ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University baseball team had 11 members named to 2024 All-Empire 8 teams, as announced by the league on Tuesday. For a second straight year, the program had a player take top honors as catcher Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) was tabbed the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. 
 
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) captured Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors, making it two consecutive seasons in which a Pioneer has been named E8 Rookie of the Year as well as the second time ever (Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) 2023). Scalise appeared in 30 games and started in 26 as the team's backstop this season and slashed .289/.415/.392 with seven doubles, one home run, 18 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Behind the plate he owned a .979 fielding percentage (four errors over 193 chances) with six runners caught stealing and just five passed balls. 
 
The Pioneers had a pair of All-Empire 8 First Team outfielders in Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) and Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor). Story put together a historic season in what was his senior campaign, setting the new single-season program record with 11 home runs which also led the Empire 8. He slashed .355/.460/.674 with 20 total extra-base hits, 38 RBIs and 42 runs scored while going 11-for-13 on stolen bases. In his first year with the team, Duval led Utica with a .392 batting average which ranked fifth in the Empire 8. Over 39 games played the junior totaled 12 extra-base hits (seven doubles, three home runs and two triples), 30 RBIs and 31 runs scored. This is the first all-conference selection for both Story and Duval. 
 
Four Pioneers garnered All-Empire 8 Second Team selections in Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) at second base, Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) as a utility player, Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) as the designated hitter, and Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) as a relief pitcher. 
 
Salbinski nearly set a single-season program record with 40 RBIs this year, falling just a few shy. That mark led the team and ranked fifth in the conference. The sophomore slashed .354/.399/.583 with seven home runs, four doubles, and two triples. He was also stout in the field as his .982 fielding percentage ranked first on the team for anyone with more than 50 chances as well as sixth in the league. It is Salbinski's first career All-Empire 8 honor. Over 21 games and 18 starts, Berger hit .322/.468/.492 with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs and 18 runs scored. It is the sophomore's first All-E8 nod. 
 
Fasolo returned to All-Empire 8 status for the second time in his career after hitting .217 with four doubles, three triples and three home runs. He also drove in 24 runs and scored 26 times. Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) returned to the Pioneers after a year off and captured his first career All-E8 accolade. The sophomore tossed 30 innings this year and posted a 2-0 record with a 5.70 ERA as a primary relief pitcher. 
 
A trio of Pioneers captured All-Empire 8 Third Team honors in John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) at third base, Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) at shortstop, and Austin Rhodes (Wappingers Falls, NY/Kennedy Catholic) as a starting pitcher. 
 
Longeretta picked up his second consecutive/career All-E8 honor after another solid year manning the hot corner. The graduate student raked .305/.449/.333 with three doubles, 23 RBIs and 23 runs scored. His 16 strikeouts ranked as the fewest on the team amongst qualified hitters as well. Scanlon earned All-E8 accolades in his first season with the team. The junior hit .320/.382/.367 with five extra-base knocks, 23 RBIs and 33 runs scored which were the second most on the team. 
 
In his freshman campaign, Rhodes went 2-4 with a 4.47 ERA which ranked fifth in the E8 amongst qualified pitchers. The southpaw tossed a team high 46.1 innings and held opponents to a .198 batting average, the lowest opponent batting average allowed in the league. He totaled the second most strikeouts on the team with 38 while finishing the year with a WHIP of 1.36. 
 
Nick DeLucia (Schenectady, NY/Schalmont) was Utica's recipient of the 2024 Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year award. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.