2024 Northeast Conference Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll          1. CCSU (10)          2. Wagner (2)          3. Sacred Heart          4. FDU          5. LIU          6. Merrimack          7. (tie) Coppin State              Stonehill          9. (tie) UMES              Le Moyne          11. Delaware State          12. Norfolk State          First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ – After claiming its fourth Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament title in the past six years, Central Connecticut is projected to repeat and bring home its ninth postseason championship to New Britain.

Led by five-time and reigning NEC Coach of the Year Charlie Hickey, the Blue Devils received 10 first-place nods in the annual preseason poll as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Following close behind with two first-place votes was 2023 NEC Tournament runner-up Wagner.

Rounding out the top-five was Sacred Heart at No. 3 and FDU in fourth, followed by LIU in the fifth spot. Merrimack was voted to finish in sixth while Coppin State and Stonehill tied for seventh. Maryland Eastern Shore and conference newcomer Le Moyne were tied for ninth to complete the top-10. Delaware State and Norfolk State claimed the last two spots in the poll in that order.

Entering its 25th season under Hickey, CCSU returns five All-Conference players, including a trio of 2023 honorees led by first team senior pitcher Luke Garofalo (Middlefield, CT/Bryant). Senior shortstop Elliot Good (Meriden, CT/Maloney) and senior southpaw Jake Neuman (Southington, CT/Southington) both earned second team recognition. The Blue Devils also return a pair 2022 All-Conference honorees in junior hurler Vincent Spizzoucco (Southington, CT/Southington) and senior third baseman Hunter Pasqualini (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor).

In the bullpen, two-time first teamer Garofalo racked up a league-best 11 saves in 2023, while Spizzoucco, who was the 2022 NEC Rookie of the Year, struck out 37 batters in 31.2 innings in relief. Neuman went 6-3 on the mound last season with the former NEC Rookie of the Year’s six victories tying for the seventh-most in the conference. Good is coming off a stellar campaign at short that saw him hit .310 with 39 RBIs.  The speedy Pasqualini hit .306, stole 19 bases and ranked 10th in conference with a .443 on-base percentage.

Garofalo and Good were both named to the NEC All-Tournament team.

Coming off the program’s winningest season since 2017, CCSU finished with a 36-14 record. CCSU also won a program-record 25 conference games and clinched its first regular season title since 2006.

Wagner is aiming to turn the tables on CCSU season after falling to the Blue Devils in its fourth NEC Tournament title game appearance in program history. Seeking their first NEC Tournament crown since 2000, the Seahawks are led by four veteran All-NEC players in their third season under Craig Noto.

Senior second baseman Chris Conniff (Edmond, OK/St. John’s) and graduate catcher David Melfi (Staten Island, NY/Jackson Liberty) will be two of the focal points of the offense this season for the Green & White. On his way to first team All-NEC accolades, Conniff hit .370 with 57 runs, 81 hits and a .468 on-base percentage, all team-highs and too-five marks in the NEC. Fellow first teamer held down the fort behind the plate and supplied the power with the bat in his hands. The Staten Island native hit 11 homers, led the conference with 60 RBIs, hit .344 and slugged .594 on the year. On the mound, juniors Connor Hayden (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) and Frankie Wright (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Egg Harbor Township) ciombined to post a 14-4 record in 27 combined starts a year ago. Hayden finished second in the league with nine wins against just one defeat to take home second team All-NEC honors. Wright, a 2022 second team all-star, finished the year with a 5-3 mark. Conniff, Melfi and Wright were all tabbed to the NEC All-Tournament team.

While Sacred Heart lost 2023 NEC Player of the Year Sam Mongelli, who was taken by the Dodgers in the 10th round of the MLB Draft, the perennial contenders do return All-NEC second team pitcher Jake Babuschack (Jobstown, NJ/Northern Burlington), who finished 6-3 and ranked fifth in the NEC with a 3.65 ERA. Junior infielder Dante D'Amore (Southington, CT/Southington) hit .313 and knocked in 41 runs. Under second year head coach Pat Egan, The four-time NEC Tournamnt champions will look to make some noise in 2024 after a fourth place finish last season.

Although FDU loses three of its league-high four All-Conference first team selections from last season, FDU does bring back an offensive force in Hunter D’Amato (Coral Springs, FL/American Heritage High School), the lone first team returnee. D'Amato led the NEC in batting average (.408), and ranked second in hits (81) and stolen bases (28), third in RBI (56) and on-base percentage (.481) and eighth in slugging (.560). Additionally, All-NEC second team designated hitter Brian Sanders (La Ceiba, Honduras/Dominican (NY) swatted seven homers and drove in 40 runs.

The 2024 NEC Baseball Championship will take place from May 22-26 at Heritage Financial Park, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades, in Wappingers Falls, NY. The field will include the league’s top-six regular season finishers and feature a double elimination format. All 12 teams are eligible to participate in the tournamnt.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 43rd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#34) and Syracuse (#85). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.