Baseball Chosen Fifth In ECC Preseason Poll

2/5/2014 11:33:00 AM

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Feb. 5, 2014) - The East Coast Conference put out its 2014 preseason baseball poll on Wednesday, and LIU Post has been selected to finish fifth in the league.
 
The 2014 Pioneers will showcase one of the East Coast Conference's best pitching rotations, highlighted by red-shirt junior Mike Eckerle (Hewlett, N.Y.). A 2013 All-ECC second-team selection. Eckerle finished 3-3 a year ago, posting a 2.37 ERA. The lefty struck out 77 in 56.1 innings and held opponents to a .218 batting average. Along with Eckerle, sophomore Chris Anderson (West Islip, N.Y.) and junior Joey Arena (Yorktown, N.Y.) will look to stabilize the rotation.
 
In the field, returning red-shirt senior Casey McKay (North Massapequa, N.Y.) will anchor second base, while transfer Angel Vidal (Brooklyn, N.Y.) looks to make his mark at shortstop. McKay hit .271 last season after missing the 2012 campaign with an injury. Vidal, a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College, hit .316 for the Mavericks in the NJCAA. Senior Tom Tolan (Malverne, N.Y.) will man third base, while senior Vinny Iacono (Nesconset, N.Y.) returns to the outfield in 2014.
 
Two newcomers to look out for are freshman Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) and junior transfer Rick Alessi (St. James, N.Y.). DiCarli played three years at Haddam-Killingworth High School in Connecticut and will look to break into the pitching rotation. Alessi is a transfer from the University of Tampa, and a graduate of Smithtown West High School.
 
Head Coach Bill Gaffney and the Pioneers open up the season on Mar. 1, when they take on Southern Connecticut State in a doubleheader at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J. The first game of the twinbill is scheduled for a noon start.

2014 ECC Baseball Preseason Poll