The Stockton Baseball team heads into the 2024 season with 23 returning letter winners from last year's squad that won 22 games, the most since 2013 and one off the school record. Fifth-year head coach Rich Gawlak has eight returnees who played in at least 28 games and started at least 25, plus five pitchers who threw at least 31 innings last season.
 
That said, youth again will be the story of the squad, with a combined 19 freshmen and sophomores contrasted by just two players on the roster in their final season. Stockton was ranked seventh in the NJAC preseason coaches poll but will look to crack the top six and earn an NJAC Tournament berth for the second straight year.

• The infield will lead the way with junior third baseman Jordan Nitti returning after a solid season. Nitti batted .287 with 44 hits, tied for the team lead with 12 doubles, finished second with 31 RBI and tied for second with four home runs. He has 114 hits in just two seasons at Stockton.
• Fellow junior Robbie Ford is a dual threat who tallied 28 hits, 24 runs and 18 RBI plus 12 stolen bases, which tied for ninth in the NJAC last year. Ford pitched 5.1 innings in 2023 and should see more time on the hill for Stockton this season.
• Sophomore Nick Avagnano will play first base coming off a fine freshman season in which he batted .273 with 33 hits. Avagnano tied for the team lead with 12 doubles and tied for fifth in the NJAC with three triples. He also was eighth in the league with 12 hit by pitches and produced 24 RBI.
• Kean transfer Evan Bresnen, junior Austin Beard, sophomore Jimmy Silvano, and freshmen Brody Marzano and Joe Sclama will battle for infield play. Sclama and Marzano will also see time on the mound this season.
• Bresnen played in 11 games with six starts for Kean while Silvano and Beard saw action in eight and seven games respectively for Stockton last year.
• In the outfield, juniors Tucker Elder and Max Kaplan and sophomores Michael Antonucci and Tony Gatti will form a solid foursome. Gatti, who also should pitch some innings, batted .319 and finished second on the team in runs (32) and third in hits (44) on his way to an NJAC Second Team selection.
• Kaplan batted .278 and led the team with 25 walks (T-8th in NJAC) while also compiling 29 runs, 23 RBI, 10 doubles and a.402 on base percentage. Antonucci batted .302 with 32 hits, 21 walks, a .415 on base percentage and a team-high 14 stolen bases, tied for fifth in the NJAC.
• Elder battled injuries but still managed to tie for second on the team with four homers as well as contributing 25 runs, 20 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts.
• Junior Gavin Malave adds experience and a utility skill set. Malave played in nine games off the bench last year. Freshmen Russell Halvorsen and Connor Praschil will add depth to the outfield, with Praschil also available to pitch.
• Behind the plate, sophomore Cooper Fiore returns after hitting .302 with 26 hits, 17 RBI and 15 runs scored in 28 games. He'll be backed up by junior Tim Mastrogiovanni and promising freshman Eddie Bupp.
• On the hill, Stockton will be led by Mike Schiattarella who returns for his graduate season. Last year Schiattarella led the team in wins (6), strikeouts (56) and innings pitched (66). He tied for sixth in the NJAC in strikeouts and was seventh in innings pitched, tied for seventh in opposing batting average (.251) and tied for ninth in ERA (3.82).
• Schiattarella, who was named NJAC Pitcher of the Week once in 2023, is within 31 strikeouts, seven wins and 71.2 innings pitched of the school records in those categories.
• Sophomores Antonio Sansone and Stephen DeMilio should be mainstays for the pitching staff. Sansone and DeMilio each were chosen NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week once last year. DeMilio was second on the team in wins (3), strikeouts (40) and innings pitched (54) while Sansone threw 39 strikeouts in just 33 innings.
• Fellow sophs Zack McCabe (seven games, seven starts) and Alfonso Lombardi (nine games, four starts) will add to the starting depth. Lombardi and McCabe fanned 20 batters apiece and each notched one win while pitching 32.2 and 31.1 innings respectively.
• Reece Miller leads the bullpen after appearing in 15 games (T-5th in NJAC) and saving three games while posting 18 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work.
• Transfers Joey DiQuollo (York (Pa.)/County College of Morris) and Danny Furlong (Montclair State) will have a chance to make an impact on the mound in their first season at Stockton. DiQuollo will have an opportunity for some starts as well.
• Stockton will have experienced depth out of the pen with juniors Kyle Cipolla (13 games), Dylan Sakele (14 games), Rob Jeans (nine games, two wins) and Chris Gonzalez (seven games) plus fifth-year Phil Santa Maria, who will split time between starting and relieving.
• Freshman hurlers Anthony Mehmet and Danny Snyder will vie for playing time on the mound in their rookie campaigns.