FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With temperatures reaching nearly 70 degrees in the Northeast, it almost feels like springtime although it is late February. Another distinction of a spring day is the sight of baseball season. The Fairfield University baseball team will start their 2018 campaign when they travel to Georgia Southern for a three-game series starting on Friday night.
 
The Stags are coming off back-to-back 30-win campaigns for the first time in program history, capturing the conference's regular season title in each season.
 
The returning players are highlighted by Preseason All-MAAC selections in infielder Jack Gethings and outfielder Drew Arciuolo. Gethings was named to the All-MAAC First Team last season after finishing last year with team-highs in average (.355), triples (3), on-base-percentage (.429), hits, and runs. His 78 hits were one shy of a single season program record, as was his 48 runs scored.
 
Arciuolo will patrol center field for the Stags in his senior season and is also coming off a career year. His .326 average and 74 hits helped him earn a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team last season.
 
Another senior leader on the team is behind the plate in catcher Kevin Radziewicz. Radziewicz will enter his final collegiate campaign 13th on the program's all-time hit list after recording 62 base knocks last year. While Radziewicz will be the primary catcher, the Stags do have another veteran presence at the position with Mitch Williams who also had time at first base last year and blasted four home runs and tallied 21 RBI.
 
With Gethings at shortstop, the Stags will have plenty of competition for the rest of the infield positions. Tom Ryan will return for his junior campaign and will be in the mix, as will be Eric Cerno who did not play last season. Newcomers Anthony Boselli, Chris Polletta, and Mike Caruso will also see time on the infield as they embark on their first season as a Stag. Brett Morrison will also add experience to the infield group in his sophomore campaign.
 
Drew Blake and Dan Ryan will also see time at first base after combining for 20 starts during the 2017 campaign.
 
In the outfield, Tim Zeng and Tyler Gambardella have both seen significant time during their careers at the corner spots. Gambardella started 46 games last season and recorded a .415 on-base-percentage, including a .545 mark during the MAAC Tournament. Zeng logged a personal-best 11-game hitting streak during last year's slate and would collect 25 hits and score 17 runs in his 99 at-bats.
 
Sophomore Dylan Reynolds and freshman Giacomo Brancato will also look to add depth and contribute this season.
 
Unlike years past, the pitching staff for the Stags will be the group that looks to gain the most experience this season. Through graduation and the MLB draft, the Stags' staff will look to make up for losing 17 victories and over 200 innings logged from 2017. Their ace will be junior John Signore, who midway through his Fairfield career, is the program's all-time leader in fewest walks per nine innings (1.33) and fourth in ERA (3.09).
To make up for the graduation of starter Kyle Dube and the drafting of All-MAAC First Team member Gavin Wallace, the Stags will use the depth of arms they have been building over the last few years. Peter Horn and Austin Pope combined to throw 56 innings last year with Pope registering seven mid-week starts.
 
David Sacco logged a 3.09 ERA last year which included a start in the MAAC Tournament against Iona. Ian Halpin came out of the pen to record a team-best 1.00 ERA in 18 appearances.
 
Josh Arnold, Brendan Harkin, Tristan Amone, Justin Wazaney, Eli Oliphant, and Bobby McNiff will all bring back experience and will be looked towards in guiding the four freshmen pitchers in: Jason Hebner, Nick Grabek, Trey McLoughlin, and Bryson Cafaro.
 
Georgia Southern will be the first of seven teams on the Stags' ledger who won 30 or more games last season. Through four games, the Eagles have posted a 1-3 record with Seth Shuman tallying the lone win against Georgia. Shuman improved his career record to 9-0 with the victory.
 
The Stags will next travel to George Mason for a three-game series starting on Friday, March 2.