MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Post University baseball team, under the guidance of sixth-year head coach
AJ McNamara, will begin the 2012 campaign on Friday, Feb. 24, when it travels to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for five games against East Region foes. The Eagles will take on Franklin Pierce on Friday and Stonehill on Saturday in doubleheaders. The weekend concludes with a single game against Molloy on Sunday morning.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS:
The Eagles were picked to finish third in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. Post finished with 97 points and came in behind preseason favorite Wilmington (120 points, 10 first place votes) and Dominican (105 points, one first place vote). The Wildcats and Chargers have combined to win the last three conference tournament titles.
CORBETT LAUDED BY NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION:
Senior starting pitcher
Stephen Corbett (Prospect, Conn.) was named to the Preseason NCBWA All-East Region Second Team on Jan. 31. As a junior, Corbett compiled a 6-2 record with five complete game shutouts. He amassed an earned-run average of 1.77, and batters only hit .209 against him on the year. He appeared in 12 games, made nine starts, and allowed 19 runs, 14 of which were earned. Corbett blanked Stonehill (Feb. 26), Pittsburgh-Johnstown (March 7) and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) foes, Felician (April 9), Concordia (April 15) and Dominican (April 20).
SCOUTING THE NORTHEAST CHALLENGE FIELD:
The Eagles will play five games and compete against three East Region opponents during the Northeast Challenge. Each of the teams is ranked in the top-10 in the region according to this week's NCBWA Poll. Franklin Pierce and Stonehill will begin the season this weekend, while Molloy is off to a 2-1 start after three games in Morehead City, N.C., last weekend.
#16 FRANKLIN PIERCE:
The Ravens are ranked #16 nationally and #2 in the East Region as they begin the 2012 season this weekend at the Northeast Challenge. Franklin Pierce was the chosen as the preseason favorite to win the Northeast-10 Northeast Division. The squad has two players on the College Baseball Lineup Tino Martinez Division II Baseball Player of the Year Award in junior right-hander Ryan Thompson and outfielder James Roche. Thompson was named a Preseason First Team All-American by the NCBWA. As a sophomore Thompson went 11-1 in 13 starts, and had 114 strikeouts as compared to 13 walks. He threw 95 innings. The Ravens reached the 40-win plateau for the second straight year last season.
STONEHILL:
The Skyhawks are tied for sixth in this week's East Region rankings and will play five games against CACC foes at the Northeast Challenge this weekend. Senior Michael White was named to the College Baseball Lineup Tino Martinez Division II Baseball Player of the Year Award. White was a First Team All-Northeast-10 choice a season ago and was put on the Tino Martinez Division II Baseball Player of the Year Award watch list for the second straight year. White started all 48 games a season ago and hit .331 with 34 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples, three home runs and 26 RBIs. The outfielder also comes out of the bullpen to pitch for Stonehill.
MOLLOY (2-1, 0-0 ECC):
The Lions began the 2012 campaign last weekend with a trio of contests against Felican and Merrimack. Molloy, which is ranked eighth in the East Region, defeated Felician and split a twinbill with Merrimack. In the opening game against the Warriors, Molloy committed six errors and fell 7-4, but responded to 4-3 win in game two to salvage the split. This season, Anthony Eichhorn and John Jarosz have picked up wins on the mound, while Erik Pyle is 4-for-12 at the plate with two walks and four RBIs.
ON THE HORIZON:
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, March 2, when it travels to Pomona, N.Y., for a single game against St. Thomas Aquinas.
