Plattsburgh State’s baseball team ended its SUNYAC season this past weekend with one win on Friday and two losses on Saturday—all against SUNY Fredonia.
The Cardinals, who eliminated Fredonia from playoff contention with their win on Friday, finished SUNYAC play with an overall record of 2-16 and in last place in the conference.
Friday’s game saw junior Matt Fox pitch 5.2 innings, with two strikeouts and one walk, while also giving up two runs. Junior infielder Jon Craft doubled to left center in the 12th inning to allow freshman outfielder Erik Matz to score to end the game with a 5-4 victory. PSUC was excited after its victory.
“We were definitely in a good mood after the win Friday,” said Kentaro Mori, sophomore second baseman.
The Cards will close out the season with a non-conference doubleheader game against SUNY Canton on May 6. PSUC will be using its last few games to assess where the team is heading into next season.
“There will be some opportunities for some guys that haven’t played a lot this year to get in a couple of at-bats or a couple of innings on the mound where they can show us why we should count on them for next year,” said Kris Doorey, PSUC’s head coach.
The Cards went an even 6-6 on their season-starting trip to Florida from March 9 to 17, but they lost 14 straight conference games after the trip. Eleven of PSUC’s losses this year have been by three or fewer runs and the tying run was at the plate for nine of those 11 games. Doorey believes the Cards need to pay attention to the smaller details of the game.
“We should get better and the season should’ve been better this year,” Doorey said. “Say you win seven of those games. All of a sudden, you’re looking at a winning record and a conference playoff berth.”
Weather was a determining factor in how PSUC did at the beginning of the season. The Cards had only two days to practice before starting conference play because of the poor condition of Chip Cummings Field.
“From going inside on a gym field to going out to a grass field and actually seeing people hit the ball at you is different,” Doorey said. “The weather always plays a factor here in upstate New York.”
PSUC was the youngest team in the SUNYAC conference this year, with only four seniors. The Cards have been undergoing a rebuilding process for the past two seasons but will have eight seniors and 12 juniors next year. PSUC will be one of the older teams in the conference next season.
The Cards currently have six committed freshmen for next year.
PSUC will use this year as a learning experience to improve for next season. Jon Craft believes the Cards can improve upon bunt defense and situational hitting in time for next year.
“Next season is definitely going to be one that we just hope to improve a lot and look back and see where we struggled most,” Craft said.
When looking forward to next year, Doorey was full of confidence in his team.
“We’ll be back in the SUNYAC playoffs next season,” Doorey said with a smile
Email Nate Mundt at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
