By Emma Deo
The Plattsburgh State Cardinals’ baseball team is hungry to make another SUNYAC postseason appearance after having one of their best seasons in program history in 2024.
The Cards finished with a 24-16 overall record, finishing 10-8 in conference games. Plattsburgh finished the year ranked fourth in the SUNYAC, falling to Cortland and Oswego in the playoffs.
Their 24 wins were the most overall wins for the program since 2010, matching the record set in 2010. Plattsburgh’s 10 conference wins were also its most since 2010.
The Cards were picked to finish fifth in the SUNYAC preseason poll.
“We have a great group of returners who set the example for the new guys. We also have an important group of transfers and freshmen who are hungry and push the returners every day to not be satisfied. That creates a great team dynamic,” senior pitcher Kolby Mordecki wrote in a text.
Graduate student shortstop Alex Kornblau had a fantastic 2024 season in the field and in the batter’s box.
Kornblau was named SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year, setting the single-season records at Plattsburgh State in home runs (8), runs scored (52) and total bases (91). Kornblau also shattered the program record in career home runs with 14.
Plattsburgh State returns the core of their lineup from last season, with Kornblau coming back for his fifth-year. Senior first baseman Kyle Cremin will also anchor the Cardinal lineup, as he is a three time All-SUNYAC selection in his career. Graduate student third baseman Aidan Diltz, who led the team with a .378 batting average in 2024, will also return for another year. Senior second baseman Joey Di Rocco will complete the middle infield for Plattsburgh State. Di Rocco posted a .258 batting average last season with three home runs and 23 RBI.
Sophomore first baseman Austin Caldwell made an impact in his 2024 freshman campaign, batting .343 in 67 at-bats.
Last season, Cremin missed ten games because of an ankle injury, but Caldwell was able to step up to the plate and start his freshman season strong.
“Missing those games was not fun, but I did everything I could to treat it, and our athletic trainers did a great job getting me back on the field,” Cremin wrote.
To round out the infield, the Cards return sophomores Michael Piccirillo, Nick Pace and Tyler Martin, with first-years Brody Burdo and Jacob Hayes joining them on the dirt.
The outfield will look different for the Cardinals this season, as they lost all three starters to graduation last season. Contenders for the outfield this season include graduate student Ben Catrambone, senior Justice Suafoa, senior Zach Rainville and sophomores Frankie Kowal and Luciano Fiorello.
The Plattsburgh State outfield will also have five transfer students in the mix this season, adding senior Josh Foglia from NCAA Division II Saint Rose, senior TJ Beninati from Salem State, junior Colin Ross from NCAA Division II St. Thomas Aquinas, Ryan Hart from Whitworth and Jackson Pam from Hartford. First-years Ryan Fowler and Finn Gaklik will round out the outfield newcomers this season.
Behind the plate, senior Adam Wein will protect home for the Cards after appearing in 27 games last year, with sophomores Ian Warren and Jake Calkins, and transfer sophomore Dylan Lieberman gearing up behind the dish for Plattsburgh State as well.
The Cardinals have a lot of depth in the bullpen this year with 18 pitchers on the roster. Graduate student Tyler Kohn, seniors Nick Goldberg, Logan Avin, Mordecki and Christian Diaz, juniors Joe Tarantino, Isaiah Maines, Kaelen Clarkson, Kwintin Nurse and Bostyn Duquette, sophomores Ty Nelson, Jack Castillo, Justin Sargent, Drew Romesser and Hunter Eberhart, and first-years Liam Suozzo, Richie Seebode and Liam Kenaley will be in contention to take the bump for Plattsburgh State this season.
“I’ve been in the gym getting stronger and getting the reps needed on the mound to fix the things I need to improve on, mentally I’m not worrying about the past or thinking about what could go wrong but, just focusing on the good and trying to improve every day,” Mordecki wrote.
Plattsburgh opened their 2025 Season 2-0 with a double header sweep of Penn State Berks, winning 14-1 and 8-7. The Cardinals will migrate south for spring break for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, with eight non-conference games from March 15 to March 19.
SUNYAC play opens on March 21 as the Cards travel to Oneonta to take on the Oneonta Red Dragons in a three game conference series. Plattsburgh plays 18 conference games in total in 2025, bolstering their schedule with 20 non-conference contests.
“We know we have the guys to go out on the field and do their job to help the team win,” Cremin wrote. “Teams usually like to count us out, but they forget that we were ranked regionally last year and were in the same category as the best teams in New York.”
Additional reporting was done by Ziaire Ferrell.
