PITMAN—After earning an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional for the program’s 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Kean University was selected as the 2017 preseason baseball favorite in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Cougars, who finished their 2016 campaign with an overall record of 30-18, will be seeking their seventh conference crown since 2002.

Kean was selected to finish first on 3-of-the-10 ballots cast by the league head coaches. The 2016 Cougars won the NJAC regular season championship with a league-best 13-5 record in conference play. Led by the 2016 NJAC Coach of the Year in Neil Ioviero, Kean has produced an overall record of 616-239-2 during his 19 seasons in Union. The defending NJAC regular season champion Cougars return three all-conference performers from their 2016 NCAA Tournament squad, including junior first baseman Matt Krupa, senior pitcher Richie Ferguson, and sophomore catcher Brian Cole.

Ramapo College, which claimed its third NJAC Championship in program history but its first since 1988 by going 4-1 in the 2016 NJAC Tournament, was selected to finish second. The Roadrunners received a league-high four first-place votes after winning the 2016 NJAC title while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Ramapo finished third in the 2016 NJAC regular season race with an 11-7 mark in league play en route to a 35-12-1 overall record.  Now in his 17th-year at the helm of the program, Rich Martin has guided the Roadrunners to a mark of 403-265-4, while his overall career collegiate coaching record stands at 647-474-4. Ramapo returns one all-conference player from its 2016 NJAC championship squad in junior first baseman Connor Walsh.

Rowan University, which finished 24-18 overall in 2016, was selected to place third, but received two first-place votes and was also tapped by the league coaches as the conference dark horse. The 2016 Profs placed fourth in the NJAC regular season race with an 11-7 mark in conference play. Third-year head coach Mike Dickinson has guided the Profs to an overall mark of 49-32 during his first two seasons. The Profs return a trio of all-league performers from their 2016 squad, including senior shortstop Matt Jolly, sophomore third baseman Dillon Mendel, and sophomore pitcher Eric Shugars. 

The College of New Jersey, which earned an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Mideast Regional en route to a 32-12 overall record, was selected to finish fourth and received one first-place vote. The 2016 Lions finished as the league regular season runner-up with a 12-6 mark in conference play. Led by 10th-year head coach Dean Glus, TCNJ has produced an overall record of 215-151-1 under his leadership. The Lions return a pair of all-conference players from their 2016 NCAA Tournament squad in junior third baseman Patrick Anderson and the 2016 NJAC Co-Pitcher of the Year, junior Brandon Zachary.

Rutgers University-Camden, which finished 23-14 overall in 2016, was selected to place fifth. The 2016 Scarlet Raptors posted a 9-9 record in NJAC play, finishing seventh via tiebreaker. Fifth-year head coach Dennis Barth has guided Rutgers-Camden to a 103-63-1 overall record during his first four seasons. The Scarlet Raptors return a pair of all-league performers from their 2016 squad in senior outfielder Doug Carter Jr. and the 2016 NJAC Rookie of the Year, sophomore shortstop Chris Jones.

Montclair State University, which advanced to the championship game of the 2016 NJAC Tournament en route to a 23-20 overall record, was selected to finish sixth. The 2016 Red Hawks placed fifth in the NJAC regular season race with a 10-8 mark in conference play. Fourth-year head coach Jared Holowaty has guided MSU to an overall record of 62-56 during his tenure. Montclair State returns a pair of all-conference players from its 2016 NJAC Tournament runner-up squad in senior outfielder Ryan Long and the reigning NJAC Fireman of the Year, junior pitcher Taylor Parsons.

William Paterson University, which posted a 21-20 overall record in 2016, was selected to place seventh. The 2016 Pioneers finished 9-9 in league play to garner sixth place in the regular season race. Now in his 10th season at the helm of his alma mater, Mike Lauterhahn has guided the Pioneers to an overall mark of 194-155-3. WPU returns a pair of all-conference performers from the 2016 season in senior catcher Mike Knauf and senior outfielder Mike Abate.

Rutgers University-Newark, led by 16th-year head coach Mark Rizzi, was selected to place eighth. The 2016 Scarlet Raiders finished 15-24 overall, giving Rizzi 258 total victories during his tenure in Newark. The Scarlet Raiders return one all-conference player from the 2016 season in junior first baseman Ross Halkias.

Stockton University, which finished 10-23 overall in 2016, was selected to place ninth. Third-year head coach Scott Baker has guided the Ospreys to 26 victories in his first two seasons in Galloway, giving Baker 192 wins on the collegiate level. 

New Jersey City University, led by sixth-year head coach Jerry Smith, was selected to place 10th. The 2016 Gothic Knights finished 15-23 overall, giving Smith 75 victories during his tenure in Jersey City. NJCU returns one all-conference player from the 2016 season in senior outfielder Nick Ruscingno.

The 60th season of NJAC baseball will get underway on Friday, February 17 with both Kean and Rutgers-Newark competing in non-conference contests. 

NJAC conference play will begin on Saturday, April 1 with all 10 league teams in doubleheader action. The 2017 league schedule will again feature a format in which all 10 league teams will play single games every Thursday and Friday and doubleheaders every Saturday during the conference season. The 18-game league schedule also features teams facing the same opponent on Thursday and Friday at alternating sites.

The top six conference regular season finishers will advance to the double-elimination 2017 NJAC Championship Tournament which will once again feature a slightly modified format.

First round games will be hosted by higher seeds at campus sites on Tuesday, May 2. All six participating teams will then travel to Kean University’s Jim Hynes Stadium for the remainder of the conference tournament which will be played on Friday, May 5, Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7.

The winner of the 2017 NJAC Tournament receives the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
 

2017 Baseball

Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Kean (3)

2. Ramapo (4)

3. Rowan (2) (dark horse)

4. The College of New Jersey (1)

5. Rutgers-Camden

6. Montclair State

7. William Paterson

8. Rutgers-Newark

9. Stockton

10. New Jersey City

First Place Votes In Parentheses