UTICA, NY - After a well-deserved weekend of rest, the Pioneers will take the field six times this week as they hit the final stretch of the regular season. Starting on Monday, the team will play six matchups in six days with five of those games being at home and the sixth being the annual Jackie Robinson Classic which will be played at Delutis Field in nearby Rome, New York. On Saturday, the team will honor its Class of 2025 during the regular season finale vs Brockport.
 
Here is the schedule for the Pioneers' final week of regular season play:
 
Monday, April 28th
4:00 PM - vs SUNY Poly
 
Tuesday, April 29th
7:00 PM - vs Hamilton (Jackie Robinson Game - Delutis Field - Rome, NY)
 
Wednesday, April 30th
4:00 PM - vs SUNY Cobleskill
 
Friday, May 2nd
3:00 PM - vs SUNY Brockport
 
Saturday, May 3rd
12:00 PM - vs SUNY Brockport (Game 1) (Senior Day)
3:00 PM - vs SUNY Brockport (Game 2) (Senior Day)
 
Please note that dates and times are subject to change depending on weather and other restrictions. Keep an eye on our social media for updates relating to such occurrences.
 
Streaming Details for this Week's Matchups: You can catch all the action by heading to the "Watch" tab under each matchup on the baseball schedule section of our athletics website or by heading to the links below.
 
Utica stream link (all games): https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
 
Follow Along with Live Stats: Follow the links below to view live statistics for this week's slate!
 
Utica live stat link (all games): https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
 
Empire 8 Outlook: As the regular season wraps up, the Empire 8 Tournament field is beginning to finalize. With three teams already punching their ticket to the tournament, the Pioneers are looking for a strong finish down the stretch to book their ticket as well. Here are the current Empire 8 Standings entering this week.
 
1: Brockport* - 39 pts - 30-3-2 (19-1-1 E8)
2: Russell Sage* - 32 pts - 22-12 (16-5 E8)
3: St. John Fisher* - 29 pts - 19-15-1 (14-6-1 E8)
4: Utica - 20 pts - 15-13-1 (10-9 E8)
5: SUNY Poly - 18 pts - 13-19 (9-12 E8)
6: Houghton - 18 pts - 18-17 (9-12 E8)
 
7: Elmira - 12 pts - 12-22 (6-14 E8)
8: Keuka - 10 pts - 11-19 (5-13 E8)
9: Alfred - 4 pts - 4-28 (2-18 E8)
 
Clinched Empire 8 Tournament Berth = *
 
(The top six teams will advance to the Empire 8 postseason tournament, the top three teams will advance directly into the double-elimination portion of the bracket)
 
Monday's meeting between the Pioneers and their crosstown counterpart SUNY Poly will be monumental in deciding who will eventually clinch the number four seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Pioneers have defeated the Wildcats twice already this season, with a 6-3 win and an 8-7 win during their first two home games of the year back in late March. Monday's matchup will be the third and final game of the season series. The Pioneers will be looking to win and create a four point gap between themselves and the Wildcats in the race for the number four seed.
 
As things stand, the Pioneers would be travelling to the site of the number one overall seed for the final play in game of the Empire 8 Tournament. In this case, they would head to Brockport and play the winner of the earlier game between the number five and number six seeds (SUNY Poly and Houghton). The winner of that final play in game on Thursday, May 8th would then advance to the main bulk of the tournament, with a normal four team, double elimination structure from then on. That four team bracket would begin on May 8th directly after the final play in game.
 
With all that being said, the Pioneers will try to capture that number four seed during this week and advance to that final play in game on May 8th. With their current schedule, they cannot catch St. John Fisher for the three seed and a berth into the final rounds. However, with a matchup against Alfred University still in limbo thanks to an earlier rainout, should the Pioneers find a reschedule they would then be able to catch the Cardinals but only if they manage to win out while St. John Fisher would need to lose out.
 
With such a gauntlet this week, it will be up to the Pioneers' experienced coaching staff to find the right rotations and appearances to produce a plethora of victories over the final few games, and no one has produced more victories than the Pioneers' new career wins leader…
 
Alone at the Top: With a thrilling comeback victory against Keuka during last week's action, Head Coach Joe Milazzo passed former Pioneer skipper Don Guido for the most career wins in program history. The 8-7 victory gave Milazzo his 181st career win as head coach of the team, with the Utica native now standing alone at the summit of the Pioneer win record books. Here is what the team had to say about his stellar accomplishment:
 
"On behalf of the entire baseball community and all those whose lives you've impacted over the years, congratulations on becoming the all-time winningest coach in Utica University Baseball program history!
 
