Zachary Landy joined the Utica College baseball program in the winter of 2021 as an athletic assistant. He will primarily work with the team as a pitching coach, while also assisting head coach Joe Milazzo with all facets of the program.
In 2023, Utica’s pitchers set a program record for strikeouts and had the second most wins in program history. The staff was 2nd in wins, saves, fewest walks allowed, and runs scored while also being top 3 in ERA, Strikeouts, B/AVG in the Empire 8.
In 2023 Landy helped Freshman pitcher Kooper Knabe to win Utica Baseballs first ever league award as E8 Rookie of the Year! Knabe was also named to three All-Region Teams (D3Baseball.com, ABCA/Rawlings, and ECAC). Knabe finished with the best ERA in the Empire 8. Brendan May the closer for the Pioneers signed a professional contract with the Alpine Cowboys (TX) of the Pecos League after setting the career saves record at Utica. May was also named to two All-Region teams. Three pitchers were named to the Empire 8 All-Conference team and one was selected as All-Tournament team. Members of the pitching staff were awarded E8 weekly honors seven times throughout the 2023 season!
In his second season (2022) the Pioneer pitching staff returned to the conference championship series. The Utica staff ranked first in the Empire 8 in strikeouts with 257, second in ERA, B/AVG, and runs allowed. He helped Ryan Cardone earn an ABCA/Rawlings All-Region selection; the first for a pitcher in school history. The staff was awarded three all-conference selections with one member named to the all-tournament team.
In his first season as Utica’s pitching coach in 2021, Landy led the Pioneers pitching staff to the program’s first-ever Empire 8 Conference Championship Series. The Utica pitching staff ranked in the top-three in the Empire 8 Conference in ERA, strikeouts, and runs allowed. In 2021, Landy’s pitching staff included two Empire 8 All-Conference selections and one member was named to the Empire 8 Conference All-Tournament Team. His staff was also awarded conference pitcher of the week 3 times during the 2021 season. Under Landy, Grad-Student Griffin Baur set the single season school record for strikeouts (75) and set program records in appearances, games started, innings pitched, wins and strikeouts.
Landy enjoyed a decorated four-year baseball career at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania. The right hander finished with a 12-4 record and five saves in 54 total appearances with the Crusaders/Golden Wolves. He logged a 3.38 ERA and 107 career strikeouts. The team made three NCAA regional appearances and also won the 2019 MAC Commonwealth Conference Tournament title with Landy on the roster. He threw 11 innings in that tournament and recorded the win in the championship clincher. Also in 2019, he was named MAC Pitcher of the Week and to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week for a complete game one-hit shutout against Albright College. He had five strikeouts.Â
As a freshman in 2016, Landy pitched 19.2 innings and did not concede a single earned run to hold the record for the best season ERA in Alvernia history. He was later named to the MAC Commonwealth All-Conference team.Â
The Massapequa, NY native signs on to the Pioneer staff after performing a multitude of jobs in the sports and fitness industries. During the 2019-20 season, he recently worked in the community relations department of the NHL’s New York Islanders, where he was responsible for aiding in game presentation and off-site events for the club. He also performed an operations internship with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, and was also recently employed by a local health club before coming to Utica.
He graduated from Alvernia in May 2019 with his four-year degree in Sports Management and Economics.
He currently resides in Utica and will be pursuing his master’s degree here at UC.
