By Benjamin Diamond

The Oswego State baseball team had what some would call a successful series versus SUNY Brockport, taking two of three games to win the series.

But head coach Scott Landers is never satisfied. He knows his team could have swept the series, but things do not always go as planned. Even though his team won the series versus a team towards the top of the conference, he expects more out of his guys, especially with SUNY Cortland coming to town over the weekend.

“I don’t think we are any more confident than we were before,” Landers said. “I think when we are clicking on all cylinders we are the best team in the conference. We have to execute in all phases of the game.”

For the most part, his pitchers held up their end of the bargain, throwing two 2-0 shutouts versus SUNY Brockport and then once again throwing an 11-0 shutout versus Ithaca College. But, the third game was a game that Oswego State pitchers do not want to remember. 

In that game, the Lakers walked 10 batters, and gave up 13 runs on 18 hits. Landers acknoledged his pitchers are better than that and continues to stress the importance of consistency.

“We just emphasized throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters,” Landers said. “It’s all about being able to dictate the tempo of the game.”

With the belief that they are the best team in the conference, Landers says that his team just needs to play their game. If they can play the way he knows they can, they can beat anyone they face off against.

“We gotta be able to rely on all nine guys down the order, not just the top of our order which we have a little bit this year,” Landers said. “The big key is being able to come out of the bullpen, throw strikes and shut things down.”

Shortstop Paul Tammaro and center fielder Kyle Lauria have been big pieces in Landers lineup for a few years now, becoming entrenched at the top of the lineup and consistently producing at a high level. The series coming up versus SUNY Cortland will be the duo’s final regular season series as a part of the Oswego State Lakers.

Of course they could get the chance to face the Red Dragons in the playoffs, but with the end of the regular season quickly approaching, both Tammaro and Lauria appreciate everything that they have learned as Lakers from their entire coaching staff and teammates.

“He [Landers] is one of the best coaches I have ever been able to work with,” Tammaro said. “It’s just trusting in him and his philosophy, and we have seen success in the past, going to the regionals and the world series, and we are looking to get back there this year.”

Tammaro is committed to play with the University of Connecticut Huskies next year and looks to have similar success at the Division I level as he has had at Division III.

Tammaro is also excited to get back to playing versus SUNY Cortland for the first time this season. He knows they are a strong team but he knows that he and his teammates are up for the challenge after their recent success.

“This is definitely a big weekend coming up for us, but I think yesterday with the win against Ithaca we are getting back on track,” Tammaro said. “Getting back to playing like we did in the beginning of the season.”

Like Tammaro, Lauria is also very excited to face off against SUNY Cortland because it is what they work for and look forward to for the entire season, the chance to take down one of the top teams in the country. He also appreciates the battle between themselves and the Red Dragons, he feels that everytime they face each other the games will be exciting.

Lauria, a graduate student here at SUNY Oswego, made a last minute decision to return to the Lakers during the fall, but now he is glad he did because of what he has been able to learn from his coaches and teammates.

“I learned to really appreciate baseball,” Lauria said. “How important it is and all the lessons outside of baseball. I’ve learned to be a great teammate, and a great leader, as well as what it takes to compete at a higher level.”

Lauria also said he has been able to reflect on his time with the team and that he is going to miss the little things, like the bus rides and hanging out in the locker room. He will also always appreciate the close-knit relationships he has made during his time with the Lakers.

But, Lauria also knows that the season is not over yet and is still preparing to go out with a bang and hopefully a long playoff run.

The Lakers are set to take on the Red Dragons on April 29 and April 30 in a battle between two SUNYAC titans.

Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics