BB: SUNYAC

[John McGraw]

Has anyone heard about Cortland this year or Brockport and how they will be with players. Speaking of transfers from both schools, Kris Gentske and Mike Avery both went to Brockport and ended up going to Cortland, but Brockport did get a Cortland guy this there as well. Palmiero ended up transferring last I heard so Brockport did end up getting a solid infielder it should be interesting when the two teams play eachother.

P.S. Matt Tone is tearing it up in Single A!

Realistically, we won't know anything about rosters until the end of the year at the least. Transfers happen all the time for whatever reason and you don't know who's going to be on a certain team until the final  roster is released or the first game is played. This time two years ago, who knew that Travis Ratliff, then a freshman at Old Westbury, was going to end up at Cortland in the spring and help the team to the World Series. 

So, while there are rumors and word of mouth at this time of year about transfers from whatever JUCO or low-tier Division I schools (i.e. Albany, Siena, Bingo, etc.), nothing is definite until we get a lot closer to the start of the season.

[wetsu215]

Do these guys just transfer on a whim without talking to anyone at Cortland?  That would seem pretty bold to leave a program where you're playing all the time without some type of discussion with the coach at the school you're transferring to.  Then again, I don't think you're technically allowed to talk to players at other schools until they've withdrawn from the school or been released...?

Just to answer this question.  NCAA D3 rules are sort of loose here in that a student-athlete at one institution is allowed to contact another institution's coach by simply faxing a one page "self release" form, which gives the athlete and coach x number of days to talk about the prospect of transferring.  The coach or athletic department from said SA's current school does not need to have any knowledge of the self release form being sent and certainly do not need to release the player.  I'm sure this step is often skipped I'm sure but in the end it doesn't really matter if in the end, the player and possible new destination are allowed to talk without the other school knowing.

Good conversation - who wouldn't want to play at Cortland anyway.  I'm not sure what's up with Brockport, I thought they were on the same path with the additions of Rose and Allen last year in line with the transfer trend.

[Smithers]

Looking around the league the other day, I took a peek at the Brockport Baseball Page..Looks like Justin Beach overhauled the entire staff...Dennstedt, Scott, and Debay all left off, just Beach and Ory Mee. ANy idea what happened to any of those guys?

[John McGraw]

In case anyone is curious, several SUNYAC teams have their 2010 schedules posted, minus the spring trips of course.

Nothing too exciting for Cortland aside from games at NC Wesleyan against NC Wesleyan and Emory, a trip to Rochester and another home-and-home with Keystone. Basically, round up the usual suspects.

[onesix3]

Looks like Oneonta is going to Vero Beach instead of Cocoa Beach. Maybe an attempt to improve competition! I believe it's Dodgertown there going to. Are any other teams changing locations? With rosters about 95% complete are there any big surprises or tranfers that will impact the sunyac's? Gentzke to Cortland I believe has already been talked about.

[John McGraw]

Cortland's spring break trip schedule has been updated and IMO I think it's a pretty good slate.

3/14 - Stevens
3/15 - Wheaton (Mass.)
3/16 - Wheaton (Mass.)
3/17 - William Paterson
3/18 - Rowan
3/19 - Transylvania
3/20 - Wisconsin-Whitewater

While the roster is not yet posted, I have a pretty good idea of what Cortland has coming in and the Red Dragons should be a very dangerous team this year. The returning group obviously has a solid core of players but the new additions through freshmen and transfers along with several returnees that didn't play last year should have this team competing for a national championship.

[Hobbesy]

John,

Have heard from a couple sources that Cortland will rip the cover off the ball.  Your take?

Also, I heard they may not have the best pitching.

The regional is back in Auburn this year and they have to have Farmingdale etched into their minds.  I suspect Cortland St. to stroll through the weak New York Region and maybe get challenged at Falcon Park.

[John McGraw]

Cortland is absolutely loaded with offense. Obviously the preview is coming out next week so I don't want to let the cat out of the bag too much but their offense should be better than last year with the incoming freshmen, transfers and who's back.