This remarkable achievement is a true testament to your lifelong dedication to the game and to the young men you've mentored along the way. With 44 years of coaching experience—and 12 of those proudly spent at Utica University—you have built a legacy rooted not only in wins and records, but in integrity, leadership, and passion for teaching.
 
Your induction into the Mohawk Valley Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 was a fitting recognition of your contributions to the sport, and this new milestone further cements your place among the region's most respected and influential coaches. But beyond the accolades, your most lasting impact is found in the thousands of student-athletes you've guided—helping them grow into responsible, hardworking young men ready to take on life beyond the diamond.
 
Alongside you throughout this incredible journey has been Coach Bollana—a constant, loyal presence not only at Utica University, but throughout your entire coaching career. His commitment, work ethic, and partnership have been instrumental in building the programs you've led. Together, the two of you have created something far greater than wins and losses—you've built a culture rooted in respect, discipline, and lifelong growth.
 
Thank you for your unwavering commitment, your belief in the power of athletics to shape character, and your role in building something truly special at Utica. The wins are impressive—but the lives you've changed are your greatest victory."
 
Coach Milazzo will look to build upon that newfound record this week, with lots of opponents waiting in the wings as the regular season comes to a close. Here is some information about all of the Pioneers' upcoming foes.
 
SUNY Poly: The Wildcats are currently 13-19 overall, and 9-12 in conference play. They have faced off against the Pioneers twice this year, falling to Utica in both games. At bat, Quinn Hill is leading the team with 41 hits, 39 runs, and 24 RBIs. Jack Montanye and Aaron Kifer have the same amount of games played on the mound. Montanye has a record of 3-4 and an ERA 4.79. Kifer has a record of 4-3 with an ERA of 5.79. Poly's last outing was against Keuka where they came out on top 11-7. Luke Landis led the team offensively with three hits.
 
Hamilton Scout: Hamilton is 14-17 overall, and 2-10 in NESCAC play. The last time they played against the Pioneers was in the 2024 season, where Hamilton came out on top by a score of 14-5. Chester Boynton leads the team offensively this year, with a batting average of .424. He has logged 39 hits and 15 RBIs on the year. Aden Soroca is the team's go-to pitcher with a 3-1 record and a 2.43 ERA. They battled Amherst in their final conference series this past weekend, falling to the Mammoths in all three matchups. Tuesday's tilt will be the final game of the regular season for Hamilton before they begin the NESCAC Tournament.
 
SUNY Cobleskill: The Tigers are 9-21 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The last time they faced off against Utica was in the 2024 season where they came out on top by a score of 13-3. Offensively, the team is led by senior Zach Ducorsky. Ducorsky has logged 32 hits with a .356 batting average. On the mound, Dylan Schwam is the team's leading pitcher with a 5.40 ERA and a record of 2-2. Last week, the team faced off against Keystone College, falling by a score of 9-3. Jeffrey Gutierrez was to thank for all three runs as he hit his first home run of the season, with two runners on base. The team also split in a four-game series with Lesley this past weekend, playing a pair of matchups on both Saturday and Sunday.
 
SUNY Brockport: Brockport is 20-3-2 overall and 19-1-1 in their first year of Empire 8 conference play. Zach Eldred is the team's leading hitter with 55 hits and a .440 batting average. Former Pioneer Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) has also had a good year, logging 35 hits with a .310 batting average. Anthony Lapine is the team's leading pitcher, with a record of 6-0 and a 1.34 ERA. Eldred has been a key factor on both sides of the field for the Golden Eagles as he has a record of 6-0 on the mound with a 1.72 ERA. The last time the Pioneers faced off against Brockport was 15 years ago in 2010. Brockport battled some top conference competition last week with a  double header against St. John Fisher. The Golden Eagles won the first game by a score of 12-4, and tied the second game 10-10. Brockport has been represented in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA top 25 rankings for a large portion of the season. Last week, they held the number 12 ranking for all of Division III Baseball.
 
After the Regular Season Wraps Up This Weekend: The Pioneers try to lock up a playoff berth and move on to postseason play which will begin next week. The first game will feature the number six seed visiting the number five seed on Tuesday, May 6 for a single elimination matchup. The winner of that first game will advance to the second play in game which will take place on Thursday, May 8. That matchup will feature the winner of the opening game and the number four seed. Whichever team comes out on top during that second play in game will remain at the site of the number one seed and advance to the double elimination portion of the bracket.
 
Tune is as the Pioneers enter the home stretch!