Defending Commonwealth Conference Champion Widener University topped the annual baseball coach’s preseason poll, earning 35 points and 5 first place votes. DeSales University topped the Freedom Conference annual poll, earning 48 points and 6 first place votes.
Widener enters the campaign after capturing its first Commonwealth Conference title and first league crown since taking the Middle Atlantic Conference in 1999. The Pride (27-14, 14-4 CC) competed in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in school history and won their first regular-season conference title since taking the MAC Southern Division in 1978.
One of the players Widener will look to is senior outfielder Tom DeAngelis, last year’s conference Player of the Year. He ended third in the league with 61 hits, second with a .594 slugging percentage and tied for second with 15 doubles. DeAngelis also had a team-season-high 17-game hitting streak, second to his 25-game run in 2008 that was ninth in the country, and a .980 fielding percentage.
Junior catcher Sean Saverio also was picked first team all-league as well as the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. He led the league with a .418 batting average, a .641 slugging percentage, a .503 on-base percentage, was second with a school-record 64 hits and third with 43 RBI. At the league tournament, Saverio batted .444 with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI.
Senior second baseman Alex Oliver and junior pitcher Rick Kazigian also were tabbed first team all-league. Oliver ended fourth with a .397 batting average and Kazigian went 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
Junior pitcher Jason Ferrie, senior shortstop Tom Mahoney and junior first baseman Bill Hollingsworth were tabbed second team all-conference with Steve Carcarey picked the league’s Coach of the Year.
The Pride opened their season at the RussMatt Central Florida Tournament on Saturday February 26. The Commonwealth Conference Tournament begins May 5 at Owl’s Field in Reading, Pa. The championship game will be played on May 7.
These are the results of the coaches’ poll:
2011 Commonwealth Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Widener 35 pts. (5)
2. Alvernia 32 pts. (2)
3.Elizabethtown 25 pts.
4. Messiah 20 pts.
5. Lebanon Valley 18 pts.
6. Albright 9 pts.
7. Arcadia 8 pts.
(#) denotes fist place votes
The DeSales University baseball team returns eight starters in the field and six of its top eight pitchers from a year ago. The Bulldogs also welcome back senior catcher, Doc Neiman, who was lost for the entire season last year with a broken thumb during the second game of the year.
Among the top returning starters are senior outfielder Carson Slonaker, who batted .419 last year, set a school-record in doubles, and earned All-Freedom Conference First-Team honors. Junior Jack Kavetski returns after earning All-Freedom Second-Team honors and batting .406 as does junior Jason Hadinger who earned All-Freedom Second-Team honors and batted .405.
Among the top pitchers returning to the hill are sophomores David Drinks and Dan Gayeski who combined for 16 wins and just three losses in 20 combined starts. Drinks was named the Freedom Conference Rookie and Pitcher of the Year last season.
The Bulldogs open their season on March 3 at Kean University. The Freedom Conference Tournament begins May 6 at Boyertown, Pa. The championship game will be played on May 8.
These are the results of the coaches’ poll:
2011 Freedom Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
1. DeSales 48 pts. (6)
2. FDU-Florham 37 pts. (2)
3.King’s 33 pts.
4. Manhattanville 31 pts.
5. Eastern 30 pts.
6. Misericordia 22 pts.
7. Wilkes 12 pts.
8. Delaware Valley 11 pts.
(#) denotes fist place votes