CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. - Farmingdale State College has been selected as the Skyline Conference favorite in baseball.  And why wouldn't the Rams be?  All Farmingdale State did last season was win 30 games, capture a second straight Skyline Conference title, win an NCAA regional and advance to the Division III College World Series - a first for a Skyline Conference team.

Last season, Farmingdale State went 30-17 overall and 30-3 in Skyline Conference play.  After dropping their opening game in the NCAA Tournament, the Rams reeled off four straight wins to capture the NCAA New York Regional.  Gone from last year's team are top starting pitcher Tom Heeman as well as middle infielders Brian Benvenuto and Rich Gili.  But the cupboard is far from bare for head coach Keith Osik who returns seven starting position players, including Skyline Player of the Year, first baseman Kevin Curtis, and Skyline Tournament MVP, center fielder Frank Yera.  The roster also includes 16 pitchers from which Osik will fill out a formidable staff.

Old Westbury and St. Joseph's were tied for second in the poll.  Last season was a breakout season for the Panthers who went 27-13 overall and 13-3 in Skyline play.  Junior right-hander Robert Whitenack, a two-time Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year, was drafted in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs.  Whitenack's departure leaves a void at the top of the rotation, but Dan Fordyce (5-0) and Bobby Hugli (6-4) combined for 11 wins, giving Old Westbury a pair of proven starters.  The offense, led by senior third baseman Albert Bevacqua (.395, 5 HR, 33 RBI), should be able to generate plenty of run support.

St. Joseph's was one of the top offensive teams in the conference last season.  The Golden Eagles batted .333 as a team while scoring 8.4 runs per game.  Jeff Coyle (.373), Frank DiPresso (.346), Ryan Carroll (.343), Mike Gerdes (.333), Mike Lanza (.330), and Prateek Thaman (.304) all batted better than .300.  St. Joseph's had plenty of pitching last season (a total of 21 different pitchers made appearances), but the team did not have a dominant from line starter.  If the pitching rounds into form, the Golden Eagles will once again rank among the top teams in the conference.

2010 SKYLINE CONFERENCE
BASEBALL COACHES’ POLL

1. Farmingdale State   (6) 63 
2t. St. Joseph's-L.I.  (1) 53
3t. Old Westbury       (1) 53 
4. Mount Saint Vincent     44 
5. Mount Saint Mary        34 
6. Purchase                32 
7. Maritime                22 
8. NYU-Poly                12 
9. Yeshiva                 11 

(first-place votes in parentheses)