Thanks to a talented mix of returners, junior college transfers and incoming freshmen, The College at Brockport's baseball team has dreams of repeating as State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) champions.
But if you ask head coach Justin Beach, the goals for the Green and Gold go beyond winning a SUNYAC title. Beach and the rest of the Golden Eagles believe they have the talent, drive and work ethic necessary to make a deep run in the postseason, including the school's first trip to the NCAA Division III College World Series since 2004, when Brockport finished fifth in the nation.
“We are the SUNYAC champions from last year, and we expect that we're going to put a team on the field that will once again compete for a SUNYAC title,” said Beach, Brockport's fourth-year head coach.
“We have the guys who can get us there, but right now, there's a long way to go. We had a group of freshmen and underclassmen who played a lot last year. They got a taste of what it takes to succeed, and that success has made them want to win another SUNYAC title and, hopefully, go back to Wisconsin for that long-awaited appearance back in the College World Series that this program has been waiting for. That's a goal of ours and a mission of ours every year, to get to the College World Series.”
It will not be an easy task for the Golden Eagles (23-18 overall, 7-5 SUNYAC), who won the school's fifth SUNYAC championship in 2010.
Brockport graduated 10 seniors, including: first basemen/team MVP Nate Parrino (team-leading .403 batting average, 44 runs batted in, .484 on-base percentage, school record 60 hits); catcher Joe Zaccardo (.362 avg., 25 RBI); second baseman Mike Meola (.324 avg., second on Brockport's all-time hits list with 166); and pitchers Mark Caruana (5-0 record, 3.20 earned run average), James Joy (4.93 ERA, started nine games) and Brian Wolf (3-2 record, 3.90 ERA in 14 appearances, including four starts).
Parrino was a first-team All-Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and earned MVP honors of the SUNYAC tournament while Zaccardo was honored as a Gold Glove recipient by the ABCA.
Beach is counting on record-breaking senior outfielder Max Keado (Troy, NY/Catholic Central) to once again set the table for Brockport's talented middle of the lineup. Keado set a school-record by scoring 43 runs last year, and he brings an active 18-game hit streak into the 2011 season, the second-longest hit streak in school history behind Zaccardo, who hit in 19 straight games in 2010.
Keado hit .384 during his junior season and swiped a team-high 18 stolen bases in 26 attempts (69.2 percent). His .486 on-base percentage was second-highest on the team, and his patience at the plate paid off with 30 walks, most on the team.
Senior Max Zimmerman (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) earned third-team All-Region honors after hitting .344 with eight home runs and 47 RBI. Zimmerman became Brockport's all-time leader for RBI in a season and career (119), and with 17 career home runs, he's just three shy of Hall of Famer Jim Voutour's school-record (20) for a career. Zimmerman starts the year 48 hits shy of John Morgan's career-record of 196, and his 478 career at-bats are 111 away from Morgan's record of 589.
As has been the case for much of Brockport's baseball history, defense and pitching should be a strength.
Veteran shortstop Tom McCormick (Utica, NY/Utica Notre Dame) anchors the middle of Brockport's infield along with new second baseman Corey Booth (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley), who hit over .500 and became Orange County Community College's first-ever first-team Junior College All-American.
Fellow JUCO transfer Anthony Siracusa (Auburn, NY/Auburn), who came from Tompkins-Cortland Community College, will see time at first base and will also pitch.
Sophomore Jake Coleman (Hilton, NY/Hilton) will split duty at shortstop and pitcher and fellow sophomore Mike Weakley (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) should see time at third base. Senior Mike Goldstein (Slingerlands, NY/Guilderland), who hit .341 in limited action last year, is expected to start behind the plate for Brockport.
“That's been a staple of our program, guys who can get it done defensively and on the mound, and that's certainly going to be a strength of ours this year,” said Beach, who has won at least 23 games every year at Brockport. “We pride ourselves on our defense and I'm confident we'll keep up that defensive standard this year.”
The Golden Eagles return three experienced starters in seniors Kyle Smith (Sanborn, NY/Niagara Wheatfield) and Steve Locke (Oxford, NY/Oxford) and sophomore James Bardenett (Syracuse, NY/Henninger).
Combined, this trio went 9-5 in 31 appearances (24 starts) during the 2010 season. Locke threw a nine-inning no-hitter during Brockport's 3-0 blanking of Oswego on April 11, 2010 to become the first Brockport hurler with a nine-inning no-hitter. Those three, along with junior Aaron Tilley (Troy, NY/Troy), who transferred from Hudson Valley Community College, should give Brockport a formidable rotation.
“Kyle Smith is the backbone of our pitching staff and was our ace most of last year, so we're looking for the same type of performance from him this year,” Beach said of his 6-foot-1, 215-pound right-hander who struck out a team-leading 53 batters in 56 2/3 innings.
“Steve Locke threw the no-hitter last year and we expect him to keep elevating his game, plus we have James Bardenett, Aaron Tilley and others. We have 18 guys who can throw for us this year, and any one of our starters can give us a great outing on any day. I'm really excited about our pitching staff and feel we're deeper than we've been in the past.”
The Golden Eagles hit the road for a three-game swing in New Jersey to start the 2011 season. Brockport will open up against Kean University, ranked second in the latest d3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) rankings, at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Brockport will also play No. 26 Rowan University at 11 a.m. Saturday and Rutgers-Camden at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Brockport faces a difficult early-season schedule, as six of the Golden Eagles' first 14 opponents are ranked in the top 35 of the NCBWA poll.
Following their trip to New Jersey, the Golden Eagles will head to Winter Haven, Fla. for the RussMatt Tournament, which features 10 games in seven days, including a clash against No. 21 Keystone (PA) College.
Brockport opens the home portion of the season April 2-3 with three games against SUNYAC rival New Paltz. Currently the SUNYAC boasts of two ranked teams, Cortland (No. 16) and Plattsburgh (No. 26). Beach said the always-tough SUNYAC will present his Golden Eagles with plenty of challenging games and chances to improve.
“The guys are chomping at the bit to get out there and play some games, and we're looking to use (the New Jersey and Florida trips) to get our guys ready to compete at a high level,” Beach said. “You can see it in their eyes … they're eager and they want to get out on the field and see all the work they've been doing over the last number of months pay off on the field.
