney in the outfield is freshman Chase Delauter, who impressed coaches in fall ball, and junior Conor Hartigan (.280/.383/.420). Power threat Brady Harju (.295/.358/.479, 9 HR) will slide in at first base opposite 2018 CAA all-rookie team selection Josh Jones, who missed last season. Shortstop Nick Zona (.337/.387/.388) will take on a bigger role this season after starting 30 games as a freshman. The team’s pitching staff doesn’t have quite the same continuity. Friday starter Kevin Kelly was drafted in the 19th round by the Indians and Joe Williams exhausted his eligibility. But 6-foot-5 righthander Kevin Stewart (4-5, 2.74) will slide into the Friday role and will be joined in the weekend rotation by righthanders Michael Bechtold (2-2, 5.67) and Justin Showalter (1-3, 3.72). Redshirt senior lefthander Brett Ayer (4-1, 2.52) takes over the closer role after the departure of Nick Robertson (5-1, 1.01, 8 SV). If the Dukes can again boast the top ERA of the conference, they will finish higher than this ranking, but that will be a tough task after losing key pitchers.

7. Delaware (21-33, 9-15)

Even though Delaware finished with just 21 wins last season, the fewest by the program since 2003, there were reasons for optimism. Freshman first baseman Joseph Carpenter (.300/.368/.459) was named the 2019 CAA rookie of the year and should be even better as a sophomore. The Blue Hens also added redshirt junior third baseman John Marti, who was a first-team all-Patriot League selection in 2018 before transferring to Delaware. The two hitters will be joined by first-team all-CAA selection in center fielder Jordan Hutchins (.272/.375/.421, 4 HR) and left fielder Austin Colmery (.262/.413/.352), a CAA all-rookie team honoree in 2019, to form a strong lineup. That stability extends to the pitching staff. Even without Friday starter Brandon Walter, the Blue Hens boast plenty of familiar faces, including junior righthander Chris Ludman (3-8, 5.82). Sophomore righthander Jack Dubecq (2-5, 3.44) should be the team’s Saturday starter as a sophomore and righthander Joey Silan (3-5, 5.53) should retain a spot in the rotation, as well. Closer Derek Wakeley (2-3, 3.91, 6 SV) retains his role after a nice junior season. The Blue Hens might not have the talent to compete at the top of the conference, but they will certainly improve upon last season’s results.

8. Hofstra (18-31-1, 10-14)

It will be tough for the Pride to replace the big bat of catcher Vito Friscia, who led the team in nearly every offensive category from a season ago. The good news is that the Pride still bring back 27 lettermen from last year’s team, headlined by senior first baseman Rob Weissheier (.258/.371/.509, 8 HR), junior shortstop Austin Gauthier (.269/.373/.374, 12 SB) and sophomore center fielder Anthony D’Onofrio (.253/.320/.400, 10 SB). On the mound, starters Jack Jett (2-3, 5.52) and Ryan Rue (3-4, 4.48) return to lead the rotation. Jimmy Joyce (2-4, 8.35) slides in to become the team’s Sunday starter after pitching mostly in a relief role. Although high-leverage reliever Daniel Page (2.19, 4 SV) graduated, Andrew Mundy (1-2, 4.78, 5 SV) is back to reprise his role as closer. Even with so much of the team’s core back, the Pride must figure out a way to both manufacture runs and tighten up run prevention after finishing at or near the bottom in the CAA in runs and ERA last season.

9. Towson (7-17, 14-39)

Towson finished last in the conference in runs scored (211) and seventh in ERA (5.59) and it will be tough for the team to get much better in 2020 with the losses of third baseman Zach Piazza and Friday starter Gavin Weyman. Senior first baseman Brad Powers (.267/.391/.478, 7 HR) will be the key cog in the Tigers’ lineup, along with sophomore center fielder Javon Fields (.272/.366/.371, 15 SB). Junior righthander Josh Seils (2-8, 4.00) will take over Weyman’s role as Friday starter and junior college transfer Shayne Clowar will be the team’s Saturday starter. Junior righthander Jake Pecilunas (2-5, 5.14, 1 SV) takes over the closer job this season.

Top 2020 Draft Prospects
Landen Roupp, RHP, UNC Wilmington
Noah Bridges, OF, UNC Wilmington
Billy Sullivan, OF, Delaware
Jared Wetherbee, LHP, Elon
Ian Fair, OF, Northeastern
Zarion Sharpe, RHP, UNC Wilmington
Cole Weiss, 3B, UNC Wilmington
Chris Farrell, RHP, William & Mary
Nick Stewart, RHP, James Madison
Jack Jett, RHP, Hofstra

Does this mean Gesell is a sleeper?

(02-05-2020 06:34 PM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Does this mean Gesell is a sleeper?

You could say that! Though I will say there are quite a few quality Friday arms in this league. Where we gain an advantage is on Saturday’s and Sunday’s thanks to having a quality trio, not just one standout Friday arm.

Hood says we have 3 Friday caliber starters.

(02-06-2020 07:20 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Hood says we have 3 Friday caliber starters.

Perfectly stated. I completely agree with that assessment.

# 2 Riley Davis
Infielder
Freshman
6-1, 184 lbs
West Grove, PA

One of just 5 out of state products for the Seahawks (Adam Smith, Picollo, Yip, Liverpool), Davis joins Adam Smith as the only players from Pennsylvania on the roster. West Grove, Davis' hometown, and West Chester, Smith's hometown, are only a 30 minute ride from each other, as West Chester East and Avon Grove face each other regularly.

In his senior season, Riley hit .333 with a .450 OBP en route to 2nd Team All-Chestmonts honors. For his career, Davis hit .319 with a .424 OBP.

According to Perfect Game, Davis ranked the # 12 shortstop in PA and the # 505 SS nationally. He may not quite be on the level of the other middle infield prospects vying for early playing time, but the opportunities will be there to demonstrate what skills he can bring at the DI level.

(02-06-2020 07:20 AM)SEA33HAWK Wrote:  Hood says we have 3 Friday caliber starters.

The real question is if we have any June caliber starters

# 1 Trevor Marsh
Outfielder
Freshman
5-9, 190 lbs
Asheboro, NC

The final player on our countdown, Marsh entered the scene at UNCW a bit unheralded. That changed a bit when he won 2019 American Legion National Player of the Year honors over the Summer. Still, he has a lot to prove when it comes to playing at the Division I level.

The Asheboro HS product hit .450 in his senior season, earning All-County and Conference honors as a result. Marsh's older brother, Tristan, played college baseball at Coastal Carolina and Brunswick CC.

The left-handed hitting Marsh could prove valuable to the Seahawks over time, but he likely has a steep learning curve ahead. Put him on the back burner for now, and we'll check back in on him in 2021.

Article above says Trevor Marsh & Jac Croom are going to be starters as freshman. The personal write up about Marsh says "put him on the back burner for now". Which info is the more accurate?