Baseball

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y.-In the 2006 season, the SUNY Old Westbury College baseball program posted a 16-21 record under former head coach Hector Aristy.  John Lonardo, Athletic Director and baseball coach, returns to the helm with an overall record of 215-141-3 in ten seasons at Old Westbury, which generates the best record in the history of the Panther baseball team.  Lonardo has guided the Panthers to two consecutive NCAAA Regional Appearances (‘00-‘01), three NCAA Region Post Season Tournament appearances (‘97, ‘00, ‘01), and an ECAC Metro Region Championship ('99).  In addition, Lonardo has steered them to seven ECAC Tournament appearances (‘93-‘95, ‘98-‘00, ‘02), five Knickerbocker Conference Championships, along with four Knickerbocker Conference Division titles (‘93-‘95, ‘01). 

Old Westbury entered last season with high expectations, but an assortment of untimely injuries and difficult circumstances resulted in a 14-21 overall record and an 8-10 record in the Skyline, which resulted in an absence from the post season.  Returning this season with sixteen letter winners and six position starters, Lonardo is hopeful that these veterans can combine with the influx of talented newcomers and enable the Panthers to regain its status among the Skyline's elite. 

2007 Positional Analysis

Catcher

Panther fans are pleased to see the return of senior Ricardo Pena, who batted .328 in his junior campaign.  Pena played in 25 games and drew 19 starts as Old Westbury's catcher.  He tallied 21 hits and 8 RBIs offensivly, while defensively in the field he recorded 108 put-outs and sported a .951 Fielding percentage last year. 

Also waiting in the wings for an opportunity are juniors: Brian Magas and Joe Wall along with freshman Jonathan Nelson.  These three should progress up the depth chart in time as Panthers.

Infield

With senior shortstop Darly Alcantara, senior third baseman Felipe Martinez and senior first baseman Alan Anderson all retuning, Old Westbury's infield defense will be on familiar grounds with each other.  Alcantara was an All-Skyline Conference selection last season and batted .313 with a team leading 3 homeruns, 7 triples and 23 RBI to go along with a .606 Slugging percentage.  Sophomore John Taglianti is expected to handle the starting chores at second base.  He will have competition as senior Roberto Bravo, junior Leonel Lopez and freshman Alberto Gil are contending for playing time.  Seniors Matt Schramm and John Limberis will give the Panther bench added depth. 

Outfield

As retuning starters in right and left field, seniors Greg Jones and William Rada hope to close their collegiate careers on a winning note.  Jones batted .284 and drove in 12 RBIs last year while Rada hit .274 and brought in 11 RBIs.  Senior Jesse Germinario, sophomore Kevin Reynolds and freshmen Nicolas Tejada will be battling for Center field.   

Pitching

Senior Peter Reyes will serve as the anchor for a youthful Panther starting rotation.  The right-hander from Brentwood, NY worked a team-leading 52.1 innings last year in 6 starts while compiling a 5-1 season ledger with a 3.10 earned run average in 2006.  Reyes held batters to a .186 batting average, which should give the pitching staff a sense of comfort knowing Reyes' performance consistency.  Junior George Pagan had a great fall and is eager to return to the mound to improve on his 6.32 earned run average and 1-3 record in 31.1 innings of work last season. Freshman Dan Fordyce will give Sophomore Christian Colon competition for a spot in the rotation.  Fordyce is the lone left-handed pitcher on the team, which could work in favor of the freshman.  Colon will be contending for a spot in the rotation after making 8 appearances out of the bullpen last season where he posted a 1.35 earned run averaged in 13.1 innings.  Relief duty will consist of junior Nick Spiegler and freshmen Robert Whitneack, John Pensa, Willie Silverio, and Bill Campbell.

Schedule

The Panthers' 41 game schedule features 22 games within the friendly confines of the Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex and 18 games versus Skyline Conference opponents.  Old Westbury will open its season on the road, for a three-game series at Frostburg State, from Saturday-Sunday, March 3-4.  The Panthers will be tested by the challenging 18-game Skyline Conference schedule.

A highlight of the non-conference road schedule for the Panthers will be a trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida to face Point Park , Rochester, Wilkes, Pikeville and Washington at the Cocoa Expo from Wednesday-Sunday, March 7-11.

The six-double-header Skyline home games pit the Panthers against Farmingdale State (March 24), SUNY Maritime (March 25), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (March 31), Manhattanville College (April 15), Stevens Institute of Technology (April 22) and the two-time defending Skyline Conference Champions Centenary College (April 28).     

Stops on the squad's itinerary include trips to William Patterson University (March 26), St. Joseph's College (LI) (April 1), Mount Saint Vincent College (April 12), Mount Saint Mary College (April 21), SUNY New Paltz (April 29) and SUNY Purchase (May 1).  Old Westbury's 2007 schedule boasts only 6 Skyline Conference games on the road.  The Panthers will be seeking a Skyline Conference Championship (May 3-6), and hope to have its sights set upon an NCAA Tourney appearance.  Regionals will take place May 16-20, and soon after, the College World Series will be held during May 25-29.

For more information about the Old Westbury Panthers, log onto http://www.oldwestburypanthers.com/, to follow your favorite sports and events.