ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College graduate student Joe DeGroot (Clay, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) was selected the Empire 8 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 30.
On Saturday at Houghton, the left-hander permitted just one hit across six shutout innings to get the win. The effort helped the Gators (9-7) get off to a 3-0 start in Conference play.
Looking ahead, RSC is scheduled to play a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader at Utica.
Gator Bites with Papa John's: RSC looks to build upon the most successful season in program history in 2025…Coming off a 16-2 record in Empire 8 Conference play and a regular season championship, the Gators return 25 players to go along with 18 newcomers…Graduate outfielder James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), senior infielder Jeff Stearns (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union), DeGroot, and senior pitcher/outfielder Evan Grimes (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) highlight the returners…Lubanski, Stearns, and Grimes made first team All-E8 conference, while DeGroot found himself on the second team…Four others earned all-conference honors in 2024, including senior outfielder Jared Russell (Colonie, NY/Colonie), who was named third team All-E8… Junior infielder Anthony Rizzo (Latham, NY/Shaker/HVCC), junior catcher Colin Casey (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro/Saint Rose), and graduate pitcher Freddie Callo (Milton, NY/Marlboro/Utica) headline the newcomers that Head Coach Nick Pontari brought in…Pontari and his staff were named E8 Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024…Stearns was selected the E8 Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday, March 16…He hit .435 with 10 runs scored, two homers, and 10 RBI across six games.