Pitching wise I think there are certainly questions in the bullpen just like last year. They do have several Division III transfers that can step into the starting rotation right away, one being the kid from Brockport that everyone already knows about and another being a really surprising one. Carney and Jweid will probably anchor the bullpen and DeRosa should see his fair share of appearances but his numbers last year were not that good. Closer will be up for grabs with Potrikus gone but I think Cortland should have someone to throw in there, possibly one of several incoming lefties.

As for whether Cortland will tear through the regional? I'll leave that for the preview but I will say that everyone thought Cortland would win the regional last year and it was upstart Farmingdale that won the first downstate New York-based regional in a while and went on to the World Series.

[scuba16]

Cortland had like 5-6 mid semester transfers, including a SS, 2 very good lhp's and 2 very good rhp's! Add that to the lineup they have coming back and they should without a doubt win the NY regional again! J. Simone is the best hitter in the region and gardner, coffey and kevin jackson are all top notch d-3 hitters!

[John McGraw]

Cortland had like 5-6 mid semester transfers, including a SS, 2 very good lhp's and 2 very good rhp's! Add that to the lineup they have coming back and they should without a doubt win the NY regional again! J. Simone is the best hitter in the region and gardner, coffey and kevin jackson are all top notch d-3 hitters!

I wouldn't get too excited over Damon Arnold. Having seen him play, he is a serviceable player but not too much of an upgrade from Bailey or Pezzuto. Defense up the middle and the bullpen will still be the biggest need but the offense should be able to outslug opponents with all of the bats they have.

[AlleyCat]

 I respectfully disagree that Cortland is going to walk through the NY region this year. Don't get me wrong, they are extremely talented and have been the team for a long time, but Oneonta is going to be tough this year and Brockport always plays them tough. Also, RPI Rochester and last Clarkson showed they can play with the likes of a talented Cortland team. Baseball is a fickle game and having a good pitcher have a great game or the bats going silent at the wrong time can spell doom. Was Farmingdale the best team in the Regional last year? Probably not, but they had it going at the right time and the pitching lined up well for them. Cortland will be there and will be a great team, but please don't discount the other teams in the region that have also shown they can compete and play at the national level. Also, the loss of a pro pitcher at the top of their rotation will not be easy to replace. Tone was a great talent and will not replaced by anyone stepping up or a transfer. Their other pitchers are good, but do they have the guy to step up and be the man. Thats easier said then done.


NY Regional 2010
Cortland
RPI
Ithaca
Rochester
Farmindale
Oneonta
New England Region
Mid Atlantic Region

Just my thoughts.....

[BaseballEliteNY]

I think it is time to start the daily messaging back up for the SUNYAC baseball section. As always it looks as if Cortland will be the front runner to begin the season. Oneonta has some potential led by Dave Filak and his low 90's gas. As someone said earlier, Brockport always plays tough against Cortland. What about the other Schools? Fredonia has had some good talent in recent years, Plattsburgh is always competitive, and New Paltz has some hidden talent.

Cortland obviously lost the most in pitching with Tone, Blanco, Pottrikus. Avery is gone from the outfield, but they have the meat of the lineup coming back with Jackson, Gardner, Simone, and Nickel. Will they have a shortstop who doesnt have as many errors as games started at SS? As for the staff, Ratliff, Assman, Mahay are back. Transfer Adam Brown (Ithaca), and Kris Gentzke (Brockport). Ive heard of a junior college pitcher that transfered as well as an infielder (shortstop?). Also, to add more to that line up is the return of the Dimino brothers. Side note: those two are absolute FREAK athletes.

Brockport lost Gentzke to Cortland but has Zaccardo, Zimmerman, and Mccormick back. Williams, Joy are back on the bump... aside from that I don't know what else Brockport has. I have heard that they have a few junior college transfers coming in, a few potential future cortland transfers (just a joke!). I am not sure if Brockport will be able to compete as strongly as they have in years past, however, that seems to be the thing with brockport every year and they still surprise all of us with a great year. Somehow.

