After falling a single game shy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship series a season ago, the veteran-laden Roger Williams University Baseball team is back with vengeance with their eyes on a ring in 2022. The Hawks benefit from the retention of six of their nine starting position players, and virtually their entire pitching staff from a roster that posted the second-highest win percentage in program history a season ago. That, in addition to a full year with Head Coach Kevin Kelley at the helm, has the Hawks appearing primed for another deep playoff run come May.
 
"The blue-collar culture that we are instilling is beginning to take shape," Kelley said. "With the amount of veteran leadership, we have returning I think this could be a special season for us."
 
At the end of a tumultuous 11 months, the RWU baseball team burst out of the gates last spring, winning a program-best 15 of their first 20 games on their way to a 20-11 record overall, while posting the most wins in conference play among all CCC teams before getting bounced by Salve Regina University in the CCC Tournament for the second straight year.
 
Now, with the return of several key members of last year's team, the addition of some strong transfers and underclassmen, and a full offseason under Kelley's guidance, the Hawks enter the season deeper, stronger, and with a better understanding of themselves than where they stood at this time a year ago.
 
"I think the veteran core we have in place is outstanding," Kelley said. "So, we went into recruiting our transfers and first years looking to supplement that group and I think we have with a great mix of guys who have the mindset we are looking for to help take us to the next level."
 
Projected Lineup

1. Tyler Cedeno- CF (Sr.)
2. Matt Massaro- 3B (Jr.)
3. Brandon Jenkins- 1B (Gr.)
4. Jack Morin- C (So.)
5. Matt Kroll / Kyle Davenport - DH (Jr. / Sr.)
6. Christopher Flynn- LF (Jr.)
7. Ben Bonavita- RF (Sr.)
8. Tommy Hobin- 2B (Sr.)
9. Mike Masino- SS (So.)

 
After leading the Commonwealth Coast Conference in multiple offensive categories including runs scored, runs batted in, walks, and steals, and ranking in the top-three in several others among them home runs, doubles, and hits, the Hawks lineup enters the season needing to fill some gaping voids from a season ago. The most glaring of the departures are that of Joey Gulino and Danny Roth, the team's top base-stealer and home run hitter respectively from last season. Despite that, they still retain 56.2% of their at-bats from last year, and the team's starting-nine has a chance to be equally dynamic offensively.
 
"I think we will be difficult to pitch to because we will be able to score and create runs in different ways," Kelley said. "We will look to play a little more small ball than we did a season ago with hit-and-runs, bunts, and by running the bases well. We will apply pressure on the defense and force them to make plays as we work to manufacture runs. However, we also still have a lot of power in our lineup, a bunch of guys can take you deep on mistakes so we should be dynamic and versatile at the plate."
 
The Gulino replacement will be internal with graduate student Tyler Cedeno (Maynard, Mass.) projecting to continue roaming centerfield while bumping up from batting second to the lead-off spot. The transition should be seamless for Cedeno who entered last season with a more patient approach at the plate and he reaped the benefits posting career-high numbers across the board with a .311/.423/.379 triple-slash with five doubles, 25 runs scored, 34 RBIs, while succeeding on nine of his ten stolen base attempts.
 
Cedeno's number-two hole will likely be occupied by the smooth-swinging Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) who, despite not breaking into the everyday lineup until near the end of March, emerged as a quality member of the RWU lineup and earned All-CCC Third Team recognition at the season's conclusion. Massaro wound up contributing some quality on-base skills, finishing with more walks (17) than strikeouts (16) to go with his steady work defensively, and added some sneaky power with six doubles, tied for the 12^th most in the CCC.
 
Recuperating the production of the now-departed Roth will be a challenge for RWU but a big part of the solution figures to be the return of first baseman Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.). Jenkins was one of the most feared hitters in the CCC a season ago and for good reason, as he hit for average and power while not sacrificing his plate discipline for either. The results were a top-five finish in virtually every major offensive statistic; hits 46, 1^st), RBI (45, 1^st), batting average (.430, 2^nd), doubles (9, 3^rd), walks (20, 3^rd), extra-base hits (16, 3^rd), home runs (6, T-5^th), on-base percentage (.515, 5^th), and runs scored (29, 5^th). All the while, the opposition only managed to strike him out 16 times across 107 at bats.
 
A familiar face figures to slot in behind him in the form of catcher Jack Morin (North Andover, Mass.). Another individual who took a couple weeks to break into the everyday lineup, Morin made the most of his at bats once he did, finishing with a triple-slash of .304/.420/.446 last season and each of those marks would have ranked within the top-four on the team had he qualified. In addition, Morin mashed five doubles and a home run while drawing more free passes (12) than strikeouts (10) with a walk-rate of 17.4% that trailed only Gulino who led the conference in bases on balls.
 
Another key component to replenish Roth's production will be the addition of transfer student Matt Kroll (Tewksbury, N.J.) from Drew University. The corner infielder projects to primarily DH this season but the offense he provides is well worth it. He has spent the past two abbreviated seasons terrorizing Landmark Conference pitching to the tune of a .329/.408/.505 triple-slash, blasting nine doubles and a pair of homers across 25 games.
 
Kroll could end up splitting time with senior Kyle Davenport (Harrisville, R.I.), who hopes that a position change and a fresh start will reap better results than last year. In any case, when he did get in the batter's box last season, all he did was hit which has been the theme of his collegiate career that began at Misercordia University. In limited action across three years with the Cougars and Hawks, Davenport has pieced together 17 hits in 45 at-bats with two doubles and a home run while hitting at a .377/.500/.488 clip.
 
In the sixth spot in the lineup and in left field to start the season will be the transfer from Penn State-Harrisburg, Christopher Flynn (Randolph, N.J.). Flynn could prove to be a steal in the transfer portal after venturing north. He could not find a path to playing time as he was lodged behind a pair of D3Baseball.com All-Americans in the outfield with the Lions, but he will nonetheless plug into the heart of the Hawks lineup from game one in Bristol. With the blue and while, Flynn hit .231/.286/.423 with two doubles and a long ball across just 26 at bats and 20 games last season.
 
The senior duo of Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) will likely slot into the seventh and eighth slots in the lineup respectively, with Bonavita patrolling right field and the latter manning the keystone position. Bonavita was an All-CCC Second Team selection a year ago as a utility man and for good reason as a very valuable two-way player for RWU. It was on the offensive side of things where Bonavita provided most of his value, however. As a devastating power threat in the lower-half of the Hawks lineup last season, Bonavita ended up leading Roger Williams and ranking sixth in the conference in slugging percentage at .708 after mashing seven long balls, three triples, a pair of doubles, and driving in 23 runs along the way. The lone blemish in Bonavita's offensive game is the swing-and-miss that led to 25 strikeouts but when he put the ball in play, he just did damage to the tone of 51 total bases, the third most on the team, despite ranking ninth in at-bats.
 
Hobin began the 2021 season with high hopes following an exceptional freshman campaign that saw him hit .311 in his previous full season of action. When he did put the ball in play, he was very productive with a .296 BABIP and nine extra-base hits to rank fifth on the team despite being eighth in at-bats.
 
Rounding out the lineup figures to be the slick-fielding transfer from Rutgers-Newark, Mike Masino (Bayville, N.J.) who hit .194 a season ago with the Scarlett Raiders. Despite his low batting average in the very strong New Jersey Athletic Conference, Kelley is optimistic about Masino's bat and believes he could quickly rise near the top of the lineup.
 
Also playing a big role in the RWU offensive attack will be fellow Scarlett Raider transfer Nick Zobian (Califon, N.J.) after hitting .276 with a pair of doubles and eight RBIs in just 29 at-bats last spring, he will spell Jenkins at times, finding at bats at first base and the DH spot. UMass-Boston transfer Max Andrade (Tewksbury, N.J.) will find time in the middle infield after appearing in a pair of games with the Beacons. In addition, freshmen Alec Lavallee (Cumberland, R.I.) and Chris Balzano (Saco, Maine) have really opened eyes and are rapidly finding himself in the mix for playing time in the outfield.
 
When Morin needs a day off behind the plate, senior Andrew DeClement (Cheshire, Conn.) is expected to play after a really strong fall, but he will have competition in the form of sophomore London Camelo (Bristol, R.I.) and power-hitting freshman Alex Gulino (Ashburn, Va.)
 
