All three catchers, including Connor Manderson, can hit, and all of them have earned playing time. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

By Austin Walthers
for D3baseball.com

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- SUNY Cortland is by far the most veteran team remaining at the Division III World Series. But the Red Dragons are pretty green at one crucial spot: catcher, where all three players on the roster are freshmen.

• World Series scoreboard
• Cortland reaches Championship Series
• More Monday coverage from Appleton

Last season, Cortland reached the World Series in part because of its veteran presence and depth at catcher. But that strength threatened to be a weakness this season, since all of the catchers were seniors.

“I know when all the upperclassmen were coming back this year, they’re (saying) ‘Who’s our catcher? Who’s our catchers?’ because we had three senior catchers last year,” said coach Joe Brown. “I said ‘Wait till you see them. Wait till you see these guys.’ ”

Those guys are Justin Teague, Matt Personius and Connor Manderson. And in addition to the confidence of the head coach, they earned the praise of someone who used to be in their position: Mike Zaccardo. 

Zaccardo, a 2007 D3baseball.com All-American at catcher for Cortland, was very active in the recruiting process of the three and has been credited with their early success.

“We saw them play and I knew they were going to be good, but I didn’t know how good,” Zaccardo said. “They’re great baseball players, but better people.”

Manderson knew right away that there was an open window for opportunity. Their relationship strengthened when they began to make each better.

“It was an open spot, three freshmen,” Manderson said. “There’s not a better situation than that.”

Justin Teague said he was excited because he knew he was going to be able to get playing time. He understood the tradition Cortland baseball has.

“It was cool coming in and playing for a team with so much success,” Teague said. “The No. 1 reason I came to Cortland is to win.”

Personius said the bond between the three catchers is the most important thing. Teague added that Zaccardo has them working together all of the time which is a big help.

“We like each other and we’re all friends,” Personius said. “Right from the start we were challenging each other.”

Justin Teague has gotten the lion's share of the playing time, with starts in 27 of Cortland's 47 games. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

“Zacccardo has us all compete with each other in a positive way,” Teague said.

Right away they started to impress their coach. Zaccardo said all three of them have made his job a lot easier.

“They’re not afraid of anything,” Zaccardo said. “They’re 18-, 19-year-old kids, playing for the top ranked team in the country and don’t get fazed by that.”

Junior pitcher Brandon Serio wasn’t with the club in fall so he didn’t hear about the freshman catchers until later on. He was a little skeptical early because Cortland graduated three senior catchers from the previous year.

“They’re freshmen and you don’t know how they will turn out,” Serio said. “But coach told me I have to see these guys play.”

Personius said for him personally he was a little hesitant about being able to work with the pitching staff. Manderson knew there was going to be a big difference going from high school to college.

“I thought it was difficult at first,” Personius said. “There are so many pitchers on this team and I needed to get used to them.” 

“Coming in I had that thought it was going to be tough,” Manderson said. “It eventually worked out when we got it.”

Teague said at first he felt the pressure to impress. He knew it was going to come down to being able to manage the pitchers. Teague began to become the favorite batterymate of Serio.

“Justin’s caught every one of my games,” Serio said. “I’ve gotten into a tremendous rhythm with him so it’s been great.”

The trend continued in Appleton on Saturday. Serio pitched a complete game, six-hit shutout against Frostburg State in a winner's bracket game.

“I was getting ahead of hitters and we jelled well,” Serio said. “Coach called the pitches, I was focused and it looked great.”

It’s always a great feeling when freshmen have the experience to get a taste of the World Series. All three of the catchers were being constantly reminded what the feeling is like to be on the big stage.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Personius said. “We hope to be back three more times.”

Matt Personius has hit the ball really well in limited action. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

“The older guys always tells us how great it is to be here,” Manderson said. “When we got here, it definitely is awesome.”

All three catchers have now been able to play in a World Series game. Teague has started all three games for the Red Dragons. Personius reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score in the ninth against Frostburg on Monday. Manderson was then able to catch the bottom half of the inning to finish off Alex Weingarten’s complete game.

“Freshmen getting into the game, it’s a good thing,” Manderson said. “One inning, nine innings, it’s just great to be in the game.”

“It was a great experience,” Personius said. “I had a lot of fun.”

Zaccardo said the guys have responded to the World Series really well. They are playing the best ball they have all year.

“They’re not overwhelmed by it,” Zaccardo said. “This is the best Justin has caught all year.”

Zaccardo also said they weren’t sure about Teague’s status going into the Series. “He wasn’t feeling well the other day, but it’s been great here,” Zaccardo said. “He’s blocked the ball well and has really taken control out there.”

Teague has also been able to swing the bat really well too. The hitting coach has been working with him all year to get to this point.

“I’ve been able to work counts a little bit,” Teague said. “I’m swinging at some pretty good fastballs and I’m seeing the ball well right now.”

For the three young catchers and the rest of the Cortland baseball team, it’s all about keeping the foot on the pedal.

“It definitely fires me up to work harder the next couple of years,” Personius said. “So I can be a bigger part of it in the next couple of years.”

“Getting back here and staying hungry,” Manderson said. “That’s what it’s all about.