2013 Baseball Preview
2/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Fresh off its second straight 34-win season, the 2013 version of the Seton Hall baseball team is poised for more success.
After winning its third BIG EAST Championship in 2011, the Pirates reached new milestones in 2012. It was the first time since the 1987 and 1988 seasons that Seton Hall had won at least 34 games in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, the Pirates' 17 BIG EAST Conference victories were the most since 2000. Seton Hall won road series against BIG EAST regular season champion, Louisville, and St. John's, the BIG EAST Tournament champion.
All of this regular season success added up to their second consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Championship at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. and a #3 seed in the tournament.
Although the Pirates fell short of repeating as champions in 2012, there's plenty of reason for optimism entering 2013. Seton Hall returns six of their eight regular starting position players and a pair of weekend starters, including 2013 BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Jon Prosinski.
INFIELD
Around the horn, Seton Hall will return one of the best defensive infields in the BIG EAST. Regular starters Mike Genovese (2B), Giuseppe Papaccio (SS), Kyle Grimm (3B) and Dillon Hamlin (C), all return for the 2013 season. Only the departure of graduated senior Michael Betz at first base has enabled any change in the Pirates infield. Sophomore Sal Annunziata, who started primarily at designated hitter last season, may get the majority of starts at first base this season.
Senior Mike Genovese has 108 starts under his belt and provides a dual asset as both a regular infielder and side-arming bullpen pitcher. Hitting primarily out of the two-hole in 2012, Genovese led the BIG EAST Conference with 18 sacrifice hits and led the Pirates with 34 RBIs. His 0.68 ERA out of the pen in eight appearances also led the team.
Senior Giuseppe Papaccio, an All-BIG EAST Third Team selection last year, established himself as one of the marquee defensive players in the conference. In addition to a slick glove at shortstop, the Nutley, N.J. native batted .279 with three home runs and hit primarily third in the Pirates' lineup.
Injuries caused Kyle Grimm from playing in 13 games last year, but when he was in the Pirates' lineup, the freshman didn't disappoint. Grimm batted a team-best .308 and played a competent third base.
Dillon Hamlin returns as the primary backstop. Last year, he spearheaded a group of three Pirates' catchers including Tyler Boyd and Alex Falconi. Hamlin made 40 starts behind the plate and was also among the BIG EAST leaders in sacrifice hits.
On a team that has seen success playing "small ball," sophomore Sal Annunziata will help provide some pop in the middle of the Pirates' order. The Bronx, N.Y. native batted .277 last year and tied for second on the team with three home runs. He also drove in 24 RBIs in 48 starts.
Returning infield veterans include Chris Selden, who made 15 starts last season, and D.J. Ruhlman.
OUTFIELD
Like the infield, the Pirates will have experience in their outfield this season. Despite the graduation of regular starter Will Walsh, the Pirates return three outfielders that made at least 25 starts in 2012.
Despite battling hamstring injuries for much of last season, junior Zack Granite is again expected to man centerfield for the Pirates. The speedy leadoff hitter led Seton Hall with 21 steals in 22 attempts and batted .302. A Third Team All-BIG EAST selection despite missing 17 games, Granite didn't commit a single error in centerfield and his .387 on-base percentage was second-best on the team.
Senior Scott Kalamar batted .291 last season and hit his first career home run, a grand slam. Fellow senior Ryan Sullivan appeared in the outfield 42 times last year and also proved capable with a bat in his hands.
John Beaubien also factors to be in the mix for outfield starts in 2013.
PITCHING
Throughout the years, the Pirates have prided themselves on excellent pitching and if they're going to be successful in 2013, their staff will lead the way again. Among the nine pitchers that started a game for Seton Hall in 2012, six return, including a pair of weekend starters, Jon Prosinski and Brian Gilbert.
Prosinski will again assume his role as the team's Friday starter. The ace led the Pirates with nine victories and 94.2 innings pitched last year. A First Team All-BIG EAST selection, "Jonny Pro" is poised to break several Seton Hall records this season.
A hard-throwing right-hander, Brian Gilbert made eight starts for the Pirates last season, including a landmark complete-game, shutout of Notre Dame which netted him BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors.
Sophomore right-handers Conor Krauss and Jose Lopez, as well as senior lefties Ricky Mangione and Greg Terhune, all made starts last year and will vie for weekend starts this season.
Returning players who contributed out of the bullpen last year included Genovese, Connor Delepine, Josh Prevost, Anthony Elia and Ed Ras.
NEWCOMERS
Every season one or several Seton Hall freshman make an impact immediately. This year, 10 newcomers will have an opportunity. The Pirates will welcome Sam Burum, Luke Cahill, Chris Chiaradio, Brett Fontinelli, Derek Jenkins, Steven Lombardi, Adnan Pjetrovic, Blaise Scerbo, Nate Vahedi, and Zack Weigel to the squad for the new year.
Fontinelli and Chiaradio will add depth to the Pirates' infield, while Pjetrovic will assist behind the plate.
Jenkins and Weigel will compete for jobs in the outfield.
Burum, Cahill, Lombardi, Scerbo and Vahedi will learn under the tutelage of pitching coach and associate head coach Phil Cundari on the mound.
SCHEDULE
The Pirates will open the year with 13-straight road games including three-game series with national power North Carolina, East Tennessee State, San Diego State and Pepperdine. While in San Diego, the Pirates will also face the University of San Diego for a game on March 6.
Seton Hall will finally return to Owen T. Carroll Field to host the Strike Out Cancer Tournament, March 15-17. Opponents include Massachusetts and Manhattan. Seton Hall will remain home for a mid-week matchup with Saint Peter's before heading back on the road to open the BIG EAST portion of their schedule at Notre Dame, March 22-24.
The Pirates will close out the month of March with a series against Connecticut at Owen T. Carroll Field. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday, March 28 and a final game on Saturday, March 30.
In April and May, the Pirates will host Georgetown, USF and St. John's for weekend series at Owen T. Carroll Field. Seton Hall will travel to face Rutgers, Villanova and Cincinnati. The Pirates will also play a three game set at the University of Houston, April 12-14, in Texas.
