ALBANY, NY— Russell Sage College's baseball team will commence play as a varsity program this month after first announcing the addition of the varsity sport in the spring of 2020. The Gators hired Nick Pontari (Troy, NY/Troy) as the first head coach for the team in the summer of 2020. Since then, Pontari has hit the ground running.
Pontari said, "Everyone in the Russell Sage baseball program is excited to kick off our inaugural season." He added, "Our young men have worked extremely hard and dedicated a ton of time to their mastering their craft. The young men we have on our current roster have committed their time to bettering each other, and holding each other accountable to become better men and baseball players early in their collegiate career here at Russell Sage."
A 2016 graduate of Brockport State, Pontari has since started to lay the foundation for the program having built the 2022 roster to include 33 players. In addition, to recruiting his impressive list of players, Pontari has hired Karl Steffen, who spent 34 seasons as the head coach at nearby RPI joins Pontari as an assistant coach for the team. He has also penned assistant coaches George Rafferty and Shawn Gibson to assist with the team.
Russell Sage College's first varsity roster has 26 freshmen on the team, as well as six transfers that will take to the diamond this spring. "One thing that I love about our roster is their confidence, and belief in each other. While their hard work ensures that confidence, it also creates that natural competitive atmosphere, which also pushes them day in and day out," noted Pontari.
Sage will have to wait for their spring training trip to Florida to open their season as the away contests on February 26 against Mount St. Mary have been postponed. The Gators travel to Florida for their spring training trip, where they are slated to play nine games while competing in the RussMatt Invitational between March 5-12.
RSC will play the program's home opener on Saturday, March 26 at Joe Bruno Stadium, home of the Tri-City Valley Cats when they host MCLA in a non-conference doubleheader, commencing at noon. Prior to the first game, RSC's President Christopher Ames will through out a ceremonial first pitch to help mark the day's festivities. By season's end, RSC is slated to take to the field for 45 contests, including non-conference road match-ups with RPI, Skidmore and Union all on the docket. RSC will host six doubleheaders this season as they entertain Utica, Keuka, Houghton, St. John Fisher, and Elmira in Empire 8 play in addition to the home opener featuring the Trailblazers of MCLA in late March.
A member of the Empire 8 Conference, RSC joins the slate of league opponents vying for the 2022 championship this spring. St. John Fisher will look to defend its league title, as six teams will vie for the 2022 Empire 8 Championship. Empire 8 regular-season league play is set to begin on April 1. The top four teams will advance to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, which will take place from May 6-15. The Empire 8 Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.