More times than not, the last team to earn its spot in a conference tournament is an afterthought; a team that is doing everything just for a shot at long-odd success. For years, however, Clarkson Baseball head coach Jim Kane has always said he just wanted to get to the Liberty League Tournament, because once you are there, you never know what will happen.
The 10-year head coach knows from experience, as the Knights have endured nearly every possible negative outcome at the four-team conference tournament. Back in 2003, the first time the Liberty League had a conference tournament, the Golden Knights were rained out in the championship game despite leading midway through the contest; in 2004, Clarkson hosted the tournament as regular-season champion, but lost in the championship round; the 2005 team was loaded with seniors and had pitching and offense to spare, but lost two one-run contests; in 2006, the Knights lost what proved to be the championship game, because of rain, thanks to a ninth-inning rally by their opponents; and in 2008, Clarkson just lacked the offensive firepower to get anything going in the tournament.
Needing one win on the final day of the regular season to reach the conference championship weekend, the Knights swept St. Lawrence to reach the Liberty League Tournament for the sixth time in seven years. And then anything finally happened.
Clarkson won the Liberty League Championship with a 13-6 victory over regular-season champion Rensselaer and made its first-ever trip to the NCAA Regionals, where the Knights nearly again found themselves in the championship round before a walk-off hit had the team finish with a loss, but a more than respectable third-place showing in the six-team regional.
While the Knights will be hard-pressed to replace ace pitcher Austin Pitkin, offensive sparkplug Matt Giordano and several key bats and arms that made the 2009 run possible, Kane, along with assistant coach Tim Hughes and volunteer assistants Zach Richardson and Austin Pitkin, won’t need to right “the ship” after the departure of that large graduation, as the team is poised to make another run in 2010 with a powerful and confident offense and a deep pitching staff.
Leading that potent offense, which really began to click near the end of the campaign, are seniors Matt Curry (Richland, NY) and Brady Torbitt (Mexico, NY). Curry finished just a fraction off the pace for the conference batting title, hitting .409 with a school-record 67 hits. One of only two unanimous selections to the Liberty League First-Team All-Star squad, Curry battered line drive after line drive throughout 2009, and could challenge the school’s all-time hits record come spring. His move to second base from shortstop also helped improve the team’s defense as he became a steady member of the infield, ranking among the league leaders in double plays and fielding percentage. Classmate Torbitt is a different kind of hitter than Curry, hitting screamers that have infielders ducking and outfielders backpeddling. Selected as the Liberty League Most Outstanding Player after his awesome display during conference championship weekend, Torbitt led the team in home runs (5), RBI (37), walks (19) and slugging (.558) while posting 13 stolen bases and showing off all of the tools that make him a terror for opponents in every aspect of the game.
Though Curry and Torbitt are the senior mashers on the team, Clarkson is loaded with other strong hitting underclassmen. Liberty League Second-Team All-Star Jerry Coleman (Potsdam, NY) finished third in the conference in on-base percentage and finished the season with a .380 batting average (eighth in the league) and a team-best OPS of .995. Coleman served as catcher as a freshman, throwing out or picking off 14 runners in the process, but likely will move to first base in 2010. Classmate David Kinney (Mexico, NY), who split time at third base with Pitkin and played some first base as well, got on a roll late in the season for the Knights and finished the season with a .329 batting average and a pair of home runs, both of which came in the post-season. Both players saw plenty of time in the lineup as freshmen, and will be inserted into the lineup regularly as sophomores.
Sophomore shortstop Pete Clarke (Tully, NY) was on his way to joining Coleman and Kinney as standouts in the post-season, but suffered from shoulder problems and had his season shut down early. It was too bad for Clarke and the Knights, as he was developing nicely throughout the campaign, batting .338 through 25 games with eight errors, a solid performance for a first-year collegiate shortstop. Healthy in 2010, Clarke should get right back on track to becoming an outstanding player for the Knights.
Rounding out the starting infield returners is senior Steve Magovney (Watertown, NY). When Clarke went down with his injury, Magovney slid into the shortstop position after serving as a utility player for the first half of 2009. He delivered numerous key hits and showed off a strong arm at short, and will likely return to his utility role in his final year.
