Waterville, Maine: The SUNY Cobleskill men's baseball team has been ranked first among the four teams in the 2022 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Western Division Coaches Poll. The Fighting Tigers are coming off a 2021 season that saw them win the league's Western Division Championship finishing the year with a 15-9 overall record including a 10-4 record versus NAC opponents.

After a season that saw them advance to the 2021 NAC Championship Series Cobleskill Head Coach Lance Ratchford believes that with 21 returning lettermen the experience acquired last season is going to pay large dividends in and raise expectations for the 2022 season.

"Our strength this season is going to be maturity and experience. We have guys who have been there before and we feel that we have improved on our deficiencies both offensively and defensively," said Ratchford. "Our goal this year is to return to the conference championship series looking to earn the NCAA bid."

Leading the way among the returners offensively will be sophomore infielder/pitcher Stephen Tejada, Queens, N.Y., High School for Construction, who earned Second Team All-NAC honors and a spot on the D3baseball.com All-New York Region Third Team in 2021 after posting a season that saw the Fighting Tiger rookie bat .400 with 16 runs scored and eight runs batted in while posting a 2-1 record in the mound with a 3.96 ERA.

Cobleskill will also return senior shortstop Eddy Garcia, Bronx, N.Y., World View High School, who batted .273 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and 15 runs scored, senior infielder Christopher Kordziel, Rotterdam, N.Y., Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School/Hudson Valley Community College, who led the league with 11 stolen bases in 2021 hitting .296 with 12 runs scored and seven RBI, junior first baseman/third baseman Frank Leger, Bronx, N.Y., All Hallows High School, who batted .264 with a pair home runs, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored along with junior second baseman Connor Mann, Hampstead, Md., Hereford High School, who batted .292 during the campaign.

Among the new additions Coach Ratchford believes that first year catcher Logan Hutter, Smithtown, N.Y., Smithtown High School, brings excellent defensive skills and extra base power to the batting order as does junior third baseman David Flora, Windsor, N.Y., Windsor High School/Herkimer Community College.

The Fighting Tiger pitching staff will return one of the best starting tandems in the league as senior left hander Devin Lewis, Cobleskill, N.Y., Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, returns after posting a 6-1 record with a 3.00 ERA along with senior right hander Jarrod Williams, Baldwinsville, N.Y., C.W. Baker High School/Finger Lakes Community College, who went 2-2 during the year with a team leading 2.68 ERA.

Also returning this year will be senior southpaw Ethan Straub, Oswego, N.Y., Oswego High School/Jefferson Community College, who was 1-1 overall with two saves and a 4.76 ERA, junior lefty Christopher Leavey, Kings Park, N.Y., Kings Park High School, who was 2-2 overall with a 5.12 ERA and sophomore right hander Andrew Jarkow, Glen Head, N.Y., North Shore High School, who went 1-1 with a 7.50 ERA.

The newcomers to the roster will feature junior college standout junior righty Wyatt Palmer, Camden, N.Y., Camden High School/Cayuga Community College, who will start in the rotation and first year right hander Aidan Maxwell, Newport, N.Y., West Canada High School, who could see action out of the bullpen and as a starter.

The Fighting Tigers are slated to open the season on Friday March 4 and Saturday March 5 when they are scheduled to travel to Hackettstown, N.J. for a pair of doubleheaders versus the Cyclones of Centenary University both beginning at 11:00 a.m.

2022 NAC BASEBALL PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL

WESTERN DIVISION:
 

Rank	Team	Points
1.	SUNY Cobleskill (3) *	15
2.	SUNY Polytechnic Institute	11
T-3.	Cazenovia College	7
T-3.	SUNY Canton	7

*First Place Votes

EASTERN DIVISION:
 

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Husson University (3) *	23
2.	Thomas College (2) *	22
3.	Northern Vermont University-Lyndon	14
4.	University of Maine Farmington	9
5.	University of Maine Presque Isle	7

*First Place Votes