St. John Fisher Looks to Earn Fifth Straight Empire 8 Title, as 2025 Baseball Season Begins

Baseball | 2/25/2025 2:15:26 PM

St. John Fisher will look to earn its fifth straight league title, as nine teams will vie for the 2025 Empire 8 Championship, as the upcoming season gets is underway with teams in non-conference play. SUNY Brockport and SUNY Poly make their Empire 8 debut this season. Empire 8 regular season league play is set to begin March 21-24.
 
In addition, the postseason field has expanded, as the top six teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place from May 6-10. The No. 5 seed will host the No. 6 seed in an opening round game on Tuesday, May 6. The winner of that contest will play the No. 4 seed in a single-game elimination at the home of the top seed and regular season champion on Thursday, May 8. From there, the four remaining teams will play in a double elimination tournament from May 8-10. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
 
Fans can watch the action all season long, free of charge on the Empire 8 Network.
   
Xander Canfield, Elmira, Jr., P/IF, Schenectady, NY/Cazenovia – Canfield garnered All-Empire 8 second team honors in 2024 after batting .342 with a .480 on-base percentage. He drew 20 walks and drove in 17 runs.
 
Ethan Cetton, Houghton, Gr., P, Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks – Cetton, the 2024 Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team selection, won five games with a 2.96 earned run average, striking out 65 batters in 67 innings pitched. He threw a league-high six complete games.
 
Josh Duval, Utica, Sr., OF, Utica, NY/Proctor – Duval earned All-Empire 8 first team honors and D3baseball.com All-Region third team accolades in 2024 after hitting .392 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and a 1,036 OPS.
 
Zach Eldred, SUNY Brockport, Sr., OF/P, East Greenbush, NY/Columbia – Eldred was a two-time All-SUNYAC selection who has a career .348 batting average and 1.028 OPS with 101 RBIs in three seasons.
 
Carlos Fantauzzi, Keuka, Sr., OF, Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy – Fantauzzi earned All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2024 after hitting .348 with a 1.048 OPS. He recorded a league-high seven triples and had three home runs and 34 RBI, while stealing 12 bases in 12 attempts.
 
Ethan Fulton, St. John Fisher, Jr., P/OF, Trumansburg, NY/Trumansburg – Fulton earned All-Empire 8 first team honors, D3baseball.com All-Region second team accolades and ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-Region after finishing 5-2 on the mound with a 2.97 earned run average, 1.19 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings.
 
James Lubanski, Russell Sage, Gr., U, Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber – Lubanski, a two-time E8 Player to Watch, earned All-E8 first team honors in 2024 after driving in 48 runs and recording 16 extra base hits.

Ryan Pelton, SUNY Poly, Jr., 3B/DH, Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield Secondary – Pelton earned All-NAC first team honors in 2024 after hitting .397 with six homers and 37 RBI. He has 48 hits, including 15 for extra bases.
 
Nolan Pridmore, Alfred, Jr., 3B, Toronto, Ontario/Etobicoke Collegiate Institute – Pridmore, a two-time E8 Player to Watch, hit .274 with 13 RBI in 33 games last season for the Saxons
   
Russell Sage
Russell Sage College won 23 games and earned the 2024 Empire 8 Regular Season Championship after finishing 16-2 in league play in just its third Division III season under E8 Coach of the Year Nick Pontari. The Gators return 26 players and nearly every starters from last season, including infielder/outfielder James Lubanski, who returns for his graduate season. He earned All-E8 first team honors as both a utility player and designated hitter after driving in 48 runs and recording 16 extra base hits. Senior first baseman Jeff Stearns is back after earning All-E8 first team honors and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region second team accolades. He hit .392 with a 1.174 OPS, clubbing 11 doubles, and 10 homers while driving in 52 runs. Overall, six All-E8 selections return for Russell Sage in 2024, including first team utility selection and second team outfielder Evan Grimes, who hit .386 last season. On the mound, Joe DeGroot is back to lead the way. DeGroot was a workhorse on the mound in 2024, going 6-0 with a pair of complete games in 60 2/3 innings. The Gators have a strong group of newcomers, who along with the returning veterans, will look to help guide them to their first league crown in 2025.
 
St. John Fisher
The Cardinals will look to earn fifth straight Empire 8 Championship in 2025 after winning 26 games overall and finishing 15-3 in Empire 8 play, advancing to the NCAA tournament. St. John Fisher scored 388 runs last season. While the Cardinals will look to replace All-American James Murphy and multiple-time All-Region selection Brian Norsen, there are several standout student-athletes returning. Junior hurler Ethan Fulton and graduate student Patrick McGuire will form a strong 1-2 duo on the mound. Fulton earned All-Empire 8 first team honors, D3baseball.com All-Region second team accolades and ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-Region in 2024 after finishing 5-2 on the mound with a 2.97 earned run average, 1.19 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. McGuire earned D3baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors in 2023 after finishing 8-1 with a 2.21 earned run and 1.02 WHIP in 61.0 innings. Sophomore outfielder Jackson Frey and junior infielder Jake Crantz will be counted on to lead the offense. Crantz was an All-E8 first team pick last season, while Frey was a third team selection. Crantz hit .318 with 44 runs scored and 31 RBIs, while Frey recorded a .904 OPS.
 
