Nyack Warriors - 2012 Nyack Baseball Season in Review

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2012 Nyack Baseball Season in Review

Men's Baseball

The 2012 Nyack College Baseball season was a remarkable turnaround for a team that ended the 2011 season with a record of 3-35. The off season saw the Warriors bring 19 new additions to the program, ready to change the culture of a program that has won more than 10 games just once since 2004. The move to Provident Bank Park as the new home for Nyack College baseball also foreshadowed that change was on the horizon.

Nyack would set the tone for the 2012 season with a doubleheader sweep over St. Thomas Aquinas College in the season opener, STAC would finish the season regionally ranked with 34 victories. From there the Warriors would head into FL, winning contests over St. Rose, AIC, St. Michael’s and Mercy College, returning north with a 7-6 overall record.

Nyack would shock Dominican in the CACC opener, sweeping the Chargers at Provident Bank Park by scores of 3-2 and 6-4. The Warriors would play .500 baseball through the CACC portion of the schedule and head into the final conference double-header against USciences with a record of 9-9. Nyack would take both games over the Devils, defeating the CACC pitcher of the year in game 1 by a score of 12-7 and decisively winning game 2 by a score of 10-0. The win pushed the Warriors into the CACC tournament for the first time since 2009 as the conference's #5 seed.

The Warriors would square off against Bloomfield College in the opening round, where a combination of walks and 2-out hits would cost the Warriors the chance to head to Delaware for the CACC tournament finals as Nyack fell by a score of 5-4.

The day following the loss to Bloomfield, the Warriors would head to Canton, OH for the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region tournament. Nyack would take two games from Houghton College and fall twice to Malone, bringing their overall record to 25-25.

The following Sunday, the Warriors received an at-large bid to the NCCAA World Series, marking the first time since 2002 that Nyack would make an appearance at the National Christian Championships. On day 1, an error and a passed ball would be the difference in Nyack’s 3-2 loss to Olivet Nazarene University. The Warriors would bounce back on day two of the tournament, defeating the national #1 seed Cedarville University by a score of 3-1 on the back of complete game effort by senior Wayne Richardson. Nyack would lead Emmanuel by a score of 3-0, but would fall 9-3. Needing a victory and help to advance to the tournament semi-finals, Nyack would fall to Southeastern University and former Nyack head coach Jason Beck by a score of 4-2.

The Warriors 26 wins would be a 23 win improvement from the 2011 team. Nyack would see numerous plays garner accolades in the post season. Transfer Phil Delisle would be named first team All-CACC at shortstop, in his last NCAA eligible season Delisle batted a team best .355 with a conference leading 47 rbi’s and 21 extra base hits. Delisle would also swipe 12 bases.

Also being named 2nd team selections were Senior JD Calabrese and Freshmen Kris Chatman and John Kennedy. Calabrese would tally 23 extra base hits at first base and finish second on the team with 30 rbi’s. Chatman, whose 39 stolen bases ranked him 2nd in the CACC also batted .281 as a freshman. Kennedy finished 2012 with 64 stolen bases and a .349 average, which earned him CACC and NCAA East Region Rookie of the Year honors. Kennedy’s 64 swipes ranked him 2nd nationally in NCAA Division II. Coach Matt Cornacchione also received honors as CACC Coach of the Year, as the Warriors totaled 26 wins and a playoff birth, a year removed from a 3-win season.

Also of note was senior Kevin Earlie, who finished the season tied for the CACC lead with 8 victories on the mound. Earlie also finished 4th in the conference with 72 strikeouts. TJ Briggs finished the season 3rd in the CACC in batting average in conference play, batting a remarkable .408.

The Warriors would lead the CACC in overall batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored, fielding percentage and would finish 2nd in all of NCAA Division II with 181 stolen bases, a school and CACC record.

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