On the heels of winning the Northeast Conference Championship, the Central Connecticut baseball team entered the 2018 season with high hopes. But things did not go as planned as the Blue Devils finished 12-16 in the conference and failed to reach the NEC tournament altogether.

While manager Charlie Hickey did not want to make excuses, he said it was the worst injury situation his team had endured in his 20-plus years of baseball.

“Coming off a championship season that in itself we had injuries to the pitching staff, last year it occurred up and down the lineup. When you lose those sorts of pieces, it’s hard to build,” Hickey said.

But the injury bug has already bitten the team in the offseason.

First baseman TT Bowens missed all but five games of last season after suffering a knee injury against Furman. Hickey said Bowens was “98 percent” in his recovery in the fall when he tore his ACL in his other knee. This will leave the Blue Devils without one of their best hitters until, optimistically, mid-April, per Hickey.

The Blue Devils struggled to replace Bowens last season, deploying seven different alternatives. As for this year, “option A” is sophomore Jay Devito, who acted solely as a middle infielder last season. Hickey said he understands the challenges of the position change and said Devito needs to hit at a more consistent level.

Hickey also listed freshmen Tim Buchek and Jack Nolan as possible contributors at the position.

In addition, the Blue Devils will need to fill the void left by multiple key position players that graduated. Perhaps none were more important than second baseman Dean Lockery, who started every game in his four years with the team and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 32nd round of the MLB Draft.

The team will turn to junior Chandler Debrosse. Formerly a utility man, Debrosse will settle into second, but it’s his offense that Hickey says will be key.

“Offensively, he can be a very viable factor because of his ability to do a lot of different things: take pitches, hit the other way, move runners. When you have guys like that, they tend to be contagious,” Hickey said.

The other player who will be thrust into a starting role is sophomore catcher Sam Loda, who will replace four-year starter Nick Garland. Loda only saw 23 total contests with only four behind the dish. Despite this, Hickey believes Loda is “going to be a special player for us.”

But one spot the Blue Devils carry a lot of experience is in the outfield. With sophomore Christian Layne in left, Chris Kanios in center, Peyton Stephens in right and Jake Siracusa acting as a designated hitter and fourth outfielder. Hickey believes the team has an athletic and strong defensive outfield, particularly with the large dimensions of CCSU Baseball Field.

Also returning is redshirt freshman Jeremy Sagun, who appeared at 35 games at shortstop. However, Matt Bertochi, who Hickey called the most improved player this offseason, has earned the first shot at the position.

“Hopefully, between the two of them, there will be competition and raise the level of consistency we hope to have. As they get older, they will decide who plays,” Hickey said of the two sophomores.

As for the pitching staff, the Blue Devils return most major contributors from last season, most notably senior hurler Mike Appel.

Though Appel sported the worst earned run average of his career last season, his strikeouts per nine innings skyrocketed and his home runs yielded plummeted. Despite some success, Appel struggled with control at times, walking four or more batters in five starts.

“You look at his walks and hits per inning and you scratch your head. ‘How can you be successful with that many base runners?’” Hickey said of Appel. “But there are moments he throws pitches no one is going to hit and has pitched in some big spots for us. But he needs to be more consistent where don’t have to sit on the edge of our seat every half inning he goes out there.”

Appel and junior Brandon Fox will return to the top of the rotation. Hickey said they will likely be joined by senior Patrick Mitchell and junior Andrew Braun. Braun sported a shiny 2.84 ERA in 2018.

In addition, Hickey said the team will need better performances from Mike Delease and Tom Curtin, who faced their fair share of struggles last season.

The Blue Devils were picked to finish sixth in the NEC in the preseason coaches’ poll, meaning they would miss the postseason once again. Though Hickey said the team “can’t be bothered” by the poll, he called it a “fair assessment” of his team.

The team will kick off their season with a three-game series against Massachusetts starting on Friday. Feb. 22.