NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- A season ago, the State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team held an overall record of 13-19. Players and coaches felt they did not compete consistently enough to get the job done. So how does that change heading into 2020? Up the competition in every aspect from day one.

"We broke the guys up into two groups--white team vs. grey team," said Hawks second-year coach Thomas Seay. "We had a winner and loser every single day between infield drills, intersquads, morning conditioning, [etc,] and we tallied that up throughout the fall. The question was, 'can we be more competitive in everything we do?'"

Seay will get a glimpse into how his team will answer the call this weekend when the Hawks open their season at Mount Saint Mary with a Saturday double header against the Knights. Game one is set for 12 p.m., and game two is set for 2 p.m.
Seay and his team feel confident heading into opening weekend.

"We've done a really good job of focusing on individual skill development, and that has helped add a competitive nature to our live sessions," Seay said. 

Senior Matt McGee added, "It's been great so far. I've really liked the way all the guys are working hard and sticking together. We feel like we're a family here, and we're all going in one direction. The goal is to win a SUNYAC Championship, and I think we're all on board to do that."

The 2020 Hawks are comprised of 17 returners and 11 newcomers. Some of the key returners include position players Dean Stalzer, David Juechter, Julian Francisco, and Michael Boccarosa; and pitchers Billy Moeller and Anthony Amoroso. SUNY New Paltz also returns one of the conference's best hitters in McGee.

McGee finished 2019 with the second best batting average in SUNYAC play hitting at a .397 clip. McGee also totaled 23 hits in conference play, tied for fourth with 2019 SUNYAC player of the year Scott Giordano (Cortland). McGee is poised for a quality senior campaign in 2020.

"It's all about trusting the process and going about things the right way every single day," McGee said. "At the end of the day, though, it's just about confidence and working hard."

Outside of Amoroso, or "Ammo" as he is known around campus, the Hawks' pitching staff is young. The young arms include sophomore Moeller who led the team with an ERA of 3.81 in 2019, lefty transfer sophomore Brandon Bernard, 6 foot 4 sophomore Scott Wagner, and sophomore Chris Deckaj who appeared in six games as a freshman. 

"We're really young on the mound," said captain Amoroso. "Guys are listening. Guys want to get better every day. And guys are just competing. These young guys are all competitors, and as a staff that will be key for us this year."

Seay has stressed that his pitchers must be able to command their fastballs to get ahead in counts.Once they do earn a favorable count, they must be able to spin a breaking ball to force swings and misses and weak contact. Seay has been impressed with Amoroso's ability to do so early on.
"Ammo has been great," Seay said. "He battled through a lot of adversity and injuries last year. This year he has been outstanding in our live sessions, and I expect him to have a great year for us as he continues to be a great leader for our younger guys."

The younger guys are not just on the mound for the Hawks. Seay expects a number of newcomers to make an impact at the plate and in the field. Matt Laurelli is one of those players. Laurelli is a transfer from Division II LIU Post. He will play shortstop for SUNY New Paltz.

"Matt gives us a very athletic and explosive player in the middle infield," Seay explained.

On the freshman side of things, Seay thinks highly of the class that he and his staff brought in. Two of those freshmen are Nick Harvey and Justin Harvey--twins from Nesconset, N.Y. on Long Island. 
The freshman arm to keep an eye on is southpaw Nick Zangara. Zangara comes to New Paltz from Tottenville High School on Staten Island.

"Nick just fills up the zone and is as competitive as the day is long," Seay said. "I really like the direction that our program is heading. If we get the proper leadership from our older players, the program can become something special."

Heading into Saturday's matchup with Mount Saint Mary, the Hawks hold a record of 16-12 against the Knights dating back to 1992. In the last five matchups between the Hudson Valley rivals, SUNY New Paltz is 5-0 including 2019's 10-2 and 5-3 victories. 

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