Cortland's 28 season playoff streak is the longest active streak in D-III baseball . d3photography.com photo by Steve Frommell

By John McGraw, D3sports.com

The name has changed but the faces atop the mountain of Division III baseball stay the same as the calendar has turned to 2022. What was prior called the “New York” region and included teams across the state, some in multi-regional conferences, now is Region III, one of ten regions across the country. Region III consists of 40 teams spanning New York from the rolling hills of southwestern New York up to the US/Canadian border and back down through Long Island’s south shore. The conferences making up Region III include the Empire 8, Liberty League, Skyline and SUNYAC. All other schools residing in the state have moved to either regions 2 or 4 depending on their home conference.

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Last season was one of condensed schedules, some programs playing only conference games, no travel outside of the state aside from NCAA regionals and lots of offense. Five teams in the region ranked in the top 25 nationally in team batting average. Perennial regional heavyweight SUNY Cortland returned to the World Series and came up just shy of the program’s second national championship under Joe Brown. Four players represented the region on D3baseball.com’s 2021 All-America team and St. John Fisher’s Adam Zebrowski was the D3baseball.com Player of the Year. Zebrowski went on to be selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball draft.

What’s new in 2022 aside from a new regional name and alignment? The Empire 8’s return to seven teams is nearly complete. Keuka became the league’s fifth baseball-playing member last spring. Sage College opens play this month with Medaille College, presently in the AMCC, set to join the Empire 8 in the fall. In addition, a new program in the Liberty League will start competing for talent with Hobart having added baseball for 2023. The Statesmen will be the Liberty League’s 11th baseball playing member. Four schools have new head coaches with two of those four in the SUNYAC. Two D3baseball.com All-Americans return, both on the 2022 D3baseball.com Preseason All-America team, Cortland’s Scott Giordano and Rochester’s Aaron Whitley.

As mentioned earlier, it’s a case of rounding up the usual suspects. Cortland set a new NCAA Division III record by reaching its 28th straight NCAA tournament last spring. The Red Dragons built on that by advancing to the World Series for the 15th time. With Cortland bringing back nearly everyone both offensively and defensively, there’s no reason the Red Dragons shouldn’t be on the odds-on favorites to be making a return trip to Cedar Rapids.

This is becoming a familiar sight for Rochester as they have won three straight conference championships. Rochester athletics photo

Should the Red Dragons falter, a triumvirate of teams will be waiting to usurp their throne. The best of the bunch might be at Rochester. Joe Reina’s Yellow Jackets have now won back-to-back Liberty League tournament championships in addition to three straight conference regular season titles. Much like Cortland, Rochester’s entire offense returns nearly intact. The Red Dragons and Yellow Jackets will have an early season showdown on March 2 in Rochester and then play at Cortland’s Wallace Field on April 20.

But don’t count out Oswego State. The Lakers were a win away from their third consecutive SUNYAC tournament championship and fourth SUNYAC Pool A bid in a row. Oswego returns a solid offensive nucleus and frontline pitching on a team that went 25-7 with just three of those losses coming in the 2021 regular season. St. John Fisher has been a fixture near the top of the Empire 8 and the region over the last 5-6 years under Brandon Potter. That shouldn’t change this spring with the majority of one of the nation’s best offenses returning in Pittsfield.

St. John Fisher and Rochester are scheduled to face-off in a three-game series in March while the Cardinals and Oswego State Lakers will play a home-and-home in April.

After the top four, it’s anyone’s guess. Brockport picked up wins over Cortland, Oswego and St. John Fisher last spring. The veteran Golden Eagles have been a consistent top four finisher in the SUNYAC under longtime head coach Justin Beach.

Downstate, the Skyline looks completely up grabs after a senior-heavy Merchant Marine team claimed the conference crown last spring and then upset Eastern Connecticut in the regionals. Merchant Marine’s success on the national level shows the Skyline can compete outside of the region. Whomever emerges from the Skyline will be a tough out in the regionals.

New Faces

Elmira: For the first time in Elmira’s eight-year history, head coach Corey Paluga will not be in the dugout. Paluga stepped down last summer to move closer to family. Elmira quickly installed assistant Anthony Goncalves as the new head coach. He had joined the program for the abbreviated 2021 campaign. This will be his first head coaching job. Goncalves spent over a decade as an assistant with stops across Pennsylvania at Division II Mansfield and Philadelphia (now Thomas Jefferson) University and Division III Arcadia and Misericordia, his alma mater. Goncalves both played for and coached with longtime Cougars head coach Pete Engbert. Misericordia went from a pair of 20+-win seasons with Union, N.J., native as a player to a trio of 30-win campaigns with Goncalves on the coaching staff.  

Fredonia: Just over one month ago, Fredonia State tabbed 2009 graduate Jordon Basile as the program’s interim head coach. Former skipper Matt Palisin, who held the job for 19 seasons, stepped down from the head coaching position this winter to take over as the school’s sports information director. Basile is Fredonia’s all-time hits and runs scored leader. He was part of a Blue Devils team that won 26 games in 2009 and finished second in the SUNYAC. Basile departed Jamestown (N.Y.) Community College after two seasons. He was previously the head coach at NJCAA Patrick Henry (Va.) Community College and made assistant coaching stops at D-II Lake Erie and Division I Buffalo. Last summer, Basile piloted the Jamestown Tarp Skunks to the regular season title in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s West Division. The school has indicated a national search will take place for Palisin’s permanent replacement.

Hobart will play for the first time this century and have chosen Brad Cook to lead them in 2022. Hobart athletics photo

Hobart: Last August, Hobart announced it would return to the diamond in 2023 after a near 30-year absence. Three months later, the Statesmen had their first head coach in Brad Cook. The Hobart position will be his first as a collegiate head coach. The former Marist right-hander has spent the bulk of his coaching career working with pitchers, most recently at Division I UMASS Lowell. Cook, as a pitching coach, mentored the Riverhawk mound men for three seasons after spending over 10 years in Florida at both NJCAA Division I Polk State and Florida Southern. The Johnson City, N.Y., native earned NJCAA All-American honors at Keystone before finishing his career at Division I Marist. He pitched professionally for Elmira in the independent Can-Am League.

Plattsburgh: SUNY Plattsburgh restarted its baseball program in 2002 after being dormant for just over 25 years. The 1976 season was the last time Plattsburgh had someone other than Kris Doorey as the head baseball coach. Doorey resigned after 20 seasons to take a non-baseball job at Florida Southern. Assistant coach Sam Quinn-Loeb was elevated to the head coaching position after three years working under Doorey. The Cardinals missed making the conference tournament by a combined one game in each of the last two completed seasons. Prior to Plattsburgh, Quinn-Loeb worked as an assistant at Salve Regina, Cazenovia and D’Youville. He has extensive head coaching experience at the summer collegiate level making multiple stops in the New York Collegiate and Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball Leagues and at the independent professional level with the Empire Pro League. The Hamburg, N.Y., native played at the Division III level. He was an All-NEAC selection at SUNYIT (now SUNY POLY) in 2012.

Key Games

Cortland at Salisbury - Feb. 18, Feb. 20: A re-match of the national semifinals on the first day of the regular season for two of the top teams in the nation. The Red Dragons and the Sea Gulls will twice in three days.

St. John Fisher at RPI - Feb. 26: A rare clash between the Empire 8 and Liberty League. The E8 favorites open against what should be one of the top teams in the Liberty League East. It should come down to St. John Fisher’s offense against Rensselaer’s strong frontline pitching.                          

Cortland vs Rochester - Mar. 2 / Apr. 20: On paper, the top two teams in the region will square off for a pair of standalone games.

Merchant Marine at St. Joseph’s (Long Island) - Mar. 26: The reigning champion in the Skyline meets the likely conference favorite in Patchogue on the first league weekend of the regular season.

St. John Fisher vs Oswego State - Apr. 6, Apr. 13: Two key non-conference games prior to the release of the regional rankings.

Cortland at Oswego State - April. 29-30: This series should determine the SUNYAC regular season champion and home field advantage in the SUNYAC tournament.

Rochester vs RPI and Vassar - Mar. 26-27 / Apr. 2-3: Rochester opens Liberty League play with two crossover series to the Liberty League East against RPI and Vassar.

Conference Previews

Empire 8: Six programs will comprise the Empire 8 in 2022 with the addition of eastern-most member Sage out of New York’s Capital District. The six-team circuit will last just one year until Medaille’s inclusion in 2023 returns the Empire 8 to a seven-school baseball league for the first time since 2019. This spring, the league will play a 20-game conference schedule with four contests against each league member as back-to-back weekend doubleheaders.

James Murphy earned 2021 D3baseball.com New York Rookie of the Year honors by batting .311 in 30 games. St. John Fisher athletics photo

