The College of Staten Island men’s baseball squad is gearing up for the postseason, and the Dolphins will enter with plenty of fanfare, having garnered a total of 10 yearly citations from the City University of New York Athletic Conference. Headlining the accolades are Brian Russell, the CUNYAC’s Pitcher of the Year, Glenn Glennerster, the CUNYAC’s Rookie of the Year, and head coach Michael Mauro, who took home Coach of the Year honors. CSI’s Nick Delprete, Joseph Palmeri, Frank Smith, Frank Muzzio and Ryan Kennedy were all awarded with first-team all-star status, while Eli Rodriguez, Mike Fitzpatrick, and Jeff Manzi earned on to the second-team.
Russell’s Pitcher of the Year award is well-earned, as the sophomore tossed 45 innings this season, accumulating a 4-1 overall record with a miniscule 1.20 ERA, having fanned 42 batters next to just 12 walks and 23 hits. What’s most impressive is Russell’s starts have come against some of the region’s and nations top teams with starts and appearances against Stevens Institute, No. 1 SUNY-Cortland, and No. 4 Salisbury. Opponents are batting just .154 against him this season, and Russell leads the squad in complete games and saves, having allowed just six extra-base hits all season.
As impressive as Russell’s numbers are, the same holds true for rookie Glenn Glennerster, who has made 31 starts in his initial season with the team in 2015. Glennerster is batting a robust .433, complete with 28 RBI and 30 runs scored. He sports a CSI-best .615 slugging percentage and .492 on-base percentage. He has also walked 12 times and is a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases.
For Mauro, this is his fifth CUNYAC Coach of the Year crown. The Dolphins won the CUNYAC Regular Season Championship with a 7-1 overall mark, winning six-straight CUNYAC games to snare the title, earning the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament which begins on Thursday at CSI, when they host No. 4 CCNY to kick off the double-elimination tournament.
Junior Joe Palmeri, the CUNYAC Preseason Player of the Year will batted .310 this season for the Dolphins, placing second on the squad with 116 at bats and 10 doubles, leading the squad in sac flies with three. Sophomores Nick Delprete, Frank Smith and Ryan Kennedy also earned first-team honors. Delprete batted a healthy .370, with 32 runs scored and a team-leading six triples. He placed second on the squad with 11 stolen bags. Smith put up a .359 average, with 37 hits including eight doubles, posting second on the team with 15 walks. Hurler Kennedy posted a 3-2 record on the hill with a 3.43 ERA, fanning 19 batters in 39.1 innings of work. Freshman Frank Muzzio tidies up the first team, having batted .356, posting 9 extra-base hits , 15 walks, and three stolen bags.
Second-teamer Eli Rodriguez is another rookie who shined for the Dolphins. Rodriguez is batting .348, with 37 runs scored, 27 walks and 15 stolen bases, all team highs with a .486 on-base percentage. He also leads the Dolphins with five homeruns. Fitzpatrick, a junior, sported a 4-2 record this season with a 4.82 ERA in six starts and 9 appearances. HE’s pitched over 33 innings, logging 20 strikeouts. HE is joined by freshman Manzi, who in his CSI debut logged 33.2 innings, sporting a 4-0 campaign with a 4.01 ERA, fanning 26.
CSI’s 10 awards trumped all other teams. Lehman College’s Stephen Smith took home the CUNYAC Player of the Year award,
