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Hofstra University Athletics

THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
THE PRIDE OF LONG ISLAND
Coach John Russo
Coach John Russo completed the Pride's 2016 recruiting class with 13 student-athletes

Baseball By Len Skoros

BB: Hofstra Completes 2016 Recruiting Class

Hempstead, NY - Hofstra University Baseball Coach John Russo today announced the completion of the Pride's 2016 recruiting class, adding 13 student-athletes to an early signing class that featured Blake Hammerstein, Sean Rausch and Rob Weissheier.
 
"Overall, I am very pleased with our recruiting class," said Coach Russo. "I tip my hat to Assistant Coaches John Habyan and Tyler Kavanaugh for going out and addressing our team needs. I feel that they did a great job identifying players that could help us right away, as well as finding some that we can develop into contributors in the near future."
 
Hofstra's newest additions are:
 
Name Cl. Ht. Wt. Pos. Hometown/High School/Previous
James Beasley Fr. 6-1 175 P Haymarket, VA/Battlefield
Jack Berczi Fr. 6-3 190 P Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Abbey Park
Vinnie Costello Fr. 6-5 183 OF/1B Pompano Beach, FL/Pompano Beach
Michael James Jr. 6-1 175 P Brentwood, TN/Brentwood/Lee University
Gjon Ljucovic Jr. 6-1 190 P New Rochelle, NY/Pelham/Westchester CC
Jorge Marrero Gr. 6-2 195 P Pembroke Pines, FL/Pembroke Pines/Florida Atlantic
Myles Mensah Fr. 5-10 187 SS Frederick, MD/St. John's College HS
Austin Pollock Jr. 6-1 195 OF Harrison, NY/Harrison/Westchester CC
Michael Riesner Jr. 5-11 185 SS Plainfield, IL/Neuqua Valley/Bradley/College of San Mateo
John Ryan Fr. 6-4 220 P Mineola, NY/Wheatley
Kyle Skidmore Fr. 6-2 185 P Franklin, MA/Franklin/Bridgton Academy
Justin Smith Fr. 6-0 215 C Lititz, PA/Warwick
Tyler White Fr. 6-2 170 IF Holtsville, NY/St. John the Baptist
 
James Beasley
Freshman
Pitcher, 6-1, 175
Haymarket, VA/Battlefield
 
High School: Lettered in baseball at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia…Posted a 5-2 record with one save, a 1.06 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 12 appearances as a senior…Was 3-0 with three saves in nine appearances as a junior…Member of conference championship, and regional and state tournament runner-up team in 2016…2016 Early College Scholar Award recipient…Magna Cum Laude graduate…Two-time AP Scholar Award recipient…Honor roll student in each of his four years of high school…Personal: Son of Kara and Joe Beasley…Has one brother…Father played basketball and golf at Macalester, while grandfather, Jay Beasley, played hockey at Minnesota-Duluth…Finance major.
 
Coach Russo on James Beasley:
"James was a late bloomer. He is a strike-throwing machine with a heavy fastball. In addition to his high school career, he played for the Stars Baseball program led by Carson Carroll and was developed by Stars pitching director Shawn Camp, who pitched in Major League Baseball for 11 seasons."

 
Jack Berczi
Freshman
Pitcher, 6-3, 190
Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Abbey Park
 
High School: Attended Abbey Park High School…Competed in baseball, football, rugby, volleyball and basketball…Played baseball for the Ontario Blue Jays, one of the top programs in Canada…Was a member of four Canadian Premier Baseball League championship teams that advanced to the Mickey Mantle and Connie Mack World Series…Was 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 2015…Selected to the Canadian Premier Baseball League All-Star Game in 2016…Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region selection in 2016…Team Ontario starting pitcher in the 2015 Tournament 12 (hosted by the Toronto Blue Jays)…Honor student…Personal: Son of Mary Beth and Peter Berczi…Has two siblings…Chose Hofstra over Minnesota, Charleston, Saint Joseph's, Lehigh, Niagara, Bucknell and Binghamton…Plans to major in finance.
 
Coach Russo on Jack Berczi:
"A left-handed pitcher from the Ontario Blue Jays, which is one of the best development programs on the circuit. Jack's "pitchability" is through the roof and he showed big jumps this past spring. While pitching for OBJ, Jack proved he can get outs against some of the top college and summer programs in both the United States and Canada."
 
 
Vinnie Costello
Freshman
Outfield/First Base, 6-5, 183
Pompano Beach, FL/Pompano Beach
 
High School: Played baseball for four years at Pompano Beach (FL) High School…Batted .315 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs as a senior…Three-time All-Broward County selection…Hit .333 as a junior and .503 as a sophomore…Helped Pompano Beach to a district championship as a senior…Named all-district as a senior…Gold Glove Award recipient and team captain…Honor student…Personal: Son of Anissa and Vincent Costello…Has one brother and one sister…Father played baseball at LSU and mom lettered in track at West Virginia…Also recruited by Central Florida, Jacksonville, Alabama and Mississippi…Civil engineering major.
 
