HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 21, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball program opens its 2014 season on Sunday afternoon at Dobbelaar Field in a doubleheader against Yeshiva University. Stevens went 23-18 last spring and return 23 players, seven positional starters, and five of their starting pitchers from a year ago.

The Ducks have spent the past two seasons as a provisional member of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) and are now an affiliate institution, meaning they are eligible for conference tournament postseason play. With the addition of Stevens and Yeshiva, the CUNYAC tournament will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Baseball Regionals. Stevens has gone 23-1 since joining the CUNYAC with two regular season titles.

The CUNYAC consists of the College of Staten Island (defending champions), Baruch College, Lehman College, John Jay College, City College of New York and Yeshiva. This season's conference championship will be held at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones – the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Mets – on May 8 and 10.

Stevens remains in the Empire 8 Conference as well and will play the other four teams of the league in a pair of weekend doubleheaders. The Ducks went 5-7 in the Empire 8 in 2013 and finished third. They earned three wins over Utica College and split its season-series with St. John Fisher College. Stevens' stiffest competition in the E8 comes by way of Ithaca College, who reached the College World Series semifinals last spring. The Bombers went 41-8 overall, finished the season with a No. 3 national ranking, and had their top player, Tim Locastro, drafted in the MLB First-Year Player Draft in the 13th round (385th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Head coach Kristaps Aldins, now in his third season at the helm of the program, is excited about the situation the Ducks are in this season. "We play in one of the tougher conferences in Division III (Empire 8) and now have an opportunity to reach Regionals with a championship in the CUNYAC. We also have ramped up our non-conference strength of schedule and believe that our team is ready to embrace the challenge."

Aldins will be joined in the dugout this season by his assistant coaches Arlan Freeman, Ken Zinchiak, Andrew Ruck and Michael Donovan. Freeman is the team's top assistant and recruiting coordinator and came to Stevens in August. He will serve as the pitching coach and his impact has already been seen in the short period of time he has been with the Ducks. Zinchiak is the team's hitting coach for the ninth consecutive season, providing steady guidance both on and off the field. Ruck is a newcomer to the staff after a standout career at Division I Lafayette College and will work primarily with the outfielders and base-runners. Donovan returns to the bench for Stevens, as a coach this year, after a solid four-year career in the Cardinal and Gray. He will mainly instruct the infielders.

Here is a positional breakdown of the student-athletes that the Stevens coaches will mentor throughout the 2014 campaign:

Pitchers:

"The way we have recruited our first two years here, we've made a commitment to building our program around pitching and defense. In year three our roster is starting to reflect that and we believe that pitching has become our team's biggest strength," stated Aldins. "We are hoping that this depth will allow us to withstand the rigors of a rugged regular season schedule and go deep in tournament play formats."

In 2013, the Stevens pitching staff posted a solid 3.79 ERA. and recorded 305 strikeouts in 325.2 innings pitched. The Ducks are hoping to build on these numbers with the following group of 16 talented hurlers.

Junior Peirce Marston (Silver Spring, Md.) was named the Opening Day starter against Yeshiva and is arguably the team's most consistent arm. One of the team's hardest workers, Marston has gotten better each season with the Ducks. He returns as the top innings-eater from a year ago, tossing 44 innings with a 2.66 ERA and a 3-3 record.
 
Fellow junior Gary Boardman (Staten Island, N.Y.) returns after a second-team all-conference nod in the Empire 8 as a sophomore. Boardman posted a 1.96 ERA and a 3-3 record last year. He tossed 41.1 innings and boasted a .191 opponent's batting average.
 
Sophomore Greg Jakusik (The Woodlands, Texas) was injured for a majority of last season but had a strong fall and spring preseason. Jakusik has the potential to be one of the top pitchers in the conference and showed flashes of this by striking out 15 batters in nine innings during his freshman campaign.
 
