2012 New York preview

By John McGraw for D3baseball.com

Cortland outfielder Zack Graczyk is a top prospect for the MLB amateur draft in June Cortland State athletics photo

When the dust settled on the 2011 Auburn, N.Y., regional at Falcon Park, Cortland State, the 2011 national runners-up, was not the team celebrating a forthcoming trip to Appleton, Wisc., and the Division III World Series. Regional interloper Keystone from the Mid-Atlantic downed Cortland State in the winners’ bracket final and then used a walk-off single in the championship game to punch a ticket to Appleton. After not advancing to the World Series in 2009, Cortland rattled off 40 victories in 2010 and came within one victory of a national championship.

As the sun rises on the 2012 baseball season in the New York Region, Joe Brown’s Red Dragons are once again the favorites; and why not? Cortland State has a made a Division III record 19-straight NCAA tournament appearances. That doesn’t even factor in that Cortland State has played in two of the last seven national championship games (2005, 2010). Coach Brown believes the 2012 Red Dragons may be one of his strongest teams yet with good defense, great team speed and a deep pitching staff.

So, who will challenge Cortland State for Empire State supremacy? Topping the list are the Empire 8’s St. John Fisher Cardinals. In just two seasons, Brandon Potter has amassed two Empire 8 championships and 56 victories at the Pittsfield, N.Y., school. St. John Fisher just barely missed out on an NCAA tournament slot last year despite an impressive 25-10 record. The Cardinals are loaded with upperclassmen and several transfers should make St. John Fisher even stronger in 2012. Downstate, Keith Osik’s Farmingdale State Rams have won four-straight Skyline Conference championships. The Rams are poised to make that five in a row in 2012 and Keith Osik is also on track to earn his 100th victory. Keep in mind that Farmingdale is the only other program from the state to advance to the World Series in the last seven years; the current Ram seniors were freshmen on a squad that went to the Appleton in 2009 after winning a regional on Long Island.

Outside of the top three, the situation becomes cloudier. Both Brockport State and Oneonta State from the SUNYAC have earned at-large bids to the regionals over the last few years though neither has been able to get past the Cortland State hump in the conference. From the Liberty League, Clarkson, RPI and Skidmore have all been to the NCAA tournament recently and the Engineers were one win away from going to the World Series in 2009.

New Faces

Kristaps Aldins, Stevens – Aldins, the 2005 Liberty League Player of the Year at Vassar, is the 10th head coach in program history. Aldins brings a worldly resume to Hoboken that includes a stint as the head coach of the Latvian national team which recently competed in the qualification round for the European championships. The Vassar grad had made stops as an assistant coach at Harvard and M.I.T. and he has summer collegiate experience as an assistant coach with the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s North Shore Navigators.

Ben Grimm, Oneonta State – Grimm was named Oneonta’s interim head baseball coach in a press release on Jan. 13, just under two months before the Red Dragons will play their first game of the season in Florida. Grimm, formerly an assistant coach at Hamilton College, takes over the program that was run for 16 seasons by 400-game winner and two-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year Rick Ferchen. Grimm has previously worked at Hamilton, Davis and Elkins and Cazenovia College as an assistant coach. The 2006 Concord University graduate is also the head coach and general manager of the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Sherrill Silversmiths.

Paul LaMarr, Mt. St. Vincent – LaMarr earned his first-ever post as a head coach over the summer as he was tabbed as just the third manager in the Mt. St. Vincent’s program history. LaMarr arrives in Riverdale after working as a pitching coach at Division II Concordia (N.Y.) and with the Valley Baseball League’s Staunton Braves. He played collegiately at both Rider and Stony Brook.

Scott Landers, Oswego State – Landers takes on his first head-coaching job with the Lakers after spending the last nine seasons as an assistant coach at Division-I LeMoyne. He replaces the departed Frank Paino who spent 25 seasons as the head coach of the Lakers. The new Oswego skipper already has had a taste of the SUNYAC as a player and coach. Landers played for the Cortland State Red Dragons and graduated in 1998. Additionally, he worked as an assistant under current head coach Joe Brown in 2000 and 2002.

