May 19, 2004

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University baseball program announced its five-member recruiting class Wednesday as announced by Head Coach Dom Scala and his staff. The five-member class all hail from New York and includes two junior college transfers.

"We have had this under our hat for some time," said Scala. "We did our homework early, most of our recruits committed to us before Christmas." Adelphi's coaching staff believes in getting things done early and had an idea going into the fall what holes they needed to fill to make the Panthers real contenders in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC).

Adelphi won 19 games this season and made their first trip to the conference playoffs since 2002. The Panthers return will return a solid nucleus of players, having lost just five seniors to graduation. "I believe that bringing these kids in will bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of winning the NYCAC Championship," said Scala. "These kids are not only good players, but very intense players."

The recruiting class of 2004-05 follows:

Adam Fiore - Massapequa HS, 6'3'' - 215, RHP - Fiore has competed for the Long Island Tigers for the past two summers and compiled a record of 4-1 last year with a 2.16 ERA, while throwing three complete games and striking out 37. He has a good fastball and an above average curveball to compliment his solid work ethic.

Chris Palidino - Nassau CC, 6' - 170, RHP - Palidino was 4-0 in his senior campaign at East Meadow High School and 6-2 as a freshman at Nassau CC. He won a big playoff game for Nassau and was name to the All-Tournament team for his efforts.

Henry Davarin - Briarcliff JC - 5'11'' - 195 - Catcher - Davarin was a solid everyday catcher at Briarcliff and able to handle a quality pitching staff. "With the loss of All-Conference performer Mike Joyce and three freshman catcher on the roster, we felt we needed to bring in some experience behind the plate," said Scala. "Henry is a leader and we expect him to pick up were Mike left off."

Frank Valariano - Oceanside HS - 6' - 175 - RHP/Infield - Valariano has posted a 3-0 record this season on the mound for Oceanside with a 1.13 ERA and 30 strikeouts and is hitting .418. He was also 3-0 in his junior season with a 2.87 ERA while hitting .412 with two home runs and 23 RBI. Valariano was an All-Division selection his junior year.

Mike Connors - St. John the Baptist - 5'10'' - 170 - Outfield - Connors is a member of the Long Island Tigers and was named to the FABL All-Star Team in 2003. He is a fundamentally sound hitter with a big arm and will help solidify the Panthers line-up.

With these additions and possibly a few more the Panthers will look to contend for a conference title next spring.