UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team prepares to hit the final stretch of conference play over the next few weeks, beginning with two standalone Empire 8 contests this week and a few pivotal series next week to wrap up the regular season. In addition, the Pioneers will also take on perennial SUNYAC powerhouse Oswego State this Saturday in two, seven-inning matchups up on the banks of Ontario Lake. Today, the team will head over to FLCC for a big battle with Keuka, hoping to create an even larger gap in the Empire 8 Conference standings.
 
This Week's Slate:
 
Tuesday, April 21st - vs Keuka College at FLCC - 2:00 PM - Turf Complex
Watch: https://www.empire8network.com/keuka/
Live Stats: https://keukaathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
 
Saturday, April 25th - at Oswego State -12:00 PM & 2:00 PM - Laker Baseball Field
Watch: There are currently no details about streaming. Please check Oswego's baseball schedule on the day of the game to find any streaming information.
Live Stats: https://oswegolakers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
 
Sunday, April 26th - vs Elmira College - 12:00 PM - Pioneer Field
Watch: https://www.empire8network.com/utica/
Live Stats: https://uticapioneers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
 
Where They Stand: The Pioneers have entered the heart of Empire 8 Conference play with their last few outings of the season, now having played 11 out of 20 scheduled conference contests. The Pioneers currently own a record of 5-6 in the closely contested standings, slotting in as the fifth seed in the Empire 8 Baseball Tournament if the season were to end today. The tournament has the same format as last season, meaning the #5 and #6 teams will battle in a midweek matchup to determine who heads to the host site for the ensuing contest - a single elimination wild card game, where the winner advances to the traditional, double elimination portion of the tournament.
 
Here are the current standings heading into this week:
 
Empire 8 Standings
1: Russell Sage | 28 pts | 14-1
2: Brockport | 26 pts | 13-2
3: St. John Fisher | 24 pts | 12-2
4: SUNY Poly | 18pts | 9-6
5: Utica | 16 pts | 8-7
6: Keuka | 10 pts | 5-9
7: Houghton | 6 pts | 3-13
8: Elmira | 4 pts | 2-11
9: Alfred | 0 pts | 0-15
 
The Pioneers take on Keuka today, and Elmira on Sunday. The Pioneers remaining five conference games will feature series against SUNY Poly and Brockport, which are both slated for next week. The orange and blue will take on the Wildcats next Wednesday, wrapping up their series by finishing the March 24th game that is currently tied 11-11 in the 11th inning, before finishing their final conference game. That series will be pivotal, as the Pioneers and Wildcats are locked in a battle for the #4 seed and the right to head to the site of the Empire 8 Championships for the Empire 8 Play-In Game.
 
Lights Out: Following an unbelievable Saturday showing, Pioneer pitcher Brady Leichtman (Bay Shore, NY/St. John the Baptist Diocesan) has achieved his first Empire 8 honor, being named Empire 8 Rookie of the Week, the conference announced on Monday, April 20th.
 
Leichtman was outstanding in his one and only appearance of the week, pitching 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out 11 batters against Houghton in a weekend conference matchup. The rookie hurler overcame a slow first inning to completely stunt the momentum of the visiting Highlanders, rebounding after allowing a run in the opening frame. Leichtman wouldn't allow a run for the next seven innings, sitting down Highlander batters left and right as he pitched his way to a massive win. The Bay Shore, New York native didn't allow a hit for five straight innings in the middle part of the matchup, and only gave up multiple hits in two of his innings. Leichtman gave up his other run right at the end of the matchup, but turned the ball over to Connor Ford (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), who immediately ended the affair.
 
The rookie hurler currently leads the team in innings pitched (35), ERA (2.83) (qualified), and opposing batting average (.190) (qualified), while also ranking second for strikeouts with 39.
 
Orange and Blue 2026 Archive - Keuka College: A few weeks ago, the Pioneers welcomed the Wolves to Murnane Field for a Wednesday matchup in the Empire 8. During that standalone matchup, the Wolves managed to steal a 5-3 win, using some stellar defense to keep the Pioneers at bay. Keuka scored runs in just two innings, but it was enough, as they didn't allow multiple runs until the eighth inning, eventually shutting the door. As the dust settled, it was Keuka's quick start that allowed them to secure the victory, as they scored two runs in the first two at-bats of the game thanks to a two-run shot by Patrick Alpeter.
 
Leadoff hitter Alex Evans managed a game-high three hits in the contest, scoring two of the Wolves' five runs. In addition to Alpeter's two RBIs, #4 batter Evan Cuba also hauled in a 3RBI double during the 5th.
 
