Syracuse club baseball looks to impress following return to NCBA
Courtesy of Kevin McGrun
After a four year absence from the NCBA, Syracuse club baseball has returned to the higher division in the 150th season of varsity baseball in Syracuse.
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Will Giffen stepped up to the plate in the fifth inning against Siena. Syracuse club baseball needed a win on Sunday to clinch the series after splitting the first two games, but they gave up a run to Siena in the bottom of the fourth.
Giffen, returning from a lingering wrist injury in 2021, worked up a 3-1 count before belting the next offering over the head of Siena’s right fielder. The dugout stood up and cheered as Adam Neufeld and Jack Corrado touched home plate to give Syracuse a 4-1 lead, one that lasted the rest of the afternoon.
“It felt great to come through for the team when they needed me most,” Giffen said.
After being demoted for four years from the National Club Baseball Association, Syracuse club baseball returned to the NCBA prior to this season. With the 150th anniversary of varsity baseball in Syracuse this year, development director MP Geiss said the team has a “chip on their shoulders” being in the higher division again. The team plays Ithaca in a three-game series this weekend at home.
“We are gonna go far,” freshman Justin Zamkov said. “Nothing else to it.”
Geiss added the team must prove its worth in the NCBA following a stint in the Colonial Club Baseball Association. Syracuse finished first in the 2019 and 2021 seasons in the CCBA, losing just one game over those two seasons. Now, they’ll play other club baseball powerhouses from the Northeast like Georgetown, Boston University and nearby “rival” SUNY Cortland.
“Getting off to a hot start is important because most of our league games are in the next month,” Geiss said.
Syracuse’s roster is composed of a mix of upperclassmen and first-year players. Geiss said the team returned “quality depth on the mound,” including Jackson Rover, who closed the series-clinching game against Siena. After walking into the first practice, Zamkov said he could feel the team’s chemistry and that the upperclassmen welcomed the freshmen with open arms.
“This team has me very excited to go out there and just compete,” Zamkov said. “When someone says club baseball, people might not think it is as competitive as other forms, but we will go out there and try and win every game.”
Zamkov said the upperclassmen’s experience in the CCBA helped the younger players understand the club baseball competition through the practices they’ve held this season. Geiss said this year has the “strongest freshman class” he’s seen in his last three years with multiple offensive weapons.
Team president Connor Burke added the team still needs to get comfortable in the batter’s box, despite scoring seven runs in Saturday’s win. With two practices a week and three weekend games, Burke said that the practice with live pitching will automatically help their offense.
“We have some kids that can go up there and battle,” Burke said.
Following the 1-0 loss in its first matchup against Siena on Saturday afternoon, Burke fielded a freshmen-heavy lineup for the final game in the evening.
With a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning and a 6-1 lead, freshman Daniel Goodstadt came out of the bullpen. Goodstadt struck out the side, allowing Syracuse to add another insurance run for its first win of the season.
Burke hopes the mix of upperclassmen and first-year players will help the club as they look to get to the top of the NCBA and bring a championship back to “the hill.”
“Every single one of them impressed me and the other guys on the team,” Burke said about the freshmen in the win. “They weren’t intimidated, they played real good baseball.”
Published on October 5, 2022 at 11:39 pm
