Bridgeport Baseball Tabbed Number Four In 2022 Preseason ECC Coaches Poll

West Babylon, N.Y. – On the heels of the best season in program history, Molloy received seven of eight first place votes in the coaches preseason poll to claim the top spot in the East Coast Conference baseball preseason poll. The Lions had two of their standouts honored with the conference's preseason awards as well, with Matt Overton (Smithtown, N.Y.) named the Preseason Player of the Year and Charlie Cucchiara (East Meadow, N.Y.) earning the Preseason Pitcher of the Year accolade.  

In 2021, the Lions finished 25-11, broke a 19-season drought without an ECC title, and advanced to the final of the NCAA East Region Championship. Molloy, who starts the season ranked No. 22 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Preseason Poll, has much of their roster back with seven starting position players, one starting pitcher, and nearly their entire bullpen corps returning. Among the key returnees are six All-Conference selections in Thomas Brady, Jake McCarthy, David Franchi, Peter Theodorellis, Cucchiara, and Overton.

Overton earns the Preseason Player of the Year award after a strong 2021 campaign. The former ECC Rookie of the Year ranked in the top-five in the league with a .367 batting average, 47 hits, 65 total bases, three triples, and 23 walks. He also led the conference with 38 runs batted in. His outstanding season earned him the second All-Conference honor of his career (and first First Team selection) and a spot on both the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and NCBWA All-Region teams.

Cucchiara was lights out on the mound for Molloy in 2021. In 10 appearances and seven starts, he compiled a 5-2 record with a 1.80 earned run average and 44 strikeouts in 55.0 innings pitched. He paced the ECC with six complete games and two shutouts, while his wins and ERA totals ranked in the top-three in the conference. Cucchiara was clutch for the Lions in their postseason run, as well, earning the Most Outstanding Player honor at the ECC Championship after tossing a complete game in the deciding 2-1 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. He followed that performance with another complete-game effort with eight strikeouts in a 3-2 win over Goldey-Beacom in the NCAA Championship. Cucchiara's standout effort earned him a spot on the All-Conference First Team and consensus All-Region Second Team (ABCA, NCBWA, D2CCA) accolades.

St. Thomas Aquinas received the final first place vote and finished with 57 points to finish as the runner-up in the poll. The Spartans won the ECC Regular Season Championship in 2021 and also advanced to the NCAA Championship for the seventh time in eight seasons.

Mercy is next at No. 3. Last season, the Mavericks qualified for their first ECC Championship since 2010 before having to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19.

Bridgeport narrowly outpaced Queens, 39-36, for the No. 4 spot. The two teams tied for the final spot in the ECC Championship last season, but Queens advanced to postseason play due to winning the series matchup between the two.

The poll rounds out with Staten Island at No. 6, followed by No. 7 Lincoln, and No. 8 D'Youville. After their first taste of ECC competition last season, both Staten Island and D'Youville remain ineligible to compete in the ECC Championship as they complete the NCAA Division II membership process.

2022 ECC Baseball Preseason Poll

( ) - first place votes

Preseason Player of the Year: Matt Overton, Gr., OF, Molloy
Preseason Pitcher of the Year: Charlie Cucchiara, Jr., Molloy