Caldwell, N.J. - As the first day of practice has arrived for the Panthers on Wednesday, the Adelphi University baseball team learned of its No. 5 ranking in the 2023 NCBWA East Region Preseason Poll.

The poll includes the entirety of last year's NCAA Tournament field, with two-time defending East Region champion Southern New Hampshire University leading the way.

A high bar has been set again for the Panthers, who were tabbed the conference's preseason favorite for a fourth-consecutive NE10 Southwest Division title in 2023.

While the team will look to make up for the departure of NE10 Player of the Year Matt Alifano, Adelphi will still put out a nearly-identical starting line-up with seven starting position players returning.

In 2022, the Panthers led the NE10 in hitting (.320) and on-base percentage (.399) and only trailed SNHU for the lead in almost every other offensive category.

With Nicolas Luc now in the dugout as an assistant coach, John Rizzo and Jordan Falco will headline the rotation off impressive freshman campaigns.

Rizzo led all freshmen in the NE10 with eight victories in 2022 and won NE10 Southwest Division Rookie of the Year honors. He ultimately compiled an 8-3 record with a 3.70 earned-run average and a team-best 66 strikeouts.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Falco made his debut start last March with six innings of shutout ball against Bloomsburg. Even when arriving from the bullpen in a relief appearance, Falco produced a stellar 0.63 ERA.

Head Coach Bill Ianniciello and his Adelphi squad open the 2023 campaign in Myrtle Beach, S.C. against Post University on Friday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.