The Maritime College baseball team is coming off a strong 2019 season, in which they won 22 games. The 22-18 overall record, as well as its 11-7 record in conference play, was good enough for a fourth place finish in the Skyline Conference and an appearance in the Skyline Conference Tournament, where the Privateers knocked off #5 St. Joseph's (LI) in thrilling fashion, before eventually falling to #1 Farmingdale, and #3 Old Westbury.
In 2020, the Privateers and head coach Charlie Barbieri will aim for the program's fifth straight 20 win season and its first Skyline Conference championship since 2017.
Maritime brings a roster of 30 players into the 2020 season, which includes six freshmen, and nine seniors.
The Privateers squad will be led by a group of five seniors which include infielder Antonio Diaz (Freeport, NY/Freeport), pitcher Matt Paghidas (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place), and infielder Phil Russo (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By The Sea).
"We're looking to grow off of last year, especially since we have mostly the same roster coming back, and we didn't lose too many guys," said Russo. "Nearly everyone has some experience now, and will be looking to improve on our consistency. We're hoping to play our best baseball late in the year."
The Privateers will also return three 2019 All-Conference selections. The group of honorees include junior out fielder Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, NY/Poly Prep), and sophomore catcher Ryan Rockhill (Eastchester, NY/Tuckahoe), who both were named to First-Team All-Skyline, as well as junior infielder Matt Eng (Brooklyn, NY/Midwood), who picked up a Second-Team nod.
During the 2019 campaign, Zurita had a .310 batting average and he led the team with 45 hits, 13 doubles, 34 RBIs and in home runs with six. In the Skyline Conference, he had the most home runs and finished in the top 15 for: slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, runs batted in, doubles, and walks.
In his first season for the Privateers, Rockhill finished the season with a .294 batting average and 14 RBIs. He proved to be a clutch bat for the program, highlighted by his two-run homer against Mount Saint Vincent in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, as well as his home run in the first-round playoff game against St. Joseph's (LI). Behind the plate, Rockhill was active defensively, as he finished top eight in the conference in putouts, caught stealing, and total chances.
In 2019, Eng had a stellar season out of the leadoff spot for Maritime. He finished with a team-high .371 batting average, and a team-high 30 runs scored. He also set the single-season program record for stolen bases, as he swiped 33. Among Skyline Conference players, Eng led all with stolen bases and finished top 11 in: batting average, on-base percentage, and runs scored.
The Privateers return 11 pitchers who saw at least one appearance last season, including Niko Concha (Ballston Spa, NY/Saratoga), Travis Bruinsma (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetqot), and Ryan Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac), who combined for 120.1 innings in 2019.
"As long as everyone has the same mentality of keep getting better, and I know we all do, we're going to be looking good for this year," said Paghidas. "This is one of the best staffs I've seen here in my four years, and we have an opportunity to show a lot of people what we're capable of, and take the conference by surprise."
Maritime is scheduled to open its season with a pair of games versus SUNY Plattsburgh on Sunday, March 1 at 11:00 a.m. at Reinhart Baseball Field.
"I think we're really ready for opening day, especially because we've been spending more time on the field refining our technique," said Diaz. "The newcomers are starting to mesh well, and we all share the goal of winning the conference championship. We got it my freshman year, and it was a great feeling, and we want to get back to that feeling, and get back to the Division III tournament."
The team will head to Florida for five games in four days beginning on March 4.
Skyline Conference play opens at home versus Yeshiva on Sunday, March 15. The Privateers will close the 2020 regular season as they face off in Skyline Conference action against Purchase on Sunday, April 26 with the the 2020 Skyline Conference Tournament will begin on Wednesday, April 29.