Hunter Corkran got the win for Keuka, as he pitched five innings of one-run ball, only striking out three, but putting Pioneer batters in tough positions. Brandon Wilson got the save for Keuka.
 
For the Pioneers, four different players recorded a hit, but no player managed more than one base knock in the contest. The team was able to produce runners on the basepaths, as they drew six walks in the game. However, the Pioneers were unable to take advantage of their high-leverage at-bats.
 
The orange and blue would utilize three different pitchers, as Brady Leichtman (Bay Shore, NY/St. John the Baptist Diocesan), Garrett Greaney (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood), and Justin Notargiacomo (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) each went three innings. The freshman pair each allowed multiple runs in the early stages of the game, before Notargiacomo would come in and record a one-hit shutout across the final three frames.
 
The Wolves will enter Tuesday's matchup with a 9-16 record, having not played in a full week since an April 14th loss to Hobart College.
 
Scouting Oswego: The formidable Oswego Lakers have done extremely well since a challenging non-conference schedule, posting a 17-13 overall record to this point, but also owning an outstanding 13-3 SUNYAC mark. The team lost numerous high-profile matchups early in the season, including being swept in a three-game series against ranked Case Western Reserve and falling to then #2 Salisbury in the first game of a doubleheader.
 
However, in game two of the mini-series against Salisbury, the Lakers notched a signature win, defeating the Sea Gulls on their home field by a score of 10-2 to get a huge resume-boosting victory.
 
Oswego would then get off to an awesome start in conference play, even taking down Cortland by a 10-5 final in game one of the series between the SUNYAC's clear top two teams.
 
The Lakers will face Cortland on Tuesday and RIT on Wednesday before welcoming the Pioneers for their Senior Day this weekend.
 
The Lakers are led on offense by junior ironman Daniel Winchester, who is the only Oswego player to appear in all 30 games this season. The New City native has posted a .325 batting average, .447 slugging percentage, 37 hits, 23 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight doubles, and three triples - all of which are team-highs.
 
Dylan Rosenberg and Harry Uvena flank Winchester as the team's other top batters, with both posting an above .300 batting average. Uvena is second on the team for RBIs with 19, while Rosenburg leads the team in steals with 13.
 
The Lakers will finish conference play earlier this week, so who they will decide to pitch remains to be seen. Despite that, the Lakers possess some of the top pitching in the entire SUNYAC, having a deadly 1-2 punch with stellar starters Mason Sands and Jonah Shearer. Sands has 3.34 ERA, while also holding a 5-1 record. Meanwhile, Shearer has a 4.99 ERA with a 4-1 record.
 
Orange and Blue 2026 Archive - Elmira College: At the end of March, the Pioneers welcomed Elmira for a conference doubleheader, dominating in both games as they took wins of 13-3 and 12-1.
 
In game one, the team racked up 10 hits, scoring 13 runs with big contributions from the entire lineup. All but one Pioneer batter managed to grab a base hit in the opening contest of the series, while five batters each logged multiple RBIs. Matt Paolucci paced the offense with four RBIs, including a sacrifice fly and a three-RBI home run in the 7th.
 
Kooper Knabe (Cortland, NY/Cortland) pitched seven innings to secure the win, allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out eight.
 
In game two, the Pioneers managed to end the affair in seven innings, scoring three in the first, four in the fifth, and five in the sixth to achieve the 11-run victory. Paolucci was unstoppable once again, grabbing three hits and four RBIs in the matchup. Luca Logan (Bayonne, NJ/St. Peters Prep) also finished with multiple base hits to pair with an RBI.
 
On the mound, Leicthman would wrap up the afternoon with seven spectacular innings, getting a complete game win in the shortened tilt while allowing just a single hit and a single run. Leichtman would strike out 10 batters in the insane outing.
 
The Soaring Eagles, who currently have a 10-16 record and a 2-11 mark in the Empire 8, will take on Alfred on Tuesday, before battling Houghton in a three-game series this Friday and Saturday. They will wrap up their week on Sunday in Utica against the Pioneers. The Soaring Eagles will be digging deep in the bullpen this weekend, playing four games in three days, which culminates in Sunday's contest. The team is 1-10 since their pair of defeats to the Pioneers earlier this season.
 
Up Next: The Pioneers are scheduled to play six games next week as they wrap up the regular season. The team heads to SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday for a non-conference battle, before playing the abbreviated two-game series against SUNY Poly on Wednesday and wrapping up their regular season with a three-game series against Brockport next Friday and Saturday.