SUNYAC Preview

Cortland won its 25th conference championship last season and 14th SUNYAC tournament title in the last 16 seasons. The Red Dragons closed last season with nine straight victories, four in the Auburn, New York, regional and five in the Division III World Series, the fifth and final victory being a 6-2 triumph over UW-La Crosse in the national championship game. Cortland opened the 2016 season at number one in the D3baseball.com Preseason Top 25. Cortland’s title defense will not be an easy one. Head coach Joe Brown has front-loaded the schedule with the likes of Salisbury, Marietta, Johns Hopkins, Rowan, Mary Washington, Rutgers-Camden and on March 13 in sunny Florida, Cortland will square off with UW LaCrosse in a rematch from last June’s title tilt in Appleton.

This year’s Cortland team will have to rely on its offense, at least early on. The defending champs have big shoes to fill in their starting pitching rotation without the three-headed monster of Brandon Serio, Brandon McClain and Alex Weingarten. Last season, the trio combined to pitch 178.0 innings and it went 23-2 in 29 starts. Serio (8-0, 1.70, 63.2 IP, 54 K, 8 BB) was a second team D3baseball.com All-American and the SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year. Seth Lamando (6-0,1.16 ERA, 46.2 IP, 56 K) struck out nine over seven innings in the national championship game against UW-La Crosse. Lamando projects to be the ace of a new starting rotation that includes transfer newcomers Tanner Whiteman (UMES) and Ben Moxley (Herkimer CC) as well as Nick Di Benedetto (3-0, 5.40 ERA, 16.2 IP). Whiteman was a conference starter at Division I Maryland Eastern Shore last spring where he tossed two complete games, struck out 46 and spun a one-hit complete game shutout against Norfolk State. Cortland’s bullpen returns nearly intact from last year’s title run and should again be one of the best in the region, in not the country. Adam Brant (4-1, 1.09 ERA, 16 APP, 33.0 IP) logged the most appearances of any Cortland pitcher on a staff that boasted a 2.81 earned run average. One name to watch for among Cortland freshmen pitchers will be Kashaun Curry. The southpaw was a New York State Class AA (highest classification) first team selection last spring at Middletown high school. A former starter at Purchase, he could prove valuable in a spot start role if needed. D3baseball.com All-New York reliever Travis Laitar (0-0, 4 SV, 1.86 ERA, 19.1 IP), Tyler Brien (2-0, 2.84 ERA, 9 APP) and Turner Parry (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 11.1 IP, 18 K) all return.  Last year’s SUNYAC Player of the Year Conrad Ziemendorf (.369, 46 RBI, 59 H, 47 R, 16 DBL, .485 OBP) should be Cortland’s offensive catalyst. The top of Cortland’s batting order and the middle infield will have a different look in 2016 with the Dragons having graduated three of their top four in the batting order and both middle infielders. Steven Figueroa, a 2015 NJCAA Division II All-American at Westchester CC, should fill both of those holes. Impact returnees for Cortland on offense include Austin Clock (.317, 40 RBI, 57 H, 31 R, 12 DBL), Matthew Michalski (.369, 23 RBI, 45 H) and Nick Hart (.430, 23 RBI, 46 H, 34 R).

With 47 victories, the last two seasons, Oswego State has established itself as a conference championship contender and regional playoff threat. The Lakers returned to the NCAA tournament last spring for the first time since 1996 and the Lakers have the tools to make it back to the regionals at Falcon Park. While 10 seniors graduated, including D3baseball.com second team All-New York pitcher Brendyn Karinchak, Oswego has 22 players back from last year’s team. Tim Cronin (3-1, 2.14 ERA, 54.2 IP, 30 K, 7 BB), Robert Donnelly (3-2, 1.37 ERA, 46.0 IP, 13 BB, 18 K) and Miles Kelly (6-2, 4.79 ERA, 2 CG, 47.0 IP, 31 K, 11 BB) should anchor the Lakers’ pitching staff however Oswego will win games with its offense. Jordan Giller (.401, 2 HR, 38 RBI, 57 H, 24 R, 13 DBL, 24 BB), Eric Hamilton (345, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 57 H, 27 R) and Myles Kutscher (.319, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 45 H, 31 R, 11 DBL, 12 BB) will provide the big sticks in the middle of the Oswego order. Speedster Wes Randall (.327, 12 RBI, 34 H, 24 R, 14 BB, 13 SB) should fill the shoes of the graduated Dan Saccocio (.380, 52 H, 52 R, 25 SB); together last year, the pair combined to help an aggressive Oswego offense steal a league-leading 70 bases.

Brockport and Fredonia rounded out the conference tournament field last year. Under head coach Justin Beach, Brockport has been a consistent contender near the top of the SUNY table making seven league tournaments and the Golden Eagles have won at least 20 games in each of his eight seasons. This year may be his toughest challenge as the Golden Eagles must replace almost every key player from last year’s 20-win team. Brockport will have 24 upperclassmen, 13 juniors and 11 seniors. Tyler Clifford (Clifford 3-4, 4.86 ERA, 46.1 IP, 8 GS, 32 K) is Brockport’s lone returning starting pitcher. Brockport’s biggest bat should be senior Wesley Burghardt (281, 1 HR, 26 RBI, 34 H, 10 DBL, 14 R, 13 BB), a 2014 D3baseball.com All-Region selection. Brockport’s success may hinge on how the new faces work out. Fredonia’s eight conference victories last year secured the Blue Devils their second conference tournament appearance in three years. Fredonia walked a tight rope in 2015 with eight games in SUNYAC play decided by one run. Big swingers Dan Cecilia (361, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 26 H, 11 R) and Quinn Danahy (.360, 17 RBI, 27 H, 11 R) should continue to power the Fredonia offense while could also get a boost from transfer James Kulikowski, an all-region selection at Erie Community College in 2014. Reliever Bailey Gauthier (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 10 APP, 2 SV, 21.0 IP, 15 K) and starter Zachary Jordan (6-3, 5.44 ERA, 51.1 IP, 34 K) are Fredonia’s top returning arms. 

Plattsburgh State came up two games shy of the conference tournament last spring. The Cardinals boast two of the most utilized arms in the conference from 2015 in starting pitching Scott Orr (6-3, 2.94 ERA, 5 CG, 77.1 IP, 47 K) and reliever Andrew Kramer (4-2, 3.98 ERA, 16 APP, 43.0 IP). Orr led the SUNYAC in innings pitched and finished tied for fourth in victories while Kramer appeared in nearly half of Plattsbugh’s 35 games. Head coach Kris Doorey will count heavily again upon both to get Plattsburgh back into the top four in the league table. The Cardinals graduated their top four hitters from last season but do return RBI leader T.J. Montalbano (.336, 22 RBI). Weather plagued SUNY New Paltz throughout last spring and the Hawks completed just 29 games, winning seven. The Hawks are high on returning SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Jake Williams (.299, 7 RBI, 29 H, 18 R), the first player in school history to win the award. Tyler Bell (.343, 14 RBI, 24 H) and Andrew DiNardo (.229, 2 HR, 15 RBI) also return for the Hawks while the most experienced pitcher will be Christian Huertas (0-4, 5.88 ERA, 8 APP, 4 GS, 26.0 IP). While SUNY Oneonta had a rocky road in 2015, the Red Dragons return most of their line-up for head coach Ben Grimm in 2016. The offense should get a boost from a healthy Matt Mastroianni. The senior hit .299 and .301 in 2013 and 2014 respectively then missed nearly all of last season due to injury. Mastroianni’s return should benefit an offense that batted .253 last spring.