Coach Russo on Vinnie Costello:
"Vinnie possesses all the tools to make an impact right away. He played for a great coach in Joe Giummule at Pompano Beach and competed with the nationally recognized Next Level Baseball Club out of Tallahassee."
 
 
Michael James
Junior
Pitcher, 6-1, 175
Brentwood, TN/Brentwood/Lee University
 
Previous College: Was a member of the Lee University baseball team for two years…Missed the 2016 season due to injury…Was 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in 13 appearances as a freshman in 2015…High School: Lettered in baseball and football at Brentwood (TN) High School…Named all-district and all-region as a senior after posting an 8-0 record and 95 strikeouts with a 1.50 ERA in 10 starts…Helped Brentwood to its first-ever regional championship and was the winning pitcher…Member of three district championship teams and two state tournament teams…Named to Mid-State Tennessee Al-Star team…Honor student…Personal: Son of Bev and GB James…Has one brother…Also recruited by Kansas State, Davidson, Belmont, Air Force and Charleston Southern…International business major.
 
Coach Russo on Michael James:
"Michael is coming back from injury, but has been working hard during his rehab. He is another veteran pitcher with collegiate experience and as a staff we are looking forward to him pitching for Hofstra in 2017."
 
 
Gjon Ljucovic
Junior
Pitcher, 6-1, 190
New Rochelle, NY/Pelham/Westchester CC
 
Junior College: Attended Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York…Posted a 3-1 record, a 2.73 ERA and 43 strikeouts in seven starts…Held opponents to a .145 average…High School: Played baseball at Pelham (NY) Memorial High School…Under Armour All-America selection as a senior after posting eight wins, a 1.91 ERA and 106 strikeouts…Named to All-New York State team…League Pitcher of the Year in 2012…Member of National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Science Honor Society…Personal: Son of Filje and Fran Ljucovic…Was also recruited by Fordham…Finance major.
 
Coach Russo on Gjon Lujcovic:
"Gjon has battled the injury bug the last 18 months but is poised to hit the ground running this fall.  We love his confidence and desire to establish himself as a weekend guy for us this year. The sky is the limit for him and we are excited to see his comeback first hand."
 
 
Jorge Marrero
Graduate
Pitcher, 6-2, 195
Pembroke Pines, FL/Pembroke Pines Charter/Florida Atlantic
 
Previous College: Spent two seasons at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida…Appeared in two games in 2016 and did not record a decision…Red-shirted in 2015…Junior College: Attended Broward College in Davie, Florida during the 2013-14 academic year…Earned second team all-conference accolades after posting seven wins, two saves and a 2.53 ERA in 15 appearances…Began his collegiate career at Felician University in 2012-13…Appeared in eight games as a freshman without a decision…High School: Played baseball at Pembroke Pines (FL) Charter High School…Named to honorable mention All-Sun Sentinel team as a senior…Best Hitter Award recipient as a senior…Personal: Son of Janet and Jorge Marrero…Graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Florida Atlantic…Majoring in forensic linguistics at Hofstra.
 
Coach Russo on Jorge Marrero:
"Jorge brings a lot of experience to our staff as a graduate student. He has been around some pretty good programs in Florida Atlantic, Broward and Felician and we are looking for him to provide some veteran leadership to what is a fairly young pitching staff."
 
 
Myles Mensah
Freshman
Shortstop, 5-10, 187
Frederick, MD/St. John's College High School
 
High School: Played baseball at St. John's College High School in Washington, DC…Gold Glove Award recipient as a senior…Member of three WCAC championship teams…Team was ranked No. 1 by the Washington Post in 2015…Member of the National Honor Society…Personal: Son of Anita Mwalui and Andoh Mensah…Also recruited by Radford…Undecided major.
 
Coach Russo on Myles Mensah:
"Myles comes to us from St. Johns College High School in Washington, DC, which is one of the better high school programs around, and coached by Mark Gibbs. He is a versatile defender and will fit into our offense very well."
 
 
Austin Pollack
Junior
Outfield, 6-1, 195
Harrison, NY/Harrison/Westchester CC
 
Junior College: Named to All-America Second team as a sophomore after batting .460 with 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 66 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and 40 RBIs…Also named Region 15 Player of the Year, First team All-Region 15, Region 15 Tournament MVP and Academic All-American…Was the first academic and athletic All-American in school history…Earned the Marucci Elite Hitter Award…Member of two regional championship team…Batted .444 as a freshman and was a second team all-region pick and rookie of the year...High School: Played three years of baseball and one season of football at Harrison (NY) High School…Batted .385 as a sophomore and .354 as a junior…Honor student…Personal: Son of Donna and Conrad Pollack…Has one sister…Also recruited by Cornell and Bucknell…Business economics major.
 
Coach Russo on Austin Pollack:
"Austin is a high-energy guy that will make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball. Coming off a highly successful spring for Westchester CC and summer in the ACBL for Staten Island, Austin is poised to be a driving force for our club this year."
 
