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CORTLAND, N.Y. – After falling to No. 3 SUNY Oswego, 9-5, in the opening round of the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Baseball Tournament yesterday, the State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team (16-18, 12-6 SUNYAC) faces off with No. 4 SUNY Fredonia in the first elimination game of the tournament. The Blue Devils fell to No. 1 SUNY Cortland yesterday, 11-3.
 
TICKET PRICING: Single-game ticket prices are $6 for adults, $3 for children 12 and under and free for all SUNY students with ID. An all-session pass can be purchased at the cost of $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
 
TOURNAMENT FORMAT: Unlike most SUNYAC Tournaments, the SUNYAC Baseball Tournament follows a double-elimination format. The opening round on Friday pitted Cortland against Fredonia and New Paltz against Oswego. The losers of each of Friday's games, New Paltz and Fredonia face off in game three on Saturday, while the winners, Cortland and Oswego, will go head-to-head in the fourth game of the tournament. The winner of game four will move on to the championship round, while the loser of game four will then take on the winner of game three for a chance to also move forward into the championship. The final round will take place on Sunday and feature one 2-0 team and one 2-1 team. Should the 2-1 team win, a second game will take place to determine the tournament champion.
 
ACES HIGH: Much of the Hawks' success this season can be attributed to excellent all-around performance from the pitching staff. Senior starter Chris Chismar (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) leads the entire conference with 74 strikeouts on the season. Next in line is junior starter Andrew Grann (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside), who has fanned 58 batters on the season. Chismar and Grann are fifth and 10th in the conference among starting pitchers with ERAs of 2.43 and 3.44, respectively. Junior starter Chris Pyz (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) is not far behind, placing 12th with a 3.48 ERA.
 
The bullpen has been a strong suit for the Hawks as well this season. Freshman reliever Brian Solomon (New Windsor, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) leads the team with three saves on the season. He also holds an impressive 0.82 ERA as well as an opponents' batting average of .079. Senior reliever John Schmidt (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) has been effective in both long and middle relief, holding a 2.45 ERA in eight relief appearances.
 
BATTER UP: Senior left fielder Anthony Repetto (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) leads the team with a .345 batting average, 41 hits and 15 RBI. From March 24 to April 15, Repetto accumulated a 13-game hitting streak. Senior center fielder Matt Carr (Westbury, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran) is right behind him with a .306 average. He has stolen a team-high 16 bases, which is good for second in the SUNYAC. Junior catcher/designated hitter David Lostaglio (Milton, N.Y./Marlboro Central) has the team's highest slugging percentage at .474 thanks to a team-high two triples and seven doubles. Senior first baseman Thomas Pinnola (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) has hit the team's only two homeruns.
 
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The Hawks are searching for their first-ever SUNYAC title. New Paltz has an all-time record of 3-9 in the SUNYAC Tournament. The Hawks' last win came back in 2001 when they defeated Utica/Rome in the loser's bracket, 16-13, in a 10-inning thriller. The previous year, the Hawks won two games out of the loser's bracket, but were unable to defeat SUNY Cortland in the final. Their last appearance came in 2011. The fourth-seeded Hawks were eliminated in two games, falling to top-seed Cortland, 6-1, before dropping a close 9-8 decision to No. 2 The College at Brockport.
 
NEW PALTZ VS. FREDONIA: The Hawks won the season series over the Blue Devils this year, winning two of their three matchups. On April 14, the Hawks grinded out a 10-8 victory in the first game of a doubleheader. Repetto had four hits in the win, while three other Hawks batters picked up three hits each. The Hawks fell behind early in the second contest en route to suffering a 7-1 loss. Chismar was lights out in the series finale on April 15, tossing the complete seven innings without allowing a run in the Hawks' 5-0 conquest.
 
ABOUT HEAD COACH MATT GRIFFITHS: Griffiths currently owns a 121-141 overall record in seven years at the helm of the New Paltz baseball team. Back in 2010, the SUNYAC coaches named Griffiths the Walter Nitardy Coach of the Year after guiding the Hawks to an 18-18 record a year after they were just 12-24. This is his second time qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament in his tenure at New Paltz. This year, he led the Hawks to their best SUNYAC record in program history with a 12-6 mark. He has coached 13 All-SUNYAC selections, one Don Axtell SUNYAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year and four American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-New York Region Players.
 
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS: Fredonia enters Saturday's contest with an 18-15 overall record, including a 7-11 conference mark. Jake Nowak's .373 batting average ranks fifth in the conference, while Brian Sheehan holds the SUNYAC lead with a .496 on base percentage. Sean Larson leads Fredonia starters with a 4.00 ERA on the season. Overall, the Blue Devils stand second in the SUNYAC with a .294 team batting average. Their pitching staff ranks sixth in the conference with a 5.11 ERA. Head coach Matt Palisin is in his 11th year at the helm of the Fredonia baseball team. Prior to 2013, the Blue Devils have averaged 20 wins a season, including 26 in 2010, which set a new program record.