Mid-Atlantic features young pitching talent
by Alex Schiffer for D3baseball.com
While it takes some teams to go to the ends of the Earth to find the best pitchers, the conferences in the mid-Atlantic region are stocked in terms of pitching and will be for a long time. In our second look at pitching in D-III baseball we look at the Mid-Atlantic.
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Chuck Nichols has 24 wins in his career for
Alvernia. |
Out of the MAC Commonwealth, Alvernia’s pitching has been as solid as it could get. The team has four starters led by junior Andrew Kirk (4-0, 0.80, 412 SO). Kirk also has company with resident Ace, senior Chuck Nichols. Nichols (3-2, 2.90, 37 SO) has been a dominant force in the Crusaders rotation the past three seasons and is moving up in the Alvernia records books. Widener has two solid pitchers in senior Kevin Culbert and sophomore Brandon McCloskey. Culbert is currently 4-1 with an earned run average of 1.64 through 33 innings. McCloskey isn’t too far behind him posting an earned run average of 1.88 and a record of 5-0. Add in spot starter, Salvatore Spera (3-0, 0.40, 27 SO), and you have a pitching staff that will keep Widener in the MACC race with Alvernia.
DeSales, in the MAC Freedom, has two sophomores, Dan Gayeski and Colby Pacillo, who are having fine years although it was sophomore David Drinks who was tabbed as the staff ace. Gayeski is 2-0 with an earned run average of 1.75 through 25.2 innings while Pacillo is also 3-1 with an earned run average of 2.86 through 28.1 innings. Junior Travis Hughes (3-0, 2.75, 22 SO) has stepped up his game and the conference favorites has one of the best young staffs in the nation. Alex Basso (3-0, 1.78, 24 SO) has had a stellar season for the Manhattanville. The surprise ace did not merit a mention in the season preview but the Valiant’s freshman starter will be getting plenty of ink in the seasons to come.
In the Centennial Conference, John Hopkins junior hurler Alex Eliopoulos is stealing the spotlight. A preseason D3baseball.com All-American Eliopoulos is 4-1 through 32.2 innings with a 1.65 earned run average. Contributing to the Blue Jays success is Matt Wiegand (3-0, 1.88, 26 SO). Graduated last year with eligibility left, Wiegand is looking to get head coach Bob Babb that elusive national championship trophy. Haverford junior Jonny Williams (4-1, 2.78, 31 SO) started our strong as the Ford’s jumped out of the gate with a 10-0 record.
| Brendan Close is ranked frourth in the nation with
a 0.64 ERA in 2011. Morovian photo by Jon King |
In the Landmark Conference, nobody has been pitching better than Moravian junior Brendan Close (6-0, 55 SO). Close ranks nationally in both earned run average (0.64), and has three complete games in his six starts. In competition for the conference pitcher of the year award is Catholic’s Ron Esposito. Esposito is having a good year going 5-1 with a 2.95 earned run average through 36.2 innings. Scranton junior Rocky Sawyer (2-2, 1.96, 23 SO) has been nothing but consistent for the Royals.
The AMCC features a good amount of talent off the mound this year, headlined by LaRoche sophomore James Connelly. He’s only pitched 23 innings this season and yet he’s 4-0 with a 1.17 earned run average. Also in the AMCC, Pitt-Greensburg junior Matt Roach (1.65, 18 SO) is pitching a respectable 3-0 through 27.1 innings. Penn State-Behrend sophomore Mike Moyer (2-0, 0.68, 15 SO) is adjusting to his second collegiate season.
The NJAC is absolutely stacked with pitching. Kean pitcher Mike Russo leads this wave of talent. Russo, a transfer from NC State, is having a phenomenal year leading his team in wins (4), and ERA (0.95). Kean sophomore Kevin Herget (4-0, 1.40) gives the Cougars a potent 1-2 combination. Herget credits head Coach Neil Ioviero for his success so far. “The mistakes I made last year, Coach worked on with me. Thanks to him I haven’t made any of those mistakes again” Herget commented. Over at TCNJ, the Lions have had an ace of their own this season in senior Connor Henderson with a 4-1 record and a solid 1.88 ERA.
Also out of the NJAC, Rowan starter Curtis Arsi (4-1, 1.31). Arsi has turned into a strikeout machine this season with the Profs, striking out 46 on the season. Montclair State sophomore Zach Brown is turning into a reliable starter for the Red Hawks. Brown is leading the team in wins (3), innings pitched (33.2), and strikeouts (35). Despite all of these teams solid pitching, none of them come close to what Richard Stockton has. The Ospreys have been lights out thanks to the pitching trio of Adam Warburton (4-0, 1.50, 28 SO), Drew Holt (4-0, 1.97, 24 SO), and Bryan Frank (3-0, 1.80, 13 SO). Warburton is having a masterful year; he’s leading the Ospreys staff in almost every statistic, while holding hitters to a .222 batting average. Holt and Frank are pitching just as well helping the Ospreys to a 14-4 record. Combined the three are 11-0, accounting for all but 4 of the teams wins.
Out of the bullpen, Stockton sandman John Lightbody (0-1) is turning into one of the nations best closers. Lightbody’s 1.38 ERA as well as his 17 strikeouts in just 13 innings are stopping hitters dead in their tracks. Lightbody’s 10 saves are among the best in the country as well as the NJAC. Another NJAC closer making a name for himself is TCNJ senior Jon Marchitelli (1-1, 1.38, 16 SO). Marchitelli’s five saves are the most the senior has had in a season with plenty of more opportunities to come. The NJAC does not have the lock on the Mid-Atlantic firemen. Alvernia’s Austin Rohrbach (1-0, 3 saves) has anchored the back end of the bullpen all season for the Crusaders boasting a 1.46 ERA in 12.1 innings. Rohrbach is four saves from tying the single season mark, a program record he shares.
