Baseball | February 25, 2021

PHILADELPHIA – It's been 352 days since the La Salle baseball team last competed, a dominating 14-4 win at Rider, before COVID-19 struck and everything changed. That lengthy break finally comes to an end on Friday when the Explorers host Hofstra for a season-opening doubleheader at Hank DeVincent Field.

La Salle and Hofstra will begin the four-game series with game one at 11 a.m. on Friday, followed by game two shortly after the completion of game one. The Explorers and Pride will link up again for two on Sunday, with game three once again at 11 a.m. and the finale to follow.

ALL OR NOTHING

• Now year four under head coach David Miller, the skipper says this group of Explorers has formed a strong bond and is ready to leave everything out on the field this season.
• Despite showing steady improvement over the past few seasons, La Salle was picked 11th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. But with more leadership, depth and motivation at hand, don't be surprised if the Explorers turn some heads in the A-10 this year.
• "Our guys will definitely be playing with a chip on their shoulders this season," said Miller. "This isn't your typical La Salle baseball team. They feel that they have something to prove and are ready to give it everything they've got."
• The Explorers have blossomed into a consistent offensive power under Miller's guidance, but something that may surprise many this year is the depth of La Salle's pitching staff – an area in which Miller believes is now the strength of the program.

LEVINS & ELISSALT HONORED

• Freshman right-handed pitcher Frank Elissalt and redshirt sophomore catcher Tatem Levins were honored with preseason recognition from Perfect Game earlier this month.
• Elissalt, one of the top right-handers out of Florida in this year's freshman class, was chosen as Perfect Game's Atlantic 10 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
• Levins, a former Freshman All-American who led the Explorers in most offensive categories last season, was also selected to Perfect Game's Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team.

A SMALL GLIMPSE IN 2020

• La Salle showed a glimpse of its potential during the shortened season a year ago despite the growing pains that came with having a young roster.
• The Explorers started the year 4-2 after sweeping Hofstra in three games during their only home competition of the season.
• La Salle held a late lead at No. 24 Wake Forest and was unable to close the door down the stretch with early leads in seven of their nine losses on the season.
• On the bright side, the Explorer pitching staff posted a 2.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which ranked second in the Atlantic 10 and is the second best mark in program history, while the team's 1.41 WHIP was the seventh best in team history.

HITTERS TO WATCH

• It all starts with Levins, who has produced tremendously out of the heart of La Salle's lineup for the past two seasons. Levins, who was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American in 2019, batted .321 for the second consecutive season last year and has 10 home runs, 63 RBI and a .542 slugging percentage over 66 career games.
• Graduate student Ryan Guckin returns for a fifth year after hitting a career-best .306 a season ago, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth during La Salle's home opener against Hofstra, nonetheless.
• The Explorers return just about everybody on offense, including infielder Alfonse Sadallah, who batted .310 with a .431 on-base percentage in 2020 as well as second-year outfielder Elijah Dickerson, who hit .286 and had a two-homer game against Sacred Heart last year.
• Outfielder Jack Cucinotta smacked three long balls over just 14 games last season and hit seven homers back in 2019, while shortstop Tommy Toal, who has started 82 games in his career, returns after missing the majority of 2020 due to injury.
• In addition to the large number of returners, La Salle also added nine talented freshmen – six pitchers and three infielders – as well as transfer Salvatore Monticciolo, who was the NEC Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-American in 2019 at Fairleigh Dickinson.

PITCHERS TO WATCH

• Left-hander Colin Scanlon is back at the top of the Explorers' starting rotation after posting a 3.22 ERA and racking up 26 strikeouts over 22.1 innings last year.
• Elissalt figures to immediately be thrown into the mix as well as the hard-throwing righty was Perfect Game's pick for A-10 Freshman of the Year and was a highly-touted recruit out of Miami, Fla.
• Lefty Gabe Rappa also made quite the impression last season, going 2-1 with 15 strikeouts over four starts on the hill as a true freshman, as did righty Manny Corporan, who had 18 strikeouts and a combined shutout in his first season in Blue and Gold.
• The Explorers have a deep bullpen as well, with experienced arms like Colin Kennedy, Mike Jenkins and James Kelly, along with left-hander Jordan Morales, who had a 2.16 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and led the team with two saves last year as a freshman while holding opposing hitters to a .167 average.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA

• The Pride enter the weekend at 1-1 overall, splitting a doubleheader at Seton Hall last weekend.
• Hofstra blew a 2-0 lead in the seven-inning first game that ended in a 3-2 defeat but responded with a 3-2 win in game two.
• Austin Gauthier went 2-for-5 with three runs and four walks over the two games, while Rob Weissheier homered and drove in two runs.
• Jack Jett will be Hofstra's game one starter after allowing one unearned run and four hits over 5.1 innings in the opener. The Pride will also throw right-handers Brad Camarda and Jimmy Joyce (5.0 IP, 3.60 ERA) along with lefty Ryan Rue (4.0 IP, 0 ER).