Baseball Nearing Start Of 2025-26 Season
SUNY Broome baseball looks to put together another successful season after reaching the postseason for the first time in more than 15 seasons in 2025.
SUNY Broome baseball looks to put together another successful season after reaching the postseason for the first time in more than 15 seasons in 2025.
Last season, SUNY Broome produced 18 wins which were the most in a season for the Hornets since 2001. An 18-23 regular season record allowed the Hornets to finish as a top-four team in the East Division of Region 3, qualifying the team for the NJCAA Region 3 Championship tournament. Many of the individual and team-wide statistical marks set in 2025 were the program's best in at least the last 13 seasons. Four Hornets landed on a Mid-State Athletic Conference All-Conference team while two were named to an NJCAA Region 3 All-Region team at the season's end.
For 2026, the program is excited to welcome 22 new student-athletes, 21 of which are freshmen. The 22 new faces pair up with seven returners from last season to give the Hornets a roster of 29 heading into the campaign.
Headlining SUNY Broome's strong returning class is star Catcher Santino Michitti. Michitti was named All-Conference and Third Team All-Region in 2025. Kaiden Cannistra, an All-Conference Honorable Mention last season, and Zechariah Clouston will return as team captains for 2026. Carmelo Alessandro, Evan Persbacker, Emmanuel Aponte-Cardozo, and Darlyn De Los Angeles are key pieces also returning from the 2025 team which reached the postseason.
Front and center of the large and talented incoming recruiting class is freshman Luke Grassi. Grassi is a hard-throwing Pitcher from nearby Seton Catholic who looks to have a big season on the mound. Another recruit who will look for early success is Outfielder Cade Raleigh, cousin of MLB star Cal Raleigh. Cade won a New York State High School Baseball Championship in 2024 for nearby Maine-Endwell and is eager to help the Hornets on the diamond.
Accompanying Luke and Cade this year as new faces will be Maximus Morgan, Nicky Rubio-Reyes, Ethan Matthews, Gregory Inserillo, Peter Cruz, Bailey O'Connor, Brady Blair, Brady Mazur, Cameron Koske, Ethan Flagg, Ichiro Edo, Manuel Paulino, Alex Lamoreaux, Hunter Thornton, Emerson Toulson, Nicholas Malinovsky, Jacob Falero, Vernon Stevens, and transfers Thomas Reis Jr. and Landon Hepditch.
Seve Kowalski returns for his third season as Head Coach, joined again by Assistant Coach Rob Germaine. A two-year player for SUNY Broome in 2024 and 2025 and former team captain in Nicholas Ragonese has joined the staff in 2026 as a Volunteer Assistant Coach.
The first event on the Hornets' 2025-26 schedule is a trip to Lincroft, NJ for a doubleheader with Brookdale CC, a team ranked #5 nationally in the NJCAA Division 3 Baseball Preseason Poll. The season-opening doubleheader had been scheduled for Saturday, February 28 but was postponed, likely until a date in March.
Following the meeting with the Jersey Blues, SUNY Broome is slated to play a four-game set with Mohawk Valley CC between March 21 and March 22, consisting of an away doubleheader and a home doubleheader. In the month of March, SUNY Broome is slated for four away dates and three home dates.
As the 2025-26 schedule currently sits, SUNY Broome is expected to play four opponents who are nationally-ranked in the NJCAA Division 3 Baseball Preseason Poll. Along with Brookdale at #5, Hudson Valley CC (#10), Herkimer College (#14), and Genesee CC (#15) line up as teams in the top 15 to begin the season whom the Hornets will meet at some point in 2026.
SUNY Broome will compete in the East Division of Region 3 again for the 2026 season. The Hornets are scheduled to meet East Division foes Mohawk Valley CC, Hudson Valley CC, Cayuga CC, Jefferson CC, Herkimer College, Fulton-Montgomery CC, and SUNY Adirondack this season. SUNY Broome will play a total of four divisional games against each team, by way of a home doubleheader and away doubleheader vs each team.
@BroomeAthletics