St. John Fisher (31-7) stormed through conference play with a 17-1 record en route to the program’s third conference tournament championship and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. The Cardinals outscored conference opponents by an average of 13-3 before racking up 77 runs in four Empire 8 playoff contests. While the Cardinals continue to be the favorites in the E8, there are big shoes to fill both at the plate and on the bump. Skipper Brandon Potter must replace D3baseball.com Player of the Year Adam Zebrowski (.500 / 20 HR / 70 RBI) and program all-time hits leader Justin Graham (.417 / 5 HR / 49 RBI), another D3baseball.com All-American. In addition, he has lost first team all-region pitchers, Anthony Brophy (8-0, 1.84, 74 K) and RJ Kuruts (11-2, 3.33 ERA, 100 K). Fisher’s offense overwhelmed opponents last spring with second in the nation team numbers in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.478), slugging percentage (.571) and scoring offense (12.2). In addition, the Cards clubbed 53 home runs with a third-best in Division III average 1.39 per game. Five regulars that hit .300 or better are projected to return including D3baseball.com All-New York selections Noah Campanelli (.385, 27 RBI, 67 R), Brian Norsen (.375, 6 HR, 52 RBI), Luke Duffy (.386, 39 RBI, 29 BB) and James Ward, Jr (.359, 6 HR, 42 RBI). D3baseball.com New York Rookie of the Year James Murphy (.311, 38 RBI, 6 TRP) will also be back. While Adam Zebrowski’s departure leaves a big hole in the clean-up spot, he also will be missed behind the plate with Fisher not returning its starting catcher. The new backstop will mentor a pitching staff that will lean on transfers to fill spots in the bullpen and starting rotation. All-region pitcher Alec Teska (3-2, 3.04 ERA, 47 K) should slot in as the Cardinals number one. Hunter Walsh (3-0, 4.85 ERA, 29.2 IP) and Michael Poirier (2-2, 5.14 ERA, 39 K) are among the veteran options to compete in the starting rotation.

While St. John Fisher’s offensive numbers overwhelmed, both Houghton (20-14) and Utica (18-17) also posted team batting averages over .300. The Highlanders and Pioneers played five one-run games against one another last spring. While Houghton finished two games ahead of Utica in the E8 table, Utica’s 8-7 triumph in the fifth one-run affair propelled the Pios into the E8 championship round against St. John Fisher. Houghton’s 20 wins and 11-9 league mark were both school records on a team with just three seniors. The Highlanders project to bring back all but six off that 20-win team that also collected a non-conference victory over RIT in March. All-conference returners are pitcher Ryan Newtown (7-1, 4.16 ERA, 30 K), second sacker Dylan Boprey (.270, 24 RBI, 6 TRP) and outfielder Jason Kauffeldt (.256, 30 RBI, 32 R, 18 SB). The biggest loss for the Highlanders will be David Wessells (.361, 40 R, 20 SB), a four-time selection to the all-conference team and the schools’ all-time hit king. Utica, like Houghton, returns the balance of its roster from last season. The Pioneers are looking to build on their first 18-win campaign since 2017 and the program’s first-ever appearance in the Empire 8 Championship Series. Five All-Empire 8 choices are back for UC. Those in the batting order include Joe Battista (.442, 36 RBI, 30 BB), Jon Son (.398, 4 HR, 37 RBI) and Zac Cronk (.305, 24 RBI, 30 R). All-conference reliever Brian Dineen (1-1, 1 SV, 18.2 IP, 12 K) will lead the bullpen and top returning starter James Roeschlaub (3-3, 6.63 ERA, 54 K) will look to fill the shoes of the multi-year ace Griffin Baur (5-2, 5.37 ERA, 75 K) who has graduated.

Keuka (6-16-1) entered the Empire 8 last spring two years removed from winning 25 games and the NEAC regular season championship (2019). The Wolves played a conference-only slate in 2021. A full non-league schedule and a trip to Florida await in 2022 for a team with eight returning starters. Three of Keuka’s four all-conference choices are on the 2022 roster in returning seniors Ryan Seales (.346, 17 RBI) and Nick Brown (.313, 13 RBI, 3 TRP) along with rising sophomore R.J. Murphy (.333, , 8 RBI, 6 CSB). Seales and Brown were the most consistent hitters on a team that batted .274 overall but finished fourth among five league teams in offense. The Wolves must replace two of their three conference starters including workhorse K.C. Howe who made 42 appearances, the second most in program history, over five seasons. Jared Beckley (1-1, 4.57 ERA, 21.1 IP) is the top returning pitcher on what will be a young mound staff.

A veteran group of 18 returning players and a strong fall season have new Elmira head coach Anthony Goncalves excited to open the 2022 campaign. Elmira (6-27-1) posted a four-win improvement from a shortened 2021 season with five of those wins coming at Dunn Field. The Purple and Gold are scheduled to play 15 times in the Twin Tiers this spring. Six starting position players return to the nest with all-conference choice Colin McLaughlin (.319, 17 SB, 13 RBI) and Joe Morrone (.345, 19 RBI, 10 DBL) ready to lead the offense. Ray Mineo (1-3, 5.68 ERA, 22 K) is Elmira’s leading returning pitcher.