Projected Pitching Staff

1. Justin Garcia- LHP (Gr.)
2. Chris Flynn- RHP (Gr.)
3. Connor Hewlette- RHP (Gr.)
4. Dan Massaro- RHP (Jr.)
5. Ben Bonavita- RHP (Sr.)
6. Matt Hynes- LHP (Fr.)

 
LRP- Kyle Schaefer- RHP (Sr.)
MR- Justin Fraleigh- RHP (So.)
MR- Zavier Hartman- RHP (So.)
MR- Brett Lauterbach- RHP (So.)
SU- Nick Harper- RHP (Jr.)
SU- Anthony Sapienza- RHP (Sr.)
CL- Adam Harz- LHP (Sr.)
 
The biggest strength of this Roger Williams squad entering the season is their battle-tested pitching staff that returns 87.7% of their innings pitched from a season ago. The arms for the Hawks were strong last spring and they figure to be deeper and better this season.
 
As a staff, RWU pitched to a 5.04 ERA and struck out 8.61 batters per nine innings, with both marks ranking in the top-four in the CCC. They especially excelled at limiting the long ball, allowing just 13 homers, tied for the second fewest in the conference, despite the team playing seven more games than any other squad.
 
"Our pitching staff has a bunch of experienced, power arms who are tough to barrel," Kelley said. "Our starting rotation is the biggest strength of our team coming in. They execute the game play, miss bats, and should be really tough hit. Our bullpen depth is solid too and they should see a lot of success. The bottom line is we will be difficult to score against no matter who we have on the bump, and I am excited to see what they can do."
 
The headliner in the rotation is Justin Garcia (Foxborough, Mass.), a southpaw with a strong and projectable frame. An All-Region Second Team selection last season, he is the reigning NCAA Division III Leader in K/9 among NCAA qualifying pitchers with at least two appearances, posting a robust mark of 15.27 last spring. He sits in the low-to-mid 90's with his heater but can get wild at times as he did walk 17 batters in just 33.0 innings last year, but it is a substantial improvement from his walk rate in seasons prior. Combine that with his ability to miss bats and he finished with a career-best 2.73 ERA that was fourth in the conference.
 
The lone pitcher in the RWU rotation to outpace Garcia in strikeouts was All-CCC First Team selection Chris Flynn (Naugatuck, Conn.) who fanned batters at a rate of 18.00 per nine innings that would rank ahead of Garcia in both the conference and national rankings had he thrown one more inning to qualify. In any case, he dominated on the mound last spring in the closers role where he had four saves and a 2.40 ERA. This season, Flynn will return to being a starter, a role he has not operated out of since his sophomore season despite only having three career starts in his 40 career appearances.
 
Things will not get any easier when teams need to face the Hawks third arm in the rotation, Connor Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.). The Commonwealth Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-Region selection as a sophomore, Hewlette was a little off last season pitching to a 6.87 ERA, while striking out 34 in 36.2 innings. He was also prone to the gopher ball, allowing a team-high 16 extra-base hits including five homers. However, subtract his two starts at Nichols College, a squad that lead the CCC in runs per game, and his ERA drops more than three runs to a much better 3.69 mark while his extra-base hits allowed are cut in half. Throw in his rock solid 8.35 K/9 and there is good reason for a bounce back from the Hawks righty this season.
 
Dan Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) will be the fourth member of the team's rotation. He hit a mid-season wall last year that resulted in his ERA doubling. However, over his first four appearances he pitched to a quality 4.15 mark. He also only allowed four extra base hits in 27.1 innings, alluding to some bad luck and he will look to put it all together now with a full and normal offseason.
 
Sliding in as the fifth starter in the rotation will be Bonavita, across his six appearances and five starts on the bump, Bonavita was exceptional with a 3.71 ERA that was second on the team among starters. He was prone to allow some barrels as he did allow the second-most extra-base hits on the staff with eight but did well operating around them thanks to his ability to miss bats as evidenced by his 21 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.
 
