Players Mentioned
2015 Baseball Preview Part III - Pitchers
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Later this week the Seton Hall baseball team will begin the 2015 regular season at the University of North Carolina. In a special three-part series, SHUpirates.com will preview the new season. Today's edition focuses exclusively on the Pirates' pitching staff.
Historically, Seton Hall baseball has held true to the old adage that pitching and defense wins championships. While the defense will again be strong in 2015, the pitching staff will have to move forward without All-American Josh Prevost, who had one of the best single-season performances in program history in 2014. Still, Seton Hall was the top pitching staff in the conference last year and had a team earned run average which was more than a full run lower than the second-best team.
The losses of Prevost and Conor Krauss aside, Seton Hall returns the vast majority of its staff in 2015 and added an arsenal of talented freshman arms.
"The key for our staff is the going to be our returning veterans really setting the tone and showing the younger guys the way in college baseball," said head coach Rob Sheppard. "College is a big jump from high school and we'll need our veterans to not only give us innings, but provide an example for our freshmen."
When an ace departs, a team looks for a new ace to emerge, and the Pirates fully expect Luke Cahill (Tinton Falls, N.J.) to take the next step in 2015. Recently named Preseason BIG EAST Co-Pitcher of the Year, the junior is coming off a breakout season in which he went 10-2 with a sparkling 2.65 ERA. An All-Conference Second Team selection, Cahill struck out 58 batters and walked only 15 as the Pirates' regular Sunday starter.
The lone senior starter with more than 125 innings under his belt, Anthony Elia (Flanders, N.J.) returns for his final campaign. Named to the College Sports Madness All-BIG EAST Second Team, he pitched to a career-best 2.77 earned run average, while limiting opponents to just a .235 batting average in 2014. The left-hander has proved effective as both a starter and reliever.
Anthony Pacillo (Lyndhurst, N.J.) is another lefty who made an immediate impact as a freshman in 2014. The big left-hander made nine starts and pitched to a 2.98 earned run average. Named NJCBA Rookie of the Year, Pacillo became Seton Hall's first Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American since 2000.
Junior Sam Burum (Robbinsville, N.J.) and sophomores Zach Prendergast () and Ryan Testani (Shelton, Conn.) are a trio of right-handed veterans capable of starting and relieving. All three pitched to ERA's under 4.00 in 2014. Testani pitched to an impressive 2.35 earned run average and was named to the NJCBA All-Rookie Team.
Junior Steven Lombardi (Saddle River, N.J.) is another right-hander that showed promise in 2014 and projects to see important innings this season.
Senior Dan Ditusa (St. Charles, Ill.) and sophomore Joe DiBenedetto (Staten Island, N.Y.) are Seton Hall's experienced bullpen left-handers. DiBenedetto was named to the NJCBA All-Rookie team and became one of the team's most reliable relievers down the stretch, giving up just one run in his final seven appearances of the season. Another southpaw option could be Mikael-Ali Mogues (New York, N.Y.), who didn't see action on the mound in games last season, but threw plenty on the side.
"I really like our staff, if we can stay healthy, we'll have some depth," Sheppard said.
New to the staff for this season is the addition of six freshmen. Tim Edwards (Hershey, Pa.), Matt Leon (Bethlehem, Pa.), Shane McCarthy (Fair Haven, N.J.), Chris Morris (Matawan, N.J.), Andrew Politi (Long Valley, N.J.) and Zach Schellenger (Malvern, Pa.) are all likely to see action this spring, with some possibly earning significant roles.
"We have a lot of really capable freshman that will come in and have an immediate impact," Sheppard said. "They will pitch some meaningful innings as freshmen."
