The State University of New York at New Paltz are in a five-year drought since tasting a piece of postseason play. With nine seniors, five fifth year and even one sixth-year player, the Hawks boast one of their most experience and talented rosters since their fated postseason run as they have one singular focus as they enter 2024 — solidify a spot in the SUNYAC Championship Tournament.

"This veteran group has seen a lot of adversity," said Hawks graduate student and captain Michael Boccarossa who enters his sixth and final season with the program. "We've been on the unlucky end of the stick a bunch of times and I think with all the guys coming back this year, we're ready to put our foot down and kind of say, 'we won't take it anymore.' I love this group of seniors that I'm here with and I'm ready for it, and we're ready for it. Adversity is nothing new to us."
 
If preseason polls are to be believed, SUNY New Paltz will finish fifth in the State University of New York Athletic Conference in 2024, a notch above where they finished the 2023 SUNYAC campaign. The roster features 17 newcomers and despite their 14-24 overall and 4-14 conference record, those results could easily have been 21-17 overall and 9-5 in SUNYAC as the Hawks lost seven games by two runs or less a year ago.

Sixth year head coach Thomas Seay returns 23 players from last season, including two All-SUNYAC selections. The roster includes five graduate students completing their four years of eligibility, and four seniors, all who lend much experience and knowledge to a still young team. Three juniors and 11 sophomores complete the returning players. Recruiting for both now and the future, coach Seay has brought in three transfers and nine first year players to fill out the 2024 Hawks.

"Coming back for my last year here and seeing these group of guys — the veteran leadership that we have: [Connor] Olson, the [Nick and Justin] Harvey, [Dillon] Ristano, [Justin] Ortiz coming back with a good group of young guys who have bought in, it feels pretty different," Boccarossa said. "I felt like the teams that I've been on in the past here have all had so much potential and this team just has a little bit more of that effort and desire, you know 'play for each other' mentality, battle through adversity and it's exciting to feel that."
 
 
Behind the plate looks to be a strong suit for the Hawks, who return three experienced catchers. Dillon Ristano (Woodmere, NY/George W. Hewlett HS) will bring a veteran presence after coming off another solid season after hitting .291 with a team-leading 20 extra base hits, while holding a .983 fielding percentage.

SUNYAC Co-Rookie of the Year Christopher Sais (Hicksville, NY/St. Dominic HS) returns and will primarly flex into the DH spot in the lineup, as Justin Harvey (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown East HS) will play behind the plate and at first base with fellow senior Ristano. Sias hit for .370, leading SUNY New Paltz in hits with 47 and 26 RBI. Ristan hit for .291 with 37 hits and 17 RBI, and Harvey batted.342 with 40 hits and 17 RBI.
The infield will be anchored by All-SUNYAC second baseman Tommy Kreider (JR/New City/Clarkstown South HS), team captain and third baseman Boccarossa (GR/Port Chester, NY/Port Chester HS) and shortstop Fabian Apicella (SO/Howard Beach, NY/Scholars Academy).
 
Kreider started 28 of 28 games played with a .365 batting average, with 38 hits, 16 RBI, 46 assists and a team high 16 stolen bases. Boccarossa, playing in 37 games and starting 36, batted .208 with a team high 75 assists, and is just six hits away from career 100 and is closing in on program records in games played and games started, while already holding the all-time record in sacrfice hits. 
 
Apicella, started in 36 of 37 games as a freshman last season and hit for .294 with 34 hits, 22 RBI, nine stolen bases and 53 assists. Backing them up will be junior shortstop Ryan Mackle (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South HS) and sophomores Garrett Grathwohl (Cutchogue, NY/Mattituck Jr-Sr HS), second baseman Chris Throne (Milton, NY/Marboro HS), and third/first baseman Nico Batkay (Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay-East Fishkill HS). Junior Anthony Pericolosi (Rockville Centre, NY/South Side HS/SUNY Cortland), a former All Nassau County and Newsday Top 100 on Long Island pick, should add an extra dimension to the outfield for the Hawks.
 
SUNY New Paltz boasts a strong outfield, led by junior Michael Ascanio (Armonk, NY/Byram Hills HS), who started 25 of 35 games, batting .303 with 27 hits and 18 RBI with 82 catches and 75 putouts. He can also double on the pitcher's mound if needed. Also returning are seniors Justin Ortiz (Wantagh, NY/Archbishop Molloy HS) and Alex Ouellette (Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia/Newbridge Academy). Sophomores Xavier Zykoff (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill HS) and Robert Gregory (Queens, NY/Bayside HS) saw duty in the outfield and on the mound last season. Junior Tommy Kreider can also play outfield in addition to his infield assignment with transfers… and freshmen… will also see time on the field.
 
