UTICA, NY — After coming up one game short last season, the Utica College baseball team is looking for another shot at an Empire 8 Tournament appearance in 2018. The Pioneers open up their season on Sunday as they take on Yeshiva University in a doubleheader at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ.
 
2017 Look Back: The 2017 edition of the UC baseball team was just one game shy of making a third straight appearance in the E8 Conference tournament, as it fell to SUNY Canton 9-6 in the final game of the season. Utica capped off the 2017 season with a .500 record of 18-18 overall and finished 8-10 in conference play.
 
Experienced Coaching Staff: Head Coach Joe Milazzo is returning for his fifth season at UC. Milazzo has guided the team to 56 wins, as well as two conference tournament appearances (2015 & 2016) at the helm. In 2015, he led the Pioneers to their first 20-win season in over 23 years. Joining Milazzo are UC alums Christopher Podlucky, Adam Pexton, Bryce Patterson, and pitching coach Dan Bollana. Also joining the Pioneers in the dugout is Sal Paladino, Mike Pepperine, and Ben Julian (Wynantskill, NY/Troy) to complete the 2018 coaching staff.
 
2017 All-Conference Honors: Utica landed three players on the Empire 8 All-Conference teams in 2017. Recent graduate, JT Ross was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-ECAC. Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) produced a solid sophomore campaign, as he received enough votes from around the conference to earn an All-Conference Honorable Mention. Shortstop Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) was selected as Utica's representative on the Sportsman of the Year Team.
 
Quinlan To Lead Pioneers: Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) returns to the lineup for his junior season, looking to build off of last year's production. As a sophomore, he ended the season second on the squad with a batting average of .375. Quinlan drove in a team-high 43 RBI's, while connecting for 48 hits on the year. In addition, he proved to be a threat on the base paths as he was 10 for 10 on stolen base attempts, leading the team. Among his highlights from last year, Quinlan really shined during the team's win over Trine going 3-for-6 at the plate with one homer, one triple, and five RBI's. He enters his third season with 88 career hits and needs just 12 more to become the 16th player in program history to register 100 career hits. 
 
Ryan Returns to the Lineup: Senior Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) is back for the Pioneers for one more go-around after a solid 2017 season. In 115 at bats he recorded 33 hits and scored 22 runs for the team. His batting average of .287 from last year showed improvement from his .257 average as a sophomore. Ryan showed great work with his glove as he only made one error last season, earning a reliable .988 fielding percentage. One of his best games of 2017 came in a win against SUNY Canton, as he batted 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI's.
 
Pitching Staff: Sophomore pitcher Justin Bodley-Bjorklund (Washington, DC/St. Johns) is coming off an impressive freshman season, where he accumulated a team-best ERA of 3.04. His record of 3-2 for the season came in his three starts (one complete game) and five appearances on the mound. Classmate Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) earned a record of 4-3 in his first year, receiving the start in all 10 appearances on the mound (most on the team). Baur led the Pioneer pitchers with 36 strikeouts on the year, including nine strikeouts in his collegiate debut against Yeshiva. Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) returns to UC for his senior year, after striking out 25 batters last season (second on the team) as a junior. Rocci was a core member of the pitching staff, as he started in all nine of his appearances on the mound. He finished the 2017 season with a 2-3 record, as he pitched a total of 38.2 innings.
 
Tiffin Back At It: In his sophomore campaign, Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) stepped up for the Pioneers at the shortstop position. He played and started in 31 games, while maintaining a batting average of .287. In 87 at bats Tiffin rattled off 25 hits, with three of them resulting in extra bases. The starting shortstop tallied 11 RBI's while also scoring 18 runs. In UC's win over Trine, Tiffin went 2-for-3 at the plate with one double, three scored runs, and two RBI's.
 
Seniority: The Pioneers are fortunate to have a roster that features 14 seniors, bringing valuable experience to this year's squad. This senior class includes: Brett Sarnowski (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville), Ben Julian (Wynantskill, NY/Troy), Gavin McCann (Highland, NY/Highland), Kolbie Glionna (Hagaman, NY/Amsterdam), Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna), John Franchi (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee), Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame), Adam Nell (Vernon, NY/VVS), Eric Sahagian (Schenectady, NY/Guilderland), Ryan Keefe (Ballston, NY/Ballston Spa), Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston), Justin Shabman (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Kennedy Catholic), and Zachary Schellenger (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady).
 
Newcomers: There are many new faces on Utica's roster heading into the 2018 season. The Pioneers welcome the freshman class of Donovan Felder (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton High School), Joe Palmieri (West Islip, NY/West Islip), Nick Hula (Richfield Springs, NY/Owen D Young), Brendon Sarnowski (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville), Bryce Berie (Adams, NY/South Jefferson), Daniel Kuehnle (Memphis, NY/Jordan Elbridge), Brian Dinnen (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas), Justin McKenna (Pittsburgh, PA/Plom Senior HS), Patrick Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame), Brian Mohlin (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown HS West), and Tj Labayewski (Clinton, NY/Clinton).

Jackie Robinson Game: For the fifth season in a row, UC will matchup against Hamilton College during the regular season for the annual Jackie Robinson Game. This will be the 31st year in which the two teams have recognized the career and legacy of the great Jackie Robinson. In last year's meeting Hamilton triumphed over the Pioneers, with the final score reading 12-3.
 
Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational: Before the Pioneers begin Empire 8 play, the team will travel to Winter Haven, FL to compete in the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational. Down south they will face Loras College, Curry College (DH), The College of New Jersey (DH), Iowa Wesleyan University (DH) and University of Maine-Farmington. Opening pitch of the invitational is scheduled for Sunday, March 11 against Loras College. 
 
Opening Day: The Pioneers will kick off their 2018 season in Flemington, NJ this Sunday as they will face the Yeshiva University Maccabees for a doubleheader. Game one of opening day is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.