Steven Foster and Brad Witkowski greet Mat Annunziata following one of his five home runs in 2015

Baseball 2/17/2016 9:17:00 AM By Len Skoros

BB: 2016 Hofstra Baseball Preview

Hempstead, NY - With the Hofstra baseball season just two days away, here is a look at the 2016 Pride:

As the Hofstra Baseball team enters 2016, fifth-year Head Coach John Russo is excited about his team's chances this season. The Pride will be looking for their first CAA Championship appearance since 2012 and will rely on a strong returning cast as well as many talented newcomers, both on the field and in the dugout.

The Pride returns six position players, 10 pitchers and three red-shirts from last season, and welcomes 13 newcomers, including several who will have the chance to make an immediate impact. But new players are not the only reason for excitement as three new assistant coaches have joined the staff l of the including former Major League Baseball pitcher John Habyan as pitching coach. Tyler Kavanaugh, who was on the staff of two NCAA Regional teams at Sacred Heart, will serve as the new hitting coach, while Ron McKay, a respected veteran coach on Long Island, is the volunteer assistant and will coach the infield. The three new coaches have brought new ideas and have helped instill a new mindset in the players, one that Coach Russo hopes will lead to an improvement on the field.

Here is a look at the Pride by position:

Infield
The left side of the infield will be manned by a pair of returnees in red-shirt junior David Leiderman at third and junior Brad Witkowski at shortstop. Leiderman led the Pride in RBIs last season with 29 and added eight doubles and a .277 average in 47 starts. He also improved on his defense and cut his error total (6) in half from 2014. Witkowski will slide to short, his natural position, from second base following the graduation of Dalton Rouleau. Witkowski has been a .300 hitter in each of his first two seasons and is coming off a 2015 that saw him compile a .312 average, eight doubles, two triples, 10 stolen bases and 22 RBIs.

A pair of newcomers will take over on the right side of the infield as freshman Tom Archer will start at second base. Archer played at St. John the Baptist High School on Long Island and was a two-time all-league selection for the Cougars, who were coached by John Habyan. Graduate student Ryan Karl, a transfer from Cornell University, will see a great deal of action at first base but will also be used in a utility role. Karl adds a veteran presence to the Pride and will also bat in the middle of the order. In two years at Cornell Karl slammed 16 doubles and 11 home runs, and drove in 50 runs.

Red-shirt freshman Nick Bottari, who will see action at first, catcher and designated hitter, will be a regular in the lineup. A transfer from Miami (FL), Bottari was a Perfect Game All-American in 2012 and a two-time All-New York State selection before spending his senior season at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he batted .380 with 27 RBIs. Red-shirt freshman Max Dolente, an All-Southeastern Pennsylvania third team pick in 2013, could also see action at first base.

Freshman Kevin O'Connor will serve as Archer's understudy at second base after a stellar career at Harborfields High School on Long Island that saw him earn All-New York State accolades as a junior. Classmate Parker Quinn will back-up Leiderman at third base. A 40th-round selection by the Washington Nationals in the 2015 MLB Draft, Quinn batted .310 as a senior at The Benjamin School in Florida and was a senior all-star selection. Quinn can also see time at first base. Freshman Nick Tedesco could also see a role in the infield after earning all-league accolades at Sachem East High School, where he hit .450 as a senior.

Outfield
Returning starters Steven Foster and Mat Annunziata will man centerfield and left field, respectively. Foster, who was named to the Preseason All-CAA team, was a CAA All-Rookie selection in 2015 after leading the Pride with a .351 average, 35 runs and 19 stolen bases. Annunziata hit .245 as a freshman and contributed five home runs and 28 RBIs, which ranked second on the team.

Newcomer Teddy Cillis, a transfer from UNCW who sat out last season while attending junior college, will start in right field and will also see action out of the bullpen. A sophomore, Cillis batted .244 in 36 games for the Seahawks in 2014 and added two home runs and 10 RBIs. Freshman Michael Varrone, who batted .368 as a senior at Chaminade High School on Long Island, could also see an outfield role.

Catcher
Freshman Vito Friscia will be the starter behind the plate and provide a power bat in the middle of the Pride's order. A two-time All-Long Island selection, Friscia won the Power Showcase Home Run Derby in Miami, Florida in 2015 and was an Honorable Mention All-America selection by Perfect Game.

