PITMAN, N.J.- The TCNJ baseball team was ranked fifth in the NJAC preseason poll, released Wednesday morning by the conference.
 
The Lions enter the 2023 season in the No. 5 spot for the second season in a row after a 9-9 NJAC record in 2022. TCNJ entered the NJAC Tournament ranked fifth and knocked off fourth-seeded Rowan in the loser's bracket before losing to the eventual runner-up in Kean.
 
The top returner at the plate for the Lions is sophomore Mike LaGravenis. In his freshman season, Lagravenis hit .310 with seven extra base hits and 23 RBI's. He also posted a .990 fielding percentage with only two errors on the season. From his outstanding efforts, he was awarded and ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove and was named to the ABCA/Rawlings 3^rd Team All-Region.

Junior catcher Ryan Goodall, the NJAC Player of the Year and a first team all-region performer in 2021, is a career .330 hitter and drove in 33 runs in 31 games a year ago, including an eight-RBI explosion with two homers in the rout of Arcadia at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. 
 
The Lions also bring back their ace in senior Ben Amon. Amon put together a strong junior campaign, posting a 2.51 ERA in 61 innings pitched with 53 strikeouts. Amon was named NJAC pitcher of the week twice on his way to 2^nd Team All-NJAC, d3baseball.com 3^rd Team All-Region and ABCA/Rawlings 2^nd Team All-Region honors.

Junior Jordan Gray (4-2, 3.30 ERA), senior Matthew Crawford (2-2, 3.41 ERA), and sophomore Jackson Malouf (3-2, 3.90 ERA) are all coming off strong pitching seasons, while junior Alec Schwartz racked up four saves with a 2.57 ERA across 13 relief outings. 
 
Along with many more returners, TCNJ baseball welcomes a new group of true freshmen including infielders Shane Sajewicz, Michael Doran and Jack O'Donnell, pitchers John DiCostanzo and Jack Tinkelenberg, outfielder Michael Flax and catcher Brian Lovaglio.
 
The Lions kick off their 2023 season March 2 on the road in Collegeville, Pa. against Ursinus.