Sage will be the new kid on the Empire 8 block, much like Keuka was last year. Albeit in this case, the Gators are starting their program from scratch. Sage opens its maiden voyage on Feb. 26 against Mount St. Mary in Newburgh. The Gators should get a boost from assistant coach Karl Steffen who spent 34 seasons as the head coach at nearby RPI. The roster will be largely comprised of freshmen. Among those to watch per the coaching staff will be centerfielder Leandro Guzman,

FAVORITE: St. John Fisher

Second baseman Joey Palko has made three Liberty League All-Academic Teams (2019, 2020, 2021) at Union College. Union athletics photo

Liberty league: The Liberty League split into two divisions in 2020 with five teams in the East and five in the West. COVID caused the cancellation of the 2020 season. Last year, the league eschewed the divisional format and all 10 teams competed in a single block for four playoff spots. Moving into 2022, the divisional format will finally step into the spotlight.

Clarkson, Ithaca, RIT, Rochester and St. Lawrence comprise the West while Bard, RPI, Skidmore, Union and Vassar make up the East. Teams will face off with each divisional opponent and then play two crossover series against the opposite division. There will be one final crossover weekend to close the regular season before the league playoffs begin with four teams in a double elimination format.

Rochester (24-10) has become the team to beat in the Liberty League. Joe Reina’s Yellow Jackets have finished atop the conference standings three years in a row (2018, 2019, 2021) and have won back-to-back league tournaments. No team has ever won three Liberty League tournaments in a row dating back to the early 2000’s. RPI in 2003 and 2004 was the last school to claim back-to-back titles. D3Baseball.com All-American Aaron Whitley (.475, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 28 SB) and all-region choices John Moses (.435, 4 HR, 38 RBI) and Joseph Rende (.341, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 14 SB) lead the swarm of eight returning position player starters. U of R hit .347 as a team which slotted third in the region and eighth nationally. The Jackets have back the balance of that line-up plus add Matt Cappelletti, a two-year starter at Hamilton (NESCAC). There will be questions on the mound with the graduation of staff ace Jon Turk (3-0, 6.57 ERA, 38.1 IP, 32 K). Only one Rochester pitcher comes back sporting a sub 5.00 ERA. Trevor Van Allen (3-2, 6.32 ERA, 37.0 IP, 20 K) and Nolan Sparks (2-1, 5.19 ERA, 26.0 IP, 30 K) will be counted upon to lead the rotation. They will have a young group of rookie pitchers around them. The season may depend on how well the new pitchers do.

While Rochester should rule in the West, RPI (6-8) might be the class of the East. Reigning Liberty League Pitcher of the Year Ryan Yerby (2-0, 3.60 ERA, 20.0 IP, 20 K) gives the Engineers a solid number one weekend starter. Reliever Thomas Neuman (0-1, 2.89, 10 K, 9.1 IP) tops all returning ‘Tute twirlers in ERA. The Cherry and White played 14 games last spring and didn’t kick off until late April. Between the last two seasons, RPI has played only 19 games. Both 2019 Liberty League Rookie of the Year Cole Paquin (2019 – .331, 18 RBI, 26 R) and George Rainier (2020 - .526, 10 H, 6 RBI) did not play in 2021, both return in 2021 along with tri-captain Joe Curci (.280, 14 H, 9 RBI). Overall, ‘Tute returns 31 players with seven being starters in 2021.

The most consistent team in the East over the last decade has been Union (12-8). The Dutchmen went 9-5 in league last spring and defeated Ithaca in the Liberty League semifinals before running into the Rochester buzzsaw in the Liberty championship game. The big bats in Electric City have moved on, skipper Paul Mound projects to return only a few starting position players. The strength is on the hill with strikeout specialist James Salemme (4-1, 4.98 ERA, 51 K, 34.1 IP) leading the way. Salemme paced all Liberty pitchers in strikeouts and finished second in wins. Chris Murdock (2019 – 4-3, 6.98 ERA, 29.2 IP, 28 K) returns from injury to re-join the starting rotation. He tied for the team lead in wins as a freshman. Sebastian Pike (.359, 8 RBI, 11 R) is the lone returning regular to hit over .300 last spring. Union’s offense will have to look to newcomers to fill out the line-up.

The dark horse coming out of the East could be from the Hudson Valley. Vassar (7-13) missed the league tournament in 2021 but took three out of four from Union in a May four-game series. Manager Matt Righter has high hopes with a line-up turning over almost completely from last season. All-region slugger Ezra Caspi (.418, 22 R, 17 RBI), all-conference pick Alex Warren (.375, 14 R, 11 RBI) and Andrew Kanellis (.329, 4 HR, 20 RBI) form the offensive nucleus for the Brewers. Eight position players return in Poughkeepsie, five of which touted .300 or higher batting averages in the 20-game 2021 season. Vassar should score runs but the season may be determined by how well they can prevent them. Bryce Grathwol (1-1, 6.19 ERA, 16.0 IP, 13 K) and Ryan Harris (1-0, 3.60 ERA, 15.0 IP, 15 K) are the most veteran pitchers; no returning arm logged more than 16 innings last spring.

Ithaca (16-12-1) will play its first full Liberty League campaign in 2022. The Bombers entered the Liberty League for baseball in 2020 and have yet to play a full league slate. The same can be said for David Valesente, now in his third season at the helm. Ithaca was young in 2021; the Blue and Gold had six seniors and two grad students to go along with 18 freshmen. IC should get a boost this spring with the projected return of all-region utilityman Buzz Shirley (.389, 23 RBI, 24 RBI / 3-1, 4.99 ERA, 39.2 IP, 46 K). Shirley should make the short list of Liberty League Player of the Year candidates. He is Ithaca’s top batsmen and was part of a 1-2 pitching punch with all-region hurler Kyle Lambert (5-1, 3.54 ERA, 48.1 IP, 43 K). Workhorse relievers Garrett Bell (2-3, 3.58 ERA, 32.2 IP, 13 APP) and Nate Scott (1-2, 3.63 ERA, 22.1 IP, 21 K) should lead the Bomber bullpen. Shirley will be the offense’s top weapon with fellow all-region swinger Garrett Callaghan transferring to Division I Rutgers. All-region infielder Louis Fabbo (.353, 2 HR, 31 RBI) is one of seven projected returnees for the South Hill squad along with fellow rising sophomore Colin Shahasty (.341, 14 H, 12 R). Ithaca should be Rochester’s top foil in the West.

The most improvement in the West came in the North Country. Interim manager Kenny Collins piloted St. Lawrence (12-12) to its first .500 record in seven seasons. The interim tag has been removed and the former Hamilton star is now the full-time head coach in Canton. Four of the Saints top five hitters march back into town along with two of three starting pitchers. All-Liberty League outfielder Nicholas Butler (.337, 4 HR, 26 RBI) and Andrew Cirelli (.274, 4 HR, 22 RBI) are back to stir the Saints offensive drink. Andrew Matthews (3-2, 5.45 ERA, 38.0 IP, 30 K) and Jack Sylvia (2-3, 6.62 ERA, 35.1 IP, 31 K) should the Saints top pitchers. Among SLU’s 12 wins last year were a sweep over divisional foe RIT and a single-game non-conference win against Ithaca.

Twenty-minutes down the road, St Lawrence’s Route 11 rival Clarkson (14-16-1) is looking to improve upon last year’s fourth place finish. Clarkson came in fourth of 10 teams with the 10-team block and made the league tournament before falling to division foe Rochester. Kent Wilson (.377, 3 HR, 25 RBI) and all-region catcher Colby Brouillette (.337, 4 HR, 36 RBI) headline the 2022 roster for the Golden Knights.  

RIT (8-19-1), Skidmore (7-8) and Bard (5-15) round out the Liberty League line-up. After a long run near the top, RIT reloaded last spring with a roster featuring only three freshmen and four grad students. The Tigers begin the prowl in 2022 now on a fully turfed Tiger Stadium. All-conference performers Ian Libby (.365, 24 RBI, 35 H) and number one pitcher Colin Reformat (3-1, 5.31 ERA, 40.2 IP, 28 K) are both projected to return.

Skidmore began play last March only to be off for a month prior to the sprint to the regular season finish. The Thoroughbreds went 6-3 in their last nine games to end up placing fifth in the conference with a 6-6 Liberty record. Skidmore looks to return five of six regular starters that opened 10 or more games. Four of the top five swingers last spring were freshmen and sophomores.

Like local rival Vassar, Bard returns most of its position players from last spring. The Raptors get back their two all-league selections, Jordan Myers (.386, 11 RBI, 27 H) and Spencer Checkoway (.414, 2 HR, 14 RBI) and six other starters including lead-off man Joe Barcia (.333, 1 HR, 9 RBI) and co-RBI leader Jared Toby (.283, 14 RBI, 7 DBL). The returning cast and a solid group of newcomers have the Raptors looking forward to 2022. Bard played only conference opponents last spring but will have a full schedule in 2022.

FAVORITE: Rochester

Ryan Decoursey's batting average (.407), home runs (3) and stolen bases (8) were tops for all Golden Eagles in 2021. St. Joseph (L.I.) athletics photo

Skyline Conference: The Skyline Conference played an abbreviated league only schedule in 2021, however due to COVID cancellations and the weather, not every team played the same number of games. Merchant Marine claimed the league’s regular season title and then outlasted SUNY Old Westbury in 10 innings in the Skyline championship game. Heading into 2022, the big prize in the Big Apple is up for grabs.

There’s no real clear favorite in the conference as the season begins. Defending champion Merchant Marine (18-5) made waves in the Auburn regional with an upset of the top seed Eastern Connecticut State. The Mariners rode the pitching of D3baseball.com All-America Joe Raab (6-2, 1.47 ERA, 65 K, 55.0 IP) who compiled six complete games, five in conference, and over 25% of the team’s total innings. USMAA must reload after graduating 11 seniors, only returning four regular starters. Skyline Rookie of the Year Jack Millen (.354, 19 RBI, 17 R) and Joey Zanetti (.325, 3 HR, 17 RBI) are two returning all-conference Mariners. The pitching staff will continue to have the tutelage of Lou Bernardi, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Pitching Coach of the Year. Bernardi has guided two USMAA All-American pitchers in three seasons, Joe Raab and Andrew Spinneweber.

St. Joseph’s (Long Island) (15-9) swept Merchant Marine last spring and handed Joe Raab his lone regular season setback. All-conference arm Kevin Czeczotka (4-1, 2.25 ERA, 32 K)) out-dueled USMAA with a three-hit complete game shutout. He and Ryan Foran (2-1, 4.66 ERA, 21 K) should form a formidable duo atop the Golden Eagles pitching staff. The St. Joe’s offense hit .312 as a team, good for second in Gotham. Four of SJC’s top five hitters should return with all-conference slugger Ryan Decoursey (.407, 3 HR, 20 RBI)  topping the group that all batted .350 or higher. Offensive vacancies left due to graduation should be filled by several impact transfers.

Another Skyline slinger in the conference Pitcher of the Year mix will be Farmingdale State’s Stephen Clancy (3-1, 1.78 ERA, 39 K, 35.1 IP). The all-region hurler was FSC’s top starter last spring on a team that began 8-2 but went 3-9 down the stretch to finish .500. Farmingdale State (11-11) had what was Keith Osik’s youngest team in 16 years with 24 freshmen. The Rams top four hitters, with over 40 at-bats, were all freshmen and all should be back. Chris Driscoll (.364, 16 H, 10 RBI) topped the team in average while Jordan Lambert (.306, 15 H, 15 RBI) drove in 15 runs in 16 games played. Prior to last spring, Farmingdale had never missed the conference tournament. The Rams should be right back in the mix this spring.  

There is excitement in the Bronx for this spring and not for the team in pinstripes. Head coach John Muller believes this should be an exciting season for his Dolphins as they contend for a coveted conference tournament spot. Mount St. Vincent (13-9) led the league in team batting average and scored nine runs per game in 2021. The leader of Division III’s “Bronx Bombers” was Skyline Player of the Year Jake Blinstrub (.540, 27 RBI, 18 DBL, 35 ). Blinstrub is back for an offensive encore along with most of the offensive line-up. He and all-conference slugger Michael Grisanti (.370, 5 HR, 32 RBI) are two of the best hitters in the league. Ten starters return on what will be Muller’s most experienced side in six years. CMSV also gets back four seniors from last spring as grad students; Matt DiNorcia (.402, 20 RBI, 33 H) leads the group of grads. While the ‘Phins should be able to score runs, they’ll need to keep opposing teams off the scoreboard. Aidan Rice (4-2, 3.06 ERA, 30 K, 32.1 IP) and Andrew Geiger (0-1, 2.79 ERA, 19.1 IP) will top the pitching rotation.

Looking down to Long Island, SUNY Old Westbury (13-6) is never far from the league tournament. The Panthers have made 10 Skyline postseason appearances in a row under manager Rod Stephan. Old Westbury reached the Skyline title tilt last spring but dropped a 10-inning thriller to Merchant Marine. The Panthers will have a slightly different look in 2022 having had a 2021 squad with 13 seniors and four graduate students, four were all-conference picks. Marietta College transfer Justin Aviles (0-1, 2.16 ERA, 16.2 IP, 15 K) who arrived last year, should take over as staff ace for Tim Woodford (4-0, 0.79 ERA, 32 K), a senior in 2021. Oscar Fajardo (.299, 5 HR, 18 RBI) projects to be the top returning hitter.

Staying on the Island, Maritime (12-12), eliminated St. Joseph’s (Long Island) from the Skyline postseason last spring before succumbing to Old Westbury. Ryan Rockhill (.379, 22 H, 8 RBI) and Austen Bishop (.378, 1 HR, 10 RBI) are among seven returning position players with 10 or more starts. Shane Sullivan (4-0, 0.00 ERA, 18 K, 15.0 IP) will pilot the Privateer bullpen and two-thirds of the starting rotation is back as well.

Maritime was one of four teams to qualify for the condensed conference tournament last spring. Manhattanville (11-9) finished in fifth, trailing Maritime by .008 with all league teams having completed a different number of conference games. A veteran Manhattanville squad had 11 seniors in 2021; two return as grad students and join a group with 12 seniors. Of the upperclassmen, five veterans hit .285 or higher in 2021. Anthony Presssimone (.452, 7 RBI, 14 H) and Tyler Mandel (.369, 27 RBI, 7 DBL) carry back the biggest sticks. The starting line-up though may feature a handful of freshmen whom manager Jeff Caulfield believes will play right away. T.J. Brescia (2-1, 3.70 ERA, 36 K) and Myles Durney (0.00 ERA, 7.2 IP, 8 K, 6 APP) should lead the pitching staff. This spring also heralds the beginning of a JV program in Purchase which will give younger players that aren’t normally playing a chance for game action.

