2008 Woodie Awards
Men's baseball warms up down south Wlax
Kristyn Nicastro
Issue date: 3/19/06 Section: Sports
The 2006 men's baseball team is exceptionally tenacious in its quest for greatness; with its unwavering passion and immense talent, the team aspires to reach the first place spot in the Northeast Conference.
The Pioneers finished second in the NEC last season with a 16-8 league mark, achieving a Sacred Heart record for NEC wins, and granting them their first trip ever to the postseason since joining the league in 1999.
SHU has been picked to finish third in the NEC in the 2006 Preseason Coaches Poll, motivating the team to surpass these expectations. This season team members will be seeking their first NEC title and second postseason birth with high anticipation and confidence in their abilities.
"Our main goal for this year is to win the NEC conference tourney," captain Jason Maiella, a junior from North Haledon, N.J., said. "Last year our goal was to make the conference tourney, which we did, and now our goal is to win it.
"We believe that there is no way we won't win our conference this year; that poll was fuel for us to prove everyone wrong and to send a message that we are the strongest team in this conference," catcher Jamie Morales, a junior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., said.
To help accomplish this goal the Pioneers will look to their strong pitching staff, which assistant coach Seth Kaplan believes is the team's greatest power. The staff has returned the bulk of its pitchers from last year, including the arms of two all-conference pitchers, captain Chris Aldrich, a senior from Medway M.A., and Jay Monti, a junior from Marlboro, N.Y.
"To have the two pitchers on the all-conference team returning this year is a huge bonus for us; Alrich and Monti know what it takes to win big games and pitch well in big spots," Kaplan said.
"Our biggest strength is our starting pitching; we have returning two of the top pitchers in the conference in Aldrich and Monti," said Jeff Hanson, a sophomore from Woodstock, N.Y., who will be the team's third starter on conference weekend.
The Pioneers finished second in the NEC last season with a 16-8 league mark, achieving a Sacred Heart record for NEC wins, and granting them their first trip ever to the postseason since joining the league in 1999.
SHU has been picked to finish third in the NEC in the 2006 Preseason Coaches Poll, motivating the team to surpass these expectations. This season team members will be seeking their first NEC title and second postseason birth with high anticipation and confidence in their abilities.
"Our main goal for this year is to win the NEC conference tourney," captain Jason Maiella, a junior from North Haledon, N.J., said. "Last year our goal was to make the conference tourney, which we did, and now our goal is to win it.
"We believe that there is no way we won't win our conference this year; that poll was fuel for us to prove everyone wrong and to send a message that we are the strongest team in this conference," catcher Jamie Morales, a junior from Mount Vernon, N.Y., said.
To help accomplish this goal the Pioneers will look to their strong pitching staff, which assistant coach Seth Kaplan believes is the team's greatest power. The staff has returned the bulk of its pitchers from last year, including the arms of two all-conference pitchers, captain Chris Aldrich, a senior from Medway M.A., and Jay Monti, a junior from Marlboro, N.Y.
"To have the two pitchers on the all-conference team returning this year is a huge bonus for us; Alrich and Monti know what it takes to win big games and pitch well in big spots," Kaplan said.
"Our biggest strength is our starting pitching; we have returning two of the top pitchers in the conference in Aldrich and Monti," said Jeff Hanson, a sophomore from Woodstock, N.Y., who will be the team's third starter on conference weekend.