FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With spring training the talk of baseball fans circles, it signals the beginning of the collegiate baseball campaign. The Fairfield Stags will put their spikes on the diamond for the first time this season when they travel to Thomasville, N.C., for a three game set against the Delaware State Hornets starting with a doubleheader Saturday at noon. The two teams will complete their series on Sunday with first pitch also at noon.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags lose 12 players from last year's squad that went 17-32 last season. Of those players, Mike Wallace had the biggest impact in the rotation, serving as the ace last season. Wallace was an All-MAAC First Team member and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates after being drafted in the 30th round. Wallace registered a 2.64 ERA and threw five complete games during MAAC play, and led the team with six victories. Sebastian Salvo was the leader offensively among the group's 11 seniors last season. Salvo had a breakout season, leading the team with 31 RBI and was second on the squad with a .283 average. On the defensive side, Salvo set a school record with 400 defensive chances without committing an error, which was ranked second in the nation.
THE PITCHERS: Kyle Dube was the arm that grabbed attention last season earning a weekend spot at the beginning of conference play. Dube led the staff with a 2.89 ERA, including a 1.27 mark in conference play. Dube completed last season with a nine inning shutout performance against Marist. Gavin Wallace will be looked for an increased role this season after starting six games last season, including his career debut against then top-ranked Florida and retired the first six batters in his collegiate career. Senior captain Aaron Howell returns as their most experienced starter, and will look to lead the staff. The bullpen will be led by lefties Ryan O'Connor and Mike Bonaiuto who both threw multiple innings in relief last season. The righty Joe Randall will be their counterpart and recorded a 2.86 ERA in the MAAC last season. A entire group of freshman will also be joining the crew and will add depth into rotation, and be competing for weekend spots.
THE INFIELD: Captain Brendan Tracy leads the Stags around-the-horn in his senior season. He returns as the team's leader in average, runs, and slugging. He ended last season as one of the hottest hitters in the conference, hitting .406 over a season-ending nine-game hitting streak. Michael Conti emerged in the middle infield last year and hit .273. Drew Blake and Dan Hopkins will add depth with power off the bench on each side of the dish. Behind the plate, Kevin Radziewicz was the team's catalyst with a team-high .373 on-base-percentage out of the leadoff spot. Mitch Williams and Taylor Blind will also return experience.
THE OUTFIELD: Two captains patrol the outfield in Mac Crispino and Jake Salpietro who combined for 64 hits in 2015. Salpietro had a team-high six homeruns and Crispino hit .263 in conference play. To make up for the speed of outfielder Alex Witkus, Drew Arciuolo will look to build on his freshman season where he hit .368 during a season-long six-game hitting streak. Tyler Gambardella has also impressed during the fall with his speed that he brings as a freshman. On the left side, Troy Scocca was third on the team in average and slugging last year and now enters his junior season.
FAIRFIELD VS DELAWARE STATE: This will be the second all-time series between the two teams and the first since 2007 when the Stags lost two out of three. Peter Allen and David Dudish combined for three home runs in that series.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS: Delaware State is still looking for their first win of 2016 after starting the year 0-5. The Hornets were the Cinderella Story of the MEAC Tournament last season, reaching the loser's bracket final after finishing the regular season 14-28. The Hornets graduated their top five hitters from that season, with next-in-line being Cameron Onderko who hit .299 with three home runs and 25 RBI during his sophomore season. Lane DeLeon was the ace of the staff with a team-high five wins and 3.12 ERA, but gave up four runs in 4.1 innings in his first start of 2016. That was in the minds of a pair of the league's coaches as the Hornets received two first place points in the MEAC's North Division.
UP NEXT: The Stags will make an ACC sweep next week with a traditional three game series in Chapel Hill, N.C. against the No. 10 Tar Heels on Friday and a mini two-game series against No. 8 NC State on Tuesday.
