Philadelphia, Pa. - (1/15/2016) – Establishing program records for overall wins (29) and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) wins (15), a special class of seniors made the 2015 Chestnut Hill College baseball campaign unforgettable. A year removed from the prolific pitching of Dominic Raia III '15, the consistency of Taylor Steen '15, the slick fielding of Preston Koehler '15, the shutdown stuff of Vincent Manzella '15, and clutch play of Michael McLaughlin '15, the Head Coach Robert Spratt and his Griffins approach the 2016 campaign with unrelenting excitement, "We are deeper, especially our pitching staff. We return most of our offensive production as well. This will allow us to accept the challenges presented to us by playing non-conference teams that are nationally and regionally ranked."
 
Chestnut Hill College's trademark aggressive base-running, consistent pitching, and a balanced lineup has made for a potent mixture, propelling the Griffins to two of the last three CACC Championships. In 2016, Coach Spratt plans to continue that winning recipe, "We are looking to out-hustle our opponents, concentrate on winning every pitch, and most importantly rely on each other and become a family!" Helping him create that family atmosphere and direct the Griffins on a championship path is a staff of dedicated alumni including dugout regulars D.J. Santoro '11 and Jesse Daywalt '12, and four coaching newcomers in Jack McGinley '12, Dan Morgan '12, Richard Cavazza '14, and McLaughlin. McLaughlin was a stellar right fielder whose arm intimidated countless CACC foes from trying to stretch singles into a doubles and doubles to the gap into run-scoring opportunities; doing so while providing an All-CACC Second Team senior season with a .353/.482/.388 (BA/SLG/OB) slash line. McGinley and Cavazza bring a combined six years of CACC relief pitching experience while over 29 appearances (14 starts, 85.1 innings pitched), Morgan contributed a 5-5 record and a save on a 3.48 earned-run-average (ERA), which ranks him fourth all-time.
 
Morgan, McGinley, and Cavazza take over a pitching staff that leads off with senior Zachary Crim (Horsham, Pa.), who tallied a 3-3 mark and a 3.71 earned run average (ERA), throwing five-hit shutouts against Nyack College (March 16, 2015) and Caldwell University (March 28, 2015). Behind Crim, Coach Spratt stacks sophomore Andrew Sibson (Galloway, N.J.), sophomore Patrick Kelley (Pipersville, Pa.), and a couple newcomers who will help eat innings as starters or reinforcements out of the bullpen in junior transfers Matthew Kress (Lansdale, Pa.), of St. Joseph's University, and Dylan Borawski (Hatfield, Pa.), of Northampton County Community College, and freshman Justin Harnett (Aberdeen, N.J.). Sibson offered a 6-1 rookie season that came on a 3.40 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 47.2 innings of work.
 
Additional pitching depth will be provided by senior Robert Andris (Oreland, Pa.), senior Casey Kern (Stony Point, N.Y.), junior Austin DiBonaventure (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), junior Joseph Monaghan (Doylestown, Pa.), junior transfer Ezra Bye (Teaneck, N.J.), sophomore Matthew Lyle (Baldwin, N.Y.), sophomore Ian Benz (Pennsburg, Pa.), sophomore Michael Borelli (Philadelphia, Pa.), and a crop of talented freshmen; Tim Casey (Ivyland, Pa.), Kyle Hasforth (Midlothian, Va.), Isaac Diaz (Freeport, N.Y.), Vincent Togno III (Sparta, N.J.), and Dan Venella (Runnemede, N.J.).
 
The bat of Brendan Looby (Sewell, N.J.) headlines the returning offense as the Griffins' senior outfielder looks to earn his fourth All-CACC laurel. Looby hit .273 (35-for-128) with a home run, eight doubles, 26 runs-batted-in (RBI), and 20 steals. He will be complimented in the middle of the Chestnut Hill College lineup by senior catcher Robert Slagle III (Lafayette Hill, Pa.), senior first baseman Patrick Campion (Norristown, Pa.), and Monaghan. Monaghan was a pleasant surprise in 2015, posting a .320/.466/.415 slash line while making 31 starts between the outfield and the Griffins' designated hitter position. Campion offered a breakout season with head-turning defense and a .313/.455/.405 slash line that produced 25 RBI while Slagle provided a team-high 13 extra-base hits (9 doubles, a triple, and three home runs) in addition to his steady work behind the plate.
 
At the top of the order, the Griffins' offer All-CACC Second Team selection, sophomore Alec Craig (Hammonton, N.J.). After moving to the lead-off role, the rookie second baseman instantly impacted the lineup, totaling a team-high 31 runs while stealing 11 (11-for-16, .688) bases and compiling a .983 fielding percentage. Other regulars include junior centerfielder Brandon DiBona (Southampton, Pa.), Kelley, and junior transfer Jonathan Baturgil (Freehold, N.J.), who has shown great athleticism and the ability to handle the bat. DiBona (29-for-99) and Kelley (17-for-58) both batted .293 while combining for 28 RBI and some strong outfield defense.
 
The Griffins also have plenty of bats that will contribute off the bench, including senior outfielder Dalton Cozart (Commerce Twp., Mich.), junior catcher Christopher Demey (Phoenixville, Pa.), junior outfielder Christopher Newman (Hammonton, N.J.), DiBonaventure, sophomore first baseman Matthew Owens (Cherry Hill, N.J.), sophomore corner infielder Kristian Hernandez (Hazlet, N.J.), and sophomore second baseman Demetrius Isaac (Philadelphia, Pa.). Freshman additions include catchers Eric Small (Downingtown, Pa.), Nick Altopedi (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), Jonathan Cintron (Easton, Pa.), and Eric Gilham (Deptford, N.J.), first basemen Ryan Pasquarello (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Patrick Togno, shortstops Zach Szumigala (Fairless Hills, Pa.) and Connor Milley (Mount Laurel, N.J.), third basemen Evan Grimes (Norristown, Pa.) and Dino Cattai (Philadelphia, Pa.), and outfielders Joseph Argentieri (Laurel Springs, N.J.), David McBrearty (Sicklerville, N.J.), and Gregory Avis (Franklinville, N.J.).
 
The Chestnut Hill College baseball team opens the 2016 campaign on Friday, February 26, when they travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the Northeast Challenge at The Ripken Experience.