Steve Macias, CCNY – City College did not have to go very far to find a new head coach. In fact, just six miles separate CCNY from Mt. St. Vincent; where Steve Macias was the head baseball coach and athletic director. Macias, a 1990 graduate of Cortland State, previously coached in the CUNYAC with Lehman in the mid-1990s. Outside of the college game, the new CCNY manager was a successful high school coach at Salesian High School where he won eight-straight CHSAA Division B championships from 1997 through 2004.

Logan Mauzy, Yeshiva – Mauzy was promoted to the head-coaching position at Yeshiva in the fall. He was the Macs’ pitching coach from 2009 through 2011. The YU head coach is a 2008 graduate of Mt. St. Vincent and he played for new CCNY head coach Steve Macias at CMSV.

Chris Viggiano, Lehman – Viggiano was a three-time CUNYAC all-star and an All-American at Lehman in the mid-90s. He returns to his alma mater as the newest head coach of the Lightning. The 2005 Lehman Athletics Hall of Fame inductee brings a wealth of high school coaching experience to the West Bronx school that includes a recent stop at Catholic powerhouse Iona Prep as a baseball and basketball assistant coach. 

Baruch has the reigning CUNYAC Player of the Year, Thomas Daly (pictured) and CUNYAC Pitcher of the Year, Jesus Izarra. Baruch athletics photo

City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC): The College of Staten Island Dolphins and the Baruch Bearcats have had the run of the City University of New York Athletic Conference over the last several years. Overall, CSI has won 15 CUNYAC postseason tournament titles and last year’s crown came in a 1-0 extra-inning thriller over Baruch at Brooklyn’s MCU Park. The Dolphins and Bearcats should again dual for the CUNY crown. Baruch boasts a talented trio in 2011 CUNYAC Player of the Year Thomas Daly (.333, 35 RBI, 43 H), 2011 CUNYAC Pitcher of the Year Jesus Izarra (7-4, 3.16 ERA, 77.0 IP, 65 K) and Alvin Mata (.366, 35 RBI, 49 H, 22 SB). The ‘Cats stole 91 bases last season and also return speedster Marcos Mejia (21 SB). CSI will most certainly miss two-way standout Pat Gale (.329, 30 RBI/91 K, 73.0 IP). The Dolphins however welcome back the one-two punch of Bryan Moreno (.366, 50 H, 38 R, 20 RBI) and 2011 CUNYAC Rookie of the Year Joseph Falcone (.336, 29 RBI). Richard Anderson (5-2, 2.82 ERA, 54.1 IP) should take over as the number one starter.

New coaches at CCNY and Lehman should energize both programs that last season finished in the bottom three of the league standings. Steve Macias is the most experienced of the new hires and he looks to help the Beavers of CCNY rebound from a seven-win season. The Bloodhounds of John Jay finished third in the CUNYAC last season with 10 freshmen and 12 total underclassmen. John Jay will again be young with just three seniors though the underclassmen have a full season of experience under their belts. 

Empire 8 Player of the Year, Steve Karnyski returns for St. John Fisher in 2012. St. John Fisher athletics photo

Empire 8: The Empire 8 conference as a whole has eight participating members. However on the baseball side, that drops to just four with the loss of R.I.T. to the Liberty League. The four baseball-playing schools in the Empire 8 are Ithaca, St. John Fisher, Stevens and Utica. All four teams fight with schools nationally for a Pool B at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, something that league champion St. John Fisher was not able to receive last year.

Brandon Potter’s St. John Fisher squad has taken over as the perennial top contender in the conference from Ithaca. The Cardinals went 25-10 in 2011 and 13-3 in the Empire 8 but were not chosen to participate in the NCAA tournament. On the mound, Fisher has perhaps the top one-two punch in the entire New York region with sophomore southpaw Justin D’Amato (9-2, 3.25 ERA, 83 K, 69.1 IP), the 2011 Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year, and Lynn transfer Jason Beaumont (7-3, 5.04, 62 K, 80.1 IP). Tim Sylvester (3-1, 1.71 ERA, 3 saves) closed for the Cardinals last season though he joins the starting rotation in 2012. He was converted into a starter over the summer in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League with the Watertown Wizards. The bullpen could possibly an issue with no established closer however with terrific starting pitching and seven-inning doubleheader games in conference, it may not be an issue.

