each of his years. De La Rosa played his final season at the Lawrenceville School helping the team to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJISAA) Division A State Championship, and was named to the NJISAA Second Team All-Prep.
Outfield
Manhattan’s outfield is arguably the class of the conference. The unit features three All-MAAC performers in senior Kevin Nieto, along with juniors Mike McCann and Mark Onorati. The Jaspers’ outfield is expected to provide much of the offensive firepower, along with defensive stability. "In my opinion our outfield is the best in the MAAC, and possibly the best in the region,” admitted Leighton. “The starters all have speed, and they all can hit. Kevin, Mark and Mike will likely hit 1-2-3 in our order, and they will be the engine of our offense." Nieto has received preseason hype as a top player in the nation after being named to the All-MAAC First Team in 2009 for the second straight season. It marked his third straight year as an All-Conference performer. Nieto is one of 30 finalists in the NCAA for the prestigious 2010 Lowe’s Baseball Senior CLASS Award, which honors a graduating senior for notable achievements in four areas - classroom, character, community and competition. The Miami native who has great speed and can hit for power and average, led all of Division I logging a 1.57 runs
mike gazzola
per game and set a MAAC record with 72 runs last season. Nieto finished in the top-5 of the MAAC for slugging percentage (.754), batting average (.396), stolen bases (25), home runs (13), triples (6) and on-base percentage (.480) in 46 appearances. He was selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) AllAmerica Third Team for his dominant performance on the diamond. McCann is coming off a break out sophomore campaign where he set the program’s single season hits record notching 85. The speedy right fielder from Belle Harbor, N.Y. was a 2009 All-MAAC First Team selection and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Northeast Region First Team honoree after batting .388, scoring 65 runs, launching 13 home runs and posting 59 RBI starting all 53 of the Jaspers’ contests. An extremely consistent hitter, he brings power to the batting order. McCann is a Preseason All-MAAC Selection. Onorati returns to left field where he has found his niche starting all 103 appearances during his career. The junior from Williston Park, N.Y. provides the Jaspers with good speed on the base path and can also hit for power. Onorati has a knack for scoring runs and touching lots of bases as he has finished in the top-5 of the MAAC in his first two seasons in these categories. The 2009 All-MAAC Second Team selection is a career .345 hitter and has driven in 85 RBI in his two short years in Riverdale. Onorati covers a lot of ground defensively and holds a .975 career fielding percentage. Freshmen Anthony Vega and Joe Rock will provide a solid foundation in the outfield for years to come. The two are coming off decorated high school careers and will compete for time this season. Vega is a 6’0” 190 lb product from Patchogue-Medford in Long Island. A speedy player who brings a lefty bat to the line up, hit .348, posted a .488 on-base percentage and stole 12 bases as a high school senior. Rock also has the potential to develop into a top outfielder for the Jaspers. The local product from Carmel, N.Y. has good speed, has shown he can hit for power and has a strong arm. Rock joins the Jaspers from a very successful high school career at Kennedy Catholic where he helped the program to a 49-5 overall record and a New York State Class B Championship (2008) in his last two seasons. He hit a whopping .408 and blasted five home runs as a senior.
Freshmen Eddie Spitaletta, Giancarlo Santillo and Alvin Mata will add depth to the outfield. Spitaletta, a 6’0” 180 lb, product from Hackensack, N.J., was a two-time All-Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) honoree at Paramus Catholic. Santillo who played locally at Holy Cross High School in Queens adds good speed to the outfield. Mata is a sophomore from Tuckahoe, N.Y. who played at George Washington High School. He is quick with some power and lots of raw talent.
Catchers
Manhattan will rely on red-shirt freshman Ramon Ortega to handle the majority of responsibility behind the plate this season. Ortega saw limited time in 2009 after suffering a seasonending injury just six games into the season. Senior Anthony Armenio can provide assistance at the catcher position, but will see most of his time as the Jaspers’ designated hitter. “Ray is a solid defensive catcher who can switch hit,” Leighton noted. “Anthony has worked hard in the off season and has shown much improvement defensively.” Ortega, who is from Miami, has a good defensive skill set and a strong arm. He appeared in six of the Jaspers’ first eight games of 2009, including five starts, before going down. During his brief stint, Ortega hit .333 and recorded a .412 on-base percentage. A product from Christopher Columbus High School, Ortega was a three-time All-Dade County selection. Armenio, a power hitter from Dix Hills, N.Y., is coming off a career year being named to the All-MAAC First Team. He helped shatter several single season program records, which included an all-time best 61 home runs. Armenio blasted nine of those out of the ball park. The explosive lefty led the conference with 22 doubles and was fifth in the MAAC with a team-high 61 RBI. In 2009, Armenio hit .308, posted a .433 on-base percentage and scored 49 runs.
Pitchers
Manhattan returns one of the most experienced pitching cores in the MAAC, which is anchored by seniors Mike Gazzola, Tom Costigan and Tom Moran. “I think the seniors will step up for
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