CAMDEN, N.J. – It hasn't taken long for the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team to become a major player in the New Jersey Athletic Conference under Head Coach Dennis Barth.
 
During Barth's first season in 2013, the Scarlet Raptors raised their conference record to 8-10, three more wins than they notched on the field in 2012, while raising their conference standing from eighth place to seventh. Last season, Rutgers-Camden was the regular-season NJAC champion with a 14-4 record, competed in the conference playoffs for the first time since 2005 and earned the program's first selection ever to the NCAA Tournament. The Raptors finished the year with a 30-13-1 overall record, only two victories shy of the program record.
 
This season the Scarlet Raptors won't be taking anyone by surprise. Rutgers-Camden was selected for second place in the NJAC in the pre-season voting by the 10 conference coaches. The poll, released today, has the Raptors trailing only Rowan University, which won the conference title by capturing the NJAC Tournament the last two seasons. Both teams received three first-place votes from the 10 NJAC coaches. Perennial NJAC power Kean University was picked for third place, receiving the other four first-place votes.

 
The remainder of the top six pre-season picks by the coaches were Montclair State, Ramapo and TCNJ, tabbed to be the NJAC dark horse team. Rutgers-Camden was the dark horse selection a year ago, when the Scarlet Raptors were picked seventh overall in the pre-season voting.
 
The top six teams qualify for the NJAC playoffs, which will be held April 28-May 3.
 
Rounding out the coaches' poll, from seventh through 10th, were William Paterson, Richard Stockton, Rutgers-Newark and New Jersey City.
 
The Scarlet Raptors will return 22 lettermen when they open their 2015 season, which is scheduled to begin with a home game February 27 against SUNY-Oneonta. Among that group of lettermen is sophomore Joe Brooks (Blackwood, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), who was named as a D3baseball.com Pre-Season All-America First Team player. Brooks, who served mainly as the team's designated hitter last season, had a phenomenal freshman season in which he led the NJAC in hitting (.421) and on-base percentage (.523). He also ranked second in the NJAC in runs scored (49) and hits (67) on his way to earning NJAC First Team, NJAC Rookie of the Year and D3baseball.com All-America Second Team recognition, among many other honors.
 
The Scarlet Raptors also return NJAC Second Team player Connor Hall (Delran, NJ/Delran), a slugging senior first baseman who hit .356, tied the program's single-season home run mark of nine and finished one behind graduated teammate Adrian Gonzalez for the RBI lead, 53-52, as they posted the top two RBI seasons in program history.
 
NJAC Honorable Mention went to returning infielder Joe Sigismondi (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional), who hit .391 and enters his junior season with a lofty .363 career batting average. Up the middle, the Raptors return senior Bobby Romano (Vineland, NJ/Vineland), a stellar defensive centerfielder who hit .261 last season, and sophomore catcher Jon Theckston (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City), who started 38 of the Raptors' 44 games and hit .283.
 
On the pitching mound, senior southpaw Ron Reagan (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) earned NJAC Second Team honors last year after going 7-4 with a 2.36 ERA in his first season at Rutgers-Camden. Right-handed closer Kyle Gaff (Gloucester City, NJ/Gloucester City), meanwhile, captured NJCBA Div. II/III Third Team All-State honors after posting five saves and a 1.96 ERA as a sophomore in 2014.

 

Another standout rookie season last year was turned in by righty Harry Sturgis (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford), who pitched his way into the Raptors' starting rotation for NJAC games. He went 4-0 with a 3.17 ERA and his 48.1 innings are second only to Reagan's 72.1 among returning lettermen. Right behind Sturgis in innings pitched was southpaw Chris Scarlett (Galloway, NJ/Holy Spirit), who went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings as a sophomore. His twin brother Alex Scarlett, meanwhile, worked 10.1 innings in five relief appearances, posting a 2.61 ERA, and Jay Gorman (Sewell, NJ/Clearview Regional) fashioned a 2-0 record and a 3.46 ERA over 13 innings as a freshman.
 
The Scarlet Raptors also had fine seasons from freshmen outfielders Doug Carter (Union, NJ/Union), who hit .261 while starting 35 games, and Brandon Cornelius (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek), a .316 hitter in 10 games.
 
Returning to the infield will be junior Brett Tenuto (Audubon, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), who started 43 games and hit .242 between second and third base, and sophomore Tim Holder (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), a .327 hitter as the team's main shortstop.
 
In addition to their returning lettermen, the Scarlet Raptors also have a huge influx of talent, including sophomore shortstop Pedro Perez (Burlington, NJ/Burlington City), who led Southeastern Community College (Iowa) to the NJCAA Div. III World Series last season. Another newcomer, who should provide a major boost to the starting rotation, is senior Jeff Singer (Cinnaminson, NJ/Holy Cross), a southpaw who was a two-time NJCAA Division III All-American while pitching at Gloucester County College. As a sophomore during the 2013 season, Singer was the JUCO Division III National Player of the Year while pitching the Roadrunners to the national title, posting a 10-1 record, six shutouts and a 0.68 ERA.
 
In addition to the rapid improvement in the Rutgers-Camden baseball fortunes, Barth also has upgraded the Scarlet Raptors' schedule. The 2015 team already has 10 opponents on its schedule – comprising 14 games – against teams that are either nationally ranked in the D3baseball.com or ABCA pre-season polls, or received votes toward those polls. Among them are three NJAC teams and the defending national champion, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, who the Raptors will face March 21 in Florida.
 
Five of those teams also are ranked among the Top 25 in the online Perfect Game.org Division III pre-season poll, which has the Scarlet Raptors ranked at No. 24.
 
NJAC Pre-Season Baseball Coaches' Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Rowan University (3)
2. Rutgers University-Camden (3)
3. Kean University (4)
4. Montclair State University
5. Ramapo College
6. The College of New Jersey (dark horse)
7. William Paterson University
8. Richard Stockton College
9. Rutgers University-Newark
10. New Jersey City University