2016…A Very Good Year for the Knights
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2016…A VERY GOOD YEAR FOR THE KNIGHTS As 2016 draws to a close, Knights baseball alumni can join in celebrating one of the best years in FDU baseball history. Following is a quick review of a very good year. Sixth Annual Jon Bittmann First Pitch Dinner Sets New Records for Attendance and Fun On February 16, more than 200 Knights players, family, friends and alumni showed up at the Park Ridge Marriott to give the 2016 team a rousing send-off. Nearly 50 baseball alumni and their guests were on hand for what Head Coach Gary Puccio said was “our best dinner ever. It keeps getting bigger and better every year.” The celebration was highlighted by the Knights Hall of Fame coach Dennis Sasso’s introduction of the 1990’s All Decade team. “The best night to be a Knight” ended on a high when Hall of Famer Dennis O’Brien, accompanied by assistant coaches Justin McKay and Eric Snyder, snuck up on righthander Joe Flack to present him with the First Pitch Ball. Our 2017 First Pitch Dinner will take place on Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Park Ridge Marriott Hotel. Surging 2016 Knights Tie All-time Win Record, Reach NEC Playoff Championship Round The 2016 season was historic for the Knights as Coach Puccio led FDU to a program record-tying 28 victories and an appearance in the NEC Tournament finals for the first time since 1999. The Knights finished the regular season in third place and won back-to-back elimination games to play nationally ranked Bryant in the championship. The 8-3 loss to Bryant, ranked 23rd with the best winning percentage in the nation (.821), was bittersweet, but with their strong finish over the last three weeks of the season, the Knights made it clear that FDU baseball is back in a big way. “First Knights” Honored at Spring Reunion Our 2016 Spring Reunion put the spotlight on FDU’s “First Knights,” the ballplayers who represented FDU between 1951 and 1965. Fred Roedel, who played on Coach Woods’s 1951-’54 squads, was the most “experienced” First Knight at the gathering. Fred was joined by Frank Gilabert, Marty Munsch, Bill Himmelman, Lou Culmone, Charlie Linfante, Jon Bittmann, Art Latz, Bob Montesano, Bob Secula, Bobby Jensen, “youngster” Lou Turco, and “rookie” 2015 graduate Joe Borelli. “I really enjoy these reunions,” Bobby Montesano said. “We may be getting older, but our team spirit and lifelong friendships are as strong as ever.” Seven Knights Earn NEC Regular Season and Tournament Recognition Let’s give a standing ‘O’ to John Giakas, Dylan Sprague, Logan Frati and Ryan Brennan who were named to the Second Team All NEC. Not for nothing, but I think a couple of those guys deserved to be named to the first team. We were also well-represented on the NEC All-Tournament Team with Ryan Brennan, Bobby Romano, Jason Fatzinger (who had swung a potent bat throughout the series) and Freshman Cory Zeller all earning First Team honors. Coach Puccio Signs 3-Year Contract, Reaches 113 Wins With Knights In June, the Fairleigh Dickinson Department of Athletics announced a contract extension for head baseball coach Gary Puccio that keeps Puccio at the helm of Knights baseball through the 2019 season. During the season Puccio reached a pair of career milestones with his 400th collegiate coaching victory. Puccio finished the 2016 season with 113 wins as the head coach at FDU, a total that ranks fourth in FDU history. His win total is the most for a FDU coach in their first six seasons. He now has 408 career collegiate coaching victories. Knights Assistant and Volunteer Coaches Play Inspirational Roles Looking back at the 2016 season, Coach Puccio credits his coaching staff for the key role they played in helping the team succeed. “They were more than your every day coaches,” Puccio says. “Justin McKay, Eric Anderson and Eric Snyder were inspirational leaders. From beginning of the season to end, the coaches and players were all on same page, all focused on playing smart tough baseball.” Two Baseball Knights Inducted to Hall of Fame In September Don Margolin, a two-sport standout, and legendary slugger Mike Policastro were inducted to the FDU Division 1 Athletics Hall of Fame, joining 20 other Knights baseball HOF members. Margolin played three years of varsity baseball at third base, enjoying his best season in his junior year (1956) when he batted .353 and was the team RBI leader. Don also played three years of varsity basketball and in his senior year the 5’8” guard led the Knights in scoring while being chosen to the Tri-State League First Team. One of FDU’s greatest hitters, Policastro played from 1990 to ‘1993, posting a .342 career batting average, the seventh highest in FDU history. The hard-hitting first baseman drove in 118 runs, scored 