Monmouth Hawks
Northest Conference |
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Over the past decade the Monmouth Hawks
have become one of the premier teams in the Northeast region.
 Last
season the program reached unprecedented success as the team
won its third Northeast Conference and established a new school-record
for wins with a 36-24-1 mark. The notable season concluded
with a bittersweet showing at the Tempe Regional in the NCAA
postseason. MU went 0-2 in the tournament, but did have the
tying run in scoring position in the ninth inning in both
games, challenging, but failing to upset both Nebraska as
well as eventual College World Series participant Arizona
State. Success has spilled over into this season and the Hawk’s
currently have a 34-14 overall record and sit atop the Northeast
Conference at 19-5. The Hawks also are currently positioned
as the number three team in Ping!Baseball’s northeast
regional ranking. With a single win over last place Long Island
this coming weekend MU will clinch the NEC title and number
one seed going into the conference tournament.
The biggest factor in MU’s recent success
has been a top notch pitching staff lead by the dynamic duo
of Ryan Buch and Brad Brach. Last season Buch was the Northeast
Conference Rookie of the Year and the lone freshman to be
rewarded with all-NEC recognition after going 9-2 with a 2.44
ERA in his debut. He has continued to impress as a sophomore,
currently at 6-1 with a 3.26 ERA. In 47 inning pitched he
has only allowed 32 hits while striking out nearly twice as
many batters, with 63 Ks. Brach was the NEC Pitcher of the
Year last season and is the all-time winningest pitcher in
Monmouth program history. This season the senior is 6-2 with
a 2.61 ERA. He thrown a pair of complete games and only issued
13 walks in 69 innings pitched with 60 strikeouts.  His
brother Brett Brach (4-2, 4.53 ERA) is also an important member
of the Hawks’ pitching staff who has started nine games
this season and also saved two. Rounding out the starting
pitching staff is senior Matt Marc-Aurele who has rebounded
nicely after only appearing in three games last season due
to injury. While his record is only 3-4, Marc-Aurele has a
nice 3.58 ERA and has thrown two complete games.
Monmouth has a pair of relief pitchers who
have put up numbers that go toe-to-toe with any bullpen tandem
in the country. Senior Nick Vallillo is 3-0 with a teeny tiny
0.78 ERA and has only allowed 12 hits in 23 innings pitched
for a .152 opposition batting average. He paves the way for
closer Justin Esposito, who recorded a league best 10 saves
last season. Esposito has improved on his ’07 numbers
and has been near unhittable as well. In 26.2 innings pitched
he has only surrendered 14 hits and seven walks, while fanning
28 batsmen to earn 11 saves.
As impressive as the pitching staff is, the
offensive roster is nearly as imposing with senior shortstop
Kyle Higgins leading the way. Through 48 games Higgins is
leading the team with a .388 batting average and 22 stolen
bases. Joining him on the left side of infield is third baseman
Ryan Terry whose production at the plate is just as formidable.
Terry, a speedy freshman who also has some pop in his bat,
has a .336 batting average, 14 doubles, seven homeruns and
13 stolen bases. Firmly and effectively entrenched in the
cleanup position is another freshman, outfielder/DH Nick Pulsonetti.
Pulsonetti has wowed this year, clubbing a team leading 10
homeruns with nine doubles and a pair of triples for a .625
slugging percentage. He holds his high school single-season
home run and career records for homers and RBI, and if his
Monmouth debut is any indication, his name will be etched
in the Hawks’ record book too.  Junior
outfielder Brett Holland has had a breakout performance this
season after only batting .228 last year. This season he is
batting .331 with 16 stolen bases and only 13 strikeouts in
127 at bats. First baseman Andy Meyers was first-team All-Northeast
Conference and placed on the Brooks Wallace Player of the
Year Award Watch List at the start of this season after he
batted .395 with a league high 65 RBI last year. While his
numbers haven’t been quite as daunting as last season,
he is still hitting at a nice .290 clip with 17 doubles, five
homeruns and 39 RBI. He also has added 12 stolen bases and
committed just four errors for a .990 fielding percentage.
One would be amiss to mention the Hawks’
success without mentioning head coach Dean Ehehalt. Ehehalt
has led the Hawks to 10 NEC tournament appearances and three
NEC titles and NCAA Regional appearances in 1998, 1999 and
2007 since taking over the team in 1994. He is MU’s
all-time leader in wins and has coached 47 all-conference
performers, including three NEC Players of the Year, three
NEC Pitchers of the Year and six NEC Rookies of the Year.
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