St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) (2-20) had 21 combined freshmen and sophomores last spring that started the season with a combined three games of 2020 experience. Head coach Pete Blumenauer is hoping last year’s struggles were a valuable learning experience for a young team. The Bears are looking to get back into the league tournament mix on a team with eight returning starters and three of four main pitchers all back. Anthony Hernandez (.333, 8 8 RBI, 25 H) headlines the returning cast in Brooklyn. He garnered all-conference accolades as a freshman, the first frosh to do so in program history.  Hernandez, Chris O’Leary (.288, 9 RBI, 21 H) and Kevin Reyes (.286, 2 HR, 9 RBI) were St. Joe’s top three hitters one season ago, all return to form a solid top third on the line-up card.

Mount St. Mary (12-11), Purchase (13-15) and Yeshiva (0-12) round out the Skyline line-up. The eleven-team circuit will resume a 20-game conference schedule this spring.

FAVORITE: St. Joseph’s (Long Island)

Ryan Enos and the rest of the Senior class has never finished ahead of Cortland. The last time the Lakers bested the Red Dragons was in 2017. The last time Oswego State athletics photo

SUNY Athletic Conference: Two brand new head coaches at either end of the state, three SUNYAC Player of the Year candidates looking to top off stellar careers and a bevy of veteran teams are some of the headlines for the SUNYAC in 2022.

D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Scott Giordano (Cortland) and 2021 SUNYAC co-Players of the Year Ryan Enos (Oswego) and Tom Kretzler (Brockport) all return for their respective schools as does SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year Kieran Finnegan (Oswego) and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Sean Liquori (Oneonta).

The chase for a championship can sometimes be best described as a horse race. In the case of the SUNYAC, it has become a two-horse race between regional superpowers SUNY Cortland and Oswego State. The Red Dragons re-claimed their throne by winning their 35th SUNYAC title last spring. Cortland edged out Oswego in the winner-take-all title game in the SUNYAC Championship Series. The two SUNYAC divisional winners traded a pair of one-run games before Cortland’s ultimate 8-6 triumph in Game 3. Cortland’s conference tournament crown halted a run of three-straight Pool A bids for Oswego State. The Lakers finished first in the 2017 regular season however no tournament was played.

Looking ahead to 2022, SUNY Cortland appears to be the favorite on paper however Oswego State and SUNY Brockport have other plans and would like to make it a three-horse race to the finish line.

Twenty-six total players return from SUNY Cortland’s (33-9) national third-place finishing team with the offense and starting pitching staff nearly intact. The biggest boost comes from the return of All-American centerfielder Scott Giordano (.427, 6 HR, 36 RBI). The Cortland grad student was on the World Series all-tournament team after collecting nine hits and a .529 batting average in four games. Fellow 2021 all-region selections Paul Franzese (.337, 22 RBI, 31 R), James Varian (.341, 32 RBI, 10 DBL) and Matthew Kraft (.396, 34 RBI, 43 R) are among the nine returning starting position players that hit .300 or better. The offense racked up a .340 average and plated just over eight runs per game. Veterans dot the Cortland pitching staff as well, one that led the SUNYAC with a 3.37 ERA. All-region arms Zack Durant (6-1, 2.62 ERA, 37 K),  Ryan Flansburg (6-1, 2.82 ERA, 35 K) and Bailey Gauthier (6-3, 3.15 ERA, 41 K) were all seniors in 2021; all three return as graduate students for 2022. Gauthier should team up in the bullpen with 2021 leading ERA reliever Liam Krasney (1-0, 2 SV, 0.93 ERA, 29.0 IP). The hardest question for Joe Brown and his staff might be playing time. While 26 players return, 21 arrive including a mix of talented freshmen, Division I and Division III transfers. The pre-conference schedule will be an arduous one with two games at defending national champion Salisbury, a tournament at Johns Hopkins, a single game with Liberty League powerhouse Rochester and a Spring Break trip in South Carolina with four games against Case Western Reserve.

Should Cortland somehow falter, Oswego State (25-7) should be there to capitalize. The Lakers were a single run away in extra innings from three-peating in the SUNYAC tournament. The headliners from Oswego’s West Division championship team are all making an encore in 2022 with all-region sluggers Ryan Enos (.369, 2 HR, 40 RBI) and Kyle Lauria (.412, 3 HR, 44 RBI) both returning to the line-up. Others back on the starting cast are Paul Tammaro (.402, 49 R, 22 RBI) and Ryan Weiss (.369, 4 HR, 40 RBI) off a line-up that averaged over 10 runs per game and slotted sixth nationally with a .353 batting average. The Lakers also ran literally away from opponents swiping a fifth best in the nation 112 bases or 3.5 per game. Scott Landers has back two of his top three starters including number one arm Kieran Finnegan (6-0, 3.44 ERA, 37 K) and Anthony Van Fossen (5-2, 3.86 ERA, 28 K). While there are some openings to fill, there’s no reason to suspect the Lake Show will take its foot off the gas.

For the second year in a row, Brockport (18-7) will have a veteran-heavy squad. Last spring, the Golden Eagles boasted 23 combined seniors and graduate students on a team that went 18-7 and 12-4 against the SUNYAC West. Included in those 18 wins were triumphs against regional heavyweights Cortland, Oswego State and St. John Fisher. Six of Brockport’s leading hitters are back on the line-up card led by reigning SUNYAC Co-Player of the Year Tom Kretzler (.333, 8 HR, 22 RBI), Matt O’Dair (.451, 23 RBI) and Jake Sisto (.367, 4 HR, 17 RBI). Kretzler topped the SUNYAC in home runs last year and has belted 21 blasts in his career, the most in school history. In all, the Golden Eagles have back eight position players with starting experience and six arms off the pitching staff. Kretzler (3-2, 3.99 ERA, 30 K) and Andrew Huffman (4-1, 4.73 ERA, 34 K) are expected to lead the returning mound men. The core group of returning players is expected to welcome in 14 newcomers.

The fight for the fourth and final SUNYAC playoff spot in the seven-team circuit should be a good one. With the SUNYAC split into East and West for 2021 only, just one game separated Oneonta (11-13) from Plattsburgh and New Paltz in the SUNYAC East. SUNY Oneonta (11-13) beat every conference team on its schedule at least once. The SUCO upperclassmen have made back-to-back trips to the league postseason and looking to take the next step in 2022.Two-way threat Sean Liquori (.296, 11 RBI / 4-3, 3.80 ERA, 35 K), Liam Kaseta (.347, 2 HR, 16 RBI) and Jake Barrett (.325, 4 HR, 20 RBI) are among six returning starters and three of Oneonta’s top four returning batsmen. Newcomers and transfers should look to fill the void of several graduated seniors. Incoming infielder AJ Gonzalez was an NJCAA All-American at SUNY Ulster in 2019 after driving in 51 runs. Southpaw flamethrower Michael Losak (2-1, 3.34 ERA, 44 K) projects to be one of Oneonta’s best arms. He struck out 16 in back-to-back May starts against Oswego and helped closed out a one-run win over Cortland.

With a roster featuring just six seniors in 2021, New Paltz (11-9) finished just one game out of a playoff spot. The youthful Hawks dropped a quintet of one-run games including a pair at Plattsburgh on the final weekend of the regular season. A young line-up for ’21 has given way to a team with youthful experience heading into the new year with seven returning position players and three pitchers back. The largest hole will be left by the departure of ace Anthony Amoroso (grad transfer Saint Rose) who logged 45.1 innings last spring or just over 25% of New Paltz’s total innings pitched. Who’s back? Jesse Keshner (.380, 6 RBI, 19 H), Michael Boccarossa (.304, 7 RBI, 17 H), Justin Ortiz (.279, 18 R, 12 SB) and Dean Stalzer (.263, 5 HR, 17 RBI) offensively while Billy Moeller (2-2, 24.1 IP, 30 K) and Bobby Ramsey (0-0, 5.63 ERA, 16.0 IP, 20 K) should backbone the starting rotation. A talented group of newcomers will join them with several freshmen projected to start on opening day. Bench boss Thomas Seay believes may be his most athletic club in four years.

New skippers take over the ship both at Plattsburgh State (6-14) and SUNY Fredonia (3-16). Fredonia had one of the toughest schedules in the nation last season finishing third nationally in strength of schedule. The Blue Devils were part of the SUNYAC West with both Oswego and Brockport. Fredonia played only three non-league games and won all three. Interim manager Jordan Basile inherits a group with 15 seniors, eight returning starters and seven pitchers. Tylor Murphy (.321, 18 H, 11 R) and Brian Chatt (.311, 10 RBI, 19 H) are two experienced bats which eat hit over .300 last spring. Lead-off man Tyler Phillips (.239, 11 R, 17 H), another one of the 15 seniors, should provide speed atop the Blue Devil batting order. Kenny Ynoa (0-1, 8.55 ERA, 20.0 IP, 12 K) led all Fredonia hurlers in appearances, he should again be a workhorse from the bullpen.

For Plattsburgh, youth will again be in. The Cards were the youngest team in the league with 16 first-year students in 2021 and just six seniors. This year’s team projects to bring in 17 newcomers including one Division II transfer. 

FAVORITE: SUNY Cortland