At the plate, Fisher averaged over seven runs per game in 2011. The majority of the batting order comes back led by 2011 Empire 8 Player of the Year Steve Karnyski (.385, 7 HR, 31 RBI), Matt Klock (.358, 20 RBI) and Ben Bostick (.341, 2 HR, 32 RBI).  The Cardinals also return five players with at least 11 stolen bases; as a team, Fisher swiped 87 bases on 97 attempts. The only question mark in the field is actually behind the plate with the graduation of catcher Leo Fusili. It is anticipated that Ryan Shaughnessy and Canisius transfer Tim Coykendall will split time behind the plate.

George Valesente has guided two teams (1980, 1988) to a National Championships as he enters his 34th year as Ithaca's head coach. Ithaca athletics photo

Ithaca and Stevens will fight it out for the second slot behind St. John Fisher. Ithaca, with a senior-laden team, stumbled last season to an 18-14 overall mark and an 8-6 record in conference. Just two seasons prior, the Bombers won 29 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament. Entering 2012, Ithaca has not advanced to the postseason in two-straight years after making it to the NCAA regionals in all but one year between 1979 and 2009. The cupboard isn’t completely bare for longtime head coach George Valesente, now in his 34th season on the South Hill. Teagan Barresi (.425, 1 HR, 29 RBI) and Matt Keller (.404, 20 RBI) each batted at least .400 and socked 45 hits last season. Infielder Tim LoCastro (.250, 14 RBI) is the lone other returning regular for the South Hill squad; LoCastro started all 32 games a rookie. On the mound, Tucker Healy gives Ithaca one of the top arms in the state. The senior cobbled together a 2.08 ERA in 14 appearences last summer on the Cape with the Chatham Anglers. He may see some time as a starter this spring after making two spot starts last year. Six-foot-four junior Jasper Adams (1-2, 1.59 ERA) showed promise in limited starts last season, he’s among the top mound returnees for the Bombers along with Pat Lemmo (3-1, 4.08 ERA).

At Stevens, the Ducks are under the new leadership of brand new head coach Kristaps Aldins. The Ducks return 19 players from a season ago including two graduate students but eight starters do not return. Speedster Tom Phillips (.339, 16 SB) will head up the batting order for Stevens and grad student Matt Glassman (.346, 2 HR, 21 RBI) should find a home in the middle of the line-up. Glassman and Ryan Kiczek (21 RBI) are the only returnees with more than 15 RBI. Stevens has youthful experience on the mound with a trio of starters back in juniors Kevin Matthews (4-3, 4.30) and Tyler Courter (43 K, 51.1 IP) and sophomore Dan Allen (3-2, 3.51 ERA).

The building process continues to move along under head coach Andrew Weimer at Utica College. Weimer’s Pioneers set a school record with five league victories last season and the Utica coach increased his number of wins from 2010. Last year’s upgraded non-league schedule certainly helped with games against perennial powers Heidelberg, Wooster, Montclair State, Carthage and William Paterson. UC will be a youthful squad in 2012 with just 12 returning players including Alec Chovela (.320, 11 SB, 16 RBI) and Ted Krueger (.316, 12 RBI, 7 SB).

There is a change in the Empire 8 schedule with the loss of R.I.T. The league has scrapped the slate of back-to-back doubleheaders and each team playing four games against a conference opponent in a single weekend of seven-inning games. New this year, each team will play its’ three league foes six times, three home and three away. Weekends will consist of a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. The number of conference games has dropped to 18 meaning that all four teams will have more opportunities to play out of the conference.

