UTICA, NY- The Utica College baseball team opens up it's 2016 campaign in Floriday next week. The season opener is scheduled for March 12^th at the Russ Matt Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida. The Pioneers will also have 12 regular season home games, including three doubleheaders at the Utica College Baseball Field.

Russ Matt Invitational: Utica will be attending the Russ Matt Invitational for the second year in a row ... The Pioneers will face Calvin College on Monday for a doubleheader that starts at 10 a.m., on Tuesday the team faces Bowdoin College in a two game set that starts at 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday Utica takes on the University of Minnesota Morris at 2 p.m., Thursdays matchup is a doubleheader against McDaniel College starting at 9:30 a.m., on the final day of the tournament the Pioneers take on Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a doubleheader starting at 9:15 a.m. … UC played eight games against five different teams and left Florida with a 6-2 record to start off the 2015 season.

Empire 8 Conference Play: The Pioneers will kick-off conference play against Houghton College (3/25/2016). UC has 18 conference matchups this season (three against each team)…10 of the matchups will be at the Utica College Baseball Field, and eight of the matchups will be on the road. The team's first home series will be against Elmira College (4/2/16).

Two Week Home Stand: The Pioneers will play two weeks in a row at the UC Baseball Field in April. Five of the six teams will be conference opponents…UC will start off the two week home stand against Stevens Institute of Technology (4/16/2016).

Final Stretch: The Pioneers will be on the road to wrap up most of the regular season. Five of the six teams will be non-conference opponents…UC finished last season against non-conference teams with a 3-2-1 record. UC will wrap up the regular season at home against Hamilton College (5/10/16) for the Jackie Robinson Game.

Post Season Play: The Empire 8 Tournament will begin on May 12^th and end on May 15^th. Last season, the Pioneers hosted the tournament at the UC Baseball Field and Murnane Field for the first time in school history. Last season was also the first time UC had a 20-win season in over twenty years.

Returning Players: UC is returning 24 players from last year's team … Senior Brandon Thomas (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) returns after leading the team with a .363 batting average, scoring 17 runs, getting 41 hits, and getting 27 RBI … Fellow senior Adam Pexton (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) had a .322 batting average, 22 runs, 29 hits, and 14 RBI while sophomore Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) hit .319, had 23 runs, 30 hits, and 13 RBI … Utica has two senior pitchers returning in Joshua Webb (Verona, NY/VVS) (4-4, 2.56 ERA, 70 strikeouts, and 63.1 innings pitched) and Josh Luczak (Ava, NY/RFA) (3-1, 6.53 ERA, 12 strikeouts, and 30.1 innings pitched).
 
First Year Pioneers: Utica has 26 new players joining the team this year ... Juniors Todd Gardner (Hudson, NY/Hudson), Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame), JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills), and Ed Zakrzewski (Rome, NY/Rome Catholic) along with sophomores Brent Hecker (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham), Jarred Luczak (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), Gavin McCann (Highland, NY/Highland), Zach Millett (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush), Stephen Soria (Mahwah, NJ/Mahwah), and Taylor Thomas (South Windsor, CT/East Windsor) join 16 freshman as UC's new players … The freshmen joining the team are Kiernan Briggs (Fort Plain, NY/Fort Plain), Sam Brooke (Burlington, CT/Lewis S. Mills), Michael Canino (Highland, NY/Highland), Corey Carnes, Christopher Deguilla (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream), Dylan Finley (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy), Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame), Jacob Gaboriault (Colchester, VT/Essex), Thomas Giglio (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), Noah Martin (Broadalbin, NY/Broadalbin-Perth), Charles McAllister (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), Louis Mongilia (New Hampton, NY/Goshen), Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck), Jaylan Smith (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls), Mark Spina (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler), and Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS).