Hempstead, NY - The Coastal Athletic Association announced its Preseason All-CAA Baseball Team and the predicted order of finish today, and three Pride student-athletes earned honorable mention preseason accolades while Hofstra was picked ninth in the preseason poll. The preseason team and the order of finish were voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
Earning preseason honorable mention honors are graduate Will Kennedy (Smithtown, NY), senior Steve Harrington (Clark, NJ), and sophomore Dylan Palmer (West Windsor, NJ). Kennedy, an outfielder, batted .337 last season with nine doubles, 15 RBIs, and 16 runs scored, and missed a month of the season due to injury. Harrington was a Second Team All-CAA selection in 2023 at utility after seeing action in the outfield, at first base, and at designated hitter. Harrington batted ,350 with 16 doubles, and a team-best seven home runs and 46 RBIs. Palmer was a Second Team All-CAA and CAA All-Rookie selection last season. An infielder/outfielder, Palmer led the Pride with a .369 average, three triples, and 23 stolen bases. He also added 11 doubles, 23 RBIs and 45 runs scored.
As a team, Hofstra received 47 points to rank ninth in the preseason poll. Northeastern was picked first with eight first-place votes, while defending CAA champion UNCW was tabbed second with four first-place votes. CAA newcomer Campbell was picked third followed by Charleston, Elon, Delaware, William & Mary, and Stony Brook. North Carolina A&T, Towson, and Monmouth follow Hofstra in the poll.
The Pride opens the 2024 season on Friday, February 16 at No. 14 Virginia.
2024 CAA BASEBALL PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Northeastern (8 first‐place votes) 118
2. UNCW (4 first‐place votes) 110
3. Campbell 103
4. Charleston 89
5. Elon 77
6. Delaware 71
7. William & Mary 65
8. Stony Brook 48
9. Hofstra 47
10. North Carolina A&T 30
11. Towson 22
12. Monmouth 12
2024 PRESEASON ALL‐CAA BASEBALL TEAM
Player, School, Pos., Cl. Hometown
Grant Knipp, Campbell C, Jr., Louisville, Ky.
Jac Croom, UNCW, IF, Sr., Wilmington, N.C.
Joey Loynd, Delaware, IF, Sr., Doylestown, Pa.
Tyler MacGregor, Northeastern, IF, Gr., Peabody, Mass.
Cole Mathis, Charleston, IF, Jr., Cataula, Ga.
Tanner Thach, UNCW, IF, So., Belvidere, N.C.
Lawson Harrill, Campbell, OF, Sr., Shelby, N.C.
Cam Maldonado, Northeastern, OF, So., Wolcott, Conn.
Trevor Marsh, UNCW, OF, Sr., Asheboro, N.C.
Mike Sirota, Northeastern, OF, Jr., Broad Channel, N.Y.
Evan Fox, Stony Brook, UT, Sr., Ballston Spa, N.Y.
Alex Lane, Northeastern, DH, Gr., Andover, Mass.
Aiven Cabral, Northeastern, SP, So., Lynn, Mass.
Nate Knowles, William & Mary, SP, Jr., Arlington, Va.
Justin Mitrovich, Elon, SP, So., Yardley, Pa.
Zane Taylor, UNCW, SP, Jr., Franklinton, N.C.
Jake Gigliotti, Northeastern, RP, Sr., Paxton, Mass.
Carter Lovasz, William & Mary, RP, Jr., Midlothian, Va.
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Mike Sirota, Northeastern
Honorable Mention: Canyon Brown, C, North Carolina A&T; Casey Bishop, IF, Towson; Bryce Frederick, IF, Towson; Dylan Palmer, IF, Hofstra; Brett Paulsen, IF, Stony Brook; Luke Wood, IF, Charleston; Matt Brown‐Eiring, OF, Stony Brook; Steve Harrington, OF, Hofstra; Trotter Harlan, IF/OF, Charleston; Will Kennedy, OF, Hofstra; Bryce Greenly, DH/P, Delaware; John Newton, DH, UNCW; Ryan Sprock, IF/P, Elon; Chance Daquila, SP, Campbell; RJ Sales, SP, UNCW; Wyatt Scotti, SP, Northeastern; Connor Kane, RP, UNCW
