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Somerset, NJ -- You can say Sacred Heart senior shortstop
Sam Mongelli (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro) is a Pioneer in more ways than one.
Mongelli earned distinction as the school’s first-ever NEC Baseball Player of the Year after he was awarded the league’s most prestigious honor on Tuesday in a vote by conference head coaches.
Junior southpaw
Dominic Niman (West Hartford, CT/Conard) became the first CCSU hurler to claim the NEC Pitcher of the Year honor in 20 years after leading the NEC in wins and ERA during the regular season.
Merrimack picked up its first-ever major NEC baseball award when freshman catcher
Frankie Ferrentino (East Longmeadow, MA/ Suffield Academy (CT)) claimed the NEC Rookie of the Year honor.
After guiding the Blue Devils to the NEC regular season title, veteran CCSU head coach
Charlie Hickey secured his fifth NEC Coach of the Year accolade to tie the league record.
These major awards, along with the All-NEC first and second teams, were announced on the eve of the 2023 NEC Baseball Championship, to take place at Heritage Financial Park in Wappingers Falls, NY.
Mongelli has produced one of the dominant seasons from the plate in recent NEC memory, ranking at or near the top of the conference in a host of significant offensive categories. The senior shortstop ranks first in home runs (20), runs scored (75), hits (87), slugging percentage (.760) and OPS (1.247). Additionally, Mongelli ranks second in batting average (.394) and on-base percentage (.487), fourth in RBIs (50), fifth in doubles (15) and sixth in triples (3). The three-time NEC Player of the Week put up a series of eye-opening performances to close out the regular season, swatting seven homers over his last four games. The Marlboro, NY native’s 20 home runs on the year established a new single-season program record, breaking a 42 year old mark, and tied the NEC single-year record established by the Mount’s Josh Vittek back in 2008. Mongelli joined Jay Monti (2005 NEC Pitcher of the Year) and Nick Leiningen (2011 NEC Rookie of the Year) as the third Pio to be honored as an NEC baseball major award winner.
Niman was the unquestioned ace for the NEC regular season champs. With a 10-2 mark, he leads the circuit in wins and his 2.98 ERA was also best in the conference. The lefty has pitched 81.2 innings on the year for the Blue Devils and ranks fifth in the league in opposing batting average (.243) and strikeouts (72). The two-time NEC Pitcher of the Week completed the regular season with an impressive 3.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.176 WHIP. Niman kicked off the season with seven straight wins and was dominant from the hill in NEC play, going 9-1 with a 2.41 ERA. The West Hartford, CT native became the third Blue Devil to claim the NEC Pitcher of the Year honor, joining Adam Poturnicki (1999) and Barry Hertzler (2003).
Ferrentino stepped in and filled a major role as Merrimack’s backstop in his rookie campaign for the Warriors. The East Longmeadow, MA product collected three NEC Rookie of the Week honors and led his squad with ten home runs, which ranks ninth in the conference. Merrimack’s first-ever baseball major award winner ranked second on the club with 100 total bases. He was also third on the Warriors in doubles (11), RBIs (35), slugging percentage (.515) and OPS (.900). Ferrentino hit .304 on the year and scored 29 runs. He was the lone freshman to earn All-NEC honors with his selection to the second team.
Now in his 24th season, Hickey matched Bryant’s Steve Owens with his record-tying fifth NEC Coach of the Year award following a magical regular season in New Britain. NEC baseball’s longest tenured coach led the Blue Devils to a 32-11 overall record and remarkable 25-5 mark in NEC action to claim their first NEC regular season title since 2006 and sixth overall. CCSU’s .833 win percentage against conference rivals tied for the fourth-highest single-season mark in league history. The Blue Devils will enter the NEC Championship as the top seed in pursuit of the program’s eighth tournament crown. Hickey has led CCSU to every one of its NEC six titles, including three over the last five years.
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
CCSU had a league-high six players make All-NEC teams followed by FDU with five honorees. Sacred Heart and Wagner placed four each on the two All-Conference teams. FDU landed an NEC-high four players on the first team.
