ENC Baseball Adds Cardaropoli, Houle to Incoming Group

QUINCY, Mass.- Eastern Nazarene baseball head coach Addison Rouse has announced the additions of Joe Cardaropoli and Brent Houle to the program's class of 2018.

Cardaropoli hails from Agawam, Mass. where he attends Agawam High School. He is a 5-foot-10 middle infielder and pitcher for the Brownies.

"I chose ENC because I felt very comfortable there and I have developed a great relationship with the coaches. The ability to play collegiate baseball along with the school's location made the decision easy to attend Eastern Nazarene," said Cardaropoli.

This spring, Cardaropoli is batting .286 with six hits and three doubles. He has driven in six RBIs and crossed the plate five times. Cardaropoli has also logged 10 innings on the mound with 11 strikeouts.

"Joe is a really good runner and an extremely athletic person. He swings the bat extremely well, is an exceptional middle infielder and also has some talent on the mound. He will make an immediate impact in our infield as a freshman. Joe fits into our style and our system well," said Rouse.

Houle is a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher and first baseman from Westfield, Mass. where he currently attends Westfield High School.

As a junior, Houle finished with a 4-1 record and three saves. He fanned 34 batters in 38 innings on the mound and posted an ERA under 2.00 on the year.

This season he has tossed 19.2 innings and struck out 21 batters for the Bombers. He has two wins and one save to his credit this spring.

Houle was named the MVP of the 2013 Western Massachusetts Tournament by the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association. He hurled a complete game, one-hitter in the semifinals against the second-seeded team. In the championship game, Houle came on in a relief capacity with the bases loaded and no outs. He struck out all three batters he faced and went on to shut down the top-seeded squad in three innings of action to secure the title for the Westfield Bombers.

Houle plays summer baseball for the Western Massachusetts Warriors and the Batters Box Renegades. He pitched a complete game at the War at the Shore and picked up a win for the Warriors against the Long Island Mariners. Houle also tossed a complete-game no-hitter for the Renegades against the Dream Bat Bombers.

As a member of the National Honor Society at Westfield High School, he has helped deliver meals to the elderly and collect donations for the American Red Cross.

"Brent is a key recruit for this program. We believe that he will fit into our conference rotation and we are expecting him to compete within our pitching staff right away. His potential is off the charts and we can't wait for him to arrive on campus. He has great character and possesses a great attitude. Brent is a positive addition for this institution and program," stated Rouse.

Houle plans on majoring in Engineering at Eastern Nazarene.

The duo of Cardaropoli and Houle increases the Lions' incoming crop to eight as they join Bobby Barber, Ryan Connolly, Caleb Lynch, Joe Meli, Eric Shea and Andy Vasquez.