Fellow sophomore Jayson Yano (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) is a two-way player for the Ducks and is coming off a huge summer season in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League where he was touted as the No. 13 professional pitching prospect. In 2013 Yano held opponents to a .167 batting average and recorded a strikeout per inning pitched.

Junior lefty Matt Buccheri (Little Silver, N.J.) was last year's Game One conference starter and the coaches are hoping to have him fully healthy this spring. Buccheri went 2-4 last year in nine appearances with a 5.04 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched and 46 strikeouts.

Sophomore Robert Robbins (Tallahassee, Fla.) made big strides this offseason after a strong summer in the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League. Robbins is another potential top-arm in the conference and went a perfect 4-0 last year in 11 appearances.

Freshman Zeph Walters (Diamond Bar, Calif.) has shown in the offseason that he could be ready for meaningful innings on the bump early in his collegiate career. Walters had a stellar senior season in high school tallying 11 victories with a 1.24 ERA.

The Stevens bullpen will be anchored by senior Dan Allen (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.). Allen serves as the team's closer and is one of the best stoppers in all of Division III. He went 6-for-6 in save opportunities with two victories in 12.1 innings. Allen punched out 14 hitters and surrendered just one earned run. At the conclusion of last year, Allen was named NJCBA Fireman of the Year along with other numerous accolades.

Senior Mark Poinsett (Ocean Gate, N.J.) is a southpaw long-reliever and the most veteran pitcher on the staff. Poinsett was an Empire 8 second-team selection a year ago with a 3.00 ERA in 13 appearances that equated to 24 innings pitched and an opponent's average of .235.

Sophomore Ryan Patterson (Staten Island, N.Y.) posted a stellar freshman campaign where he was named first-team all-conference. Patterson is a go-to reliever for the Ducks and appeared in 14 contests with a 1.71 ERA and struck out 24 batters in 21 innings.
 
Fellow sophomore Daniel McIntyre (Lakeway, Texas) pitched some key innings out of the bullpen in 2013 despite battling through some nagging injuries. The coaching staff hopes that he can be fully healthy this upcoming spring to bolster the bullpen.

Freshmen Bret Viola (Carmel, N.Y) and Will Korosec (Cream Ridge, N.J.), sophomore Thomas Sheridan (Staten Island, N.Y.), and junior Ryan Mannello (Staten Island, N.Y.) will all compete for innings out of the pen throughout the season. Sophomore Bridger Cohen (Chester, N.J.) is out for the season due to an injury.

Infielders:

"There is no question that one of the main reasons for our pitchers' success the past two seasons has been our steady infield play. Our infielders have shown the ability to make all the routine plays, allowing our staff to pitch to contact with confidence. Since we return most of our starters, the hope is that we can take this team strength to another level," expressed Aldins.

Last year's team posted a school record fielding percentage of .973 and committed just 39 errors in over 1,500 chances.

Yano, last season's Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and second-team performer, played in all 41 games in 2013 with 40 starts at second base. He batted .319 with 44 hits in 138 at bats and 14 runs batted in. Yano also swiped 15 bases and scored 28 runs.

Junior Marc Calleo (Bayville, N.Y.) has been Stevens' starter at shortstop since arriving at Castle Point and returns as a much improved hitter. Calleo owns a .927 fielding percentage over his career in 200-plus chances.

Sophomore Nicholas Sieber (Shrewsbury, Mass.) will likely see significant time at third base this year after seeing playing time both at the hot corner and at shortstop last season. Offensively, Sieber hit .270 in 89 trips to the plate and drove in nine runs en route to being named to the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association All-Rookie Team.

Junior Gregg Nickels (Simpsonville, S.C.) is Stevens' most versatile fielder and can play all positions on the diamond, including catcher. Nickels hit .296 in 71 at bats with 21 hits and seven doubles and arguably is the Ducks' most valuable defender.

