The Newark Pilots continue to build their roster for the 2016 Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) season with the addition of Niagara University Purple Eagles Greg Cullen and Julian Gallup. Both Cullen and Gallup are in the midst of breakout seasons for a rising Niagara program, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).Cullen has found a home as a table setter, batting second in the lineup for the Purple Eagles. In his freshman season, he’s batting .276 with a .344 on-base percentage. The shortstop has accumulated 32 hits, eight doubles, 17 runs scored, and 10 RBIs. He has also displayed tremendous patience at the plate by working out 13 walks. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound rookie began his collegiate career with an eight-game on-base streak, which included a season-long six-game hit streak. Cullen has a trio of three-hit outings, most recently doing so in a 4-3 victory over St. Bonaventure. In that game on March 22, he finished 3-for-5 with the game-winning RBI in the ninth.Originally from nearby Penfield, N.Y., Cullen was a two-sport athlete at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, N.Y., where he lettered in both baseball and basketball. He guided the Knights to a Section V Class AA championship in 2015, batting .472 with a .639 on-base percentage. He collected 34 hits, 32 runs, and flashed his wheels by swiping 18 bags as a senior. Cullen capped off his high school career by being named to the All-Greater Rochester and All-New York State First Teams.The fleet-footed Gallup will a dimension of power and speed to the Newark lineup this summer. The second-year outfielder has started all 28 games for the Purple Eagles, ranking third among starters with a .326 batting average. Among his 29 hits are a team-leading three home runs. He’s also 7-for-8 in stolen bases. Perhaps Gallup’s best outing of the season came in the series with MAAC opponent Saint Peter’s College. In the first of a three-game set, the 6-foot-1 outfielder went 2-for-4 with a double and a three-run homer, registering season highs with five RBIs and four runs scored. As a freshman, Gallup made 38 appearances, recording a .324 on-base percentage with 15 walks, 15 runs scored, and eight hits.
A two-time All-New York State selection, Gallup was a tremendously gifted three-sport athlete at Amsterdam High School. His high school baseball coach was Brian Spagnola, the president and general manager of the Amsterdam Mohawks. Under Spagnola’s tutelage, Gallup hit at a combined .381 clip with 43 runs and 30 RBIs in his junior and senior campaigns. Additionally, he swiped a total of 35 bases in his final two prep seasons. That speed on the basepath translated well to the track, where Gallup won a state title in the 4×400-meter relay as a senior, the same year he quarterbacked the Rugged Rams football team.The Newark Pilots open the 2016 PGCBL season on the road on Wednesday, June 1, against the Jamestown Jammers. The home opener at historic Colburn Park is scheduled for Friday, June 3, at 7:05 p.m. against the Geneva Red Wings. For more information and to purchase season tickets, please contact team president Leslie Ohmann at 315-576-6710 or [email protected].