Northeast Conference Announces Baseball All-Conference Honorees; Spizzoucco Named Top Rookie
Seven members of the Central Connecticut baseball earned All-Northeast Conference recognition it was announced by the league office on Wednesday on the eve of the conference championship. Freshman Vincent Spizzoucco was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, marking the second straight season the Blue Devils had the league's top rookie.
Juniors Dan Covino and Noah Martinez and sophomores Luke Garofalo and Anthony Mozzicato were named to the All-NEC First Team. Senior Sam Loda and sophomore Hunter Pasqualini joined Spzzoucco on the Second Team.
The conference championship begins on Thursday, May 26, and third-seeded CCSU will open play against second-seeded Bryant at 4:00 p.m. following the matchup of top-seeded LIU and fourth-seeded FDU.
Spizzuocco moved into the CCSU rotation midway through the campaign as a rookie and would make seven starts. He went 6-2 with three saves and a 3.44 ERA in 12 appearances. He earned NEC Rookie of the Week on four occasions and was named Pitcher of the Week on April 19. He ranked third on the circuit in wins, fifth in ERA (3.44) and sixth in strikeouts (54). The southpaw also earned a spot on the All-NEC Second Team.
Martinez was a Second Team All-NEC choice in 2021 and responded by leading the league in homeruns (14) and RBIs (59). He ranks fifth nationally driving in 1.40 runs per game and has posted a .305 batting average and .611 slugging percentage. After hitting two homers on the opening weekend of the year he was named NEC Player of the Week on March 8. His homerun total is the most at Central since Pat Epps hit 18 homeruns in 2010.
Covino was also a Second Team All-NEC pick as a sophomore and started 43 contests while hitting third in the Blue Devils' lineup for the majority of the campaign. He led the league with 18 doubles and was second with 53 RBIs, while ranking sixth with a .337 batting average. Covino also hit eight homeruns, while posting a .586 slugging percentage and a .453 on-base percentage. He compiled 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games.
Mozzicato settled in as CCSU's Sunday starter this season and made 12 starts. He ranked second on the team with 64.1 innings pitched and went 7-3 with a 2.94 ERA. He ranked second in the league in both categories and was third in the league, holding opposing hitters to a .247 batting average. He allowed more than three earned runs in a start just once.
Garofalo helped anchor the back end of the Blue Devils' bullpen, and ranked fifth in the league with three saves. He tossed 37.0 innings across 17 appearances and went 4-1 with a 1.46 ERA. He ranked ninth in the league with 50 strikeouts and limited opposing hitters to a .177 average. From March 17-April 14 he posted seven straight scoreless outings spanning 14.0 innings.
Pasqualini earned Second Team recognition after a campaign that saw him rank fourth in the circuit with a .342 average. He was also second in runs scored (50) and fifth in hits (65). He posted a .435 on-base percentage had three triples, four homeruns and was 8-of-10 on stolen bases, while posting a .992 fielding percentage as one of the league's top centerfielders.
Loda ranked among the league's top hitters while batting a career-best .306. He was second on the team with a .440 on-base percentage and scored 35 runs, while knocking four homeruns and driving in 27 runs. He helped the Blue Devils post a league-best 4.42 ERA. Loda was also on the Buster Posey Award Watch List this season.
The Blue Devils are making their 18th appearance in the NEC Championship and are two-time defending champions having won the 2019 and 2021 championships. CCSU has won seven conference crowns in total. Central has gone 28-16 overall this season and posted a 17-10 mark in NEC play.
2022 NEC All-Conference Honors
Player of the Year – Matt Woods, Bryant
Pitcher of the Year – Joshua Loeschorn, LIU
Rookie of the Year – Vincent Spizzoucco, CCSU
Coach of the Year – Dan Pirillo, LIU
2022 All-Northeast Conference Baseball First Team
1B - Noah Martinez, CCSU
2B - Dan Covino, CCSU
3B - Hunter D'Amato, FDU
SS - Alex Haba, Merrimack
OF - Michael Edelman, LIU
OF - Dante Faicchio, Wagner
OF - Matt Woods, Bryant
C - George Rosales, FDU
DH - Alex Lane, Bryant
SP - Joshua Loeschorn, LIU
SP - Collin Lowe, Bryant
SP - Anthony Mozzicato, CCSU
RP - Luke Garofalo, CCSU
2022 All-Northeast Conference Baseball Second Team
1B - Carmine Petosa, Bryant
2B - Jake Gustin, Bryant
3B - Christopher Wasson, LIU
SS - EJ Exposito, LIU
OF - Justin Jordan, Sacred Heart
OF - Hunter Pasqualini, CCSU
OF - Tom Ruscitti, FDU
C - Sam Loda, CCSU
DH - Aiden Tierney, Mount St. Mary's
SP - Vincent Spizzoucco, CCSU
SP - Joey Kosowsky, FDU
SP - Frankie Wright, Wagner
RP - Nick DeSalvo, LIU