"In year's past we've had some good teams, but this year just feels like we're all as one," said SUNY New Paltz senior captain Connor Olson. "We go out here every single day as a family and we compete. That's the biggest thing that I see is different between our teams in the past and to now is that we can turn it on against each other and compete against each other, but at the same time we're just family."  
The Hawks carry 14 pitchers, plus five field players who add depth to the pitching staff. Two graduate students, Olsen (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury HS) and Nick Harvey (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown East HS) and two seniors James Trink (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS) and James McGovern (Goshen, NY/Goshen HS) bring experience to the mound. McGovern saw action in 15 games with 31.1 innings, 22 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA. Trink played 29.2 innings across 14 games with 36 strikeouts; Olsen saw action in 18 games across 28.2 innings with 18 strikeouts; Harvey was limited to 11.1 innings across five games. Junior Michael Ascanio put in 9.1 innings of work with a 3.86 ERA in 2023; sophomore Liam Ryan (Middle Island, NY/Longwood HS) saw action in 15 games with 28.1 innings played and 32 strikeouts and a 3-1 record last season. Also a second year player, Xavier Zykoff played in 14 games with a 4.63 ERA over 23.1 innings with 13 strikeouts. Three additional sophomores contributed for the Hawks: Shane Linnett (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun HS) with 20.0 innings over 12 games and 13 strikeouts, Robert Gregory (Whitestone, NY/Bayside, HS) with 10.2 innings over 10 games and Matt Sarni (Levittown, NY/Gen. Douglas MacArther HS) with 22.1 innings over nine games with 24 strikeouts.
 
Transfers Jason Wall (Levittown/Gen. Douglas MacArthur HS/St. John Fisher University) and Frankie Collora (Stony Brook, NY/Ward Melville HS/SUNY Cortland) will be big weekend arms for SUNY New Paltz as they've both impressed over the course of an extended offseason.
 
Pitchers dominate the SUNY New Paltz first year recruiting class, with four right-handers and two lefties joining the Hawks. From the right side are Nic Kostulias (Mineola, NY/Mineola HS), Jack Schlagler (Marlboro, NY/Marlboro HS), Dylan Thomasson (Bohemia, NY/Connetquot HS), and Dylan Hayes (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central HS). The southpaws are Sal Dileo (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings HS) and Ryan Knieriemen (Westhamton, NY/Westhamton Beach HS).
 
Off the mound newcomers include catcher Wallace Kirkpatrick (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central HS) and outfielders Jack Costello (Medford, NY/Patchogue-Medford HS) and Joe Richetti (Holbrook, NY/Sachem HS East)   
 
"We added a lot of good arms this year," Olson said. "The [sophomores] that pitched last year, they have that experience under their belt where they don't get that experience as a freshman. We got two big transfers that came in this year. They're looking to be weekend arms for us and then we have three or four grad students and seniors who now how to lead the way, so I'm really excited to see what the season holds for us."
 
The Hawks will open their 2024 season on the road in Virginia Beach, VA at the Virginia Wesleyan Round Robin, facing host Virginia Wesleyan and Alfred State College on Feb. 24 and concluding their southern trip against Penn State Harrisburg on Feb. 25.

The following two weekends will again see SUNY New Paltz on the road, first the University of Hartford in a doubleheader in West Hartford, CT on March 2. On March 9 the Hawks will travel to Hackettstown, NJ for a doubleheader against Centenary University.

The Hawks open their home season at Loren Campbell Memorial Field on March 16, hosting Purchase College in a doubleheader. SUNY New Paltz then begins its pursuit of a postseason bid, entering SUNYAC play on March 22-23 hosting SUNY Plattsburgh. Nine non-conference games are interspersed throughout the remaining 16 SUNYAC contests, with the 2024 regular season concluding at home against SUNY Cortland on April 26-27. The SUNYAC Championship tournament runs from May 9 through May 11.

"It would mean everything to me. It really would," said Boccarossa of leading ending his team's five-year drought of a postseason berth. "I've spoken a lot to the upperclassmen this offseason and the seniors graduating with me this year, and we've got a lot on the line. We've never been there, and we just want to see what we can do. Seeing the effort that everyone has put in — the sacrifices that we've all made to come back here, it goes a long way. Over the stretch of 40 games to just get to taste that playoff berth that we all want so bad it means everything for us."

Preview Featuring Captains Michael Boccarossa & Connor Olson


**********************
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.