Ithaca and St. John Fisher Co-Favorites in Empire 8 Baseball
Two-time defending conference champion St. John Fisher College and nine-time champion Ithaca College were chosen to share this year’s title according to the Empire 8 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. Each team received two first-place votes.
St. John Fisher was ranked 35th in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll and returns its award winners from a year ago. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin D’Amato swept Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year and Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors in his freshman campaign. He posted a 9-2 record with a 3.25 earned run average in 12 starts, and striking out 83 batters in 69.1 innings.
Senior first baseman Steve Karnyski of the Cardinals was named Empire 8 Player of the Year last season, hitting .385 with 33 runs scored and 31 runs batted in. Junior second baseman Ben Bostick, the 2010 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, earned first-team all-conference accolades last year after hitting .371 with 37 runs scored and 32 RBI. Senior relief pitcher Tim Sylvester was named to the all-conference first team after posting a 3-0 record with three saves and a 1.71 earned run average.
Senior outfielder Teagen Barresi, the 2009 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year with St. John Fisher, earned first-team all-conference honors with Ithaca in 2011. He led he Bombers with a .425 batting average, adding 25 runs scored, and a team-high 29 RBI.
Stevens Institute of Technology was the coaches’ selection to place third this season. The Ducks will be led by first-year head coach Kristaps Aldins, who spent the past two years as the assistant coach at Harvard. Graduate student Matt Glassman returns as the top hitter after posting a .346 batting average and 21 runs batted in in 2011.
Utica College, picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, returns first-team all-conference players Nick Dunbar and Alex Choleva. Dunbar hit .291 with 11 doubles, 19 runs scored and 17 RBI, while Choleva batted .320 with 17 runs scored and 16 RBI.
2012 Empire 8 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Ithaca College (2 first-place votes) 8 points
St. John Fisher College (2) 8
3. Stevens Institute of Technology 5
4. Utica College 3