Following an abbreviated 2021 season, Liberty League baseball teams are looking forward to turning their attention to 2022, where two divisions and three-game series during conference play will finally come to fruition.
This year there will be two five-team divisions, the East and West. The East division is comprised of Bard College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Skidmore College, Union College and Vassar College while the West division is made up of Clarkson University, Ithaca College, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), St. Lawrence University and the University of Rochester. Each team’s 2022 league slate will feature three-game sets against four divisional foes (12 games) and two crossover series against opponents from the other division (6 games) followed by an additional best-of-three crossover series during the final weekend of the regular season (May 7 & 8) to determine playoff-bound teams.
During the final regular season weekend, the top-four teams of each division will play a best-of-three series with the winner moving on to the next weekend of play. The top team in each division will play the team in fourth in the other division while the second-place teams will pair off with the third-place teams from the opposing division. The teams sitting in fifth will also play each other in the same format. The winning teams from the May 7 & 8 series will advance to the Liberty League double-elimination tournament (May 12-14). The winner of the league championship will punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament, thanks to the conference's automatic bid.
The defending 2021 Liberty League champions,
University of Rochester (West) and
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; East) have been selected as the top divisional baseball teams in a vote by the conference’s head coaches.
In the East division, RPI accumulated 16 points and four first-place votes (coaches voted only within their division and cannot vote for their own teams) as the Engineers will look to make a run at capturing the Liberty League title for the first time since 2015. Union, three-time Liberty League champions since 2014, were picked to finish second in the division with 12 points and a first-place vote. Vassar (9 points) narrowly defeated Skidmore (8 points) for third with a one-point differential and Bard (5 points) rounds out the five teams.
As for the West division, Rochester will be seeking its third straight conference title and the west coaches recognized the team’s recent success within the Liberty League as the Yellowjackets earned 16 points and four first-place votes (coaches voted only within their division and cannot vote for their own teams). Ithaca, in its second year with the league, earned 12 points, edging out Clarkson by one point. The Golden Knights totaled 11 points and were followed by St. Lawrence (6 points) and RIT (5 points), who were also separated by a point for fourth and fifth respectively.
East Division Preview
RPI did not get the opportunity to play in 2021 until April 23rd but the Engineers made the best of the shortened season fitting in 14 league games where they went 6-8. The 2022 squad will be led by starting pitcher Ryan Yerby, the 2021 Liberty League Pitcher of the Year. He made four starts for RPI, where he went 2-0, tossed two complete games, which included a no-hitter against Ithaca on May 1. In 20.0 innings, he allowed 13 hits, struck out 20, walked 11 and held opponents to a .186 batting average, which was tops among Liberty League pitchers. Chris Grome will join Yerby in supporting the pitching corps after making four appearances (3 starts) in 2021. He was on the mound for 16.0 innings with 11 strikeouts last year. Reliever Thomas Neuman is also back after sporting a 2.89 earned run average over six appearances in 2021. Two of RPI’s top hitters return to the lineup in Jake Defayette (.280) and Joe Curci (.235). Curci went 14-for-50 from the plate in 14 games with a home run, four doubles, seven runs scored and a nine runs batted in. Defayette (12-for-51), a starter in all 14 games, registered a team-best 10 runs scored. He also produced four doubles and a home run to go along with seven runs batted in.
Union (12-8, 9-5 Liberty League) closed out last season with an appearance in the conference title game before falling to Rochester. The Dutchmen will be seeking their eighth trip to the Liberty League postseason in nine years heading into 2022. Pitching will be Union’s strength this season with four pitchers back in the starting rotation. James Salemme (4-1), an All-Liberty League Second Team selection, headlines those returning arms. Salemme paced the league with 51 strikeouts in 2021 and was second in wins through seven starts. Ben Mlavsky is also back after posting a 4.38 earned run average, which ranked him sixth among league leaders. In six games, he was 4-0 with 12 earned runs, 20 strikeouts and only four walks. Production from the plate could be a struggle with the graduation of many of the team’s top hitters but outfielder duo Sebastian Pike and Noah Schott shore up the team’s offense. Pike was fifth on the team in batting average (.359) and recorded 14 hits, five of which went for extra bases (3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run). He scored 11 runs and had eight runs batted in. In 18 games, Schott went 10-for-39 for a .256 batting average with eight runs scored and four runs batted in.
