2004 CUNYAC Men's Baseball Championship Preview

March 18th, 2004

Lehman
The 2004 Lightning will return nine players from last year’s team that reached the CUNYAC final. Seniors Jason Castillo (third baseman), Robert Molina (first baseman) and Hector Vallejo (outfielder) are expected to lead the squad. 2003 CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Mike Centeno will also return. Transfers Michael Mercado, David Malave, Reggie Rivera and Steve Ortiz are also to contribute immediately. Mercado and Malave should be an electrifying duo in the outfield as well as at the top of the batting order. Rivera is a power hitting lefty first baseman as well as a slick fielder who should solidify the infield. Ortiz is a lefthanded pitcher and a first baseman who has impressed the coaching staff with his skills and is lefty bat. Exciting freshmen Kelvin Jaquez, a flashy shortstop and southpaw pitcher Melvin Perdomo are also expected to make heavy contributions this season.

Cazenovia
The Wildcats return pitchers Gary Taylor (senior), and juniors Dustin DeMarco and Mike Fedor and will be joined by freshman Erick Tylutki. Sophomore Scott Boyce, an All-North Eastern Athletic Conference Second Team performer last season will handle the bulk of the catching duties. The entire outfield returns including captains Matt Aldrich (senior) and junior Todd DaCunha. Also returning are sophomore Jamar Clarke and junior David Turck. Experienced infielders Ray Durant (sophomore), Joe Silino (sophomore), Adam Winzens (senior) and Derek Zehr (sophomore) will see plenty of action, and will be challenged by freshmen Brian Petrick, C.C. Lannon, and Tylutki. Junior Mike Fedor will be used as a utility player and designated hitter when he is not on the mound.

Keuka
The Storm, under the direction of first-year Head Coach Bob Bergholtz, will look to build off last season’s performance in which they captured the North Eastern Athletic Conference regular season crown. This year’s squad returns a host of key starters who had major roles lasts season. Senior outfielder/pitcher Dave Pietraszek and sophomore first baseman Mike Mullins will lead the team, each coming off an excellent 2003 season. Pietraszek is a three-time member of the Upstate ECAC first team and NEAC First Team All-Conference. Last season, he batted .363, belted 6 HR’s, and had 34 RBI’s. Mullins, also a NEAC First Team All-Conference member, was nominated to the American Baseball Coaches Association New York Region Third Team for a season in which he led the Storm in batting average (.375), slugging percentage (.607), and on-base percentage (.457). For their efforts, Pietraszek and Mullins were selected by Collegiate Baseball as “Players to Watch” in 2004. The pitching rotation will be anchored by a group of young but experienced sophomores. Matt Burlew, Michael Duxbury, John Haughton, and Craig Smithers who saw considerable time last season, will look to build off their strong performances from 2003. The Storm will also look to newcomer Sean Pope along with Travis Peppard and Matt Wood to provide some depth to the staff.

John Jay
The Bloodhounds will not be satisfied until it gets back to and wins the CUNYAC Championship game. The team is relying on its four captains to lead them to that championship game. Three of the four have been there before. They are junior outfielder Miguel Jaquez (.532, 45 RBI, 35 SB), senior pitcher/outfielder Corey Johnson (.309), senior pitcher Moises Walters (3-6) and senior catcher John Tango (.276). Jaquez is the reigning two-time CUNYAC Player of the Year, 2003 Knickerbocker Player of the Year, two-time ECAC All Star, two-time John Jay Athlete of the Year and two-time team MVP. Along with those credentials Jaquez was selected as a pre-season All American by Baseball America and selected as the 2nd best outfielder in Division III by Collegiate Baseball. Johnson was second in batting average last season amongst returning players. Walters, the hard-throwing righthander, is the bulldog of the pitching staff, starting nine games last season and appearing in a total of eleven. Tango the stalwart catcher for the Bloodhounds played most of the season battling leg injuries behind the plate. Coach Dan Palumbo expects contributions from returning juniors, pitcher/first baseman, Kevin Anza, pitcher, Joe Gandolfo and outfielder, Robert Fernandez (.299). Transfers Rocky Nicotina (SS), Anibal Vasquez (1B) and his brother Abram Vasquez (IF) will get their chance to produce. The team is young with ten freshmen, led by pitcher John Dobkowski and 1B/3B Joe Chirichella.

Baruch
First-year head coach Miguel Iglesias has assembled a squad of 10 lettermen led by two-time All-CUNYAC performer Paul Alfano (.240) and ten newcomers. New pitching coach Jose Torres, a former Baruch hurler, will inherit the aquads top-two starters from last season in sophomore Tristan Cetto and senior Tom Fusaro, both left-handers. Freshmen Han Chai and Ricardo Estrada along with sophomore transfer Mike Etkin will round out the starting rotation. Sophomore Argenis Rosado will be used in long relief. Senior David Tsang and sophomore Edgar Morales will return to handle the catching duties. Nick Balalis, a freshman, is expected to play first base and will be joined on the right side of the infield by sophomore Alberto Nieves. Alfano, a junior, will return to play the hot-corner and first-year players Ray Mowatt and Angelo Manniello will vie for the shortstop position. In the outfield, returning sophomores Arby Gega, John Quadrino and Tom Russo will be joined by first-year player Charles Dantone. Freshman Dennis Treulieb is also competing for a starting spot.

Staten Island
The Dolphins’ roster includes a mixture of veterans, featuring senior centerfielder Eric Zinke and senior shortstop Andrew Fraschilla (.294), with freshmen prospects, including catcher Chris Reyes. Zinke is a speedster who batted .312 with 11 stolen bases and covers a lot of ground in centerfield. Last season’s leading hitter, first baseman Tom Wohlfit, is attempting a comeback from elbow surgery and could become the team’s designated hitter by mid-season. He batted .372 with a .462 on-base percentage. Third baseman Joseph Ruiz batted .304 a year ago, but has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Dennis Barrett, a transfer from Western Connecticut, will play first base. Sophomore Bob Glennerster is at second base while veteran infielder Anthony Hillery fills in at third until Ruiz recovers from his injury. Manhattan product Alfie Hernandez has shown promise as a freshman shortstop. In the outfield, Chris Hemmes (.289), Jamie Lee and Michael Scaglione will play alongside Zinke. Rich Castaldo, Jason Vazquez and Victor Flores all have catching experience. Vasquez and Flores also play the outfield. The pitching staff will be young and untested. Junior Kevin Biesty (3-0, 4.12) is the top returnee, while Kingsborough Community College transfer Brian Dowd joins the squad. Freshmen Pete Figliuolo and Adam Cotayo along with classmates Michael Sosa, Pat Smith, James Gale and Andrew Stevens will all get a look.

D'Youville
The 2004 D'Youville College Spartans return to the diamond with hopes of improving on its disappointing 2003 season which saw the young program go winless in its fourth season of existence.  Head Coach Jeff Johnson took over the program in early March and patched together a team which was competitive in many games despite failing to notch a victory. Behind returning seniors and leading hitter Andrew Drouin along with solid infielders Jeff Renios and Mike Cole, the Spartans are hoping to improve as the season moves along.

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