Martinez among freshman giving CCSU a boost

Infielder from New Milford off to a hot start for Blue Devils

Central Connecticut State University baseball opened conference play Friday evening — a 6-0 win over Sacred Heart — as it looks to defend its Northeast Conference title.

The roster is far different than it was in 2019, with a large freshman class that has been key early in the Blue Devils season. Two weeks in, two of those freshmen have claimed NEC Rookie of The Week honors.

Infielder Noah Martinez from New Milford and starting pitcher Anthony Mozzicato won the award back-toback weeks following impressive performances..

With so many unknowns following the lost 2020 campaign, gauging talent around the league has never been more difficult.

“It has been hard to have expectations when we have just been hoping to go out and play,” CCSU head coach Charlie Hickey said. “We have been fortunate to be able to get out on our field and been able to play.”

CCSU (4-2, 1-0 NEC) was voted second in the preseason poll behind Bryant, and early showings from new faces give reason for optimism.

“We are trying to figure out who we are,” Hickey said. “We have a lot of possible combinations, and that group of freshman that grew up a year and some of them are playing this year.

We are trying to see who feeds who and who protects who in the lineup.”

In the Blue Devils’ first conference game, Martinez was slotted in the three hole, and delivered with a 4-for-5 performance to bring his season slash line to .360/.407/

.600.

Named SWC MVP in 2017 for New Milford, Martinez made stops in a post graduate year at Hotchkiss and one semester at West Point before transferring to CCSU.

Martinez was named NEC Rookie of the Week after a

4-for-5 performance against UAlbany, belting a home run in his first career collegiate game.

“This year freshmen have a big responsibility and have to be ready for to get into different spots,” Martinez said. “We need to come in and do our job and stay focused on what we need to do to win games.”

It only took one game for Martinez to make his presence known, but the pressure doesn’t bother him.

“I think there is a little bit of pressure, but my hitting philosophy is to spray all fields and get on base,” Martinez said. “I want to be as dynamic as possible and just get on base and do my job in the middle of the order.”

In the second week of the season, starting pitcher Mozzicato, an East Catholic graduate and 2019 CHSCA All-State selection, fired seven innings of one run ball in a 4-1 win over Stony Brook.

Mozzicato was named the NEC Rookie of the Week for his performance, an award he had actually won before. Mozzicato’s freshman eligibility was reinstated like many others following the 2020 season and he picked up right where he left off.

“I came in last year not knowing what role I would have, and I found out opening weekend I was going to start,” Mozzicato. “I ended up having a good outing and when everything got shut down our whole staff was rolling.”

Mozzicato is lined up as the third starter behind seniors Brandon Fox (East Catholic) and Andrew Braun.

“We know what we have to do every weekend, as long as we do our jobs we will have nothing to worry about,” Mozzicato said. “We do have a good mixture of a lot of young guys and guys who have been here five or six years, so they really help us stay focused on the process.”

“We have a veteran staff with some freshmen arms too,” Martinez said. “In terms of our hitting it is a similar situation. We have Dave Matthews (Newtown) and Buddy Dewaine (Montville) who have been here for a while and give us tips and teach us young guys who are trying to follow in their footsteps.”

If CCSU can continue to get strong performances from its talented freshman class, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team rise to the top of the NEC once again.

“I expect very good things from us,” Mozzicato said. “I think we can be a very dangerous team all season and through the tournament.”