Hofstra swings for CAA playoffs

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After three straight years of just missing the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) playoffs, Hofstra baseball head coach John Russo added a former New York Yankee hurler to his staff in an effort to get over the top.

John Habyan, who played 11 Major League Baseball seasons including from 1990-93 with the Yankees, was named Hofstra pitching coach last July after 17 years as head baseball coach at St. John’s the Baptist High School in West Islip. He is looking to enhance Hofstra’s pitching to complement a powerful Pride offense.

“The experience John has brought us has been invaluable,” said Russo, who took over as Hofstra head coach in 2012 after three years as an assistant. ‘He has one the best resumes I would argue of any college coach.”

Starters Chris Weiss, Alec Eisenberg and Bowie Matterson anchor Hofstra’s pitching staff. Russo is hoping for a big spring from Wantagh native Adam Heidenfelder, who was a two-time Diamond Award winner at MacArthur High School and made 13 appearances as a freshman last year.

“He’s a hard working kid,” said Russo of Heidenfelder, who recorded 10 strikeouts in his first nine innings this season. “He has had a real breakthrough of late.”

Another Diamond Award Winner on Hofstra’s roster is former Kennedy star David Leiderman, who starts at third base as a junior. The Merrick native batted .277 with 29 RBIs last spring and is one of six returning positional players. He was tied for second on the team with 49 hits last year and was a CAA-Baseball All-Academic Team selection.

“He brings a lot of reliability at the plate,” said Russo of Leiderman, who picked up two hits in Hofstra’s 5-2 season-opening loss at fourth-ranked Texas A&M on Feb. 19. “David’s experience at the plate is invaluable.”

Junior shortstop Brad Witkowski helps anchor the infield with Leiderman. The Lindenhurst High School graduate was the Pride’s RBI leader last year with 29.

The Pride outfield is manned by returning starters Steven Foster and Matt Annunziata. Foster was named to the Preseason All-CAA Rookie team as a freshman last year following a .351 average with 19 stolen bases.

Freshman catcher Vito Friscia has made an immediate impact at Hofstra after a stellar high school career at Valley Stream Central and winning the 2015 Power Showcase Home Run Derby in Miami. Friscia, who was rated the seventh-ranked senior on Long Island last year by Blue Chip Prospects, hit .306 in his first 13 college games and was eighth nationally in walks.

“He is a big presence behind the plate,” said Russo of Friscia, who was rated the number one catcher in the state of New York last year.

University of Miami transfer Nick Bottari is also adding a spark plug to the Hofstra offense. The Wading River native smacked three home runs in his first 16 games.

Hofstra opens up CAA play with a three-game series at William & Mary this weekend and will have its home conference series on Friday April 8 against Delaware at 3 p.m. The Pride can earn a bid to the CAA Championships the last weekend in May by placing among the top six in the conference. The winner of the CAAs receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.