Vassar finished 2021 with a 7-13 overall record and a 6-10 mark in Liberty League play. The Brewers open 2022 with a veteran presence (13 upperclassmen), including two All-Liberty League selections—Ezra Capsi (First Team) and Alex Warren (Second Team). Capsi, started all 20 games for Vassar last season and led the team with a .418 batting average as well as a .642 slugging percentage. He recorded four doubles, a triple and four home runs; scored 22 runs and drove in 17. Warren was second on the team with a .375 batting average to go along with 21 hits on 14 runs scored and 11 runs batted in. Andrew Kanellis also returns after hitting .329 with four doubles, one triple and four home runs. The pitching staff will be young in Poughkeepsie this year; no returning pitcher started more than three games last season. Ryan Harris (1 start, 3.60 ERA) and Bryce Grawthol (3 starts, 6.19 ERA) highlights the players returning to the mound.
Skidmore saw limited action in 2021, playing in 15 games, where the Thoroughbreds went 7-8 (6-6 Liberty League). A year of experience should translate well on the field with a trio of juniors (Danny Melillo, Jackson Hornung and Justin Posnik) highlighting the team’s 2022 returnees. Melillo was second on the team with a .316 batting average. He scored 13 runs and accounted for six runs batted in. Hornung played in all 15 games for Skidmore last year and went 15-for-48 (.313) with two doubles, a triple and a home run while scoring 15 runs. Posnik made four starts from the mound for the Thoroughbreds compiling a 2-1 record with a 4.76 earned run average. In 17.0 innings, he struck out nine and walked nine. Jaden Torrado is also back after a strong rookie season. He led the team in hitting (.348) with 16 hits, 11 runs and seven runs batted in last season.
Bard went 5-15 overall last season and will start 2022 with a full arsenal of pitchers (4 starters) and eight starting position players from a year ago. All-Liberty League Second Team honoree Spencer Checkoway, who boasted a team-best .414 batting average and 14 runs batted in headlines the team’s returning players. In 20 games, he had 29 hits in 70 at-bats with team-highs in doubles (5) and home runs (2). Jordan Myers, an All-Liberty League Honorable Mention selection, will also bolster the team’s offense as he produced 27 hits, 13 runs and 11 runs batted in with five doubles and a triple for a .386 batting average in 2021. He was also one of the team’s top fielders with 52 putouts and a .982 fielding percentage from the outfield. Aiden Risse and Evan Matthews were two of the team’s top pitchers last year as the pair made a combined eight starts and ten appearances. Risse tossed 31.0 innings, striking out a team-best 27 and walking nine while Matthews threw for 11.0 innings and recorded six strikeouts.
West Division Preview
Rochester will be eyeing its third straight Liberty League title and fourth finish atop the conference standings since 2018. The Yellowjackets finished 2021 with a 24-10 overall record and a 16-2 mark against conference opponents. A plethora of talent returns to Towers Field and the 2022 team will be led by 2021 Liberty League Player of the Year Aaron Whitley and 2021 Liberty League Rookie of the Year John Moses. Whitley had a breakout campaign posting a league-best .475 batting average to go along with 48 runs, 19 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 34 runs batted in. He was nearly perfect from the base paths with 28 stolen bases in 30 attempts (.933). Moses also had a successful year finishing second on the team and among league leaders in batting average (.435) to go along with 33 runs, 38 runs batted in, 16 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Other key players include Joe Rende (.341; First Team) and Josh Leadem (.368, Second Team). Rochester also welcomes back a pair of All-Liberty League First Team pitchers in starter Dillon Bevan and reliever Thomas Karpishin. In 10 appearances, Bevan made four starts going 3-1 on the year. In 33.2 innings, allowed 13 hits and issues nine walks while striking out 27. Karpishin appeared in 13 games, going 3-1 in 27.0 innings. He struck out 25 and held opponents to a .208 batting average.
