PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball season begins on Saturday morning (2/26) in Philadelphia, Pa. with a non-conference doubleheader against the University of the Sciences (11 a.m.) and West Chester University (3 p.m.).

A Look Back
Pace finished last season with a 14-16 overall mark, and a 9-13 conference record. The Setters appeared in their sixth-straight NE10 championship tournament after finishing sixth in the Southwest Division. After a tense back-and-forth game, Pace was defeated by New Haven in the opening round of the tournament, 4-3, in walk-off fashion.

2021 Returners
With a combined 11 graduate students and seniors returning, the Blue and Gold are loaded with experience and student-athletes who have chemistry playing with each other.
 
Among the graduate returners is outfielder Matt Almonte (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) who led the Setters in several offensive categories last season, including batting average (.400), runs scored (27), on-base percentage (.476), home runs (6), and slugging percentage (.645).
 
Almonte nabbed an NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention honor in 2021, was named to three All-Region Teams (D2CCA, NCBWA, ABCA), and was selected to the NE10's All-Conference First Team.
 
Another graduate outfielder returning to the team will be Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy). In 24 starts last season, McCabe batted .329 with 19 RBIs, and 13 runs scored on his way to an NE10 All-Conference Second Team nod.
 
Following a sensational season in which he was named the NE10 Southwest Division Rookie Pitcher of the Year, junior Christian Aich (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) returns to the mound for the Setters. The New Jersey-native went 5-0 in 2021 with a 2.28 ERA (2^nd in the NE10) across 47.1 innings.
 
Aich also racked up 49 strikeouts with just 11 walks en route to an NE10 All-Conference First Team selection, as well as ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA All-Region Team selections.
 
Other All-Conference Returners
Fellow Jerseyite pitcher, Michael Roll (Ramsey, N.J./Bergen Catholic High School), a 2019 NE10 All-Rookie team member, also returns for the Setters. In seven starts last season, Roll went 4-2 with 42 strikeouts across 35.1 innings of action.
 
Grad student Dean DePreta (Stamford, Conn./Westhill High School), a 2019 NE10 All-Conference Third Team selection, will be back in the infield for the Blue and Gold in 2022. Last season, Depreta started 29 games, recording 17 hits, 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored.

Coach Manning
The 2022 season will be head coach Hank Manning's 22^nd leading the squad. With 454 career victories, he is Pace's all-time winningest coach and has recorded six 30-win campaigns in his tenure with the Setters.
 
Preseason Polls
Pace was picked to finish fourth in the Southwest Division according to the NE10's Preseason Coaches' Poll.


 
How to Follow
For all information regarding Pace University baseball, visit www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Baseball on Twitter (@PaceUBaseball) and on Instagram (@PaceUBaseball).