When the NCAA made an across-the-board move to push back the start of the college baseball season, effective with the 2008 season, it was designed to give schools in Northern climates a fairer chance to compete. More specifically, teams in the Northeast.

The first beneficiary of the decision may have been Boston College, which earned its first NCAA tournament appearance in 42 years in 2009, and immediately proved its worth by extending eventual national runner-up Texas to 25 innings in an epic regional battle.

Connecticut made a lot of noise, too, before losing out in the Big East Conference tournament final. Had the Huskies won, they would have made their first post-season tournament appearance in 15 years.

Not coincidentally, both those schools made a big impact on the 2009 draft. BC catcher Tony Sanchez was the fourth overall pick, while lefthander Nick Belfiore was taken with the 45 ^th selection. UConn’s first pick didn’t come until the fourth round, but the school had a significant impact overall by having five pitchers drafted—an accomplishment matched by few colleges.

Those two schools will carry the torch again for New England baseball this spring—both from the potential impact they’ll make when the 64-team NCAA tournament and draft roll around in June.

Connecticut is ranked No. 58 in PG Crosschecker’s ranking of the nation’s top 100 teams entering the 2010 season (which starts Friday), while Boston College is two spots back at No. 60. Those schools also dominate the accompanying list of the top prospects for the 2010 draft, with each having a candidate that could go as early as the second round.

For all the obvious improvement by those schools since the 2008 decision that led to a uniform starting date for Division I teams, St. John’s still holds the standard for college teams in the Northeast. The Red Storm has made four NCAA regional appearances since 2004, and with a pre-season ranking of No. 52, is expected to have a short leg up on BC and UConn, and any other takers from the area, for a post-season bid this year.

But it there’s a Northeast team that possesses the raw talent to truly make its mark on the national stage in the next year or two, possibly even with a College World Series appearance that has eluded a Northeast team since 1986, it’s Connecticut.

The Huskies will obviously have to re-group a bit this year to offset the loss of five arms to the draft, but a rich, talented sophomore class could push them over the top in 2011. Already two UConn players, righthander Matt Barnes, who has a fastball that touches 97 mph, and outfielder George Springer, a rising five-tool talent, have been earmarked as first-rounders in next year’s draft.

For all the improvement that Northeast schools appear to be making, though, it may be a while still before the area can match some of the past CWS accomplishments of teams like Holy Cross, which won an improbable national title in 1952, or even Maine, which made five trips in six years to Omaha, from 1981-86. Brown shortstop Bill Almon was also the No. 1 pick in the draft in 1974, Dartmouth righthander Pete Broberg No. 1 three years earlier.

With that as a backdrop, here’s how we see the college talent stacking up in the 2010 draft class as it applies to New York and the six New England states:

NEW ENGLAND/NEW YORK: IN A NUTSHELL

BEST COLLEGE TEAM: St. John’s.
BEST JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM: Monroe (N.Y.).
BEST HIGH SCHOOL TEAM: George Washington HS, New York.

COLLEGE/BEST SENIOR PROSPECT: Bruce Kern, rhp, St. John’s.
COLLEGE/BEST JUNIOR PROSPECT: Pat Dean, lhp, Boston College.
COLLEGE/BEST SOPHOMORE PROSPECT: George Springer, of, Connecticut.
COLLEGE/BEST FRESHMAN PROSPECT: Andrew Del Colle, rhp, Boston College.
COLLEGE/BEST NON-DIVISION I PROSPECT: Dave Filak, rhp, SUNY Oneonta.

BEST JUNIOR-COLLEGE PROSPECT: No established candidate.

HIGH SCHOOL/BEST SENIOR PROSPECT: Robbie Aviles, rhp, Suffern (N.Y.) HS.
HIGH SCHOOL/BEST JUNIOR PROSPECT: Tyler Beede, rhp, Lawrence Academy, Auburn, Mass.
HIGH SCHOOL/BEST SOPHOMORE PROSPECT: Patrick Delano, Braintree (Mass.) HS.

COLLEGE/BEST TOOLS:
Best Athlete: George Springer, of, Connecticut
Best Pure Hitter: George Springer, of, Connecticut/Mickey Wiswall, 1b-3b, Boston College.
Best Raw Power Hitter: Michael Olt, 3b, Connecticut/Mickey Wiswall, 1b-3b, Boston College.
Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Matt Burnett, of, Connecticut/Matt Hamlet, of, Boston College.
Fastest Base Runner: Khyle Dimino, of, SUNY Cortland.
Best Base Runner: Jesse Bosnik, ss, St. Bonaventure.
Best Defender: Joe Panik, ss, St. John’s.
Best Infield Arm: Michael Olt, 3b, Connecticut.
Best Outfield Arm: George Springer, of, Connecticut.
Best Fastball: Matt Barnes, rhp, Connecticut/Kevin Moran, rhp, Boston College.
Best Breaking Ball: Dave Filak, rhp, SUNY Oneonta.
Best Changeup: Shane Davis, lhp, Canisius.
Best Command: Pat Dean, lhp, Boston College.

TOP 10 COLLEGE PROSPECTS/2010 DRAFT
(Projected Round Noted)

1. Pat Dean, lhp, Boston College (Jr.)                                                                         2 ^nd -4 ^th Round
Stylish lefty with solid command of 3 pitches (95 IP/16 BB/90 SO in ’09), has made big jump in velocity

2. Michael Olt, 3b, Connecticut (Jr.)                                                                            2 ^nd -4 ^th Round
Has power/speed/arm to be early-rounder; found a home at third after struggles at SS; needs better contact

3. Kevin Moran, rhp, Boston College (Jr.)                                                                    3 ^rd -5 ^th Round
Big RHP with quality arm, aggressive approach; FB touches 96, but everything hard; needs better off-speed

4. Mickey Wiswall, 1b-3b, Boston College (Jr.)                                                            4 ^th -6 ^th Round
Advanced hitter, both for power/average; batted .320-14-63 as soph; OK defender at 3B, better fit at 1B

5. Dave Filak, rhp, SUNY Oneonta (Jr.)                                                                      6 ^th -10 ^th Round
Dominated D-III level in ’09 with 30 H/88 SO in 53 IP; dominates with 6-5 frame, 92 FB, downer curve

6.Corey Pappel, rhp, Cornell (Jr.)                                                                              8 ^th -12 ^th Round
Canadian still learning to pitch, but had big summer in NYCBL; has 6-6 frame, moving FB to 92, cutter

7. Stephen McQuail, 2b-3b, Canisius (Jr.)                                                                  8 ^th -12 ^th Round
Had breakout summer in Valley League, drilled 16 HRs; has 6.7 speed in 60, can play multiple positions

8. Greg Hopkins, 3b, St. John’s (Jr.)                                                                         10 ^th -15 ^th Round
Hit .349-7-45 as sophomore; has solid tools across the board, but may lack power/arm to remain on corner

9. Kyle Benoit, rhp, Maine (So.)                                                                               10 ^th -15 ^th Round
Canadian with 93-95 velocity, plus break/solid change; missed ’09 with TJ surgery; will close for Maine

10. Elliot Glynn, lhp-of, Connecticut (Jr.)                                                                  10 ^th -15 ^th Round
Two-way player whose pro future is on mound; moving FB in upper-80s, effective slider; very competitive

SLEEPER
Pierre LePage, 2b, Connecticut                                                                               10 ^th -25 ^th Round
Doesn’t wow scouts with size/tools, but can hit, run, play defense; biggest asset is huge heart, all-out hustle

LAST IN A SERIES