Expectations High For Baseball Team as 2014 Campaign Starts on Friday
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team is preparing for their 2014 season debut on February 21 with championship prospects in mind.
Coming off their program-record 20-15 season – their second straight winning season – receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 poll for four straight weeks and qualifying for their first United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Small College World Series, the Bears feel confident that they can continue the momentum. "Expectations for this season are the highest it has been in the program," said Bears associate head coach Jerry Sidman. "After last season, doing some damage in the USCAA is something we are looking to accomplish."
The team is excited to get things going February 21 as they travel south to Winter Haven, Florida to take part in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. "The goal [in Florida] is to be productive right out of the gate and get off to a good start," said Sidman. Though it will be a very fun experience for the team, their focus remains clear.
The Bears bring back three of their most productive hitters. Joe Mendez comes fresh off a junior campaign where he drove in a team-high 41 RBI and hit .365, becoming the first Bear to earn First-Team All-New York Region Honors. The senior outfielder need just 30 hits and five home runs to become the all-time leader in both categories.
USCAA Second Team All-American Thomas McKenna looks to build off a season where he led the team with a .394 batting average and set single-season program records for hits (54) and runs (42). First-baseman Mike Cundari (.349 avg.) will look to provide senior leadership in the heart of the lineup after finishing with a career-best 37 RBI last season and needs 27 RBI to become the second Bear to join the 100-RBI club.
Juniors Domenick Camerada and Vinny Rossi are players that are also looking to make an impact again this season. In only one season behind the plate, Camerada kept runners at bay gunning down a program-record 23 runners caught stealing. Rossi had a solid sophomore campaign starting in 34 games in the outfield, batting .325 with 39 hits and 19 RBI.
On the mound, Association of Division III Independents co-pitcher of the year Rosario DiLorenzo seeks to improve on an outstanding rookie campaign where he compiled a 5-2 record and team-best 3.41 earned run average and 56 strikeouts. Senior Donny Pagano (3-2, 19 K, 6.08 ERA) and junior Chris Cutrone (4-7, 33 K, 5.62 ERA) will return to the starting rotation are projected to be joined by sophomore Brian Luebcke, who will split time at third, and transfer Michael Faulkner.
Several newcomers have joined the team this season, and the team and coaching staff are excited to have them aboard. Players such as Nicholas LoPrinzi, Francis Rapp and Michael Camerada (brother of Domenick) are expected to make an immediate effect for the Bears. "The new players are penciled in to step up immediately for the team," stated Sidman.
The expectations for the Bears baseball team this year are high, but the team seems up to the task for 2014 as they aim for the USCAA Tournament. "We want to win the whole thing and establish
our dominance," added Sidman.
St. Joseph's will play a five-game set at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Live stats and video for all five games will be available on SJCBears.com with updates on Twitter at @SJCBears.com.
2014 Bears Baseball Roster
2014 Bears Baseball Schedule
2014 Bears Baseball Schedule Preview