New Paltz, NY — It was nothing short of a legendary season for arguably the best team in Hawks baseball history.  

Defying all predisposed expectations, the State University of New York New Paltz overcame the seemingly insurmountable odds to break records, hoist program-first accomplishments, and become SUNYAC champions. But the light at the end of the long spring season tunnel was not always bright.  

Preseason polls predicted the Hawks would land fifth in the SUNYAC rankings by the end of the 2024 season. After returning the bulk of their roster, including 23 returners with 15 being seniors and graduate students, the Hawks intended to use their experience to end their five-year playoff drought, and to prove the polls wrong. 

At the beginning of the year, SUNY New Paltz had a 6-5 winning record against nonconference competition before facing their first SUNYAC opponent, conference-rival Plattsburgh. Despite a dominating Game 2 win, the Hawks dropped the three-game series 2-1 against the Cardinals. 
 

Following a first-ever program win against Maritime, they welcomed the Fredonia Blue Devils for their second SUNYAC series, and this time, SUNY New Paltz was ready to make a statement.  

In Game 1, the Hawks performed one of the most incredible offensive efforts in New Paltz Athletics. SUNY New Paltz outscored the Blue Devils 30-2 — the largest run margin the team has ever won by. The seven-inning barrage set the tone for the series, which the Hawks took 2-1. Those three games showed the rest of the conference that SUNY New Paltz would not sit silently at No. 5 but were serious contenders for the SUNYAC title.  

After Fredonia, the Hawks were victorious in four out of five of their subsequent games, before traveling to Oneonta to defeat the Red Dragons in their next SUNYAC series, 2-1. But a bigger challenge neared — the Brockport Golden Eagles.  
SUNY New Paltz had not defeated Brockport since 2019 and had not defeated them while on the road since 2018, which was also the last season the Hawks had made it to the postseason. But again, defying expectations, SUNY New Paltz defeated the Golden Eagles for the first time in five years and took the series 2-1. Following a 10-6 game one win, the Hawks dropped the second 5-1, leaving the series decider to Game 3. A no-hitter thrown by sophomore Robert Gregory led SUNY New Paltz in the defensive effort it needed to silence Brockport and win Game 3 by a staggering 10-1 score.   

Unfortunately, the good momentum from the Brockport series could not keep the Hawks afloat against the Cortland Red Dragons, as they dropped the series to the visitors in their second-to-last SUNYAC competition. To secure a playoff berth, SUNY New Paltz had to defeat No. 2 ranked Oswego, another challenge for the Hawks. But not one they couldn't handle.  

SUNY New Paltz defeated Oswego in not only one game, not two, but all three games in the series. The victory was legendary, as the last time SUNY New Paltz defeated the Lakers was in 2017, and the series sweep allowed the Hawks to clinch the No. 2 seed heading into the SUNYAC tournament. 

For the first postseason game, SUNY New Paltz once again faced up against the Lakers, trying to continue its winning ways against the perennial power. However, a 10-run deficit by the third inning quickly diminished those hopes, and the win seemed far-fetched to onlookers. But, like many times throughout the season, the Hawks did not back down from exceeding expectations. Slowly but surely, the offense chipped away at the point margin while the fielding squad prevented any further lead. Going into the ninth inning, the score read 11-9, only two points between the Hawks and a postseason victory. At the bottom of the inning, two runs tied up the game at 11, and SUNY New Paltz had the final say. Graduate student Justin Harvey sealed the deal with a walk-off to cement one of the greatest comeback efforts in program history, for the Hawks' fifth postseason victory ever. 

But the championship was not secured in the Hawks talons yet, and after a 7-3 loss against No. 1 ranked Cortland, it seemed even further from reach. SUNY New Paltz once again faced Oswego, this time in a win-or-go-home matchup. The win meant the team needed to defeat the Lakers for a fifth straight time on the season, an extremely difficult feat. 

Yet, by the skin of their teeth, the Hawks edged out Oswego 4-3 after overcoming an early 2-0 deficit. For the first time since 2000, SUNY New Paltz was headed to the SUNYAC championship. But before taking it all, the Hawks had to defeat Cortland the following day, a team whom they had not won against all season. And they had to win not only once, but twice on the Red Dragons' home field — a task which has evaded SUNY New Paltz since the program's inception.  

But the Hawks got it done.  

In dominating fashion, SUNY New Paltz bested Cortland 11-3 and 15-11 in the doubleheader championship, to hoist the program's first-ever SUNYAC title. The victory not only earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, but the title of the first baseball team in SUNY New Paltz to bring the conference trophy back to the nest.  

Moving on to the first regional round of the NCAA tournament, the Hawks were seeded into a challenging group, including No. 1 nationally ranked Endicott University, No. 22 ranked and hosting Eastern Connecticut State, and Husson University. SUNY New Paltz had not received a national ranking all season, but they still had to compete against the best of the best.  

In Game 1, the Hawks faced the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors. They were led by the pitching staff until the end, specifically, Xavier Zykoff, who threw six scoreless innings against the ranked Warriors, only letting up a sole run before Jeff Lundstedt relieved him for the final two innings, pitching scoreless as well. SUNY New Paltz put up four runs, all scored by different players, to claim victory in the program's first-ever NCAA win.  

Entering the winner's bracket, the Hawks had to face the top-seeded Endicott Gulls, but they did not back down without a fight. After an offense-heavy contest, the Gulls took home a 19-12 victory, putting SUNY New Paltz back in the loser's bracket and a win-or-go-home scenario. Despite the loss, the Hawks still made their mark on the No. 1 team, as they scored the most runs against Endicott than any other team did all season.
  

Unfortunately, the triumphant season ended the following day, as SUNY New Paltz took its second regional loss and were eliminated by the Husson Eagles. Even though a latter-inning rally by the Hawks tried to get them back in the game, they could not overcome a 6-0 early deficit and fell, 6-2.  

Despite ending with a loss, all good things must come to an end, and the 2024 campaign brought the Hawks an enormous number of accomplishments. The team won their first SUNYAC title, first NCAA win, and they accumulated the most wins in program history with 31 on the season, while suffering only 16 losses. They ended the year with 523 hits, 402 runs, and an impressive .660-win percentage, boasting one of the best offenses in Division III baseball.  

Zykoff, Michael Boccarossa, Tommy Kreider, and Matt Sarni earned First Team All-SUNYAC honors, and Michael Ascanio was named to the second team. Additionally, all four players were also named to the All-Region team.  

Junior Kreider was a true catalyst for the team and took home a massive amount of hardware following the postseason. He is the program's first two-time, first-team All-Region and first-time All-American select. He received All-SUNYAC Honors and was SUNYAC Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He led the team in hits (82) and runs (62) and broke the program's single season record for both categories. Also breaking records was Sarni, who recorded the most saves in a single season program history.  

Awards reached beyond the diamond, as head coach Thomas Seay was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year for his sixth season at the helm, the fourth Hawks coach to do so, and received ABCA/Rawlings Region III Coach of the Year, the first in program history to receive the honor.  

It was also an incredible career finish for the seven senior and graduate students who will not be returning next season — Justin Ortiz, James Trink, James McGovern, Boccarossa, Nick Harvey, Connor Olson, and Justin Harvey. 

The Hawks will return 23 players for the 2025 season and bring in a strong class of incoming freshmen and transfers to try to repeat the exceptional success the team saw in 2024.  

Season Highlights (edited by Julia Quinlan)


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