Ithaca Selected to Finish First in Preseason Baseball Poll
February 27, 2008
ROCHESTER, NY – Seven-time defending conference champion Ithaca College was selected to capture the title again in the Empire 8 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll. The Bombers, who were the unanimous first-place selection among the other coaches, finished 27-15 last season and reached the NCAA playoffs for the 37th time.
Ithaca is ranked 21st in the inaugural D3baseball.com preseason poll and 23rd in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. The Bombers return three first-team all-conference players from last season. Senior pitcher Nick Sottung, a two-time first-team selection, finished with an 8-4 record and a 3.25 earned run average in 2007. Senior outfielder Eric Ferguson led the Bombers with a .401 batting average, 42 runs scored, 61 hits, and 37 runs batted in last season.
Senior Shane Wolf of Ithaca garnered first-team honors as a pitcher and designated hitter, batting .333 with 10 doubles, while posting a 5-1 record with a 3.74 earned run average on the mound. Junior Drew Ash missed most of last season with an injury after being named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2006.
St. John Fisher, which won 28 games a year ago, captured the ECAC Upstate title, and earned a berth in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, is the coaches’ choice to finish second this season. The Cardinals return senior all-conference players Chad King and pitchers Ryan Hanson, and Justin Lutes. King, a second baseman, batted .346 and paced the team with 29 RBI. Hanson, a starter, finished 5-3 with a 2.25 earned run average. Lutes posted a 4-1 record and 2.20 earned run average out of the bullpen.
Rochester Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of Technology tied for third place in the preseason poll. The Tigers, who finished 24-12 overall and tied St. John Fisher for second place in the conference last year, feature sophomore outfielder Geoff Dornes, who was named Empire 8 Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year last season. He batted a team-high .452 and also led the Tigers with 35 runs scored, 57 hits, and a .563 slugging percentage. Dornes also recorded a 3.21 earned run average in 28.1 innings.
Senior catcher Ryan Tryt batted .364 with Tigers’ team-highs of 10 doubles and 27 RBI in earning first-team all-conference honors last season. Junior reliever Cory Langtry joined Tryt and Dornes as a first-team selection, leading the team with a 2,73 earned run average and three saves.
Stevens will be competing in the Empire 8 for the first time after posting an 84-52 mark in the Skyline Conference under head coach John Crane. Senior starting pitcher Scott Picerno is the Ducks’ all-time leader in wins and winning percentage and junior Bill Jennings comes off an all-conference season in which he won five games and threw two shutouts.
Utica College, picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, will be led by new head coach and former Empire 8 all-conference honoree Shaun Caveny. Senior Kelvin Cabrera received all-conference recognition a year ago for the Pioneers.
2008 Empire 8 Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Ithaca College 16 points
2. St. John Fisher College 13
3. Rochester Institute of Technology 8
Stevens Institute of Technology 8
5. Utica College 5