Baseball | 5/16/2023 8:29:04 AM
St. John Fisher University senior second baseman Noah Campanelli was named Player of the Year for the second straight season, while teammate Patrick McGuire earned Pitcher the Year honors and head coach Brandon Potter and his staff were named Coaching Staff of the Year, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023 Baseball All-Conference awards on Tuesday, May 16. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Jared Money of Elmira College won the Empire 8’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award, while Utica University pitcher Kooper Knabe was named Rookie of the Year.
Campanelli leads all Empire 8 student-athletes with 79 hits, 57 runs scored, 50 stolen bases, 19 doubles, seven triples, 130 total bases, a .457 batting average, .522 on-base percentage, .751 slugging percentage and a 1.273 OPS in 41 games played. In addition, he is fourth in the Empire 8 with six home runs and 41 RBI. In 18 regular season E8 contests, Campanelli hit .507 with 34 hits, 28 runs scored, 11 doubles and 20 RBI. He also maintained a 1.399 OPS. Campanelli’s 50 stolen bases are an Empire 8 single-season record, while he is second nationally in that category. In addition, he is fifth nationally and ninth in total bases. Campanelli is the fifth student-athlete to be named a two-time Empire 8 Player of the Year.
McGuire, a four-time Empire 8 Pitcher of the Week, is enjoying a tremendous 2023 season. He has appeared in 12 games, having started nine contests and is 8-0 on this season with a sparkling 1.61 earned run and 0.93 WHIP in 56.0 innings, while opposing batters have hit just .155 against him. McGuire has one complete game, while striking out 46 batters. In league play, McGuire went 6-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in 36 innings, allowing just three runs, while opponents hit just .117 against him. He is the sixth different St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year honors and third in the last three seasons.
Money, a standout second baseman, made just two errors in 116 chances, recording a .983 fielding percentage for the Soaring Eagles in 2023. He also helped turn 15 double plays. In 18 league games, Money was perfect in the field on 74 chances and helped Elmira turn 13 double plays.
Knabe enjoyed an excellent debut for the Pioneers in 2023, going 7-1 on the mound with a 2.17 earned run average, 1.15 WHIP, four complete games, two shutouts and 46 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. He was 4-1 with a 1.70 ERA in 37 innings during league play. A five-time E8 Rookie of the Week, Knabe is the first Utica student-athlete to earn an Empire 8 Baseball individual honor.
St. John Fisher College’s Brandon Potter and his staff of assistant coaches Matt Toohey, Keith Prestano, Dave Roth and Mike Cerame were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year for the second straight season. The Cardinals won the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship, becoming the first team in league history to record a perfect 18-0 record in league play, while picking up their third straight E8 Championship and fifth conference title in program history. St. John Fisher enters the NCAA Tournament riding a 16-game winning streak and 30-12 record. It is the fifth time that Potter and his staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors and sixth honor for St. John Fisher overall.
St. John Fisher and Utica led all institutions with six first team selections apiece, while the Pioneers had a league-high 13 total selections. Campanelli and Brian Norsen of St. John Fisher both earned All-Empire 8 first team selections for the third consecutive year. Fellow Cardinals Ben Lavery and James Murphy, along with Utica’s Joe Battista earned All-E8 first team accolades for the second straight season.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2023 Empire 8 Baseball Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2023 Empire 8 Baseball All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Noah Campanelli, Sr., 2B, St. John Fisher
Pitcher of the Year: Patrick McGuire, Jr., P, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Money, Sr., 2B, Elmira
Rookie of the Year: Kooper Knabe, Fr., P, Utica
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by Head Coach Brandon Potter
Empire 8 First Team
Catcher – Jourdan Plaisted, Sr., C, Elmira
Catcher – RJ Murphy, Jr., C, Keuka
Catcher – Nathan Yantz, Sr., C, Utica
First Base – Brian Norsen, Sr., 1B, St. John Fisher
Second Base – Noah Campanelli, Sr., 2B, St. John Fisher
Shortstop – Brendan May, Sr., SS, Utica
Third Base – James Murphy, Jr., 3B, St. John Fisher
Outfield – Ben Lavery, Sr., OF, St. John Fisher
Outfield – John Son, Sr., OF, Utica
Outfield – Brendan Espinal, So., OF, Russell Sage
Utility – Brendan May, Sr., U, Utica
Designated Hitter – Joe Battista, Gr., DH, Utica
Starting Pitcher – Patrick McGuire, Jr., P, St. John Fisher
Starting Pitcher – Kooper Knabe, Fr., P, Utica
Relief Pitcher – Trevor Ciccotti, Sr., RP, Houghton
Relief Pitcher – Russell Dunlap, Jr., RP, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Second Team
First Base – Frank Colletta, So., 1B, Russell Sage
Second Base – Steve Sclafani, Jr., 2B, Utica
Shortstop – Eric Arreola, Fr., SS, Medaille
Third Base – Zach Parr, Sr., 3B, Houghton
Outfield – Matteo Salvati, So., OF, Elmira
Outfield – Dominic Guccia, So., OF, St. John Fisher
Outfield – Dom Fasolo, Jr., OF, Utica
Utility – James Lubanski, Sr., U, Russell Sage
Designated Hitter – James Lubanski, Sr., DH, Russell Sage
Starting Pitcher – Hunter Kendall, Sr., SP, Houghton
Starting Pitcher – Benjamin Huckans, Fr., SP, St. John Fisher
Relief Pitcher – William Simkin, Sr., RP, Russell Sage
Relief Pitcher – Dylan Sullivan, Fr., RP, Utica
Empire 8 Third Team
First Base – Jack Bono, Sr., 1B, Utica
Second Base – Dom Caminitti, So., 2B, Russell Sage
Shortstop – Nick Lemire, Jr., SS, St. John Fisher
Third Base – Brett Warden, So., 3B, Elmira
Third Base – John Longeretta, Sr., 3B, Utica
Outfield – Jason Kauffeldt, Sr., OF, Houghton
Outfield – Jeremey Wilcox, Jr., OF, Houghton
Outfield – Jared Russell, So., OF, Russell Sage
Outfield – Joe Crossley, Sr., OF, Utica
Utility – Ethan Cetton, Jr., U, Houghton
Designated Hitter – Jake Crantz, Fr., DH, St. John Fisher
Starting Pitcher – Jared Beckley, Sr., SP, Keuka
Starting Pitcher – Liam Doyle, So., SP, Russell Sage
Relief Pitcher – Michael Karpinski, So., RP, Russell Sage
Relief Pitcher – Brendan May, Sr., RP, Utica
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Matteo Salvati, So., OF, Elmira
Isaac Mann, Sr., 1B, Houghton
Jared Beckley, Sr., P, Keuka
Quinton Jordan, Jr., OF, Medaille
Alexander Andrew, Sr., INF/OF, Russell Sage
Ryan O’Mara, Sr., P, St. John Fisher
Nathan Yantz, Sr., C, Utica
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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