History: The SUNY Brockport baseball team looks forward to stepping back out onto the field for the 2021 season on Saturday when the Golden Eagles travel to Oneonta for a doubleheader beginning at noon. The Golden Eagles look to keep their winning tradition alive and build on the previous decade which included 206 wins, eight SUNYAC tournament appearances, seven 20+ game winning seasons, two SUNYAC championship appearances and two NCAA tournament appearances
.
No. 2 in the Preseason Poll: It has been two years since Brockport's last full season after the 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the resume to play protocols the conference will be split into an east and west division, with Brockport being ranked No. 2 in the western division preseason poll behind Oswego, but in front of Fredonia. Competing in the eastern division will be Cortland, New Paltz, Oneonta and Plattsburgh.
The Staff: Head Coach
Justin Beach returns for his 14th season as Brockport's skipper. He brings back Assistant/Hitting & Catching Coach
Patrick Sheehan as well as Assistant Coach Jonathan Schwind. Joining the Green and Gold this season is Pitching Coach
Randy Mutt.
Having reflected on the previous season Coach Beach shared his thoughts heading into 2021. "We are all super excited to get back on the field after losing a season last year. The goal is to continue to get better every day and make a run at the SUNYAC Championship while giving the student athletes the best possible safe experience they can get."
Veteran Status Team: Returning for a fifth season on the lineup card are Tom Krezler,
Matt O'Dair,
Daniel DelGaizo,
Kyle Canavally,
Brandon Greenspan,
Ryan Greco,
Trevor McCarthy and
Kobie Punchard. The Green and Gold have a combined total of 21 senior and graduate students returning to play in 2021.
Getting to the Stats: Junior
Ryan Voight, hopes to start where he stopped his 2020 season, having led the team in batting average (.500), OPS (1.266), hits (14), doubles (4), home runs (1), and slugging % (.750). Senior
Andrew Huffman hopes to do the same on the mound after striking out 15 batters over the course of 10.2 innings a year ago. One familiar face stepping back out onto the mound this season will be graduate student
Trevor McCarthy. Over his previous four years pitching for Brockport, he has managed to record 79 career innings pitched and looks to make it 100 this year. Making the calls from behind home plate this season is
Jake Sisto, who transferred to Brockport last year. Over the course of the short stint last year, he appeared in four games. Returning for a fifth-year as a graduate student,
Tom Kretzler looks to continue to build on his impressive resume. He has played in 104 career games and is only eight hits away from recording 100 career hits. Only 21 players in the history of Brockport baseball have recorded 107 or more career hits.
Nicholas Lawlor joins the squad this season as a graduate student who spent his time as an undergraduate student playing for the Fredonia Blue Devils, the Golden Eagles first conference opponent.
New Faces: New players to the nest this year include 10 freshmen;
Logan Wing,
Sam Law,
Brian Tietjen,
Chris Martin,
David Belsito,
Keegan Jarvais,
Nickolas Deising,
Brian Doherty, Jack Von Ahnen and Zach Eldrid. Along with transfer students
Colin Pytlak,
Matt McGowan,
Ryan Pepicelli,
Matthew Denatale,
Colin Coykendall and
Nicholas Lawlor
Opening Weekend: Brockport looks to throw out the first pitch on the road in Oneonta on Saturday, March 28th at 12 p.m. The following day, the Golden Eagles will have their first home contest of the season against Cazenovia College. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday. After opening weekend, the Green and Gold open SUNYAC western division play on Tuesday, March 30th at 12:00 pm against the Fredonia Blue Devils. This season, all matchups will consist of a doubleheader with a nine-inning and a seven-inning game.
Fan Attendance Policy: Per SUNY guidelines, SUNY Brockport is currently NOT permitting fans to attend home athletic events, including those that take place outdoors, due to COVID.
Follow the Action: Fans can follow the action live for this Sunday's home opener through live video and stats provided by the Brockport athletic communications staff.
Live Stats: https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Live Video: https://gobrockport.com/watch