FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Baseball team's 2020 season will be in full swing when they take the diamond for the first time this year when they travel down south to take on UNC Greensboro for a three-game series this weekend. The Stags will open up their 70th varsity season with the series opener on Friday at 2pm, followed by contests on Saturday at 1 and Sunday at noon.
 
The Stags enter 2020 following one of their most successful seasons on the field, leading to a program record 35 wins and an appearance in the MAAC Championship series. The Stags won four games in the MAAC Tournament to advance them into the final game which they would fall in extra innings to Quinnipiac.
 
Included in their program-best 35 wins were victories over a number of regional powers. The highlight of their triumphs was a 10-3 victory over then No. 22 UConn, representing the program's first-ever victory over a nationally ranked school. Fairfield also came out on top against St. John's, Yale, Fordham, and eventual NEC Champions Central Connecticut.
 
2020 Preview: Starting Pitching
 
Pitching and defense. If you ask any baseball coach the tools needed to be successful, those two words are usually at the top of the list.
 
The Stags will once again be built on the strength of their pitching, a staff that has ranked in the top-2 in the MAAC in ERA and strikeouts in each of the last four seasons.  
 
Fairfield will return their ace of the staff in John Signore, who returns for his fifth season after missing the entire 2019 campaign with an injury. Signore was one of the premiere pitchers in the conference before his injury and was the only pitched picked in the Preseason All-MAAC Preseason Poll in 2019. An All-MAAC First Team selection in 2018, Signore is currently 71 innings, 69 strikeouts, and six wins shy of breaking the program's all-time mark in each category.
 
To round out Fairfield's weekend rotation will be right hander Trey McLoughlin and southpaw Michael Sansone. McLoughlin was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team after hurling one of the best championship performances in history as she shut down Canisius in a complete game two-hit shutout where he struck out 15, For his efforts, McLoughlin was named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week following the tournament.
 
Sansone will enter will another year under his belt after posting a 5-3 record with a 4.00 ERA and 63 strikeouts in his rookie season.
 
Jake Noviello, who made 10 weekday starts last year, will also add depth to the rotation and freshmen Billy Fitzgerald and Jack Erbeck will also compete for significant innings.
 
2020 Preview: Bullpen
 
A big reason for Fairfield's success last season was the depth of their bullpen, which was apparent in 11 midweek victories, including nine-straight in the beginning of the season.
 
The backend of the bullpen will look the same with Nick Grabek and Eli Oliphant returning after breakout 2019 campaigns, combining for 15 saves.
 
Oliphant was one of the best relievers in the conference and led the team with a 1.79 ERA and tied for the team best with five victories. The 1.74 ERA was the ninth best in program history and the fourth lowest since 1994. Oliphant did not allow an earned run in his final 11 appearances, totaling 24 innings and posted a 0.80 ERA in his relief appearances.
 
Grabek recorded nine saves in a breakout campaign, one shy of tying the program's single season mark. Grabek led the MAAC with those nine saves, tallying six of those in a 13 game span from March 24 – May 1.
 
The Stags will also add Fordham transfer Mike Cowell who comes to Fairfield after striking out 104 batters in three seasons with the Rams. Cowell pitched to a career low 3.20 and held batters to a .193 batting average in a personal best 19 appearances in 2019.
 
Josh Arnold, Bryson Cafaro, Tristan Amone, and Ian Halpin all appeared in at least 10 games last season and are expected to see significant innings on the diamond. Jason Hebner brings another year of experience after seven appearances in 2019.
 
Rookie Walker Sutman will also look for innings in the pen.
 
2020 Preview: Infield
 
The Stags will have to replace most of their production on the infield after graduating 3/4ths of their infield with Jack Gethings, Anthony Boselli, and Tom Ryan combining for 211 hits and 123 RBI in 2019.
 
The lone starter returning is sophomore Justin Guerrera, who was recently placed on the Preseason All-MAAC team as voted upon the MAAC head coaches. Guerrera is coming off one of the best offensive rookie seasons in program history, tallying 67 hits which was the second most ever by a Fairfield freshman. He also finished second on the team by slugging five homers and driving in 41.
 
Entering his final season as a Stag, senior Dylan Reynolds will move into the infield and take over the first baseman duties, occupied by Boselli last year. Reynolds started 50 games in the outfield last season and hit .267 with 46 hits and 20 runs scored. He was the toughest Stag to strikeout last season, being punched out only 17 times in 209 plate appearances.
 
Griffin Watson also brings valuable experience from his freshman season where he started 16 games at second base.
 
Freshmen Mike Becchetti and Charlie Pagliarini will also look for playing time in the infield to replace Ryan and Gethings from last year.
 
Brett Morrison and Matt Ferriero also bring in experience in the infield.
 
2020 Preview: Outfield
 
The Fairfield outfield will be centered around center fielder Dan Ryan, who joined Guerrera on the Preseason All-MAAC squad. Ryan, a true walk-on, had a breakout junior campaign earning All-MAAC Second Team honors leading the MAAC with 21 doubles, the third most in program history. He combined the 21 two baggers with a .315 average, 67 hits, 28 runs, and 26 RBI. He had 19 multi-hit games where the Stags went 16-3 in those contests.
 
Giacomo Brancato is expected to compete for one of the two corner spots, with several starts in right field and designated hitter in 2019. Brancato had one of the big power bats for the Stags as he clubbed five homers and 29 RBI, including the crucial three-run ninth inning triple, capping the Fairfield comeback against Brown.
 
Mike Handal, Eric Cerno, Chris Polletta and Ryan Strollo are also expected to compete for the final corner outfield spot this spring.
 
2020 Preview: Catchers
 
The battery of the Stags will consist of experienced catching options in Mike Caruso, Nick Weyant, and senior tri-captain Nick Esposito.
 
Caruso had most of the playing time in 2019, starting 46 games and hitting .239 with nine doubles and 27 runs scored. He also posed a .360 on base percentage in 155 at bats.
 
Freshman Matt Venuto is expected to challenge for a starting spot after earning First Team All-Division and All-City selection during his senior season in high school.
 
UNC Greensboro has won two of their three completed games of the 2020 season, defeating Virginia Tech and San Diego State. As a team, the Spartans were selected fourth in the SoCon Preseason Poll with infielders Caleb Webster and Greg Hardison both earning spots on the Preseason team.
 
The Stags will have a week off before returning to the state of North Carolina to take on Boston College and North Carolina A&T in East Greensboro, N.C., starting Friday.