DUNMORE, PA - The Utica Baseball team opened up its 2026 season with a pair of convincing victories against Penn State Scranton. The Pioneers took game one by a score of 15-6, and they won game two by a score of 16-6. 

The Pioneer offense exploded for 31 combined runs on 21 hits over both games, while the pitchers struck out a combined 19 Lion hitters.

Utica started hot in game one, as Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) led off with a 13-pitch at-bat that ended in a walk, setting the tone and leading to the Pioneers scoring five consecutive runs to open the contest. Gianluca Logan blasted a ball over the tall right-field fence for the first Pioneer home run of the season to put Utica up 5-0 after the top of the first, a lead that they would not relinquish. Matthew Paolucci (Toronto, Ontario/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute) finished his first game in Utica blue and orange by going 2-4 with a walk and three RBIs and playing solid defense at third base. 

Mike Rockwell (Liverpool, NY/Cicero) led the team with four RBIs in game one, also going 2-4 with a walk. Rockwell singled in the first inning and tripled in the seventh inning. He also added another hit and two more RBIs in game two.

Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) earned the win for the Pioneers. The starter allowed four hits and four runs (three earned) over four innings, striking out seven and walking one. Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional) finished out the remaining three innings in relief, giving up two hits and two runs, striking out two and walking one batter.

In game two, the Pioneers once again came out hot. They scored 11 runs over the first four innings before Penn State was able to scratch one run across. Utica was led offensively by Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's), who drove in four RBIs on three hits for a stellar game at the plate. Ty Montrose (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) contributed two hits and two RBIs, while also making a nice diving catch in center field before being subbed out. 16 different Pioneer hitters got looks at the plate in game two, including freshman Ryan Smith (Wappingers Falls, NY/Beacon High School), who launched his first collegiate hit, a towering solo home run deep to center field in the top of the sixth inning.

Brady Leichtman (Bay Shore, NY/St. John the Baptist Diocesan) got the start in game two for Utica, and he was dominant. The freshman Long Island native went five innings, only surrendering two hits and one run, and striking out eight batters. Leichtman earned his first career collegiate win with the performance. Matt Prestopnik finished out the final two innings for the Pioneers, striking out two Penn State hitters, and after a shaky end of the game defensively, was tagged for five runs (two earned), but sealed the victory and the doubleheader sweep.

The Pioneers began their 2026 campaign with a 2-0 record and will come back tomorrow, Saturday, February 28th, for two more games against the Penn State Scranton Lions. Game one's first pitch is set for 11:00 AM, with game two to follow right after at approximately 1:00 PM.