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| Steve Macias' Mount Saint Vincent Baseball team was selected to finish fourth in the Skyline Conference Preseason Poll released on Wednesday. |
Farmingdale State led the poll with 63 points, including seven first place nods. Old Westbury has been picked second with 54 points, while St. Joseph’s (LI) was selected third with 52 points and one first place vote. In fourth are the Dolphins with 43 points and they are followed by Mount Saint Mary with 36 points and Purchase with 28. Rounding out the field are Polytechnic and Maritime each with 20 points and Yeshiva with eight.
In 2008, Macias’ second as the head coach, the Mount will return six players who hit at least .300. In 11 games last season, Eddie Park (East Meadow, NY) hit .395 and scored 10 runs. Nick Triolo (Homer, NY) saw action in 20 games last season and hit .373 with a double, a home run and 12 RBI. Joe Blackford (Stewartsville, NJ) was second on the team in starts with 26 and hit .337 and led the team in hits with 30.
On the mound, the Dolphins return Ryan Strub (Bohemia, NY) and Jon O’Leary (Bohemia, NY) who led the team in innings pitched with 46.1 and 43.2, respectively. Also back is Anthony Palandro (Westbury, NY) who went 4-1 last season with a 2.94 earned run average in 33.2 innings of work. Palandro also led the team in strikeouts with 30.
Mount Saint Vincent opened the 2008 season on March 1 with a doubleheader against Mercy at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, NY. The Dolphins split the twinbill, dropping the first game 9-2 before rebounding for a 4-1 win in game two. Up next for the Mount is Penn St. Behrend in Fort Pierce, FL on March 15. The Dolphins will play six games in five days on their southern trip.
Skyline Conference Preseason Baseball
Poll
1. Farmingdale St. 63 (7)
2. Old Westbury 54
3. St. Joseph’s (LI) 52 (1)
4. Mount Saint Vincent 43
5.
Mount Saint Mary 36
6. Purchase 28
7t. Polytechnic 20
7t. Polytechnic 20
9. Yeshiva 8