Sophomores Michael Yorita (Irvine, Calif.) and John Sideris (Whitestone, N.Y.) and freshman Harrison Kaye (North Brunswick, N.J.) all add depth to the middle infield. Yorita was injured last season but the coaches are excited to see him play, Sideris possesses a quality bat off the bench, while Kaye is the fastest player on the team and will be relied upon on the bases.

Outfielders:

"We have nine talented players in our outfield this season and it's the most competitive position on our team. Each player can help us win games with the different skill sets they possess and it will be interesting to see how our rotation pans out," said Aldins.

Sophomore Jonathan Toro (Sanford, Fla.) is the favorite to roam centerfield for the Ducks as an athletic and outstanding defensive player. Toro played through injuries last season but managed to hit .254 in 59 at bats with 15 hits and five doubles. He also stole nine bags in 11 tries.

Mannello, a junior, was a first-team Empire 8 player last season and produced many clutch hits in 2013. He drove in 23 runs as a sophomore on 35 hits in 113 at bats. Mannello recorded 10 doubles and a round-tripper for 48 total bases, which ranked second on the team.

Junior Brian Hennelly (Holbrook, N.Y.) looks to have a bounce-back season in 2014 after suffering through injuries last year. Hennelly hit .262 last season and was an all-conference outfielder as a freshman.

Sophomore Tyler Bush (Bristol, Conn.) got thrown right into the mix in 2013 as a first-year player and came back this past fall as a much improved player. In addition to his quality bat, Bush is an above average defender at all three outfield positions.

Freshmen Garrett Wells (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Michael Mule' (Boca Raton, Fla.) are both left-handed hitters and showed well in their first off-seasons at Stevens. Wells adds some potential power to the lineup and a sound offensive approach, while Mule' is a "top-of-the-order" type of hitter and is a base-stealing threat and solid defensive player.

Sheridan and Viola could also see some innings in the outfield in 2014 if they can find some consistency with their approach at the plate.
 
Lineup mainstay Dan Allen may also find time in the outfield, depending on matchups.

First Base:

Allen opens the season as the Ducks' first baseman. He led Stevens last season with a .343 average, 48 hits, 32 runs scored, 13 doubles, 40 RBI, 20 walks and four homeruns. Allen also swiped 19 bases. To go along with his Fireman of the Year as a pitcher, Allen was first-team all-Empire 8, first-team D3Baseball.com All-Region and third-team ABCA/Rawlings All-Region.

Zeph Walters is the freshman with the best chance to immediately break into the Stevens lineup. Having shown an advanced approach at the plate and a strong left handed swing, Walters could find himself in the middle of the lineup early in his career.
 
Fellow freshman P.J. Wiegartner (Hamilton Square, N.J.) has shown an excellent glove over at first base and could play a key role as a defensive replacement late in games.

Catchers:

Senior Curt Lowenstein (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) was a conference second-teamer as the everyday backstop last season and returns as a top base-stealing threat from the lead-off spot. Lowenstein paced the Ducks with 20 stolen bases and hit .320 in 30 starts. He made just one error behind the plate and threw out 14 runners.

Nickels will be Stevens' primary backup catcher this season, while freshmen Nolan Bennett (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Nick Muglia (South Plainfield, N.J.) will compete for innings as well. Bennett is a steady receiver behind the dish and has a good presence at the plate as a hitter, while Muglia has the strongest arm among the four catchers.

Schedule (view here):

Out of the 40 games Stevens will play this season, 28 of those will be against Empire 8 and CUNYAC opponents. The Ducks will be tested early in non-conference matchups by NCAA Regional opponents, No. 22/30 Rowan University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology on March 1 and 2.

Stevens then heads to South Carolina for Spring Break for two games and quality practice days. While there, it will play Ursinus College and Mount Aloysius College on March 10 and 11.

Other non-conference foes that the Ducks will see this season are: William Paterson University (March 26), Ramapo College – an NCAA Regional participant (April 2), Drew University (April 9), Vassar College (April 16), SUNY Old Westbury (April 17), SUNY Brockport – doubleheader (April 19) and New Jersey City University (May 5).

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