Oneonta has Dave Filak who was formerly a catcher. I will go out and say he is the first D-3 player taken in the draft this year. Filak will light up the gun again and is the obvious front runner for SUNYAC pitcher of the year. I am real anxious to see if he will pick up where he left off in the SUNYAC or if he will struggle a bit as he did in the NYCBL. They lost Judes, Brady, Myers but have Caputo, Linder, Randall, Hitt and Herzenberg, Anderson, Carter on the mound. They will be real competitive.

Plattsburgh has seemed to lose the most, Kowaloski, Campbell, Kelley... returning with Bouyea, Burns, Shaughnessy, Cauchon at the plate and OLeary and Tracy on the bump. They lost the only real power threat in Curcio and it is tough to know what they have. I'm not sure what Coach Doorey has coming in but I would imagine a decent freshman and a few transfers or maybe a junior college role player or two or five.

Fredonia lost their top 2 players, Basile and Carlson but aside from those 2 they have the core of the lineup and the majority of the staff returning. They look to be competitive and should pose a legit threat in the SUNYAC. I don't know what else to say about Fredonia, they went from dwellers to contenders. I think this is the year they make a run at something, I am just not sure what that something is.

New Paltz lost the core of there team in Shanks, Donohue, and Terlecky. They return with Merola, Marash, Paulicelli,  Boetcher, and Chelius (and Boetcher) on the mound. I don't see them being too competitve and I am not sure what they have brought in. New Paltz is a tough school to get into and makes it tough to throw a competitive team out there each year. Any hope they have seems to be in the hands of those mentioned to have the best years of there lives honestly. Boetcher and Merola are the 2 key bats they have and the pitching staff I don't know much about. I did hear something about a potential lefty handed pitcher they have coming in.

If anyone knows of any transfers or anything to any of the schools i'd like to hear it, get the hot stove burning. Season is only weeks away!

[scuba16]

2b Meola is also back at Brockport and RHP AJ Bates is a juco transfer from MVCC is at Oneonta. Bates is a very good arm and led Proctor to a AA state championship in '07!
I forgot the Dimino's were back for Cortland. The 1 that plays CF (khyle)absolutely flies!!!!
On paper the SUNYAC won't even be competitve but thats why you play the games!
As far as the NY region, how are these teams looking: IC, RPI, UofR?
How bout Farmingdale??? Lots of baseball talent on Long Island so via transfers and some recruiting, they could turn themselves into a NY region/national powerhouse pretty quickly!!!

[John McGraw]

2b Meola is also back at Brockport and RHP AJ Bates is a juco transfer from MVCC is at Oneonta. Bates is a very good arm and led Proctor to a AA state championship in '07!
I forgot the Dimino's were back for Cortland. The 1 that plays CF (khyle)absolutely flies!!!!
On paper the SUNYAC won't even be competitve but thats why you play the games!
As far as the NY region, how are these teams looking: IC, RPI, UofR?
How bout Farmingdale??? Lots of baseball talent on Long Island so via transfers and some recruiting, they could turn themselves into a NY region/national powerhouse pretty quickly!!!

My official D3baseball.com New York region preview is available in the D3baseball.com Notables section.

Also, I don't Cortland is completely invincible. There are still legitimate issues in the bullpen and up the middle though with a ridiculous offense, they should be able to outscore anyone. Arnold probably takes over at short with Pezzuto out for the season and June will be at second. Or, one of the freshmen might jump into the line-up. The pen was a big sore spot last year and DeRosa wasn't the overall answer. Maybe one of the lefty D-I transfers could step in like Potrikus did a few years ago. I still think Cortland is among the favorites in region but they do need to work those two things out.

[airball55]

Rochester??  how and the heck are they in the mix?  They can't win conference tournament games, so a regional bid is certainly a big longshot.  I like Oneonta a lot on the mound, Dave Filak is really good.  Cortland will have three players at each position that could start somewhere else, as usual.  I will stick with John Mcgraw's analysis on here, very informative.  Sleeper pick, St. John Fisher.  Although it is an NCAA rule that Ithaca gets a pool B bid regardless of record (LOL), St. John Fisher returns most of their team and they have some weapons.

U of R... yikes.