BOSTON – Suffolk baseball head coach Anthony Del Prete announced that seniors Brady Chant, Mark Fusco and Greg Spelitois will lead the Rams as captains for the 2018 slate.
Suffolk is coming off one of its most successful campaigns in program history as the Rams hoisted the GNAC trophy for the third consecutive campaign and seventh time overall. The blue-and-gold, who finished the season 28-17 overall, went on a historical run at the NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regionals, advancing in the winner's bracket for the first time in the team's seven trips to the Big Dance and playing on Championship Sunday for the first-time ever.
Chant, Fusco and Speliotis have pushed the Rams to their recent success.
Entering his second season as captain, Chant will return to his post in centerfield for the final time as the senior is coming off a junior season that featured multiple individual accolades headlined by a D3Baseball.com All-American Honorable Mention nod. The three-time GNAC gold glove winner has picked up a pair of ABCA/NEIBA and D3Baseball.com all-region honors to go along with two first-team all-league accolades. The right-handed outfielder led the nation in triples in 2017 with program-record 12. Appearing in all 45 games for Suffolk, Chant recorded 118 total bases in 191 plate appearances hitting .361. He drove in 35 runs on 69 hits and score 47 times himself, while sniping 17 bags.
Fusco looks to where he left off last season and build off his career-best campaign. The righty from Medford, Massachusetts notched career-high numbers in every statistical category. In 11 appearances, three starts and three complete games, he notched a 4-4 record with a 2.25 ERA. Fusco turned away 27 batters in 40.0 innings of work with three saves to his credit. Fusco looks to be the leader of Suffolk's experienced staff that returns three members of the Class of 2018.
Speliotis has been a consistent presence in Suffolk's lineup throughout his career. As a junior last season, the Salem, Massachusetts, product appeared in 34 contests as designated hitter. He led the team with a .479 on-base percentage thanks to a 19-game streak of reaching base safely. Overall, Speliotis put together a stat line of 19 hits, 16 RBI, 36 walks, 24 runs and four stolen bases.
Once again, the Rams lift the lid on their campaign in the Sunshine State at the RussMatt Central Florida invitational. Suffolk's complete 2018 schedule will be released following the New Year.