UNCW Picked To Repeat As CAA Baseball Champs
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (January 26, 2016) – UNCW, which captured the CAA Baseball Championship and advanced to the NCAA Regional finals last season, was an overwhelming choice to repeat as champion in 2016 according to a vote of the league’s head baseball coaches.
The Seahawks received seven first-place votes and finished atop the poll with 63 points. College of Charleston, the CAA regular-season champion in 2015, got one first-place vote and was picked second with 55 points, while Elon, which also received a first-place vote, and Northeastern were tied for third with 45 points. William & Mary was the fifth-place choice with 39 points, followed by Delaware (27 points), James Madison (23 points), Hofstra (14 points) and Towson (13 points).
UNCW went 41-18 overall a year ago and swept through the CAA Baseball Championship to claim its fourth conference title in the past 12 years. The Seahawks posted a 2-2 mark in the Baton Rouge Regional of the NCAA Baseball Championship, finishing second to host LSU. Six starters return to the lineup, including five who received All-CAA honors. Catcher Gavin Stupienski (.344, 6 HR, 37 RBI) and third baseman Terence Connelly (.344, 26 RBI) made the second team and shortstop Kennard McDowell (.289, 25 RBI) was a third-team pick. In the outfield, Steven Linkous (.315, 62 R, 30 SB) earned first-team accolades and Casey Golden (.283, 45 RBI) was on the second team. On the mound, senior Ryan Foster (7-1, 4.08 ERA) leads the starting staff and senior Jared Gesell (2-1, 5 saves, 2.27 ERA) anchors the bullpen.
College of Charleston, which captured the CAA regular-season crown in 2015, compiled a 45-15 record last season and was ranked in the top 20 nationally. The Cougars went 2-2 in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Baseball Championship, finishing second to host Florida State. Five starters are back in the CofC lineup led by outfielder Ryan Brown (.320, 63 R), who received Freshman All-America honors, first baseman Bradley Jones (.309, 11 HR, 45 RBI), a second-team All-CAA pick, and catcher Erven Roper (.288, 29 RBI), a third-team All-CAA choice. Returning on the mound for the Cougars are starter Nathan Helvey (7-4, 2.84 ERA), reliever Carter Love (6-0, 4 saves, 1.98 ERA) and starter Bailey Ober, who missed last season due to injury after going 10-3 with a 1.52 ERA and earning All-America honors in 2014.
Elon was 25-29 overall and placed fourth (13-11) during its first CAA season. Leading the Phoenix offensively will be junior third baseman Nick Zammarelli (.288, 7 HR, 50 RBI), while the Elon pitching staff welcomes back junior Nick Beaulac (5-2, 4.50 ERA) and senior Michael Elefante (3-1, 4.33 ERA).
Northeastern was 25-30 overall and posted a third-place finish (14-10) in the CAA a year ago. Juniors Cam Hanley (.293, 3 HR, 29 RBI) and Pat Madigan (.313, 5 HR, 25 RBI) are the Huskies’ top offensive returnees, while juniors Dustin Hunt (5-5, 4.96 ERA), Aaron Civale (7-2, 3.24 ERA) and Mike Fitzgerald (1.54 ERA, 4 svs) are back on the hill.
The conference also announced its preseason all-conference team, with William & Mary senior first baseman Charley Gould receiving preseason Player of the Year honors. He made the All-CAA first team last season after leading the league with a .388 batting average while contributing 13 home runs and 52 RBI’s.
2016 CAA BASEBALL PRESEASON PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. UNCW (7 first-place votes) 63
2. College of Charleston (1 first-place vote) 55
3. Elon (1 first-place vote) 45
Northeastern 45
5. William & Mary 39
6. Delaware 27
7. James Madison 23
8. Hofstra 14
9. Towson 13
2016 PRESEASON ALL-CAA BASEBALL TEAM
Player, School Pos. Cl. Hometown 2015 Stats
Gavin Stupienski, UNCW C Jr. Columbus, N.J. .344, 6 HR, 37 RBI
Charley Gould, William & Mary 1B Sr. Lake Forest, Ill. .388, 13 HR, 52 RBI
Kyle McPherson, James Madison 2B So. Chesapeake, Va. .316, 4 HR, 28 RBI
Chad Carroll, James Madison SS Sr. Oakton, Va. .339, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 27 SB
Terence Connelly, UNCW 3B Sr. Garden City, N.Y. .344, 1 HR, 26 RBI
Ryan Brown, Col. of Charleston OF So. Columbia, S.C. .320, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 15 SB
Steven Foster, Hofstra OF So. Holbrook, N.Y. .351, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 19 SB
Casey Golden, UNCW OF Jr. Siler City, N.C. .283, 6 HR, 45 RBI
Steven Linkous, UNCW OF Sr. Leland, N.C. .315, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 30 SB
Chris Henze, Towson DH Jr. Elkton, Md. .331, 5 HR, 42 RBI
Nick Brown, William & Mary SP Jr. Bristow, Va. 5-4, 3.38 ERA, 64 K’s
Dustin Hunt, Northeastern SP Jr. Andover, Mass. 5-5, 4.96 ERA, 82 K’s
Bailey Ober, Col. of Charleston SP So. Huntersville, N.C. 10-3, 1.52 ERA, 85 K’s (’14 stats)
Jared Gesell, UNCW RP Sr. High Point, N.C. 2-1, 5 saves., 2.27 ERA
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Charley Gould, William & Mary
Honorable Mention: Erven Roper, C, Col. of Charleston;
Bradley Jones, 1B, Col. of Charleston;
Nick Zammarelli, 3B, Elon;
Cam Hanley, 3B, Northeastern;
Mark Grunberg, OF, Towson;
Aaron Civale, SP, Northeastern;
Ryan Foster, SP, UNCW;
Ron Marinaccio, SP, Delaware;
Carter Love, RP, Col. of Charleston