Ithaca finished its first season with the Liberty League with a 11-6-1 record against conference opponents and an overall ledger of 16-12-1. The Bombers will look to make some noise in 2022 after qualifying for the postseason last year. Buzz Shirley, an All-Liberty League First Team honoree is a dual threat for the Bombers. With his arm, he went 3-1 with a 4.99 earned run average. In 39.2 innings, he struck out 46, good for second among league leaders and held opponents to a .231 batting average. With his bat, he paced Ithaca at a .389 clip while producing 10 doubles, three home runs, 24 runs and 23 runs batted in. Kyle Lambert (All-Liberty League First Team) will also be key to the pitching rotation after pacing the team with a 5-1 record in nine appearances over 48.1 innings. He tossed a pair of complete games, recorded one shutout and produced a 3.54 earned run average. Other players expected to contribute for the Bombers include Lou Fabbo (.353), who had a team-high 42 hits in 2021 and Gil Merod (.333).
Clarkson wrapped up 2021 with a 14-6-1 overall record and a 8-7-1 mark in league play. The Golden Knights will be on the hunt for its first Liberty League title since 2011. A trio of All-Liberty League Second Team picks return to open 2022 for Clarkson in Colby Brouillette, Michael Mieczkowski and Kent Wilson. Brouillette hit for .337 with a .614 slugging percentage and boasted a team-best 18 extra-base hits with 12 doubles, two triples and four home runs. He was fourth in doubles and seventh in home runs among league leaders. Mieczkowski drove in 22 runs and scored 25 with a .375 batting average on the year. Wilson hit .377 and was speedy on the base paths, going six-for-six in stolen bases through 29 games. He registered a team-high 46 hits with 25 runs batted in, six double, two triples and three home runs. Mike Nee, who played in only 13 games last season is back behind the plate for the Golden Knights, he produced a .350 batting average on 14 hits.
St. Lawrence finished the year at 12-12, the first time since 2014 that the Saints have posted a record of .500 or better and they were 7-9 in league play. Head Coach Kenny Collins returns to the helm in Canton following a one-year stint as interim head coach. Four of the Saints’ top hitters return to the batting order this season and they are highlighted by All-Liberty League First Team selection Nicholas Butler. Butler started all 24 games for St. Lawrence last year and paced the team with 26 runs batted in and tied for a team-best four home runs. He hit for .337 and produced at least one hit in 19 games. Andrew Circelli (.274) and Cristian Forgione (.272) will also contribute after strong 2021 campaigns. Andrew Matthews is the team’s top returning pitcher after earning All-Liberty League Honorable Mention recognition last season. He made eight appearances for the Saints (3-2) with a 5.45 earned run average. In 38.0 innings, he struck out 30 and walked 18.
RIT will look to improve upon a 8-19 overall record with a veteran presence in 2022 that includes six returning starters (position players) and two starting pitchers. Colin Reformat headlines the pitching staff. The returning All-Liberty League Honorable Mention selection, made nine appearances and eight starts for the Tigers. He finished the year with a 3-1 record and 28 strikeouts with a team-high 40.2 innings pitched. Ian Libby (All-Liberty League Honorable Mention) highlights the team’s top batters from last season. Libby led the team in hits (35) and runs batted in (24) to go along with 22 runs scored and a .469 slugging percentage. There will be big expectations in Rochester for Patrick Blackall (.255) and Randy Dodig (.257) after starting and playing in all 27 games last season.
The 2022 season gets underway on Wednesday, February 23 with RPI hosting St. John Fisher at 2 PM. Four other league teams are scheduled to compete in non-conference action the weekend of February 25-27. Bard is set to play four games—two in Newark, N.J. against Rutgers-Newark and two at home versus the College of Saint Elizabeth, RIT is in Washington D.C. (Cazenovia, Gallaudet & Muhlenberg) and Ithaca visits Virginia Beach, Virginia (New Paltz and 2 vs. Virginia Wesleyan); both are slated for three games apiece while Vassar travels to Pennsylvania for one against Scranton.
2022 Liberty League Baseball Preseason Poll – East Division
Place. Team, Points
1. RPI, 16 (4)
2. Union, 12 (1)
3. Vassar, 9
4. Skidmore, 8
5. Bard, 5
2022 Liberty League Baseball Preseason Poll – West Division
Place. Team, Points
1. Rochester, 16 (4)
2. Ithaca, 12 (1)
3. Clarkson, 11
3. St. Lawrence, 6
5. RIT, 5
(First-place votes are in parentheses)