Of the four repeat honorees on All-NEC teams, two came from CCSU and two from FDU.
FDU junior third baseman and now two-time first team honoree
Hunter D’Amato (Coral Springs, FL/American Heritage School) was joined by graduate outfielder
Tom Ruscitti (Bayville, NJ/Central Regional), who was a second teamer in 2022. D’Amato leads the NEC in batting average (.401), including a scorching .431 average in NEC play. He also ranks second in hits (79) and stolen bases (27), and third in RBIs (52), runs (55) and on-base percentage (.474). Ruscitti added to FDU’s potent lineup with 11 homers, 42 RBIs, 51 runs scored and a 1.045 OPS to rank in the NEC top-10 in each category.
CCSU junior closer
Luke Garofalo (Middlefield, CT/Bryant) earned NEC first team status for the second straight year after leading the NEC with 14 saves in 19 appearances during the regular season. The righty posted a 2.12 ERA, fanned 40 batters in 34 innings and registered a 0.824 WHIP. Junior southpaw
Jake Neuman (Southington, CT/Southington) returned to the NEC second team after being honored as a freshman back in the 2021 season. He heads into the postseason with a 6-1 record. Neuman was a perfect 5-0 against conference competition and improved his overall record to 13-3 in his three years in New Britain.
FDU sophomore first baseman
Luke Cantwell (Warrington, PA/Archbishop Wood) was the only underclassman bestowed with a first team honor. He is the current league leader in on-base percentage (.500) and ranks second in round trippers (14), slugging percentage (.734) and OPS (1.234). Additionally, his 50 RBIs is tied for fourth in the league.
FDU’s five all-conference award recipients marked the most in program history, as were its four first teamers.
CCSU has sported an All-NEC first team pick every year since 2016, the longest current streak in the conference.
Providing Sacred Heart with a terrific one-two punch at the plate, graduate outfielder
Justin Jordan (Darien, CT/Darien) joined Mongelli on the first team. He leads the league with six triples and ranks second with 58 runs. Jordan’s 76 hits is fourth on the loop and his .349 batting ranks seventh.
LIU had two players designated as first team honorees. Senior designated hitter
Carlton Harper (Canton, MI/Salem) ranks second on the Sharks in hitting (.335), third in runs (34) and RBIs (32), and is seventh in the NEC with a club-best 71 hits. Over 84.0 innings pitched, redshirt senior righthander
Alec Huertas (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom) has fanned the second most batters in the NEC (75) and posted six wins during the regular season.
After snagging the final NEC Tournament spot on the last day of the regular season, Maryland Eastern Shore landed a first teamer in its debut season. Graduate student outfielder
Brantley Cutler (Washington, NC/Southside) is tied for the league lead with 16 doubles. He also ranks in the top-ten in five other league categories, including batting average (.343), hits (69), RBIs (49), slugging percentage (.567) and OPS (.976).
Of Wagner’s four all-conference players, junior second baseman
Chris Conniff (Edmond, OK/Norco (St. John’s)) and senior catcher
David Melfi (Staten Island, NY/Jackson Liberty) were highlighted as first team honorees for the NEC regular season runner-up Seahawks. Conniff ranks third in the NEC with 39 walks and 77 hits, and is fourth in batting average (.363) and on-base percentage (.471). Melfi is hitting .361 and his 53 RBIs is tied for the conference lead. He displayed his power with 15 doubles, 11 homers, a .605 slugging percentage and 1.054 OPS to rate among the top-five in each category.
FDU’s
Rich Racobaldo (Turnersville, NJ/Washington Township (Rowan)) rounds out the first team honorees. The senior righty sits in the NEC top-ten in several pitching categories, including ERA (3.97), strikeouts (68) and wins (7).
Of note, NEC newcomer Delaware State picked up its first All-NEC honor when junior third baseman
Trey Paige (Reading, PA/Exeter Township) was named to the second team. Paige is tied for second in the league with 14 homers, and ranks third in batting (.372), slugging (.691) and OPS (1.159).
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.