THE LEAD
The New Haven baseball team will make its 2022 debut, returning to the diamond for the first time since May 13, 2021, when they fell short to the #2 seed Le Moyne Dolphins, 3-5, in the NE10 Southwest Division Semifinals. The Chargers will open the weekend in Myrtle Beach with a double-header against the Wilmington Wildcats on Friday before taking on the Chestnut Hill Griffins and the Post Eagles for one game each on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. First pitch for the double-dip is scheduled for 4:30 P.M at the Cal Ripken Experience with first pitch of game two slated for 7:30 P.M.

SERIES HISTORY VS WILMINGTON
The Chargers hold a slight edge over the Wilmington Wildcats in what has been a relatively young series as they will meet for only the eighth time. The first meeting between the two squads came during the 2008 campaign with New Haven taking a 5-2 road victory on March 20. They last met during the 2019 season when the Wildcats handed the Chargers an opening day loss in Myrtle Beach, by the score of 5-7, on Feb. 22. Click here to check out the box score for their latest game!

SERIES HISTORY VS CHESTNUT HILL 
New Haven and Chestnut Hill will meet on the diamond this Saturday for just the second time in series history. The Chargers trail in the series, dropping their only matchup with the Griffins on Feb. 26, 2016 in Myrtle Beach in a 2-10 loss. Click here to check out the box score for that game!

SERIES HISTORY VS POST
In a series that dates back to the 90's, New Haven and Post will compete for the 34th time with the Blue and Gold holding a 27-5 record in the series. The first meeting between the two programs came on May 7, 1994 with New Haven taking a dominant 12-0 win. In their most recent meetings, the Chargers have won their past five games over the Eagles with the latest being a pair of shutout wins in a double-header on March 14, 2018. Click here to check out the box score of their latest meeting!

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS:  News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
In a season effected by COVID related postponements and cancellations, the Chargers finished with a 9-10 overall record which included an 8-7 mark in NE10 conference action. New Haven has a lot to look forward to this season as senior pitcher Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) and junior outfielder Robert Taylor (Wolcott, Conn./The Gunnery) earned Preseason All-Region distinction as presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The reigning NE10 Southwest Division Pitcher of the Year, Eletto earned a spot as one of three starting pitchers on the East Region First Team, while Eletto was one of three outfielders to earn East Region Second Team accolades. Eletto, who was also an NE10 First Team selection last season, is the second New Haven pitcher to earn Pitcher of the Year merit which came after leading the Chargers with a 1.33 earned run average and a pair of victories, while the Chargers finished 4-1 overall in his five starts. The right hander surrendered just three earned runs and one extra base hit over 20 innings of work and finished with an 18-2 strikeout to walk ration as his 1.33 ERA placed first in the conference.

Taylor, also an NE10 First Team selection following the 2021 season, hit safely in 11 of the 16 games he played in finishing second on the team with a .339 batting average. Overall, he led the team in RBIs (12), doubles (7) and slugging percentage (.607), while he was also second in home runs (2) and total bases (34). Among his highlights last season was a four-game stretch where he collected nine hits, including a pair of three-game outings against Southern Connecticut and American International.

New Haven, who was picked to finish third in the NE10's Southwest Division according to a poll of head coaches, came up just short of their ultimate goal as they defeated Pace in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to #2 seed Le Moyne in the divisional semifinal.

Other Chargers to keep an eye on are INF Noah Budzik (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell), who led the team in hits last year with 23 on a conference 15th-best .345 batting average, as well as 1B/OF Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park), the team leader in homeruns (4) while batting in 12 runs after hitting .328 on the season. Budzik also drew 11 walks last season as he ended the campaign with a .449 on-base percentage.

Bolstering the pitching staff is senior RHP Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), who totaled a 5.96 ERA and 1.46 WHIP to go with 12 strikeouts through six starts during the 2021 season. Senior RHP Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) led the team in innings pitched the prior year (26.1) while punching out 19 batters across seven appearances on the mound, four of which were starts. 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Friday, Feb. 25 | 4:30-7:30 P.M.

Wilmington started hot last season, racking up a 9-1 record through their first ten games before finishing with a 16-10 record (16-9 in the CACC). Despite not being ranked on the NCBWA East Regional Preseason Poll, the Wildcats received votes with nine points. Wilmington's offense is led by Quintin Ivy, who ranked 4th in the CACC in homeruns (8), fifth in steals (14) and seventh in batting average (.398). Ivy also plated 36 runners during the campaign while holding a slugging percent of .807. Senior RHP Ryan Sandberg was a threat on the mound for the Wilcats, posting a 4-1 record and a 2.70 ERA across six starts while tallying 29 strikeouts. Junior Rich Albrecht appeared in seven games as a closer while pitching seven innings and recording five saves, first in the conference, to help secure the No. 3 seed for the south division in the 2021 CACC Tournament with a save against Dominican on May 6. The Wilcats fell to #2 seed Jefferson in the 2021 CACC Quarterfinals by the score of 4-1.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Saturday, Feb. 26 | TBD

The Griffins also received votes on the NCBWA East Regional Preseason Poll with two points after finishing last season with a 19-14 record (13-9 in conference). Chestnut Hill enjoyed great success in the postseason, starting the playoffs with a 11-10 win in a thriller over USciences. The Griffins the carried that momentum into the second round with a big 9-6 upset over #1 Goldey-Beacom College. Ultimately, Chestnut Hill suffered the same fate as the Wildcats, falling to Jefferson in the semifinals in a 4-15 loss. The Griffins's offense is largely led by 1B Andrew Dietz, who hit .390 on the year and finished second in the CACC with a team-leading 41 RBIs. The team will look to see if speed still kills as Sam Barletta and Deitz placed first and second in steals the conference with 18 and 16, respectively. Dietz also made nine appearances on the rubber, racking up a 2-2 record with a 6.16 ERA while punching out 42 batters. Also on the mound, Billy Bethel has been the team's workhorse as he hung a 4-2 record after making 12 appearances, seven of which were starts. The co-captain posted a 6.93 ERA while striking out 46 batters, sixth of all CACC pitchers. Closing the door for the Griffins is Dan Rockenbach, who recorded six wins in 19 appearances while tallying a conference third-best four saves.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
Sunday, Feb. 27 | TBD

The Post Eagles's season has already began as they played four games in Cary, N.C. last weekend. The Eagles dropped two games against Bluefield State while picking up a pair of wins over Lincoln University (Pa.) in between. In their most recent game against Bluefield, the Eagles saw a 7-1 lead be erased as they lost in a high scoring affair by the total of 10-20. Jimmy Brennan is currently top of the CACC with a .571 batting average to go along with seven RBIs. Third baseman Nate Miller has started his season with a lot of pop by totaling two homeruns and 10 RBIs after hitting .438 on the weekend. Matt Goehrig contributed on both sides of the ball, recording a homerun while picking up a win after striking out six for a .300 ERA. Chas Cywin will come to Myrtle Beach with a 2.08 ERA after making six starts last season as he punched out 39 batters while posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. The Eagles are looking for a bounceback season after finishing with a 2-19 record during the 2021 campaign.
 

UP NEXT
New Haven will stay in the Carolinas as they will play three games at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. next weekend. The Chargers will take on Frostburg State to start the weekend with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 PM on March 4.