101 times and hit 25 home runs. In 1992, his most memorable season, Mike batted .404, drove in 44 runs and led the squad with 9 homers. Varsity Knights Top Alumni in First Annual Dennis Sasso Alumni Trophy Contest With players from all six decades of FDU Knights baseball history on hand, the first annual battle for the Dennis Sasso Alumni Trophy was an unqualified success. Described by Head Coach Gary Puccio as “Our very best reunion so far,” the October 8 event was attended by 31 baseball alumni. Including the alumni, current varsity team members and potential future Knights, nearly 70 Knights and soon-to-be-Knights were at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex where the varsity defeated a feisty alumni squad 8-1. Assistant Coach Justin McKay Named NEC's Top Recruiter College baseball's early signing period ended in November and the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team signed on some of the nation's top talent. Perfect Game USA, one of the top-rated baseball outlets in the country, ranked the Knights' incoming class 72nd in the nation. Much of that success can be attributed to Knights assistant Coach Justin McKay. In his fifth season serving as the team's recruiting coordinator, his peers selected McKay as the Northeast Conference's top recruiter. McKay has also had a positive effect on the team’s offense. The 2016 season produced increases in team batting average, runs scored, hits, home runs, doubles, RBI's, total bases, slugging, base on balls and stolen bases. The Knights hit 45 home runs, collected 502 hits and ranked 7th in the nation in stolen bases per game. Harvey Woods Scholarship Fund: Best Wishes to Joel Roman…Welcome, Dan Bello Established in 2001 by Hall of Famer Dennis O’Brien and his wife Adele, the Harvey Woods Scholarship Fund is an endowment fund created exclusively for baseball scholarships. Joel Roman, the fifth HWS fund recipient, followed in the footsteps of each of his predecessors by earning his degree in four years. Roman, a solid clutch hitter, knocked in 99 runs during his four seasons. “Joel was the consummate Scholar Athlete,” Coach Puccio says. Whether he was in the classroom or on the ball field, he never gave less than one hundred percent effort.” First baseman Danny Bello is the latest HWS scholarship recipient, and Dennis O’Brien is confident that Danny, who hails from Miami, Florida will live up to the high standards of scholarship and baseball performance that all previous recipients achieved. “Actually,” Dennis comments, Danny reminds me a lot of Joel. He’s got the same quiet confidence, a strong commitment to hard work and high aspirations.” 2016 Comings and Goings Good Luck, Sean Morrison…Welcome Aboard, Tommy Meade Last spring Sean Morrison, one of the Knights baseball alumni’s best friends resigned from his position as Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs to join the NJIT Athletics Department as Director of Athletic Development. Sean, a staunch supporter of the Knights Baseball Alumni program, helped us nurture and grow the organization and played a major role in the planning of our reunions, promotion of the All-Decade online polls, the First Pitch Dinner and the production of EXTRA INNINGS. Tommy Meade, who knows all about playing winning baseball, took Sean’s place as Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs. A native of Pearl River, NY, Tommy played baseball at rival Central Connecticut. The Blue Devils first baseman for four years, he also played the outfield and pitched. As a First Team All-NEC player in 2010, Tommy led his team to a NEC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. He FDU in January 2105 as Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications at FDU. He was promoted to his current position in July 2016 “One of the first things that I noticed upon arrival at FDU,” Tommy says, “was the interest and enthusiasm of the baseball alumni. Getting to know the alumni – either personally or by reading the Extra Innings newsletter over the last year -- has been a great experience, mostly because of the unselfish manner in which all of you support the baseball program. I look forward to working with the entire group as we try to help the Knights reach their goal of a NEC Championship.” Nine Seniors Graduate and Join Knights Baseball Alumni Congratulations to John Chalupa, Nick Cuono, Jose DeLeon, John Giakas, Ryan MacDonald, Pat McClure, Joel Roman, Shane Siebler, Dylan Sprague. Thanks so much for helping to put FDU Baseball back on the map. Hope to see you all at the First Pitch dinner on February 11. Remembering John Orsino, Knights Head Coach 1970-’76, 1980 John Orsino, a former Major League baseball standout who produced the third most career wins as Head Coach for the Knights recently passed away at the age of 78.