Dean Stalzer ended his five-year career at SUNY New Paltz in historic fashion this past spring. An already previous First-Team All-SUNYAC selection back in 2019, the Shoreham, NY native had a career year for the Hawks in his final stint with the team.
 
Playing in 34 of 35 games, mostly at designated hitter and at first base, Stalzer was a staple in SUNY New Paltz's lineup, especially early on and in the latter part of the season. He started his final year with a three-home run performance against Mount Saint Mary, and after getting over a mid-year slump, upped that performance with another three-home run game, which included two grand slams — one in walk-off fashion — and 12 RBI, which tied for second most ever in DIII baseball history.
 
Additionally, Stalzer helped SUNY New Paltz get back into postseason contention when his bat picked back up in late April and he ultimately ended the season with 13 home runs and 45 RBI, both single season program records. En route to his legendary individual season, Stalzer also surpassed a 20-year program record to become the team's new all-time home run leader, finishing his career with 20 through 89 games played.
 
At the end of the season, Stalzer was recognized for his individual performance throughout the season and was named to his second First-Team All-SUNYAC honor, along with collecting his first All-Region accolade after being named to both D3Baseball.com and ABCA All-Region III teams. He became the first Hawk since 2006 to be named to First-Team ABCA All-Region.
 
Looking back at the year, Stalzer reflected on some of his most memorable moments and what it meant to him to solidify himself in the Hawks record books as one of the best hitters to come out of the program in recent memory.
 

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First Inning:
Entering your final season was it a goal of yours to try and chase the team's single season home run record? Did you feel like it was attainable heading into the year?

I was definitely aware of the single season record prior to the season opener and knew it was within reach after the season opener, but as important as it is to set personal goals, my focus heading into the season was more aligned with the team's goals of just winning. When you start setting personal goals in a team sport (especially home run goals), you begin to slowly lose sight of the teams goals. So was it a goal of mine to chase that record? Yeah definitely, especially after hitting three home runs my first game, but I think that's what also contributed to an early slump on my part that did no good for the team. Like I said, personal goals are great to set, but setting a personal goal that's more aligned with your teams goals is the only way to find success.

 
Second Inning:
After that Mount Saint Mary's game where you had your first three-home run day, did you think you'd ever get to duplicate that performance again, let alone best it later in the season after hitting three with 12 RBI against Fredonia later in the year? In the box that day, what were you looking for and how was your approach in order to go 5-for-5 with three homers?

After the Mount Saint Mary's game, I was almost positive I just had the best game I would ever have. I remember even joking saying that 'it's only downhill from here'. It was a great way to start a season and I was really just focusing on seeing the ball out of the pitcher's hand and giving it a ride. I knew that teams this early in the season didn't know exactly who I was yet or what I was capable of, so I was able to stay patient and wait for fastballs. 

Third Inning:
After starting the year hot, you hit a slump during the middle of the season but came out of it after that Fredonia game. Do you think that was the turning point in the season for you individually? What adjustments did you make to hit more consistently in the latter part of the year? How essential was that game in pushing you toward the eventual season you had?

Unfortunately, slumps are just part of this game and everyone knows they can last anywhere from 5-30 games long, so when you only have a 30-40 game season, being in a slump can seem like the end the world because it can literally be an entire season. I think the ultimate turning point for my slump this season was after the first Fredonia game going 2-3 and getting ejected on a bogus call by the umpire. I knew the game was out of my hands but I had full confidence in my team pushing through to secure that win. But the ejection lit a fire under me after watching my teammates battle the second game for another victory. I knew that this team was capable of success without me, so I just began to imagine what our success would look like with me on my A-game. Watching my boys play all the way from the North Track really helped me readjust my mindset and reestablish my personal goals. I now knew I wasn't here to just try and break some records, I wanted to be here to help my teammates win some baseball games. I showed up to ballpark fired up before the third game against Fredonia and told everyone I was hitting a home run my first at-bat to make it up to them for missing game 2. Trotting around the bases in the bottom of the first inning, I knew I was just heating up and that my mindset and goals were in the right place.

Fourth Inning:
What was the most memorable at-bat you had this season? What do you remember most? How many pitches did you see? What was he throwing you and how amped were you to notch a hit in that spot?

Honestly, the walk-off grand slam was something I'll remember for the rest of my life, but the flood of emotions consumes that memory and it's hard to recreate it. The at-bat that I can still replay repeatedly in my head is the at-bat before that one. It was a perfect game-winning opportunity, bases loaded in the bottom of eighth, we are losing 13-10, and I'm hot. I knew I wanted a home run, but I also knew I could get away with a base hit and pass the sticks off to Jordan [Rios] who's been incredible in the lineup behind me. Nonetheless, I wanted that home run pitch so I remained patient watching two perfectly placed pitches graze the outside corner of the plate to start the at-bat 0-2. The next pitch I'll remember for the rest of my life because it was exactly what I struggle with, a high fastball while behind in the count. The second I watched that ball go just below my chin, I knew I was seeing the ball well and knew I had a real opportunity to hammer the ball. Next pitch comes in, exactly where I want, belt high fastball right in my wheelhouse and…. fouled it back. Next pitch was a curve ball low that I stuck with just long enough to roll foul towards my dugout. Then all the patience finally paid off when the Fredonia pitcher tried to go back upstairs with a fastball and left it just low enough for my eyes to light up and put a no-doubter into the tennis courts for a grand slam. I say this is the most memorable at-bat because with this grand slam to take the lead, and felt on top of the world, I can also remember the pain of quickly losing the one-run lead we just took in the top of the ninth…by three. Baseball is an emotional roller coaster, but we knew this was a dog fight and that anything was possible. And once again, now bottom of the ninth, down by three again, all I can remember is thinking curve ball, knowing that I'll not see a single fastball anywhere near the zone. As I swung at the breaking ball just low and inside the plate and knowing I didn't catch a full barrel on it, all I can remember is the sound of Mr. Ortiz in the stands…  "Get out. Get out go! GET OUT! YEAAAA DEANO!" And next thing I know I'm hopping onto home plate getting dog-piled by my boys with Bruce Springsteen's Glory Days blasting on the speakers. So my most memorable at-bat(s) probably in my entire life are these back-to-back grand slams. 

 
Fifth Inning:
What was the most memorable game from this season? Why does that particular game stand out in your mind, and does it rank up there as one of the most memorable in your five-year Hawks career?

I know it sounds repetitive but there's no doubt that game three against Fredonia will be the most memorable game not just in my Hawks career but in my entire baseball career. Hitting three home runs in one game is something I can only wish more people get to experience because there's almost nothing like that. Doing that to Mount Saint Mary's is something I'll remember forever, but the Fredonia game carried so much more weight and emotions given it was for the conference sweep, and it was a literal dogfight the entire nine innings. A game like that is one when you look back, you want to be able to say you did everything in your power to help us win that game, and in a sport like baseball, being successful is doing your job 30 percent of the time, so being able to lead my team to this victory was one I'll remember forever.

 
Sixth Inning:
Who was the toughest pitcher you faced this season? Did you feel like you always had the opportunity to hit consistently with anyone you faced?

I would have to say Finnegan from Oswego. I've faced him before in the past years a few times and got three at-bats this season against him and my average against him will unfortunately forever be .000. Personally, I don't like facing lefties, I know righty batters are supposed to like a lefty pitcher, but I always had a harder time seeing the ball out of their hands. And if a lefty had decent velocity on their fastball with a decent change up, you might as well give me the day off. That being said, when I do get on a hot streak, my only thought walking up to the plate is how far is this ball going to go, fundamentals and stats and everything you may be thinking about when I'm hot and I'm up at bat gets washed away and that's what brings me my most success. Unfortunately, I faced Finnegan early on in the season when fundamentals and swing timing were still a nuisance in my mind and I was trying to get out of my slump.
 

