UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team will hit the road this week for a handful of non-conference games. The team will travel to SUNY Cobleskill at 4 p.m. on Tuesday before making the short trip to SUNY Poly at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Utica will then play Cazenovia at Gutchess Sports Complex in Cortland, NY for a pair on Sunday, April 30 starting at noon.
Follow Along: Cobleskill will provide live video through
https://team1sports.com/sunycobleskill/ and live stats at
https://fightingtigers.cobleskill.edu/sidearmstats/baseball/summary. Fans are encouraged to check the Utica baseball schedule for further live video/stat links at Poly and against Cazenoiva.
Last Time Out: The team secured yet another Empire 8 series sweep, this time doing so over the Medaille University Mavericks following its 10-6 win on Saturday.
Antonio Martinez (Sunrise, FL/Western) powered the offense in a 3-for-4 outing that included a triple and two RBIs.
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and
John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) had two-hit games as well, Son doing so with a team-high three RBIs.
Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) knocked in a pair of runs in the win too. On the hill,
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) earned his fourth win of the year. The southpaw went six innings allowing three runs on six hits and one walk while totaling six strikeouts.
Derrike Goutremout (Chaumont, NY/Lyme Central) tossed 1.2 innings while
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) pitched the final 1.1 frames while picking up his third save of the year. The save also made him the all-time program leader with the seventh of his Pioneer career.
Where We Stand: Utica enters the week 22-9 overall, a top-50 win percentage nationally, and 13-2 in the Empire 8, currently holding first place in the league based on conference points. At the plate, Utica leads the E8 with a .337 batting average, a .444 on-base percentage, 296 runs scored, and 33 hits. The team finds itself tied for 19th in DIII averaging 9.5 runs per game while also owning the 25th highest batting average in the nation. The team boasts four of the top-10 hitters in the Empire 8 in
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (2nd, .404),
John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) (4th, .391),
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) (8th, .359) and
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) (10th, .358). Utica also has four of the top-10 RBI leaders in the league in
John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) (2nd, 39),
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (7th, 29),
Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) (9th, 25) and
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) (10th, 24). On the mound, the Pioneers pitching staff ranks second in the league with a 5.61 ERA. Beyond
Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland),
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) (4-0, 5.20 ERA) and
Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) (3-1, 6.37 ERA) have been superb this season. Over his last 15-plus innings, Reoschlaub has allowed just five earned runs while Carodne has also been solid over his last 10 frames with five earned runs allowed.
History Continues: While
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) has already cemented his name atop the all-time saves record, the team itself is approaching some historic milestone. With 22 wins, the Pioneers are three away from tying and four away from setting a new program single-season wins record while currently owning the second-most wins in a single season in program history. The record of 25 was set by the 1987 Pioneers. The team is also five runs away from becoming the highest scoring team in program history, surpassing the 2021 team's 297 runs and the 2022 team's 300 runs.
The Show Goes On: Another game, another
Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) eye-opening performance. The freshman carried a perfect game into the 6th inning of game two against Medaille on Friday, as well as a no-hitter into the 7th, in what would be his seventh win of the season. While his 7-0 record, 1.34 ERA, four complete games, two shutouts and .188 opponent batting average top the Empire 8, he remains near the top of the national leaders as well. His ERA checks in 12th in Division III while his seven wins are tied for seventh in the country. With that, he is one win away from setting the program's single season wins record. He was also once again named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Week for his efforts against Medaille.
About Cobleskill: The Fighting Tigers sport a 17-12 record this season and are 12-1 in conference play. In its last outing the team lost the second game of its doubleheader against SUNY Canton 11-8 on Saturday, April 22. Cobleskill beat Utica 10-4 on April 4 and now the Pioneers head to Cobleskill, NY for game two. The Fighting Tigers are led by the trio of Dylan Pohl, David Flora, and Logan Hutter who each sport a .385 batting average or higher with at least 24 hits, seven doubles, and at least 18 RBIs. Flora has six home runs with 36 RBIs while Hutter has five home runs with 33 RBIs. Wyatt Palmer, Devin Lewis, and Andrew Jarkow are three serviceable arms each logging at least 33.2 innings with three wins, one complete game, and under a 3.75 ERA.
Scouting Poly: The Wildcats are 10-23 this season and sport a 3-10 conference record this season. The team fell to Hamilton 24-1 in its last outing on Sunday, April 23. When these teams met earlier this season Utica beat Poly 16-3 on Wednesday, April 12. Alexander Bonacci is the team's top hitter sporting a .423 average with 47 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 26 RBIs. James Lynch and Paul Barber are two more consistent bats for the team, and each have at least 32 hits with at least three doubles and 11 RBIs. Aaron Kifer is the team's ace with a 3-3 record including one save over 44 innings pitched this season. Jack Montanye and Carter Romansky are two serviceable arms with each logging at least 31 innings pitched thus far.
A Look at Caz: The Wildcats are 8-25 this season and sport a 4-9 conference record. The team topped SUNY Poly in its second game of the doubleheader on Friday, April 21 by a score of 7-4. Cazenovia will clash with Keuka and Poly before meeting with Utica. Jack Lees is the team's top bat with a .402 batting average, 12 doubles, three home runs and 24 RBIs. Brendan Mair and Zach Rainville are two more quality hitters, both batting at least .314 with at least 22 hits, five doubles, and 15 RBIs. Tanner Olson and Carter Matus are the team's top arms with each appearing in nine games this season while logging at least 28 innings. Zach Rainville and Parker Wing are two more options with each logging seven appearances and at least 25 innings of work.
Up Next: The team is currently scheduled to travel to Wells College on May 1 before closing home against SUNY Oneonta on May 3 at 4 p.m.
