The Oswego State Lakers club baseball team opened up their season last weekend with a 2-1 series victory over the University at Albany Great Danes in a non-league matchup.
The team is a member of the NCBA DII league. They are competing in a fall league that runs to the last week of October, followed by playoffs.
The club baseball team is in a unique spot as a sports team due to their lack of a coach, forcing team leadership to come from the men on the field.
Team president, Ian Schoonmaker, who typically plays first base or catcher, is the one in charge of setting a lineup and making in-game managerial decisions.
“As the president, it’s my job to deal with a lot of the manager aspects of the in game stuff,” Schoonmaker said. “I have a lot of help from the guys though and they make it easier on me to do my job.”
The guys Schoonmaker is referring to are the team’s board members. These members are senior pitcher and vice president Louis Ingrassia, secretary and catcher Jimmy Sorrentino, as well as outfielder and designated hitter and treasurer Alex Vickery. These players have control over the team’s funds, making sure games are scheduled, ensuring that the fields are available and paid for, as well as travel.
With a club sport, especially Oswego State baseball, this kind of dedication by the players in leadership positions is essential to the team’s success. So much is required for the games to be played that it could possibly overshadow the team on the field, however, the board members make the on-field product the highest priority.
After a 10-8 finish last season, improvement on the field is the most important thing for the leaders of the team. The Lakers barely missed the playoffs last year and their main goal is to get over that hump and play for an NCBA championship.
“Our biggest strength this year is definitely our arms,” Schoonmaker said. “As a manager, it’s difficult to even get a rotation together with all the talent we have on our staff. It’s a good problem to have”
The on-field success is dependent on these talented arms and it is spearheaded by unquestioned ace Mackenzie Decker, a senior who threw a dominant complete game shutout this last weekend against Albany.
“Everything on and off the field is like a well-oiled machine,” Decker said. “We’re all good at working together. It’s nice to have the students as the coaches because it brings us all together and closer as a team.”
Even though the powerful pitching staff is the most valuable asset of the team, another key to success on-field is the collaboration of the board members making in-game decisions.
Schoonmaker is best at making switches in the field, Ingrassia is valuable when it comes to pitching decisions, while the other two members are valuable when it comes to coaching on the bases.
The biggest theme among members of the team was the powerful unity with the players and the biggest reason they strive for success is playing for each other on the diamond.
Even though these players are only in a club sport, it speaks volumes about their passion for the game through the dedication and excitement they display when it comes to stepping on the field.
Each player had to go through two tryout cuts, an academic background check, and has to play a strong schedule while traveling on the road.
It takes dedication from all 30 players on the roster to be a part of the team, push themselves to a playoff appearance and reach a level of success that each player desires to achieve.
The talent is there to accomplish their goals and validate the hard work of everyone in the 2016 season.
The next series begins this upcoming weekend against the SUNY Oneonta Red Dragons with the Lakers looking to extend their hot start as league play begins.
