The St. Thomas Aquinas College baseball team amassed a school-record 34 wins and took the East Coast Conference regular season title a year ago, but are looking for even more as the 2013 campaign gets underway.
One year ago, STAC strutted its new home digs at Provident Bank Park and bolted to an 18-6 conference record, good for first place in the ECC standings. They were rewarded with a sweep of the post-season individual accolades, with Frank Salerno being named Player-of-the-Year, Matt Marotta taking home Pitcher, Stanley Susana earning Rookie, and Scott Muscat grabbing Coach-of-the-Year honors.
St. Thomas Aquinas was among the top-ranked teams in the East Region in every poll, but their season came to an unsatisfying end as a pair of losses in the ECC Tournament brought their campaign to an earlier-than-hoped close.
One year later, with much of the team's core intact, the Spartans will look to finish what they started a year ago. Anchoring the returning group is Salerno, who was recently named the Preseason-Player-of-the-Year by the ECC coaches. All-Conference and All-Region catcher Mike Russo join Susana, join Nick Barbalato, Efrain Bautista in an impressing group of returning starters, with Eric Cooper and closer Joe DePool back on the hill.
Added to a strong group of newcomers, the Spartans have already been identified as one of the teams to beat this season. ECC coaches placed them in a narrow second place behind defending champ Dowling College in the pre-season Coaches' poll, and the National College Baseball Writers' Association tapped STAC for the #7 slot in their pre-season poll.
Scott Muscat will be returning to the help with able assistance from Jon Garvey and Manny DelRosario. Marotta, who graduated after last season, will now slide into the coaches' role where he will be joined by newcomer Justin Karn.
Once again this season, the Spartans will return to Provident Bank Park in Pomona, NY - the home of the minor league Rockland Boulders - where they are scheduled to play all 26 of their home contests.