Seventh Inning stretch:
Rapid Fire:

• Favorite pitch to hit?
  • Fastball
• Where in the zone are you most likely going to turn on for a home run?
  • Anything slightly up and in, can't be higher than my neck or its strike three
• Most hitter friendly ballpark you've played in this year?
  • Probably Lauren Campbell, nothing better than home field home runs
• Least hitter friendly ballpark you've played in this year?
  • Duchess because the ball doesn't travel well there
• Longest ball you've hit this season?
  • Second homerun at Oneonta against their ace
• Favorite home run of the season?
  • Walk-off grand slam against Fredonia

 
Seventh Inning:
What did it mean to you to be recognized as a two-time First-Team All-SUNYAC selection and a First-Team All-Region selection? How much more does it mean to earn those accolades in your final season as a Hawk?

It definitely means a lot to be recognized by a prestigious and well-respected organization alongside some of the best players in all of DIII baseball. Playing for New Paltz, you quickly realize how much the odds are not in your favor in the SUNYAC with DIII powerhouses like Oswego and Cortland. It was a great honor and an incredible way to end my career as a Hawk. I think it also means a lot to my teammates who are coming back next year because it proved to them that just because we aren't one of three nationally ranked teams in our tiny conference, we still have an opportunity to work for and earn recognition from other coaches and players in our league. There is no better feeling than a nationally ranked team fearing you every time you step in the box. And I think it will help put a chip on some of the guy's shoulder, like who wants Cortland and Oswego to fear them next? I bet it'll be [Jordan] Rios!

 
Eighth Inning:
Looking back on the season, what will you remember most? Although you guys missed out on the postseason what were some highlights for you that you'll always remember?

This year was interesting as it was the first full season back from COVID, so it almost seemed like there were a lot of firsts, not my firsts, but the underclassmen's firsts. I got to relive the excitement and experience through the underclassmen's first full collegiate season — first bus rides and overnight stays, oh yeah and their first Northeast college baseball weather dilemma LOL. I'm sure a lot of people probably have felt or do feel a similar way, but COVID really disrupted the natural course of a college experience, and I knew I was lucky coming back for a fifth year, unlike many of my buddies that graduated during the pandemic and didn't get to have a 'last season'. So, what I'll remember most from this season is the joy and the excitement for baseball that my teammates helped bring back to me, as well as all the memories we've created along the way.

 
Ninth Inning:
What has it meant to you to be a Hawk? How much pride do you take in etching your name in the record books as the new single season leader in home runs and RBI, and the all-time career home run leader? What will you remember most about your Hawks career more than the home runs you've hit?

It does mean a lot to be Hawk and I wear our logo with pride. We aren't a widely popular baseball school, but that's almost what made it more special. Every day we showed up to the field, my teammates and I knew we weren't playing for our parents anymore, we weren't playing for our school or our even our coaches, we were playing for our love of the game and the love we had for each other. The records are an incredible way to leave my mark on this place, but those memories don't compete in the slightest with the off-field memories I've accumulated over the years. The number of friendships and relationships that were bonded along with the laughs and cries shared over the years are the memories that I cherish and will be with me forever. A homerun lasts about 30 seconds, but the relationships I've developed here at SUNY New Paltz will last a lifetime. 

 
Extra Innings:
The single-season home record had stood for nearly 50 years. How long do you think your record of 13 will stand and what advice would you give a young power hitter in pursuit of those kind of numbers in their career?

Well, I'd like to say that I think it'll stand forever, but I know records are meant to be broken. I'm sure I'll be a little disappointed when that day comes, but I'll also be very excited to see NPs next home run king help lead his team towards a championship. For when the day comes that I do need to be worried about my records being broken, my best advice is don't play for the record, play your game and play for your teammates next to you. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to get a hit while you're thinking about your 30 brothers, as opposed to getting a hit thinking about just yourself.

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