D3baseball.com preseason All-American David Kinney batted .403 in 2011 for Clarkson. Clarkson athletics photo

Liberty League: The Liberty League is wide open as ever heading into the 2012 season. RPI claimed the conference regular season championship in 2011 however the Engineers were knocked off in the conference tournament by the combination of Clarkson and inclement weather. Not only does the top of the conference remain jumbled with it being anyone’s race, but vast improvements have been made at both Union and Vassar, two programs trying to push themselves up to the top of the table plus R.I.T. enters the mix from the Empire 8.

Starting off with the returning tournament champions, Clarkson is led by 2011 Liberty League Player of the Year and D3baseball.com Preseason All-American David Kinney (.403, 6 HR, 37 RBI) and Jerry Coleman (.308, 2 HR, 29 RBI). The pair combined for 106 hits, 68 runs and 29 stolen bases last season. Dan Lenney (.314, 15 RBI) and Pete Lasecki (.294, 3 HR, 20 RBI) round out the Clarkson mashers and the Golden Knights should have no problems scoring runs. Kinney doubles as the Clarkson closer (three saves in 2011) though the lone top starter back on the mound for the Green and Gold is Bryan Chudy (8-2, 3.44 ERA, 65.1 IP); no other returning starting pitchers return. The pitching staff will need to be rounded out if Clarkson wants to make another run deep into the postseason.

Following a down year in 2010, Rensselaer rebounded in 2011 with youthful experience, a potent offense and bend but not break pitching. The Engineers lose only two seniors from last season though one was top starter Mike Cieszko (83 K, 71.1 IP). Dan Duval (7-3, 2.96 ERA, 67.0 IP) anchors the pitching staff that also returns two others with starting experience in Mike Campisi (4-3, 5.14 ERA, 54.0 IP) and Levi Washburn (2-1, 4.63 ERA). The batting order has eight of nine players returning, seven of which batted over .300 last year. D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Art Levenson (.404, 5 HR, 42 RBI) headlines an offense which averaged almost seven runs per game last season. Other offensive weapons for the Cherry and White include Kyle LaVigne (.390, 47 R, 31 SB, 26 RBI), Cody Erickson (.371, 24 RBI), Tanner Boucher (.331, 5 HR, 34 RBI) and Johnny Rio (.328, 35 R, 29 RBI).

Zack Rudman was a double threat for Skidmore, batting .339 and posting a 1.29 ERA in 2012. Skidmore athletics photo

Skidmore two-way threat Zach Rudman could be the best dual-threat player in the conference. Rudman, who batted .339 last season, led the Thoroughbreds in earned run average (1.29) and tied for the team lead in runs batted in (30). A deep 2011 pitching staff will be strongly tested this season with the losses of Nick Laracuente and Trevor Brucato who accounted for 13 victories, 20 starts and 135.0 innings pitched. Jordan Keysor (3-2, 39.1 IP) should help fill the void along with incoming freshman Nick Petrella, a 2011 all-state selection in New York. At the plate, look for Brian Lowry (.300, 10 RBI) to make an impact. Lowry earned all-league accolades in his first two seasons yet played in just 21 games last year after helping the Skidmore men’s basketball team to the NCAA tournament.  Aside from Zach Rudman and Brian Lowry, Eric Watkins (.320, 41 H, 17 RBI), Matt Tatkow (.314, 29 R, 15 SB) and Leejay Pollacchi (.273, 31 R, 23 SB) are the top returning hitters.

First-year head Pete Hoy inherited a young St. Lawrence team last season that featured an entire batting order made up of freshmen and sophomores. The Saints marched to a near .500 record both overall and in the league en route to the conference tournament. Much like with RPI, youth and experience describe the Canton nine in 2012 with five all-conference performers returning. Second-year starters Bryan Palermo (.328, 18 RBI, 16 SB), Kihfer O’Connor (.309, 3 HR, 33 RBI) and Brian Magovney (.283, 20 RBI) were outstanding as freshmen and hope to avoid a sophomore slump while junior Carter Franz (.324, 47 H, 14 DBL) looks to be the veteran leader of the offense. The bullpen should be a strength for the Saints with all-league closer Kyle Donaldson (3-1, 2.05 ERA, four saves) at the back end. Jason Conde (6-2, 2.44 ERA, 70.0 IP) will be the top starting pitcher.

