Hilton, NY – The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2023 Empire 8 Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team on Wednesday, May 17. Junior catcher Ethan Perry of St. John Fisher University was named the Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Cardinals to their third straight league title and fifth in program history.
Only a second-year team, Russell Sage College's baseball team wrapped the 2023 season with new high-water marks for wins as well as producing 10 Empire 8 All-Conference performers. The Gators earned back-to-back appearances in the Empire 8 Tournament under head coach Nick Pontari and capped the 2023 season as the Empire 8 Tournament runner-up with record of 18-25.
2023 Empire 8 Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
Chris VanCheri, Jr., C, Houghton
Jaylen Cuevas, So., P, Russell Sage
Liam Doyle, So., P, Russell Sage
James Lubanski, Sr., OF/DH, Russell Sage
Benjamin Huckans, Fr., P, St. John Fisher
Patrick McGuire, Jr., P, St. John Fisher
Ethan Perry, Jr., C, St. John Fisher *
Hunter Walsh, Sr., P, St. John Fisher
Joe Crossley, Sr., OF, Utica
Dylan Sullivan, Fr., P, Utica
* Named Most Outstanding Player
Senior James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber) was named to the All-Tournament Team in addition to earning a spot on the 2023 Empire 8 Second Team as both a designated hitter and a utility player. A newcomer with the Gators this year, he started 42 of 43 games and added a .335 batting average. He also led the team with his school-record 18 doubles and 78 total bases. He had a .503 slugging percentage with a .444 on-base percentage. For the tournament, he batted .313 with three doubles, four runs scored, and a .500 slugging percentage and was 3-3 on stolen bases with four walks and no errors, defensively.
RSC's Liam Doyle (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) added all-tournament acclaim to his 2023 resume after a selection to the Empire 8 Third Team honors as a starting pitcher. The right-handed ace led the Gators with 60.1 innings of work, a single-season mark. He went 4-8 with 13 starts and fanned a record 57 batters along the way. He holds RSC's career pitching mark for most wins (7), most games started (21), most innings worked (104.1), most strikeouts (92) and is poised to become the first pitcher to strike out 100 batters. For the tournament, Doyle had a 1-0 record with a 1.17 ERA in 7.2 innings of work and struck out five after helping the Gators to the tournament 12-2 win over Houghton.
Right handed sophomore reliever, Jaylen Cuevas (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) was honored with a selection to the All-Tournament Team. He worked in three games for the Gators and was 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA. He struck out five and worked in 87.1 innings in the tournament. On the season, Cuevas led the Gator pitching staff with his 20 appearances. On his RSC career, he currently holds the record with 33 career appearances with three saves.
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