Several other returning infielders are reserves junior Justin McInerney (Grand Island, NY) and sophomore Dan Padrazo (Setaucket, NY). McInerney played in 15 games in the field and batted .306 while also appearing 13 times as a top reliever for the Knights, while Padrazo drilled an extra-base hit in his only at bat of 2009. Joining them in the infield are newcomers Anthony Farrell (Topsham, ME), Chris Geannelis (Williamstown, MA), and Pete Lasecki (Stratford, CT). All three showed plenty of promise in fall ball.
In the outfield, Torbitt will likely anchor rightfield for each game, while the other two positions will be up for grabs. Junior Chris Falteisek (Baldwinsville, NY) has steadily improved over his two first two seasons and seems capable of accepting a bigger role. Junior Paul Conte (Baldwinsville, NY), a transfer from Mohawk Valley Community College, will likely provide a solid bat right away and should compete for time in left and center. Junior Garrett Russell (Lake George, NY), a former transfer himself, also owns a potent bat, hitting .333 in 15 games last season. Freshman Scott Morrissey (Troy, NY) is a speedy outfielder and may in time produce the same numbers that recently graduated Matt Giordano posted in his four seasons at Clarkson, and classmate Cody O’Connor (Moira, NY) was one of the top players from the local area who should develop quickly as well.
Senior Brett Peplowski (Albany, NY), who will likely play a little first base, should be a dangerous bat in the lineup as the team’s designated hitter. In his three seasons, Peplowski has struck for five home runs and driven in 40 runs in 220 at bats, and could see those numbers jump quickly with a strong start to the campaign.
Though Coleman was the team’s primary catcher as a freshman, he may be needed elsewhere around the diamond, and with another seasoned veteran in junior Sam Grainger (Bedford, MA), the Knights won’t be too concerned. Grainger has a rocket for an arm and has excellent defensive tools behind the dish, capable of blocking errant pitches (just one passed ball in 13 games in 2009). Looking to learn behind Grainger are several freshmen. First-years Jake Ostroff (Delmar, NY), Robert Hauf (Marion, NY) and Tyler Prehoda (Malta, NY) all have plenty of skill in various aspects of the game and will look to improve as the season moves along to wrest some of the catching duties from Grainger.
The pitching staff will take a hit from 2009 graduation as three of the team’s four weekend starters were lost to graduation, including Liberty League Tournament and NCAA Regional standout Austin Pitkin. The only holdover from 2009 is junior David Goerold (Clifton Park, NY), the only member of the staff to earn conference all-star status. Goerold finished 4-4 on the season, but was fourth in the conference with a 3.18 earned run average through 57 innings.
Though Goerold is the only returning starter, the Knights had several pitchers waiting in the wings thanks to the senior-heavy staff last season. Junior Kyle Moldoff (Nassau, NY) was third on the team in ERA, and if he can hold his stuff into the later innings, that mark would drop significantly in 2010. Classmate Vincent Baldwin (Catskill, NY) led the team in appearances with 14 and was a key member of the bullpen and probably the most improved player on the team last season. Adding even a few more ticks to his fastball over the summer, Baldwin has transformed from groundball pitcher to power pitcher in the last 12 months.
After that threesome, the long-term rotation is still a question mark. Sophomores David Kinney and Jerry Coleman are two of the top pitchers on the team in terms of velocity and stuff, so they could certainly jump into the rotation. Junior Justin McInerney won three games in relief and was second in appearances last season. Classmate Alex Giovannone (New Hartford, NY) also appeared in six games out of the bullpen and sophomore Jordan Yells (Waterloo, NY) pitched in five games, including one start. Senior Steve Magovney pitched in three games last season and may also see time on the mound when he isn’t filling in around the diamond.
A talented group of newcomers will compete for starts and innings throughout the campaign as well. Sophomore Bryan Lajeunesse (Watervliet, NY) has nearly fully come back from Tommy John surgery and looked good in fall ball. After Lajeunesse, the Knights’ coaching staff brought in numerous power and finesse arms to round out the staff. Freshmen Bryan Chudy (Goshen, NY) and Nick Pesarchick (Skaneateles, NY) are physical pitchers with solid stuff who could pitch immediately for Clarkson. Anthony Farrell (Topsham, ME) has several deceptive arm angles that can baffle hitters, and Mike Zona (Norwood, MA) and Brian Hoffarth (Penfield, NY) took significant steps forward in the fall and could be ready for extended action this spring. Brian Hopkins (Rochester, NY) will spend 2010 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but is expected to be a valuable member of the rotation once he has healed.