A tight Liberty League race one year ago saw Union just miss the conference playoffs by one game while Vassar remained in the mix for a tournament slot until the final weekend of the season. The Dutchmen stand a solid chance to make noise this season with 12 returning starters led by 2011 Liberty League Rookie of the Year Vince Esposito (.380, 30 H, 13 SB), Dylan Katz-Wicks (.363, 37 H) and Tyler Heck (.333, 23 RBI, 22 SB). Union was aggressive on the base paths last year under rookie head coach Paul Mounds; the Dutchmen swiped nearly three bases per game with 91 steals in 33 tilts. Quinn Rhoda (1-1, 2.01, five saves) led the league in saves last year though Union’s starting pitching must improve – no other returning pitcher had an ERA under 4.00 last season. Vassar, much like Union, can score runs and steal bases. Michael Perrone (.287, 27 SB) and Liam Lee (.280, 27 BB, 27 SB) combined for 54 of the Brewers’ 70 thefts in 2011. Brett Zaziski (.361, 26 RBI) and Dave Robbins (.308, 16 RBI) both earned all-league recognition as freshmen. Scott Allen (3-3, 3.10 ERA, 52.1 IP) and John MacGregor (3-0, 3.78 ERA, 50.0 IP) top the pitching staff but like Union, the Brewers most lower a 5.14 team ERA to be able to compete with the top of the league.

The new kids on the block are the R.I.T. Tigers, in their first year of LL play after jumping ship from the Empire 8. The Tigers and Rochester Yellow Jackets will battle for supremacy in the Lilac City. It could be tough going for Rob Grow’s Tigers with 11 freshmen on the roster. Former two-time Empire 8 Player of the Year Geoff Dornes is a new addition to the coaching staff. Kreag Bradley (.377, 18 RBI, 11 SB), Walt Roman (.300, 3 HR, 23 RBI) and Ron Canestro (.310, 16 RBI/2-1, 4.70 ERA) are the top returning players for the Orange and Black. At Rochester, the Yellow Jackets are coming off of a down season in which the team did not advance to the conference tournament after hosting in two of the previous three years. Twenty upperclassmen make up the bulk of Rochester’s 2012 roster. Alex Caghan (.342, 24 RBI, 19 SB) started all 34 games last season for Rochester and he will lead up the UofR offense along with Rob Barnard (.327, 16 RBI) and Jon Menke (.298, 19 RBI/2-3, 3.75 ERA). Menke will also serve as one of Rochester’s starting pitchers. Rochester’s pitching needs an improvement from last season in which just one pitcher, Adam Sullivan (1-1, 1.10 ERA, four saves), compiled an ERA under 3.00.

Farmingdale State's Chris Phelan was the 2011 Skyline Pitcher of the Year. Farmingdale State athletics photo

Skyline Athlertic Conference: Farmingdale State continues to be cream of the crop with four-straight Skyline tournament championships and four-straight appearances in the NCAA playoffs. The Rams made it back to the regionals last season with a dominating performance in the league tournament after finishing in second place during the regular season behind St. Joseph’s (L.I.). Twenty-two players overall are back for manager Keith Osik including six starters led by starting pitchers Chris Phelan (7-3, 1.93 ERA, 84.0 IP), the 2011 Skyline Pitcher of the Year and C.J. Bula (6-2, 2.81 ERA, 67.1 IP). Mike Dolce (4-3, 3.09 ERA) and transfer Anthony Eilers (Suffolk C.C.) should round out the starting rotation. Offensively, the Rams stole a whopping 135 bases one season ago; six players had at least 10 steals and four of the six swiped at least 15 bases. Farmingdale also batted .290 as a team and scored over six runs per game. Among the returning starters for the Rams are 2011 Skyline Rookie of the Year Terrance Bohanon (.342, 50 H, 32 RBI), David Zilnicki (.344, 24 RBI, 20 SB) and Ryan McAlister (15 SB). But the Rams will have a younger look in the batting order in general which projects to have three freshmen including St. Bonaventure transfer Anthony Alvino.