 
Michael Riesner
Junior
Shortstop, 5-11, 185
Plainfield, IL/Neuqua Valley/College of San Mateo
 
Junior College: Spent the 2015-16 academic year at the College of San Mateo (CA)…Played in 15 games in an injury shortened season…Batted .237 with 10 runs scored and seven stolen bases…Led team in steals at the time of his injury…Previous College: Began his career at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, as a freshman in 2015…Played in 27 games for the Braves, which advanced to NCAA Regionals…High School: Played baseball for three years and football for two years at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois…Four-time all-area and all-conference selection…Team captain…Named to all-tournament team at state championship as a senior…Four-time academic all-conference pick...Personal: Son of Sandy and William Riesner…Has one sister…Father played soccer at Union College…Economics major with a minor in marketing.
 
Coach Russo on Michael Riesner:
"Mike was one of the top high schools shortstops to come out of the Midwest a few years ago.  After a year at the College of San Mateo (CA), one of the best junior college's in the country, our staff is confident he is ready to make an impact in the CAA."
 
 
John Ryan
Freshman
Pitcher, 6-4, 220
Mineola, NY/The Wheatley School
 
High School: Played baseball and basketball, and ran cross country at The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, New York…Named to All-Nassau County Team as a senior after posting an 8-1 record, a 0.68 ERA and 85 strikeouts…Was named MVP of the 2016 Nassau County Playoffs after helping the Wildcats to the county title as well as the Long Island Class B championship…Also a member of the 2014 county championship squad…Selected to the Long Island Senior All-Star Game…Member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society…Personal: Son of MaryFrances and William Ryan…Has one sister…Father played baseball and golf at Hofstra in the late 1970's…Also recruited by Marist, Massachusetts, Lafayette and NYIT…Undecided major.
 
Coach Russo on John Ryan:
"John is a big, strong right-hander with an upper 80's fastball and a college-level breaking ball.  He has played for the Long Island Storm and is just scratching the surface of his potential. We expect John to make great strides this fall."  
 
 
Kyle Skidmore
Freshman
Pitcher, 6-2, 185
Franklin, MA/Franklin/Bridgton Academy
 
Prep School: Spent one year at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine…Posted an 8-2 mark and was the recipient of Bridgton's Most Outstanding Pitcher and Doug Avery Baseball Awards…Earned Classroom Award and high honors…High School: Played two years of baseball, basketball and football at Franklin (MA) High School…Posted a combined record of 7-2 over his junior and senior seasons…Coaches Award recipient as a senior…Honor student…Personal: Son of Nancy and Michael Skidmore…Has one brother and one sister…Father played baseball at North Adams State and in the Kansas City Royals organization…Also recruited by Maine, UNC Asheville and Rollins…Majoring in supply chain management.
 
Coach Russo on Kyle Skidmore:
"Kyle coming off a post graduate year at Bridgton Academy with Coach Izaryk. He pitched this past summer for Nashua in the Futures League, one the few rising freshmen to earn a spot in the league. He is another lefty with "pitchability" and a plus breaking ball."
 
 
Justin Smith
Freshman
Catcher, 6-0, 215
Lititz, PA/Warwick
 
High School: Lettered in baseball and football at Warwick High School in Lititz, Pennsylvania…First Team All-Star selection as a senior after batting .470 with eight triples and 22 RBIs…Named Penn Live Most Valuable Player…Named to sectional all-star team as a junior…Two-time sectional all-star in football…Recipient of the A. Landis Bracbill Scholar-Athlete Award and the U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar-Athlete Award…Distinguished honor roll student…Personal: Son of Kelly and Wade Smith…Has one sister…Father played football at Army West Point…Has five uncles or cousins that played or are currently playing collegiate sports…Also recruited by Marist and Holy Cross…Plans to attend law school and become a patent attorney…Mechanical engineering major.
 
Coach Russo on Justin Smith:
Justin is a blue collar, throwback-type player. He was a two-sport athlete in high school and also played for a high-level club team in the New Jersey Marlins. We feel he has the skills and intangibles to handle the catcher position in our league."
 
 
Tyler White
Freshman
Infield, 6-2, 170
Holtsville, NY/St. John the Baptist
 
High School: Lettered in baseball and soccer at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip, New York…Batted .285 with 15 runs scored and seven stolen bases as a senior…Blue Chip Prospect Most Valuable Player in 2015…Two-time Scholar-Athlete Award recipient…Earned high honors in each of his for years of high school…Personal: Son of Hiiaka and Sean White…Has one brother and one sister…Father played football at Hofstra in 1987 and 1988…Uncle, Aaron, was a member of the Western Illinois baseball team…Plans to pursue a career as a pediatric surgeon…Biology major.
 
Coach Russo on Tyler White:
"Tyler was an under the radar player, who our staff feels very strongly about. He has a tremendous makeup and a great skill set. We are excited to see him flourish in our program."
 
 
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