Ithaca Ranked No. 37 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
ITHACA, N.Y. – In the first issue released for the 2016 season, Collegiate Baseball News has slotted the Ithaca College baseball team as No. 37 in the Division III Preseason Poll. Along with that, three members of the squad landed on the Players to Watch List.
Ithaca is coming off a 20-14 season in 2015 and another Empire 8 Conference title – the 12th in last 14 seasons. In the inaugural Empire 8 Tournament hosted by Utica College last May, the Bombers won all three games in which they played and scored 40 runs. Ithaca started the tournament with a 19-9 victory over conference newcomer SUNY Canton and followed with a 9-4 victory against Utica. The Bombers claimed the championship against Stevens by a 12-4 outcome.
Senior
John Prendergast and juniors
Trevor Thompson and
Josh Savacool are on the Players to Watch List.
Prendergast, a two-time All-American, is coming off a season-ending injury from 2015. The Clifton Park, N.Y. native owns a career record of 27-3 with 187 strikeouts in 247 innings pitched. During his junior season, Prendergast went 9-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 69.1 innings pitched and 56 strikeouts.
Thompson led the Bombers in eight offensive categories last spring. He batted .385 with 50 hits in 130 at bats, to go along with 25 runs scored, 21 RBI, 11 doubles and three home runs. Thompson slugged .554 last year and owned an on-base percentage of .438 in 34 starts.
Savacool appeared in 32 games with 30 starts a season ago. He drove in 19 runs to rank second on the squad, while his 114 at bats, 37 hits, 19 runs scored and 10 doubles were third overall. In the E8 tournament, Savacool went 7-for-15 with five runs scored and four RBI.
The Bombers open up their
2016 schedule on Feb. 27 with a doubleheader against Christopher Newport University and Susquehanna University in Newport News, Va.