Utica
Utica returns a strong nucleus from last season’s team that won 24 games and advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament for the second straight season. The Pioneers have 36 players back and bring in a strong group of newcomers, including All-E8 first team outfielder Josh Duval, Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, sophomore catcher Jacob Scalise and All-E8 third team pick Austin Rhodes. Duval earned All-Empire 8 first team honors and D3baseball.com All-Region third team accolades in 2024 after hitting .392 with three home runs, 30 RBIs and a 1,036 OPS. Scalise hit .289 last season, while Rhodes allowed opposing batters to hit just .198 against him and struck out 38 batters in 46 1/3 innings. Newcomers Ty Montrose, Dean Ennis, Mike Rockwell, and Gianluca Logan will look to make an immediate impact.
 
Houghton
The Highlanders advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament for the second straight season in 2024, winning 16 games, including nine in league play. The Highlanders return 24 players from last season’s team, including graduate student Ethan Cetton, senior Ian Slate and juniors Vincent Lucyszyn and Kanta Ueno. Cetton was the 2024 Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team selection after winning five games with a 2.96 earned run average, striking out 65 batters in 67 innings pitched. He threw a league-high six complete games and is within striking distance of breaking program record for career wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Lucyszyn, a shortstop, garnered All-E8 second team accolades after hitting .310 with 12 extra base hits and 20 walks. He was also a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen base attempts. Slate, a senior outfielder, had 10 doubles and drove in 17, while Ueno recorded 22 RBI.
 
Elmira
The Soaring Eagles will look to get back to the postseason in 2025 and return 28 players and eight starters from last season. Senior infielder Brett Warden, the 2022 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, earned All-E8 second team accolades in 2024 after hitting .311 to go along with a .500 on-base percentage. He drew a team-high 28 walks and was hit by pitch 11 times, while also scoring 37 runs, smacking 13 extra-base hits, and driving in 21 runs. Junior Xander Canfield garnered All-Empire 8 second team honors in 2024 after batting .342 with a .480 on-base percentage. He drew 20 walks and drove in 17 runs. Junior catcher Connor Stone and sophomore pitcher Erik Berkan will also help lead the way for the Soaring Eagles in 2025. Newcomers Bobby Cavalier, Michael Polsinelli, and Nate Lowry will also look to make an immediate impact.
 
Keuka
The Wolves will look to get back to the postseason in 2025 and return 22 players from last season for first-year head coach Matt Michalski. Keuka returns senior outfielder Carlos Fantauzzi, who earned All-Empire 8 second team accolades in 2024 after hitting .348 with a 1.048 OPS. He recorded a league-high seven triples and had three home runs and 34 RBI, while stealing 12 bases in 12 attempts. Kyle Wood is back after slamming four home runs last season, while Jesse Capitano struck out 40 batters in 29 innings. In addition, senior transfer Carson Ashby and first-year infielder Grady Kessler will look to be standouts with the Wolves.
 
Alfred
Alfred enters its second season as a program in 2025. The Saxons return 17 players from last season, including  junior infielder Nolan Pridmore and sophomore first baseman Cameron Brought. Pridmore hit .274 with 13 RBI in 33 games last season for the Saxons, while Brought led Alfred with a .283 batting average and 28 hits. Head coach Brian Kehew has brought in a group of talented newcomers, led by pitchers Keith Mintschenko and Derek Vliestra, along with infielder Brayden Bedingfield.
 
SUNY Brockport
The Golden Eagles of SUNY Brockport begin their first season as an Empire 8 member in 2025 under head coach Justin Beach. Brockport won 22 games last season and are two seasons removed from winning the SUNYAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. They are looking for their third NCAA Tournament berth in the last four seasons. The Golden Eagles return 38 players from last season, including senior outfielder/pitcher Zach Eldred, a two-time All-SUNYAC selection. He hit .320 last season with three home runs and 31 RBI, while stealing 10 bases. In 2023, Eldred was an All-Region pick after hitting .387 with 19 doubles, six home runs and 44 RBI, while recorded a 1.120 OPS. Senior Frank Vanzillotta and junior Josh Index will also be counted on the lead Brockport in 2025. Vanzillotta hit .322 with 15 stolen bases in 2024, while Indek hit .315 with 39 runs scored, 26 walks and 21 stolen bases. Graduate student Jason Story transfered to Brockport from Utica after earning All-E8 first team accolades and ABCA/Rawlings second team all-region plaudits. Story hit .355 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI last season.
 
SUNY Poly
SUNY Poly makes its Empire 8 debut in 2025 under head coach Paul Ludden. The Wildcats won 18 games last season and return 25 players, including seven starters. Junior third baseman Ryan Pelton returns after earning All-NAC first team honors in 2024. He hit .397 with six homers and 37 RBI. He has 48 hits, including 15 for extra bases. Senior pitcher Aaron Kifer and junior outfielder Ethan Merone are also back to lead the way for Poly. Both were All-NAC East first team selections in 2024. Kifer tied for the team lead with four wins on the mound last season, while Merone hit .354 with a home run and 21 RBI.
 
Final 2024 Empire 8 Baseball Standings
Russell Sage (23-17, 16-2 Empire 8)
St. John Fisher (26-19 15-3 E8) – League Champions
Utica (19-25, 11-7 E8)
Houghton (16-22, 9-9 E8)
Elmira (12-20, 7-11 E8)
Keuka (8-28, 5-13 E8)
Alfred (1-32, 0-18 E8)
 
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 and YouTube
 
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