Bottari and red-shirt junior Chris Hardardt will also see time behind the plate. Hardardt was a pleasant surprise last season as he batted .326 with six doubles and 10 RBIs in 33 games. He was also solid behind the plate as he threw out 15 of 40 attempted base stealers.

Pitcher
Sophomore Chris Weiss and seniors Alec Eisenberg and Bowie Matteson will likely make up the weekend rotation. Weiss was Hofstra's starting catcher last season and then added a bullpen role midway through the season. He was 0-0 with a 3.57 ERA and a team-high four saves in 12 appearances on the mound. He pitched well during his stint in summer ball and will get a chance to be the Pride's number one starter. When he is not pitching, he will likely be utilized in a utility role.

Eisenberg led the Pride in wins last season, posting a 5-4 mark with a 5.83 ERA in 12 appearances. He also pitched will during the summer as a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Matteson split time between starting and relief work in 2015 and posted a 2-3 record, a 6.04 ERA and three saves in 13 appearances.

Freshman Andrew Mundy, sophomore Adam Heidenfelder and senior Chris Bonk will also be part of the starting rotation. Mundy, who pitched for Habyan at St. John the Baptist High School, was 5-1 with a sub-2.00 ERA as a senior. Heidenfelder made 13 appearances as a freshman including eight starts. He did not record a win, but the two-time Diamond Award winner as the top pitcher in Nassau County has all the tools to turn things around in his second season. Bonk started opening night at UCLA in 2015 and was 3-5 with 31 strikeouts in 48 innings of work over 13 appearances.

The Hofstra bullpen boasts several talented arms – returnees Brendan Mulligan, Dave Jesch, Adam Seibert, Kieran Ryan, Patrick Bryant and Matt Weissheier, and newcomers John Rooney, Zach Altieri, Jake Bufo, Alex Cosenza and Cillis.

Mulligan, a fifth-year senior, saw action in a variety of relief roles last season, including closer, and turned in a 1-2 record, three saves and a 4.40 ERA in a team-high 22 appearances. The side-arming left-hander held opponents to a .221 average and will once again be a versatile performer out of the pen for the Pride in 2016. Jesch, also a fifth-year senior, is coming back from injury and will be eased back into action. Jesch owns a 9-4 career record and as he builds up his arm strength he could slide back into the starting rotation. Seibert, a sophomore, was 2-0 with a 5.23 ERA in 16 appearances as a freshman, while Ryan did not have a decision in nine appearances during his sophomore campaign. Bryant, a sophomore, was 1-1 in 13 appearances in his first season. Weissheier, a red-shirt sophomore, made 14 appearances in 2015 without recording a decision.

Rooney, Altieri, Bufo, Cillis and Cosenza give the Pride six left-handed pitchers in the pen. Rooney was a two-time New York State Player of the Year at Hoosic Valley High School, where he was 35-0 during his scholastic career. Altieri was an Honorable Mention All-America choice by Perfect Game and an All-Cape Atlantic League selection at Ocean City High School in New Jersey. Bufo was selected to the All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection as a senior at Conestoga High School after posting a 7-1 record and a 0.77 ERA. Cosenza red-shirted last season and is coming back from injury. He was an All-New York State pick at Massapequa High School. Cillis, who could be in line to serve as the Pride's closer, did not record a decision in six appearances for UNCW in 2014.

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Players Mentioned

#27 Dalton Rouleau: SS; 5' 10"; Graduate Student; R/R

#25 Mat Annunziata: OF; 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R

#28 Chris Bonk: P; 6' 5"; Senior; R/R

#13 Patrick Bryant: P; 6' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

#40 Alex Cosenza: P; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman; L/L

#20 Max Dolente: IF; 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R

#11 Alec Eisenberg: P; 6' 5"; Senior; R/R

#10 Steven Foster: OF; 5' 11"; Sophomore; L/R

#34 Chris Hardardt: C; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior; R/R

#23 Adam Heidenfelder: P; 6' 5"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#27 Dalton Rouleau
: 5' 10"; Graduate Student; R/R
: SS

#25 Mat Annunziata
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R
: OF

#28 Chris Bonk
: 6' 5"; Senior; R/R
: P

#13 Patrick Bryant
: 6' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

#40 Alex Cosenza
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman; L/L
: P

#20 Max Dolente
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; R/R
: IF

#11 Alec Eisenberg
: 6' 5"; Senior; R/R
: P

#10 Steven Foster
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#34 Chris Hardardt
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior; R/R
: C

#23 Adam Heidenfelder
: 6' 5"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

Hofstra University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned