In 2016, a playoff spot was on the line for the State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team and all it had to do was beat The College of Brockport once in the Hawks' last series of the season. Unfortunately SUNY New Paltz was swept in three games by the Golden Eagles that year, losing what would have been the Hawks first playoff appearance in years.
 
Now, after reaching the final four in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) the last two seasons, the Hawks are again in desperate need of a win against the College at Brockport to keep their playoff hopes alive. A series win against the Golden Eagles keeps SUNY New Paltz's playoff chances in its own hands, but a sweep or loss would be dangerous, leaving the Hawks fate in the hands on the rest of the conference. 
 "Really it's just a matter of execution" said SUNY New Paltz senior outfielder Danny Campbell. "It's still a baseball game, and baseball's a game where anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We feel like we should be beating some of these teams, but this weekend we have no choice. Just have to show up and do what we know we can do and there shouldn't be a problem."
 
The Hawks, who currently sit at 8-9 overall and 0-6 in the SUNYAC, are coming off a clutch walk-off win in their last matchup Wednesday against Stevens Institute of Technology. The win snapped a six-game losing streak, and SUNY New Paltz hopes the momentum will let the Hawks cruise through this weekend.
 
Always a top team in the conference, the Hawks have had trouble with the Golden Eagles in the past, but pulled out a series win in 2018, beating The College at Brockport 2-1 with 11-1 and 11-2 wins, while dropping a 5-2 decision. SUNY New Paltz lost its series with the Golden Eagles in 2017, dropping games one and three, 4-2 and 9-5, respectively, while also earning a 4-2 win in game two of the series.
 
The College of Brockport comes into the weekend looking for a big performance as well, as the Golden Eagles have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games. Most recently, The College of Brockport dropped a series with Plattsburgh State March 29 and 30 2-1, and lost to St. John Fisher College Wednesday in a 14-5 rout. The Golden Eagles are currently 8-13 overall, but their three wins in the SUNYAC for a 3-6 conference record gives them a slight advantage over the Hawks.
 
"We just have to start putting things together at the right times and this weekend's going to be a big challenge of that," said SUNY New Paltz senior pitcher Michael Delio. "We've had our fair amount of up and downs this season, so we know what to expect when we get down in a game and what to expect when we get up. I think the biggest thing for us is to keep our playing level very even, not let the highs get to high and the lows get to low. If we're playing at a composer level all day, we're good enough to beat anyone.
 
Game one of the series will be the first seven innings of SUNY New Paltz's doubleheader with the Golden Eagles, starting at 1 p.m. The Hawks will return at 3 p.m. for a nine-inning game, followed by the last game of the series at nonn Sunday in another nine-inning contest.
 
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