St. Joseph’s (L.I.) captured the regular season crown in 2011 then bowed out in the conference tournament. The Golden Eagles should be near the top of the list of suitors to the Farmingdale throne with most of an offense back that batted .315 as a team and scored 265 runs in 37 games. Rich Pecoraro (.390, 20 RBI, 46 H), Prateek Thaman (.345, 38 RBI), Dennis Nover (.333, 36 R, 30 SB) and Bryan Hannigan (.357, 19 RBI) were all named All-New York selections last season. Defense (92 errors) and pitching (6.42 ERA) will be the key for St. Joseph’s if the Eagles want to overcome the Rams.  Old Westbury dueled Farmingdale for the Skyline title last season and led the country with 206 stolen bases. The loss of Skyline Player of the Year Melvin Simmons (.365, 27 RBI, 42 SB) should hurt the offense though 30-base stealers Joseph Guido (.316, 34 SB) and Benjamin Farias (.299, 39 SB) return. Pitchers Tyler Levine (4-1, 3.12 ERA) and Corey Murphy (4-5, 3.49 ERA, 69.2 IP) will head up the starting staff.

Purchase’s Matt Paz (6-1, 2.00 ERA, 45.0 IP) should again be one of the top pitchers in the Skyline. His teammate, Albert Baez, was the Skyline Pitcher of the Year last season. The Panthers will be right in the mix of the middle of the conference along with Mt. St. Mary and Mt. St. Vincent.   

Second baseman Matt June is one of four Cortland captains in 2012. Cortland athletics photo

State University of New York Athlertic Conference (SUNYAC): The more things change, the more they remain the same in the SUNYAC. With only seven baseball-playing members, it’s a significant change when two of those schools replace long-time veteran head coaches with fresh faces. However the top of the SUNYAC should remain the same and the road to the league championship, like it has dating back to the 1990s, runs through Cortland State. The Red Dragons weren’t invincible last year with losses in the league to Oswego and New Paltz however a 16-2 league record and then a clean sweep in the conference tournament powered Cortland to the NCAA regionals.

One year ago, the Dragons were replacing nearly their entire starting line-up but were heavy on veteran pitching. This season it’s the exact opposite with many returnees in the batting orderand a seemingly new starting rotation headed up by senior fire-baller Aaron Schuldt (81 K, 66.2 IP). Departed starters Michael Mahay, Scott Hartling, Travis Ratilff and Mike Assmann combined for 22 victories and well over 200 innings pitched in 2011. Schuldt and part-time 2011 starter Zachary Badanes (2-1, 4.30 ERA) are the only two returning pitchers with starting experience. Transfer Mike Hughes (HVCC/Coastal Carolina) should bolster the front end of the starting staff in behind Schuldt. Behind Hughes and Schuldt, several underclassmen will need to take on larger roles than they had last year. The good news for Cortland pitching is that the entire bullpen returns intact led by finishers Brendan Hourihan (1.71 ERA, 4 saves), Tom Nagy (1-1, 3.14, 4 saves) and Brandon McClain (1.04 ERA, 3 saves).

Cortland’s offense averaged nearly 6.5 runs per game last year. With eight of nine starters returning along with several transfers, the Red Dragon bats could be even more potent. Topping the offensive returners are John Adornetto (.369, 2 HR, 24 RBI), Zach Graczyk (.362, 20 SB), Matt June (.339, 61 H, 17 SB) and Nick Thode (.295, 35 RBI). The outfield will be the deepest of any position for Cortland with possibly six players rotating through the three outfield positions. Several transfers will compete for playing time including outfielder Brian Barry who played in 25 games at Tulane as a true freshman in 2010.

