A snow day forces the RIT mens baseball team to practice inside at Clark Gym on Friday, March 28th.
Jeff Porter

This spring has been unaccommodating to RIT’s baseball team. All regular season games were cancelled thus far, including a recent postponed doubleheader against St. John Fisher. Undeterred, the team eagerly continues to prepare for their first season game. Senior second baseman and co-captain Matt George described the pre-season practice schedule: “We’ve been practicing inside since January with 6a.m. practices. Since the snow melted and it warmed up a little bit, we’ve been able to go outside and take ground balls and fly balls on the turf field to get used to being outside.”

The team’s greatest weakness this year will not be a lack of skills or agility, but their lack of experience. “We are young,” stated senior pitcher and co-captain Paul Schoenck. “Sometimes our mental focus can be off, and our pitching and defense need to step up.”

Last year, the team lost some pivotal players, including pitchers Dylan Rees and Pat Walters. “Between the two of them, they accounted for more than half of our wins,” said Ryan Tryt, a senior catcher. “Baseball is a funny game in that it is a series of individual battles, successes, and failures.”

Concerning the loss of Rees and Walters, George remains unworried. “Our lack of experience causes us to make some mental mistakes here and there, but I’m confident that we’ll improve and mature as the season moves along.”

So who will step up to prove themselves this year? For one, sophomore right fielder and pitcher Geoff Dornes is expected to be a stand-out player this season after such a successful freshman year. His accolades include Empire 8 rookie of the year, RACA player of the year, and third best batting average last year in Division III. “He is a great kid with amazing skill and talent, and an even better work ethic,” described Tryt.

Aside from their technical skills, however, the team’s greatest weakness could prove to be its most powerful strength; with new players come passion, excitement, and a new and bright outlook to the game. With a team roster of 25, including 12 freshmen, there is opportunity for a number of players to prove themselves right away. Mike Marsillo, pitcher; Tom Piscitell, pitcher; Dave Kernan, catcher; and John Robertson, an outfielder; are expected to have a great showing as the season starts up. “The freshman class is trying to add to the already great team they had last year and help out any way we can,” said Marsillo, “All of the players are capable of being great players and when it all comes together, I think our team will be one of the top teams.”

Hitting is expected to be among the team’s key strengths. “We have some great offensive power,” said Schoenck. According to George, the team is in for a good season. “If our young guys continue to improve and even surpass some expectations, then we’re going to win a lot of games this year.”