DeCarli, Groeneveld Earn NCBWA Preseason All-East Praise
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Jan. 27, 2016) - On Wednesday, LIU Post junior pitcher
Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) and senior first baseman
David Groeneveld (Centereach, N.Y.) were named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-East Region First and Second Team, respectively.
DeCarli is coming off one of the finest single-season performances in LIU Post baseball history in 2015 and was showered with well-deserved recognition. Last offseason, he was tabbed an All-America Honorable Mention by both Daktronics and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and in May, the righty was selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-East Region Second Team.
In addition, the Higganum native was chosen to the 2015 Daktronics/Division II Conference Commissioners Association and NCBWA All-East Region First Team.
DeCarli, the reigning East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-ECC first-team honoree, was dominant on the hill for the green and gold in 2015. In 10 starts that spanned 71.0 innings, he put together a 6-1 record, to go along with a minuscule 0.76 earned-run average.
His ERA led the ECC and ranked third in Division II, while his win total was good for fourth in the conference. DeCarli was even better in ECC play, finishing with an unblemished 4-0 mark and a 0.79 ERA during the regular season. On the year, he added 60 strikeouts and held hitters to a stingy .148 batting average against. DeCarli also placed third in Division II with 4.44 hits allowed per nine innings and fourth with a 0.80 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).
Groeneveld was an NCBWA All-East Region Honorable Mention, following a breakout campaign in 2015. He finished second on the team in hitting with a .291 average and collected 30 hits, including eight doubles and one home run. In addition, he scored 10 runs and drove in 10 more.
Groeneveld's .393 on-base percentage was second-best on the team and his .421 slugging percentage was good enough for fourth on the squad. For his efforts during the Pioneers' final ECC series against Queens College, Groeneveld was named the league's player of the week. In four games, the first baseman hit .615, going 8-for-13 with two runs batted in and a run scored. He amassed 11 total bases and slugged at an .846 clip, as well.
In addition to the individual honors, the Pioneers received 11 votes in the NCBWA East Region Preseason Poll.
2016 NCBWA East Region Preseason Poll1. Franklin Pierce (Six First Place Votes) - 86 Points
2. Southern New Hampshire (Two First Place Votes) - 80 Points
3. Wilmington (Del.) (One First Place Vote) - 68 Points
4. St. Thomas Aquinas - 60 Points
5. Stonehill - 53 Points
6. Dowling - 42 Points
7. Chestnut Hill - 36 Points
T-8. Bridgeport - 13 Points
T-8. New Haven - 13 Points
T-8. Post - 13 Points
Others Receiving Votes: Pace,
LIU Post, Adelphi, Dominican, Merrimack