Maritime has done it! They are the 2017 Skyline Conference Champs ! pic.twitter.com/XBjx81XtXs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2017
The SUNY Maritime Privateers are fresh off a Skyline Conference championship and are aiming to repeat themselves in 2018.
Going into the 2017 Skyline Conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, the Privateers went on to score 43 runs in three games en route to a Skyline title.
“The moment was never too big for them,” said Head Coach Charlie Barbieri. “We had a lot of tough outs in our lineup.”
Entering his fourth season at SUNY Maritime, Barbieri earned the Axcess Baseball 2017 Coach of the Year Award after leading the Privateers to a program-record 26 wins in 2017.
The Privateers lost star first baseman Brian McLaughlin, who earned ABCA All-American Second Team, ECAC Metro Player of the Year and the ABCA New York Player of the Year, to graduation. McLaughlin hit .450 with nine home runs last season which contributed to being the first All-American baseball player in program history.
“He was a quiet leader. He wasn’t a rah-rah guy,” said Barbieri. “He was the lead-by-example guy. guys just saw how hard he worked and the results showed…He was the leader of the rise of our program. We can’t replace a guy like him. ”
As a team, the Privateers hit .328 with 37 home runs and also had a .411 on-base percentage. Even with the loss that McLaughlin is to this program, coach Barbieri expects big things from his lineup.
“I actually think one through nine our lineup will be better this year,” said Barbieri. “Our offense is more multi-dimensional. Last year we were extra-base hits and power. I think this year we added the element of speed.”
Of the four senior captains named on the team, position players Chris Deddo, Stephen Semler, and Aaron Schiavoni are returning to the starting lineup.
Second baseman Chris Deddo started all 39 games last season earning a .397 average with seven home runs and 40 RBI. Deddo also led the team with 27 walks and a .497 on-base percentage. Deddo earned ABCA All-New York Second Team and All-Skyline Second Team honors last season in addition to being named the 2017 Skyline Conference Championship’s Most Outstanding Player.
Listed as a catcher, Semler started 34 games as the designated hitter in 2017. His .402 batting average was second on the team behind McLaughlin, while tallying six home runs and 43 RBI. Semler’s three triples led the team in 2017. Semler earned ABCA All New York First Team and another All-Skyline First Team honors for last season.
Primary catcher Aaron Schiavoni started 34 games behind the plate for the Privateers. He hit .295 with three home runs and 11 rbi. Schiavoni also had a .990 fielding percentage with 162 put-outs.
Though not named a captain this season, junior Matt Costleigh will man shortstop after earning All-Skyline Second Team last season. Costleigh stole a team-high 15 bases while also notching a .375 batting average in 2017.
The rotation will feature two familiar names at the top in 2018, with the ace of the staff being the fourth captain in Anthony D’Ancona. D’Ancona recorded a 5-2 record with a team-high 64 innings and 43 strikeouts. D’Ancona pitched a complete game in the conference championship game allowing only two unearned runs in 105 pitches. “He’s another guy who’s going to have a coming out party,” said Barbieri.
The other top-of-the-rotation piece will be sophomore Travis Bruinsma. “He’s been a game-changer for us on the mound,” said Barbieri. Bruinsma put up a single-season program-record eight wins and was second on the team with 42 strikeouts. His 2017 campaign earned him All-Skyline First Team and ECAC Metro Rookie of the Year honors. Bruinsma pitched in the Northwoods League this past summer.
“Having those two guys [D’Ancona and Bruinsma] at the top are really important,” said Barbieri. “They’re two horses at the top of our rotation.”
Coach Barbieri also likes what he sees in freshman left-handed pitcher Dylan Clausen as a potential part of the starting rotation. “We expect big things out of him. He had a really good fall for us. He pitched really well against Hofstra. He’ll have an opportunity to pitch big innings this year,” said Barbieri.
Two other guys Barbieri will count on pitching innings are Matt Paghidas and Matt Buckshaw. Pighidas appeared in 11 games striking out 22 batters while Buckshaw struck out 21 hitters in 14 innings last season.
Maritime starts their season Sunday, February 18 against Oneonta in a double header starting at 12:30pm at Baseball Heaven. They’ll travel down to Fort Pierce, Florida from March 7-10 playing three games at Lawnwood Sports Complex. The first Skyline matchup for the Privateers is against Yeshiva on March 16 for a DH starting at 9:30am.
“These guys work hard. They’re really motivated to get back to the regionals and win the conference,” said Barbieri.
“We have a ton of experience. These guys are battle tested. They know what they need to do. Competitively, we’re as good as anyone in the conference.”
