Sparkill, N.Y. – On Friday, the East Coast Conference announced the results of its Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll, with St. Thomas Aquinas College picked to finish fifth in the league's standings.
The Spartans posted a 24-27 record (14-10 ECC) in 2024 and advanced to the ECC Tournament as the #4 seed. STAC will return 33 players from last year's squad, including; Peter DeVito (OF), C.J. Cumbo (IF), Chris Ewing (IF), Cole Lindquist (P), Nick Oelcher (IF), Joseph Scamardella (OF), Jeremiah Vega (P/IF), Jack Dwyer (IF), Isaac Pena (IF), Jake Halloran (P), John Dezago (P), Tyler Haydt (IF), Lorent Hoti (P), Braden Seeber (C), Ryan Appell (OF), David Potenza (OF), Brian Klumpp (OF), Kyle DeCresce (IF), Ryan Callaghan (P), Andrew Alameda (P), Anthony Holtje (P), Ben Moscatiello (OF), Alex Celeiro (OF), Sebastian LoCurto (P), Andrew Schoelles (P), Justin Klayman (IF), Patrick Cagney (C), Nolan Britt (P), Tom O'Neill (P), Robert Williams (P), Michael Zeis (C), Kyle Rogers (P) and Orin Winslow (P).
First year head coach John-Michael Guarino has added a mix of upperclassmen and freshman for the upcoming campaign. Ryan Hillery (RFr.|IF|West Sayville, N.Y.), Anthony Demarco (So.|C|New Paltz, N.Y.|Sullivan C.C.), Ricardo Gonzalez (RSo.|RHP|Bronx, N.Y.), Christian Varela (Fr.|RHP|Levittown, N.Y.), Trey Eckman (Fr.|RHP|Lancaster, Pa.), Freddy Flugger (RSo.|OF|Suffern, N.Y.), Charlie Cordisco (Fr.|OF|Levittown, Pa.), James Kahn (Fr.|RHP|Rockaway, N.J.), Ryan Krzemienski (Fr.|OF/RHP|Commack, N.Y.), Brandon Hauk (Fr.|IF/RHP|Kings Park, N.Y.), Brady Belfus (Fr.|IF|Deptford, N.J.), Nicholas Walker (RFr.|IF|Bellmore, N.Y.), Eliahs Delgado (Fr.|RHP|Queens, N.Y.), Joshua Ortiz (Fr.|IF|Centereach, N.Y.), Aidan Cardenas (Sr.|LHP|Norwood, N.J.|Mount Saint Vincent), Nickolas Berasti (Fr.|RHP|Westbury, N.Y.), Jaden Hernandez (RFr.|OF|Abington, Pa.), Dominick Coniglio (Fr.|C| Kings Park, N.Y.), Matthew Callaghan (Fr.|RHP|Kings Park, N.Y.) and James Garcia (RFr.|IF/RHP|Central Alabama C.C.) make up the new faces who will bring their skills and talents to Sparkill for the new season.
The biggest change to the STAC Baseball program will be in the dugout with the hiring of John-Michael Guarino as skipper. Guarino joined the Spartans' staff in 2022 after spending the previous three years (2019-2021) as Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Manhattanville College. He began his career with the Monroe College Express as an Assistant Coach during the program’s inaugural season in 2018.
As the Pitching Coach for STAC, several pitchers have received ECC and East Region award honors. Most recently in 2024, John Archer and Andrew Alameda received Second Team All-ECC honors.
St. Thomas Aquinas will battle defending ECC Champs Molloy University, along with D'Youville University, Queens College, Mercy University and the College of Staten Island for the right to be called ECC Baseball Champion. The teams will play each other in a four-game series during the regular season.
St. Thomas Aquinas College opens its 2025 season in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday, February 21 against Bentley University. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
2025 ECC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Molloy - 35 points (5 first-place votes)
2. D’Youville - 31 points (1 first-place vote)
3. Queens - 23 points
4. Mercy - 16 points
5. St. Thomas Aquinas - 15 points
6. Staten Island - 6 points
2025 ECC Preseason Player of the Year
Alec Boucher, Sr., INF, D’Youville
2025 ECC Preseason Co-Pitchers of the Year
Chris AuClair, Sr., LHP, D’Youville and Ryan Hynes, Gr., LHP, Molloy