UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team is set to face the third-seeded Houghton University Highlanders in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament on Thursday. The game will be at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Along: Live video for each tournament game can be found through
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/ while live stats will be at
https://sjfathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary.
Last Time Out: The team dropped game three to the St. John Fisher University Cardinals on Sunday, 5-4. At the plate,
Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) led the unit with a pair of hits and a walk.
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro),
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany),
Tyler Jennings (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool),
Matthew Kanyuk (Mellville, NY/Hills East) and
Steve Sclafani (North Massapequa, NY/Farmingdale) all had hits too. Jennings, Kanyuk and Sclafani drove in one run each.
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) started the game and went three innings deep en route to a no decision. The southpaw allowed two unearned runs on one hit and three walks to go with four strikeouts.
Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville) tossed two frames allowing one run on one hit and one walk while
Frederick Callo Jr. (Milton, NY/Marlboro) picked up the loss with three earned runs allowed over two innings.
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) also threw an inning allowing three runs on four hits and one walk. Utica tacked on a pair of runs in the 2nd inning to strike first.
Matthew Kanyuk (Mellville, NY/Hills East) singled home
Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) from third base before he was ultimately attempting to stretch his base-knock into a double. Right after,
Steve Sclafani (North Massapequa, NY/Farmingdale) drove home
Tyler Jennings (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) on a single to right field for a 2-0 lead. After a shutdown inning by Roeschlaub, the Pioneers put two more on the board in the top of the 3rd.
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) swiped third base and on a throwing error by the catcher, came home to plate another. Jennings followed up with an infield single to short to push the team ahead 4-0. However, Fisher responded with two of its own in the bottom half while the Utica offense would fall silent over the final six frames. Still trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 5th, Fisher added another run as the game moved into the 6th with Utica still ahead 4-3. Come the 8th inning, the Cardinals found their rhythm. A six run frame pushed the team ahead and proved to be too much for Utica to overcome as Fisher came from behind for the win.
Tournament Format: The top-four teams in the Empire 8 qualified for the tournament. St. John Fisher (18-0 E8) enters as the top-seed, Utica (13-5 E8) earned the second-seed, Houghton (11-7 E8) earned the third-seed and Russell Sage (9-9 E8) finished as the fourth and final seed. The schedule goes as follows:
Thursday, May 11
Game 1 – No. 4 Russell Sage at No. 1 St. John Fisher – 12 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 3 Houghton vs. No. 2 Utica – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 12
Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 9:30 a.m. (elimination game)
Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 1 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – 4:30 p.m. (elimination game)
Saturday, May 13
Game 6 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 (If Necessary) – 3:30 p.m.
The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament.
Playoff History: Since the Empire 8 Conference Tournament began in 2015, Utica has made six appearances including this season. This year marks the fourth consecutive season in which the Pioneers have qualified for the tournament and is the second-straight season the team has earned the two-seed. The team is coming off back-to-back championship appearances which served as the first two in program history.
Well Rounded: Utica's success has been due to its ability to get runners on base and the ability to mow down opposing line ups. The team ranks first in the conference with a .323 batting average and is second in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, and RBI. On the mound the Pioneers have been excellent, sporting the third best ERA in the Empire 8 including three shutouts and five saves.
Hitting It: The Pioneers have a very balanced lineup with five starters hitting over .300 this season.
Dom Fasolo's (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) .382 batting average is the third best in the conference and he has been excellent at getting on base for Utica with 11 doubles, two triples, and three home runs.
John Son (Mellville, NY/Half Hollow Hills) has been the team's top run producer and is slashing .364 with 48 hits, ten doubles, five triples, four home runs, and 42 RBI (3rd in the E8). The duo
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) and
Joe Battista (Gansevoort, NY/South Glens Falls) have been steady bats for Utica with each batting over .308 with at least seven doubles, two triples, and 25 RBI.
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) has been streaking with a seven-game hitting streak and has recorded at least one hit in an incredible 16 of his last 17 starts.
Arms a Plenty: Utica has plenty of reliable arms on the mound and its depth has been a major reason for its success.
Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) has been unbelievable with a 7-1 record, 1.59 ERA, four complete games, two shutouts, and five Empire 8 Rookie of the Week honors. The freshman is top-20 nationally in ERA, and top-35 in wins.
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn) sports a perfect 4-0 record this season along with a 4.81 ERA over 39.1 innings of work.
Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has started to find his groove going six or more innings in five of his last six starts. Utica's bullpen contains plenty of serviceable arms as
Dylan Sullivan (West Orange, NJ/Columbia),
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw),
Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional),
Jake Mangino (Sayville, NY/Sayville),
Jack Krug (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Canajoharie), and
Derrike Goutremout (Chaumont, NY/Lyme Central) have all made at least seven appearances this season. The team looks for its starters to continue to pitch deep into ball games, and then have its relievers help close out games with their crafty stuff.
Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders earned the third seed after a 19-20 overall record and 11-7 Empire 8 record. The team finished the regular season in strong fashion picking up four-straight Empire 8 wins to help the team qualify for the Conference Tournament. Fresh off an Empire 8 Player of the Week, Zach Parr leads the charge for the Highlanders offense. Parr sports a .381 batting average with 40 hits, 11 doubles, three home runs, and 27 RBI. Jeremey Wilcox and Davis McMillian are two more strong bats with each having over a .315 batting average with at least four doubles and 16 RBI. On the mound, Hunter Kendall is the team's ace with a 2.73 ERA, with two complete games and 72 strikeouts over 59.1 innings pitched. Ryan Newtown, Ethan Cetton, and Aiden Talcott are three more reliable arms with each making at least 12 appearances this season and at least six starts. The trio have all logged at least 39 innings of work and all tossed at least one complete game.
About Fisher: The Cardinals finished their regular season 27-12 and had a historic 18-0 conference record which was the first undefeated conference record in Empire 8 history to claim the top seed. The back-to-back league champions are on a 12-game winning streak and are led by the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Year, Noah Campanelli. The senior sports an incredible .469 batting average which leads the conference along with 75 hits, 19 doubles, five triples, six home runs, and 39 RBI. James Murphy is the team's power bat with 50 hits, 12 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, and 62 RBI. Dominic Guccia, Brian Norsen, and Ben Lavery are three more reliable bats with each batting at least .325 with 39 hits and 23 RBI. Patrick McGuire is the team's ace with a perfect 7-0 record and 1.69 ERA with a complete game shutout under his belt this season. Russell Dunlap and Connor McHugh are two more serviceable arms with each making 12 appearances this season and pitching at least 39.1 innings.
A Look at Sage: The Gators nabbed the fourth seed after a 16-23 regular season and 9-9 Empire 8 record. Sage's offense is led by the trio of Brendan Espinal, James Lubanski, and Frank Colletta who each are batting at least .329 this season with at least 21 RBI. Espinal and Lubanski each have at least 47 hits with 31 RBI and have been key contributors to the team's run production. Liam Doyle has logged the most innings for the team with 52.2 innings over 12 games started with a 4.96 ERA. Matthew Dentale and Michael Karpinski are two more starters for the Gators, each logging at least 36 innings with under a 5.50 ERA. Jaylen Cuevas has been the bullpen's top arm with 17 appearances this season and 33.1 innings.
Up Next: The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament with the selection show being Monday, May 15 at noon.
