RYAN DUNNING
Special to the Leader
The coming of spring means the start of baseball in America. While the MLB starts spring training, our Fredonia Blue Devils have already started their season.
Last year, the Devils finished 17-13 (7-10 in SUNYAC play), for their first winning season since 2013.
Their 7-10 record in conference games left them fifth in the SUNYAC, just two games out of a playoff spot.
This year, the team should look to build on last year’s improvement, with a goal of advancing into SUNYAC tournament play.
The Devils graduated a multitude of seniors last year, including first baseman J.T. Angora.
Angora led the team in batting average, base percentage and slugging percentage, according to the baseball statistics page on the SUNYAC website.
With such big positions to fill, the Blue Devils will look to get more production from a healthy mix of returning players and fresh faces.
One place the team needs to improve majorly is total runs.
The team finished sixth in the SUNYAC with 68 runs during their ten conference games. Compared to their batting average, which ranked third in the conference, their run totals were especially weak.
So far this year, the team has played with mixed results. At The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, the Devils won their first two games, and lost their next two.
The first of these was against Lehman College on Friday, Mar 6. The Devils dominated Lehman 16-1, including a five run first inning.
The team was lead by senior Luke Kuczewski, who recorded 14 strikeouts in eight innings, and senior Kevin Yirinec, who contributed two home runs.
The next day, the team completed another dominant performance, an 11-2 victory against the College of Staten Island.
Sophomore Nick Ciraolo picked up the win, by striking out eight of nine batters he faced in three innings. The team took a commanding lead in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs.
The Blue Devils then lost to the College of Staten Island 3-2 that night, followed by another loss the next day, this time to Manhattanville College, 13-19.
The team’s next game is against Illinois College for the Russmatt Invitational on Mar 8. The team won’t play at home until April 2 against Penn State Behrend.