In talking to Hofstra Baseball Coach John Russo, you can hear the excitement in his voice when he talks about the 2017 Pride. You would never guess that the team is coming off a 15-win season. A key core of returning players and a talented recruiting class has Russo feeling good about his team's chances.
 
"I am really excited for the season," said Russo. "We return a great deal of our offense and three of our top starters in the rotation, who have made great strides working with Coach Habyan. We also have a great group of 17 new players who can contribute right away, which gives us real depth at a number of positions."
 
Of Hofstra's 17 returning players, seven were position player starters last season. Leading the way is Second Team All-Colonial Athletic Association third baseman David Leiderman, infielder Brad Witkowski and outfielder Steven Foster. The Pride returns eight pitchers from last season including projected weekend starters John Rooney, Teddy Cillis and Chris Weiss and relief ace Andrew Mundy.
 
Here is a position-by position look at the Pride:
 
First Base
Red-shirt sophomore Nick Bottari is in line to earn the starting job at first base and be a middle of the lineup hitter for the Pride. In his first season at Hofstra, the Miami (FL) transfer batted .238 with six home runs and 23 RBIs in 122 at-bats. Leiderman could also see action at first base if the need arises.
 
Second Base
Witkowski slides back to second base after playing shortstop last season. The senior batted a team-best .289 in 2016 and added some additional pop with four home runs and 29 RBIs (both career highs). Sophomore Tom Archer could also work his way into the lineup. Archer struggled at the plate during his freshman campaign, but Coach Russo has been impressed with his work ethic and has said that Archer has improved tremendously.
 
Newcomers Myles Mensah and Tyler White could also see action in the infield. Mensah was a defensive standout at St. John's College High School in Washington, DC, and could see time at either middle infield position. White, who played scholastically at St. John The Baptist High School on Long Island, can play any position in the infield.
 
Shortstop
Junior Mikey Riesner will start at shortstop for the Pride in his first season after transferring from the College of San Mateo in California. He was limited to 15 games due to injury, but gives Hofstra a solid bat and good speed, as well as a steady glove, at short. Riesner also has Division I experience as he began his career at Bradley University in 2014-15, playing in 27 games for a Braves team that advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
 
Third Base
Leiderman, a first-year graduate student and a Preseason All-CAA Honorable Menton pick, returns to man third base for the fourth consecutive season. A middle of the order hitter, Leiderman batted .271 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBIs (all career-highs) on his way to all conference accolades. Leiderman's experience will be invaluable, as he will be looked upon to provide leadership to the relatively young team. Red-shirt freshman Parker Quinn could also be in the mix for playing time at third base.
 
Outfield
Cillis will see action in left field as well as designated hitter when he is not pitching. The red-shirt junior was one of Hofstra's top power hitters last season, tying for the team lead with nine home runs while batting .249 with 20 RBIs. Freshman Sean Rausch, a national finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award, will also see a good deal of time in left field. He was an Honorable Mention All-Long Island selection as a senior at Longwood High School after batting .371 with three home runs and 15 stolen bases.
 
A pair of newcomers – freshman Vinnie Costello and junior Austin Pollack – will share time in centerfield. Costello was a three-time All-Broward County selection at Pompano Beach High School and batted .315 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs as a senior. Pollack was a Second Team Junior College All-American at Westchester Community College in 2016 after batting .460 with 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 66 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and 40 RBIs. He was also named Region 15 Player of the Year and was the Region 15 Tournament Most Valuable Player.
 
Foster will move to right field in 2017 after spending his first two seasons roaming centerfield for the Pride. The junior leadoff hitter batted .278 in 2016 with 10 doubles, 15 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 2016.
 
Designated Hitter
Coach Russo has many options for the designated hitter position as any of the non-starting outfielders could be slotted into the role. In addition, the coaching staff has been impressed with freshman Rob Weissheier. The third member of the Weissheier family to play for the Pride, Rob Weissheier was an Honorable Mention Al-Long Island selection at Kellenberg High School as a senior.
 
Catcher
Sophomore Vito Friscia will log the majority of innings behind the plate and could see action as the designated hitter when he is not catching. Friscia played in 53 games as a freshman and batted .253 with two home runs and 14 RBIs. He showed remarkable plate discipline for a freshman and drew 42 walks. He was also solid defensively and has worked hard in the offseason to improve that are of his game.
 
Chris Hardardt, Rausch and freshman Justin Smith could also se opportunities behind the plate. Hardardt will be the first option behind Friscia as the veteran backstop played in 33 games last season with 20 starts, batting .253. Smith batted .470 with eight triples and 22 RBIs as a senior at Warwick High School in Pennsylvania, earning Penn Live Most Valuable Player accolades.
 
Pitching
Outside of Rooney, Weiss, Cillis and Mundy, Hofstra's arms are relatively untested. But Coach Russo and Coach Habyan have been impressed with the progress of the staff and are confident in the arms they can run out to the mound, and will use the early part of the season to define roles for the pitchers.
 
Rooney, a sophomore, pitched better than his 3-8 record as a freshman would suggest. He compiled a 5.08 ERA and set the school record for single season strikeouts with 77. The hard-throwing left-hander will slot into the Friday spot in the weekend rotation. Weiss was 1-4 in his first full season as a pitcher and should improve on that in his junior campaign. The right-hander has good stuff and a great mindset on the mound. Cillis, a left-hander, was 3-2 with a save in 2016 and had 40 strikeouts in 37 innings.
 
Mundy made a staff-high 23 appearances as a freshman and was 1-0 with two saves. A control pitcher, Mundy issued just five walks in 37 1/3 innings of work. Graduate student Jorge Marrero, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, should also see innings out of the bullpen and provide a bit of experience on a young staff. Marrero pitched in just two games for the Owls last season, but also has junior college experience as he won seven games and had a 2.53 ERA for Broward College in 2014.
 
Seamus Brazill, a hard-throwing 6-9 right-hander, could also be a factor out of the pen for the Pride. A sophomore who was not on the team in 2016, Brazill, who starred at Barnegat (NJ) High School, has impressed the coaches with his work throughout the fall and preseason.
 
Returning sophomores Zach Altieri and Jake Bufo will also look to earn innings, either as starters or out of the bullpen. Altieri made six appearances as a freshman and was 0-1, while Bufo did not record a decision in three appearances.
 
Senior Kieran Ryan and red-shirt junior Matt Weissheier should see relief work. Ryan did not see any action in 2016, while Matt Weissheier made one appearance.
 
Newcomers Jack Berczi, Gjon Ljucovic, Michael James, John Ryan and James Beasley also figure to see a good deal of innings. Berczi, a hard throwing lefty, comes to Hofstra from Abbey Park High School in Canada. He was a Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region selection in 2016. Ljucovic, a junior transfer from Westchester Community College, posted a 3-1 record, a 2.73 ERA and 43 strikeouts in seven starts in 2016.
 
James, a junior, came to Hofstra from Lee University in Tennessee, where he was 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in 13 appearances as a freshman in 2015. James missed the 2016 season due to injury. Ryan was an All-Nassau County pick at The Wheatley School after posting an 8-1 record, a 0.68 ERA and 85 strikeouts. He was also 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. Beasley was 5-2 with one save, a 1.06 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 12 appearances as a senior at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia.