The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on all college life, as colleges and universities around the country closed their doors for the year. The pandemic took its toll on the sporting world as well, as teams, conferences, and leagues at all levels announced the suspensions of their seasons following the outbreak.

Bard College and Vassar College, two Liberty League institutions located roughly 25 miles apart, were scheduled to face off in a three-game baseball series this Saturday and Sunday, on what would've been the final weekend of the regular season. Instead, the two teams decided to get together off the field, as on Saturday at 1, the head coaches and three players from each squad meet up for a virtual roundtable discussion in a Zoom webinar. The webinar is entitled "The Lost Season: A Baseball Roundtable with Bard and Vassar." The talking points will include the lost season, each institution, the Liberty League and  Div. III baseball, among others.

Moderator

The event will be moderated by John McGraw, one of the original contributors to D3baseball.com and a veteran announcer. McGraw has been part of D3baseball since the spring of 2011, and wrote the New York Region preview for the website this past February. He has been involved in the game for several years, covering baseball at the Div. III level since his days as an undergraduate student at Ithaca College.

McGraw has also worked for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York Penn League, and spent 11 years announcing and working in media relations at the summer collegiate level. He is best known for his work as the "Voice of Raiders." For 12 seasons (2007-08 through 2018-19), McGraw was the main play-by-play announcer for radio broadcasts and video webcasts of Div. I Colgate University men's ice hockey.

The Coaches

Andy Salvatore became Bard's head coach in August of 2016 after three seasons as an assistant. Prior to arriving at Bard, Salvatore was an assistant coach at Oswego State University for three seasons. During his time in that role, the team had the highest GPA for any men's team at the school, and in 2012, they doubled their number of conference wins from the previous two seasons. Oswego State is also where he played. He was part of the ECAC Championship team in 2010, and won the Oswego Dan Dalbis Memorial Award that same year for "Attitude, Perseverance and Dedication." Salvatore graduated from Oswego with a B.A. in Childhood Education and a minor in Athletic Coaching.

Matthew Righter was entering his fourth season as the head coach at Vassar this spring. Under his leadership, the Brewers have posted a program-best .493 winning percentage, made the playoffs in back-to-back years, and produced 10 all-conference players. In addition to the on-field accomplishments, the Brewers have maintained excellence in the classroom, having been awarded the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award in consecutive years with a team GPA of 3.5. A 2004 graduate of Johns Hopkins with a degree in International Relations, he earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix during his time as a professional baseball player in 2009.

The Players - from Bard

• Esteban Rivera, a senior catcher from Bay Shore, N.Y., had a strong 2019 season. He hit .310 with a team-leading two home runs, 19 RBI, four doubles, three triples and a .494 slugging percentage in 31 games. He was off to a hot start this season, batting .500 with a home run, seven RBI, two triples, and hit for the cycle in the first game of a doubleheader which turned out to be his last day in a Bard uniform. He has been Liberty League All-Academic in every year eligible (freshmen aren't eligible for All-Academic recognition.)
• Alex Luscher is a sophomore infielder from Needham, Mass. In 23 games last year, he hit .265 with 10 RBI, a double, 14 runs scored and a .381 OBP. He played in two games this season with a .571 on-base percentage, and was named to the 2020 Liberty League All-Academic team.
• Joe Barcia is a freshman outfielder at Bard from Clarks Summit, Pa. Prior to the season being canceled, he was hitting .429 with a triple, four RBI, and three runs scored in four games.

The Players - from Vassar

• Matt Martino is a senior infielder from Hauppauge, N.Y. He was one of the top players for Vassar in 2019, hitting .349 with a team-high three home runs, 28 RBI, 12 doubles, 25 runs scored and a .421 OBP. He was named All-Liberty League Second Team. Martino played in seven games this season, hitting .333 with one home run, four RBI and eight runs scored,  He was First Team All-Liberty League as a freshman, and made the All-Academic Team this year.
• Zach Magee, a sophomore pitcher from Indianapolis, Ind., started three games for Vassar in his freshman season. He went 3-1 in nine appearances with a 6.85 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched along with 18 strikeouts in 2019. He pitched in two games for Vassar this spring, going 1.2 innings with opponents batting .143 against him. He made the All-Academic Team this year
• Christian Baaki is a freshman catcher from Amsterdam, N.Y. He played in three games this season, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in his first collegiate game.

To Watch the Webinar

The webinar will be live and viewable beginning at 1 p.m. by clicking this link. Please e-mail jsheahan@bard.edu to get the password if you do not receive an email invitation. The webinar will be recorded and soon posted on the Bard Athletics YouTube channel as well as on the Baseball page on the Bard Athletics web site.