NCBWA PRESEASON EAST REGION RANKINGS
NCBWA PRESEASON ALL-EAST REGION TEAMS
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The LIU Post baseball team was selected as the No. 9 team in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason East Region Top-10, as announced by the organization Wednesday night. Seniors
James Varela,
Anthony Vaglica and
Dave Brehm were also named preseason all-region by the NCBWA.
The Pioneers earned 17 votes to check in at No. 9; Varela and Vaglica were Preseason All-East Region First Team honorees while Brehm was named to the second team. LIU Post was the only East Coast Conference (ECC) program with two first team selections and only school in the conference to have more than two individuals selected.
James Varela, Sr., P
Varela was a consensus All-America selection last season, claiming honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the NCBWA.
He was also named All-East Region First Team by all three organizations.
The 2018 ECC Pitcher of the Year and ECC All-Conference First Team honoree set program single-season records in victories (11) and strikeouts (116) last season along with posting an 11-1 record and seven complete games. He matched the program record with 13 starts and 101.1 innings pitched.
Anthony Vaglica, Sr., C
In 2018 Vaglica was named NCBWA All-East Region Honorable Mention and ECC All-Conference First Team. Appearing in 47 games with 46 starts, he finished on the team in homeruns (6) and RBIs (29). He finished with a batting average of .275 (46-171) and a total of 311 putouts with a .989 fielding percentage.
Dave Brehm, Sr., OF
Named to the All-East Region Second Team by both ABCA/Rawlings and the NCBWA, Brehm was also an ECC All-Conference First Team honoree in 2018. Starting all 48 games he appeared in, he led the Pioneers in hitting with a batting average of .364 (63-173) and finished third on the team in RBIs with 28. He had a .989 fielding percentage and 91 putouts.
LIU Post opens its season against the University of Tampa on Feb. 15-17 with a three-game series at the University of Tampa Baseball Field in Tampa, Florida.