NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Head coach Rob McCoy announced ten newcomers to the Niagara baseball program. Peter Battaglia III, Matthew Brash, Brett Cook, Michael Gabriele, Philippe Langlois, Alexander MacKinnon, Nate Mascellino, Wyatt Olson, Joseph Tevlin and Matt Zaremba all enrolled at Niagara in fall 2016.

“Once again, Coach Matt Spatafora has worked extremely hard as our recruiting coordinator to bring in some extremely talented student-athletes that address positional needs that we feel will take us to the next level,” said McCoy. “Our goal for this year’s class was to recruit players that love Niagara and believe in our core values of ‘E.A.G.L.E.S. – excellence, accountability, grit, love, energy and selflessness. I believe we have succeeded in our efforts and I expect these young men to be champions of our values both on and off the field.”

Peter Battaglia III | 1B-OF | 6-foot-1 | Williamsville, N.Y. | Williamsville North High School
Battaglia was a three-year starter on the Williamsville North varsity baseball team, as well as competing with the Niagara Junior Thunderwolves at the club level. He served as a captain for his high school team during his junior and senior seasons, and was a captain for the Junior Thunderwolves in his junior season. Battaglia, a three-time Scholar Athlete Award recipient, was named a Preseason All-State Honorable Mention for 2016 graduates by Prep Baseball Report (PBR) and was selected for the PBR Buffalo/Niagara region team to compete in PBR New York games.

Matthew Brash | Right-Handed Pitcher | 6-foot-0 | Kingston, Ont. | Bayridge Secondary School
Brash comes to Niagara after an outstanding high school baseball career. Brash pitched Bayridge to its first two baseball championships in school history. He was voted Bayridge’s top male athlete all four years of high school and served as a captain on the baseball team during his senior season. In 2015, Brash played for Team Ontario in the Canada Cup; the team won the bronze medal. He also played for Team Ontario at Tournament 12 in 2015. Following his successful 2015 season, Brash was named the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association Senior Rep Player of the Year. At the club level, Brash competed with the Kingston Thunder. In 76.2 innings pitched in 2015, he had a 1.19 ERA, 146 strikes and allowed only 13 earned runs. He was rated by PBR as the sixth-best pitcher in the province of Ontario.

Brett Cook | Right-Handed Pitcher | 6-foot-3 | Round Rock, Texas | Cisco College
Cook joins Niagara from Cisco College, a two-year college in Texas. Prior to Cisco, Cook was a three-year letter winner at St. Michael’s Catholic High School. He was a First Team All-District selection his senior season, as well as being named to the Columbus Tournament All-Tournament Team. Cook also competed at the club level as part of the Austin Baseball Club.

Michael Gabriele | Infield/Right-Handed Pitcher | 6-foot-1 | Canisius High School
Gabriele joins the Purple Eagles team after a highly decorated high school baseball career. In 2014, Gabriele was a Western New York (WNY) Underclassmen Showcase All-Star Selection. He was also named Co-Pitcher of the Year at Canisius High School following his sophomore season. Gabriele was a WNY Legion All-State selection in 2014-16. In 2016, he was named to the All-Monsignor Martin First Team, as well as being an All-WNY Honorable Mention. Gabriele was part of the Ignation Scholar Program, as well as being a member of the National Honor Society. His sister, Maria, is a member of the Niagara softball team and their father, Mark, also played baseball for the Purple Eagles.

Philippe Langlois | Third Base | 6-foot-3 | Victoriaville, Que. | Muscatine Community College
Langlois comes to Niagara after two seasons at Muscatine Community College, part of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). In 2016, Langlois led the Muscatine team with a .355 batting average, 14 doubles, 38 RBIs, a .497 on-base percentage, a .559 slugging percentage and 55 games played. He was an ICCAC Second Team All-Conference selection in both 2015 and 2016 and was also an ICCAC First Team All-Academic honoree. Langlois was selected to Team Quebec for the 2016 Summer Senior Canadian National Championships.

Alexander MacKinnon | Right-Handed Pitcher | 6-foot-3 | Aurora, Ont. | St. Maximilian Kolbe
MacKinnon, who was named the MVP of his high school team from 2012-15, was also an integral part of Team Ontario. In his final season with Team Ontario, he had the most innings pitched, strikeouts and wins, as well as having the lowest ERA. One of MacKinnon’s shining moments was an extra-inning complete game win over the Michigan Bulls in the Michigan Elite Tournament Semifinals. MacKinnon was picked to represent Team Ontario as a Canadian Premier Baseball League All-Star and was named as a National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) All-American at the NABF World Series in Youngstown, Ohio. He was named the Ontario Baseball Association’s Ontario Pitcher of the Year in 2013.

Nate Mascellino | Pitcher/Outfield | 6-foot-1 | Pendleton, N.Y. | Canisius High School
Mascellino was an All-Monsignor Martin pitcher in both 2015 and 2016; he was selected to the first team in 2016 and the second team in 2015. He was a first team all-tournament selection in the Rich Pilliet Memorial Baseball Tournament in 2014 and 2015. Following his senior season, he was named an All-WNY Honorable Mention. Mascellino also competed in indoor track and was a team captain from 2015-16. In 2015, he qualified for the New Balance Nationals Indoor in the 4x200 relay.

Wyatt Olson | Outfield/First Base | 6-foot-2 | Janesville, Wisc. | Indian Hills Community College
Olson joins Niagara after two seasons at Indian Hills Community College, part of the ICCAC. Olson had an impressive season in 2016; he had 44 hits, 35 runs and 16 doubles in 51 appearances. He led the Indian Hills team with 11 homeruns and 46 RBIs. He finished the season batting .256. Following the 2016 season, Olson was named to the ICCAC All-Conference Second Team and to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region Academic First Team. Olson was named the Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Joseph Tevlin | Catcher | 6-foot-1 | Toronto, Ont. | Bishop Allen Academy
Tevlin was named the MVP of his high school during his junior season. At the club level, Tevlin played for the Ontario Terriers. The Terriers were Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Tier 1 finalists for the provincial championship in 2014 and won third place at the OFSAA Tier 1 Tournament in 2015. Following the 2015 season, Tevlin was ranked by Perfect Game USA as the fifth-best catcher in Ontario.

Matt Zaremba | Catcher | 5-foot-11 | Columbus, Ohio | Saint Francis DeSales High School
Zaremba was a two-year starter at DeSales, one of Ohio’s top Catholic high schools. The DeSales team won the Central Catholic League Championship in 2016 and was a district finalist in 2014 and a regional runner-up in 2016. In his senior year, Zaremba, a four-year honor roll student, was captain of his summer team, the Midwest Mob.