To start the season, the sixth starter in the rotation will be freshman left-hander Matt Hynes (Farmingdale, N.Y.), a lefty with some high upside. Kyle Schaefer (Madison, Conn.) will also get some starts as a swingman on the team's pitching staff, a role he thrived in last season with a 3.15 ERA across 20.0 innings in ten appearances, including one start.
 
Lefty Adam Harz (Manchester, Conn.) emerged as a valuable weapon out of the bullpen last season. He struck out 13 batters in 11.1 innings while serving as the primary setup man for Flynn, but this year he will take over duties in the ninth. Opponents hit just .209 with nine total hits and five free passes against Harz last spring resulting in a 3.18 ERA. Both of those marks are even more impressive when you consider in his first three outings, he pitched a combined 2.1 innings allowing three earned runs, three hits and three walks. From that point on he struck out more men (ten) than he allowed to reach by way of a walk or a hit (eight) and allowed just a single run in that span.
 
Bridging the gap from the strong rotation to the Harz at the end of games could prove to be difficult, however. Roger Williams did see two of their more reliable middle relievers from last season graduate in the form of Ryan McGahern and Matt Vernacatola leaving a gap in the middle innings. The key returning relievers from last season's staff are Nick Harper (Westwood, N.J.) and Anthony Sapienza (North Andover, Mass.) while Zayvier Hartman (Clovis, N.M.), a transfer from Becker, also brings some experience to the RWU bullpen. Harper threw 15.2 innings over the course of nine outings, striking out a dozen men but also owned a 5.74 ERA and had some command issues resulting in seven walks and three hit batsmen. Hartman, is similar to Harper in many ways. A righty with strikeout stuff resulting in 11 K's across just 8.2 innings but was wild at times as he issued four free passes while plunking four other men resulting in a 5.19 ERA.
 
If there was one pitcher who could single-handedly dictate the direction of the season for the RWU baseball squad, it may well be Sapienza. It has been a long road for the senior right-hander after an inconsistent first season followed by a pair of partial seasons due to COVID and an injury last spring. Looking beyond his career and season-by-season numbers, Sapienza has been exceptional in his time in Bristol as a reliever posting a 2.55 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 17.2 innings across ten appearances out of the bullpen.
 
Outside of that trio, there is not a lot of experience with the RWU relievers. Sophomore walk-on Brett Lauterbach (Fairfield, Conn.) will play a role as a righty with plus-plus stuff. Converted infielder Justin Fraleigh (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and newly made two-way player Tyler Cedeno will also help, as will freshmen Dom DeFeo (Kennebunk, Maine) and Lucas Lariviere (Cumberland, R.I.).
 
Fielding
The biggest weakness of the 2021 edition of the Roger Williams Baseball team was their team defense what was very average defensively with a team fielding percentage of .957 while often failing the "eye test." This year's team has looked to improve upon that. The infield was a particular cause for concern as a group that committed 34 of the team's 44 errors. They should make big strides this year with Massaro now fully entrenched at the hot corner and Masino now playing short and shifting Hobin to second base resulting in better range across the board and there will not be any drop-off when Andrade plays one of those positions as well.
 
The outfield defense should be in solid hands all around. Cedeno provides some excellent range in center. Flanking him is a very good defender in Flynn, while Bonavita has a cannon of an arm in right field.
 
Morin is an excellent backstop defensively and last season he gunned down five of the eight runners who tried to steal a base against him.
 
Overall
With outstanding upperclassman leadership, a strong group of transfer adds and returners to supplement them, and an extremely talented crop of freshman, this year's Roger Williams baseball team looks similar but different than the team did a year ago. However, while their sights remain high for a team hunting its fourth all-time CCC crown, they are more concerned with winning the day.
 
"We have a simple process, never look too far ahead take it day-by-day and win each day," Kelley said. "If we do those things, we will reach our ultimate goals but we also know that in order to get there we still need to continue focusing on the little things, being extremely disciplined on and off the field, in the classroom, and in the weight room. From there, the successes will speak for themselves."
 
The Hawks open up their 2022 slate when they venture to Framingham State to battle the Rams on Saturday with first pitch set for noon. They will then travel down to Florida for their spring break trip, then they will hit the road to play WPI on March 22^nd before finally getting to come home and open up CCC play with a double-header against Nichols on Saturday, March 26^th.