Felician Baseball Enters East Region Top 10: Recognizing Excellence on the Diamond!

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Felician University is ranked No. 10 in the current National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II East Region Poll, according to balloting released today. Felician (22-16), which has won 17 of its last 20 games, enters the regional top 10 for the first time this season.

The Golden Falcons own a won-lost record of 20-13 against regional opponents. Felician has played 14 games against the rest of the regional top 10, and is 4-10 in those contests.

Felician is the only Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) member to be ranked this week. Chestnut Hill College (17-16) received votes. The Golden Falcons, the first-place team in the CACC, meet the Griffins, who are in a tie for third place, in a conference doubleheader on Apr. 24 in Norristown, Pa.

Felician is batting .296 as a team, led by a .353 clip from junior outfielder Andrew LaMura (Brick, N.J./Red Bank Catholic). LaMura is among league leaders with 34 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. Sophomore outfielder Matt Diesel (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) hits .348 with three home runs, 32 runs, and 32 RBI, and sophomore first-baseman/pitcher Jason Polgano (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) is a two-way threat (.348, 3 HR, 23 RBI; 4-1, 2.66 ERA, 34 SO).

Junior right-hander Matt Blandino (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) paces the Golden Falcon pitching staff with a 6-2 record, an earned-run average of 2.28, and a CACC-high 68 strikeouts.

The NCBWA D-II East voting panel is comprised of nine regional sports information directors, three each from the CACC, East Coast Conference, and Northeast-10 Conference. There are 33 baseball-playing schools in the region.

Felician, guided by 13^th-year head coach Chris Langan of Hazlet, is 11-3 in CACC play heading into Wednesday’s non-conference game at Adelphi University.

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Division II East Region Poll
April 18, 2016

1. Southern New Hampshire 31-3
2. Franklin Pierce 31-4
3. St. Thomas Aquinas 23-9
4. Molloy 22-11
5. Le Moyne 20-11
6. Pace 20-15
7. Bridgeport 17-12-1
8. Merrimack 22-11
9. Stonehill 18-13
10. Felician 22-16
Others receiving votes: Adelphi (17-17), Chestnut Hill (17-16)