ALBANY, N.Y. – After capturing the Empire 8 Conference regular season championship in just its third season as a program, Russell Sage College Baseball was well represented on the All-Conference teams. Squads were determined based upon voting conducted by the head coaches.
Junior outfielder Brendan Espinal (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) was selected the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year. He closed the regular season atop the Conference in batting average (.453), on-base percentage (.551) and on-base plus slugging (1.239). The junior, who tied for the team lead with 54 runs scored, registered 19 multi-hit efforts, including a trio of four hit games. Espinal was chosen the Conference's Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 10. He saw the ball well during the team's Florida trip, slashing .559/.941/.595 with 12 runs scored, 10 RBI, 32 bases, and six doubles across nine games between March 2 and March 9.
"I'm extremely proud of Brendan for all of the work he has put in to this point," said Head Coach Nick Pontari. "Brendan is dedicated to taking care of his body, and giving himself the best opportunity to be successful both on and off of the field. He truly is a young man who has his priorities in order. Being a Physical Therapy Major, his dedication in the classroom, weight room, training room, and on the field are second to none. The season he put up statistically mirrors the type of leadership he has on our team and how he treats and respects all of his teammates around him."
Pontari and his assistants were chosen the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year. RSC went 23-17 overall, 16-2 in E8 play, to win their first regular season E8 title in any sport and hosting privileges for the E8 Championship Tournament, held May 9-11 at the Central Park "A" Diamond in Schenectady. The Gators, which have qualified for the E8 playoffs in each of its three seasons as a program, began the four-team Tournament with the top offense on the circuit in many metrics, including E8-bests of 349 runs scored, a .305 batting average, a .445 slugging percentage, and a .439 on-base percentage.
"I couldn't be more fortunate to be surrounded by a Coaching Staff who is dedicated to providing the best student-athlete experience for the young men on our roster," said Pontari. "Each and every single assistant coach balances multiple duties, and devotes themselves to our guys after working full time in their "9-5" jobs. As a Head Coach, we truly wouldn't be the staff we are without the efforts of each person on our staff."
Joining Espinal on the first-team were: designated hitter James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), a grad student, first baseman Jeff Stearnes (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes), and junior utility Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa).
Stearnes closed the regular season strong in helping RSC clinch the regular season title, earning Conference Player of the Week honors for the periods ending April 28 and May 5. He commenced the playoffs tops in the E8 in homers (10), RBI (52), slugging percentage (.725), while ranking second to Espinal in batting average (.413), on-base percentage (.512), and ops (1.237).
Lubanski, a third-team All-Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association a season ago, holds the program single-season and career records for RBI. The grad student headed into the postseason leading the E8 with 13 doubles and tied for second with 47 RBI. He slashed .302/.369/.438 and closed the spring with 82 career RBI.
Grimes appeared in a combined 27 games as a pitcher and outfielder. He batted .386 with 20 RBI, a .488 on-base percentage, and went a perfect 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts. Grimes ranked sixth in the Conference in hitting and seventh in on-base percentage. On the mound, the newcomer from SUNY Adirondack whiffed 17 batters across 14.0 innings of work, good for a 10.93 K per 9, and permitted opponents to bat just .216 off of him.
Starting pitcher Joe Degroot (Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) (6-0) earned second-team All-E8 honors. The graduate student led the E8 with six victories this season. The lefty registered a 4.15 ERA across 60.2 innings, good for fourth and third among Conference pitchers. Grimes also made the second-team as an outfielder.
Four Gators: junior second baseman Dom Caminitti (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), junior outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie), starting pitcher Matthew Denatale (Rhinebeck, NY/Rhinebeck), a grad student, and junior catcher Cole Paro (Wolfeboro NH/Kingswood Regional), were tabbed third-team All-E8.
Caminitti set the table out of the leadoff spot, hitting .306 and reaching base at a .457 rate. The junior tied with Espinal for the team lead with 54 runs scored.
Opponents had to account for Russell on the bases. The junior topped the Conference with 34 stolen bases, the most by an RSC player in a single-season.
Denatale took home E8 Pitcher of the Week on three occasions, for the periods ending April 14, April 28 and May 5. The southpaw (5-5, 1 save) ranked second in the E8 with 63.2 innings pitched and five wins. He combined with Degroot and junior righty Liam Doyle (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) to be three of the top-seven E8 hurlers in innings pitched, ERA, and wins.
Paro, their battery mate, helped RSC rank second in the E8 in team ERA. He threw out 19.7 percent of would-be base stealers and drove in 19 runs.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2024 E8 Baseball Sportsmen of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen. Junior shortstop Zachary Figueras (Apopka, FL/Windermere) represented the Gators on the squad.
The 23 victories were the most in a season by the young program and the 16 E8 wins this year nearly equaled the amount of Conference triumphs that the Gators had going into the spring. During its first two campaigns, RSC totaled 18 E8 wins, nine each year.
Gator Golf: The 19th Annual Gator Golf Classic will be held May 31, 2024. More Information: https://www.sagegators.com/information/Gator_Golf_Classic