The most intriguing stories in the conference come from Oneonta and Oswego where new head coaches have taken over. At Oneonta, Ben Grimm inherits a Red Dragons team that won 21 games last season and advanced to the conference tournament. All-conference selections Kevin Knack (.348, 22 RBI, 12 SB) and Bryan Marotta (.308, 2 HR, 18 RBI) will power the offense alongside Michael DeCarr (.295, 21 RBI). The biggest impact could be made by Plattsburgh transfer Tory Bouyea. The senior led a 30-win Plattsburgh team in batting average (.392), hits (62) and runs scored (48) in 2010. On the mound, Christopher Smith (4-2, 1.75 ERA) and Jeffrey Carter (3-1, 2.51) will lead the starting rotation. Meanwhile up north, Oswego State looks to turn the tables after a 1-17 SUNYAC record last year with a new head coach in Scott Landers. Landers had great success at LeMoyne as an assistant and he knows what it takes to win the SUNYAC from his time at Cortland. Another former LeMoyne assistant, Pete Hoy, helped a young St. Lawrence team to the Liberty League tournament in his first Division III head-coaching season. And like SLU, the Lakers are young with just five seniors. Keep an eye on starting pitcher Dan Erne (7-3, 3.27 ERA), who earned more than one-third of Oswego’s 19 overall wins last year, and outfielder Scott Buniak (.331, 1 HR, 22 RBI). Mohawk Valley Community College transfers Adam Bishop and Eric Scorzafava will compete for playing time.

Jake Coleman earned a sopt on the 2012 D3baseball.com preseason All-American team. Brockport State athletics photo by Nathan Zimmerman

Who will Cortland’s challengers to the SUNYAC throne be? Brockport State has to top the list and 2011 surprise story New Paltz will be again be a SUNYAC league playoff contender along with Oneonta State. The Golden Eagles are coming off of a 30-win season and an at-large selection to the NCAA tournament. D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Jake Coleman (.351, 37 R, 18 SB) and Cory Booth (.350, 21 RBI) are Brockport’s top returning position players. But, the top of the pitching staff will need to be overhauled. Aaron Tilley (4-1, 2.81 ERA) and James Bardenett (4-1, 3.54 ERA) lead the returnees however workhorse Kyle Smith (83.0 IP, 79 K) and Steve Locke (5-1, 3.74 ERA) have to be replaced. Head coach Justin Beach has shown an ability to replace key parts with freshmen and transfers; he’ll need to do that again this season with his pitching staff. 

A New Paltz team with just two seniors last season made it to the SUNYAC tournament for the first time since 2001. The Hawks bring just about everyone back in 2012 and look to continue their upward trend led by 2011 SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year Chris Chismar (6-4, 2.64 ERA, 78 K, 61.1 IP). Chismar is one of the top pitchers in the New York Region though the Hawks will need to give him help and lower a 4.05 team ERA.  Three all-conference selections have a spot in the line-up in Jake Cameron (.315, 4 HR, 24 RBI), Matt Kaldon (.314, 1 HR, 14 RBI and Matt Prescia (.360).

Elsewhere in the SUNYAC, Plattsburgh and Fredonia will be lurking. The Cardinals struggled to an 18-19 record last season and missed out on the league tournament. The return of Dan Tracey (9-0, 4.43 ERA, 63.0 IP – 2010) will greatly aid the pitching staff; the Plattsburgh ace missed all of last season. He’ll form a potent duo for the Cards alongside Tyler Greene (4-4, 2.08 ERA, 56.1 IP). But the biggest question for Plattsburgh remains on offense and how to improve upon a .261 team batting average. Paul Shaughnessy (.312, 2 HR, 21 RBI) and Kris Cauchon (.308, 15 RBI) are the only two returning players to hit over .300. At the opposite end of the state, Fredonia suffered heavy graduation losses and returns just two starting position players and one starting pitcher. Head coach Matt Palisin is optimistic about his young and experienced team that includes 15 juniors. Transfers Sean Urckfitz (Monroe CC) and John Bennett (Finger Lakes CC) should start right away in the field.