DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 14, 2019) – The 2019 campaign looks to have the makings of a historic season for the Mercy College baseball team under Head Coach Chris Schoen with the return of several key contributors from a team that had its best season since 1990 along with a strong 14-member recruiting class.
The Mavericks look to increase their win total from last season and will look to qualify for a spot in the ECC Tournament for the first time since 2010. Mercy, picked in a tie for fifth in the ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, will look to prove the conference coaches wrong as they open up the 2019 season in North Carolina against Barton College on Friday, February 15th.
"We are looking forward to the 2019 season and building off of some of our success from last year. Several players gained a ton of experience and what it takes to win at this level. If we compete at a high level we should see improvement over last year," stated Schoen.
Infield
Leading the infield for the Mavericks will be senior Joseph Sadallah who looks to start at third base. The Second Team All-ECC selection led the team with a .326 average and tied for the team lead with 39 runs scored. Sadallah recorded 57 hits, 13 doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI in 175 at bats. The senior ranked in the top ten in the ECC with 30 stolen bases and had a team-best .443 on base percentage. Competing for time at third base will be freshman DJ Cesario who was a two-time First Team All-American and two-time Gold Glover at Faith Christian Academy.
Junior John Mooradian will lead the Mavericks at shortstop after ranking second on the team with a .314 average in 2018. The junior led the team in hits with 60 and was tied for the team lead with 39 runs. Mooradian ranked in the top five in the ECC with 34 stolen bases and recorded 29 RBI in 49 games. Backing up Mooradian will be freshman Austin DeRosa who was a four-year varsity starter at Seymour High School and won a State Championship his senior year.
At second base, senior Miguel Ortiz Sanchez leads the way after a batting .288 with 47 hits and 11 doubles. The senior ranked second on the team with 31 RBI and finished with 24 runs scored. Competing for time at second base will be freshman Justin Renauto who was a career .307 hitter as a three-year varsity starter at Valhalla High School.
Sophomore Paul Cozzolino looks to hold down first base for Schoen. The sophomore played varsity baseball at Ossining High School for three years and was a career .341 hitter with five home runs and 26 RBI. Sophomore Zak Kain will also see time at first base after making 28 starts last season with four home runs and 18 RBI in 98 at bats. Newcomers Kevin Garcia and James Mattutat will also compete for time at first base. Garcia joins the squad from Monroe College and Mattutat comes from Walt Whitman High School.
The majority of the catching will look to be done by senior Nicolas Hagerty who appeared in 24 games last season and batted .254 with seven RBI. Sophomore Nicholas Pellegrino and freshman Daniel Hopper will also compete for time behind the plate.
Outfield
Looking to start in left field is freshman Ethan McMenamy who earned a Golden Glove award and was named All-County at Half Hollow Hills West High School. Junior Rafael Perez will also compete for time after transferring from Corning Community College.
In center field, freshmen Ryan Saltzman and James Dieguez look to battle for the starting job. Saltzman was a two-time All-County selection at Plainview Old Bethpage JFK High School. Dieguez was a two-year starter for the Long Island championship baseball team in Kellenberg Memorial. He led the team in home runs and RBI and was among league leaders in both categories.
Senior Adonis Garcia looks to start in right field for the Mavericks after batting .256 with a team-high eight home runs. The senior recorded 28 RBI, 33 runs, 41 hits, five doubles and three triples with a team-best .475 slugging percentage in 160 at bats. Also looking to see time at right field is sophomore Kuzari Jocelyn who appeared in 22 games last season and posted 13 hits and five RBI.
Senior Anthony Murphy will primarily see time at DH but could see some time in the outfield and at first base. The NCBWA Second Team All-East Region and First Team All-ECC selection batted .301 with 50 hits, 27 runs and a team-high 14 doubles. Murphy ranked in the top five in the ECC with 41 RBI and had a .464 slugging percentage.
Pitchers
Leading the pitching staff is senior Kevin Tise who was a Second Team All-ECC selection and three-time ECC Honor Roll recipient. Tise started 11 games for the Mavericks last season and went 3-4 with a team-best 4.25 ERA in 65.2 innings with 50 strikeouts. Also looking to see time as a starter is Central Connecticut State University transfer James Jakuba who joins the team as a junior.
Sophomore Jack Kelly also returns as a starter after starting 11 games last season. Kelly posted a 4.75 ERA in 60.2 innings with two wins and 37 strikeouts. Also joining the starting rotation is junior Luis Grullart who transferred in from Delaware State University.
Seeing time out of the bullpen will be juniors Andrew Hernandez and Matteo Finocchi, sophomores Shane Epps, Anthony Amato, Demetri Mesimeris, Manuel Sanchez, Carmine Szynal, Adam Jaramillo and Garfield Hall, seniors Odalis Perez, Adonis Garcia, Fernando Figueroa and Alonso Tenya and Mattutat.
Hernandez pitched 32.0 innings a year ago and had 24 strikeouts with four starts. Finocchi tossed 23.1 innings in 2018 with 15 strikeouts and earned two wins. Epps transfers in from Saint Michael's College and Amato tossed 25.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and one save. Mesimeris posted a strong 3.63 ERA and 2-0 record in 17.1 innings last season and Sanchez went 2-2 win 18.0 innings of work.
Szynal tossed 6.2 innings a year ago in seven appearances and Jaramillo recorded a 4.91 ERA in 7.1 innings in ten games. Perez pitched 7.0 innings in 2018, Figueroa tossed 18.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and one win and will look to get some starts this spring and Tenya had two appearance on the mound with 2.1 innings pitched.
