For the first time since 1998, Queens College is the ECC Champs! They win it 9-8 in 10 innings on a walk-off pic.twitter.com/6qeecjEjAD
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2023
2023 was a banner year for Queens College as they broke a 25-year title drought, capturing the ECC Championship in dramatic fashion over the two-time reigning champs, Molloy.
The Knights needed to win twice on Championship Saturday and that’s exactly what they did; winning by the scores of 11-7 and 9-8. Over the course of the 5-game tournament, they scored 55 runs.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys,” said Head Coach Chris Reardon who is entering his 11th season at the helm and was the recipient of the Axcess Baseball College Coach of the Year Award. “I’ve never been a part of a team that, in the literal sense, was never out of it until the last out. We had to come out of the loser’s bracket to win the championship. It was a special group of guys. Looking back on it, it’s really cool to see what the program has become. I see how happy the players and parents are – how much they appreciate it. It was an incredible experience.”
Prior to his tenure at Queens, Reardon coached at Caldwell where he was a part of a couple Conference Championships. Still, he noted this was more fulfilling.
“I didn’t appreciate those. Back then, I just always assumed there would be more and more winning. This was much longer in the making. When we made the playoffs in 2019, it felt like we had finally done it, and we’ve been able to build off that. We were able to bring in good kids and it’s been really fun.”
Tournament MVP Anthony Fontana was the anchor of the offense. The Wantagh native, who won three Class A Long Island Championships, batted .450 with a double, three HRs, six runs scored, 10 RBIs over 5 games.
Anthony Fontana hit 3 home runs today and drove in 5 RBIs in the championship game as Queens captured the 2023 @ECCSports championship pic.twitter.com/eIOB5IQtHs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2023
There is no question they will miss Fontana, who is now playing pro ball. For the season, he batted .378 with a 1.094 OPS and played a great first base. He led an offense that batted .318 with an .884 OPS.
They also graduated LHP Liam Pulsipher (4-2 record, 67.0 IP), Jayson and Johnnie Rodopoulos and Reed Hoskins (.351 AVG, 1.006 OPS). Additionally, SS Andrew Ramirez, who filled in admirably down the stretch transferred back home to California.
“I don’t know if we can replace them,” said Reardon.
On the flip side, they return several key contributors from last season’s championship team.
They return 3 key bats from the lineup. Arguably the most potent bat is sophomore Jorsixt Jimenez. The Flushing native burst onto the scene in his freshman year, winning Rookie of the Year. He was second on the team in AVG (.371), OPS (1.038), HRs (7), first in RBIs (56), doubles (17) and hits (72).
“He’s a great kid, he’s a force in the lineup. You need guys like that. We went years without having a bat like that,” said Reardon.
Just as important is 2B Marc Cisco. He was the recipient of the 2022 Axcess College Player of the Year. He was nearly able to replicate that caliber of production as he batted .345 with a 1.011 OPS, 60 runs scored and 28 RBIs batting at the top of the order and playing every day.
Queens 2B Marc Cisco captured Axcess Baseball’s College Player of the Year Powered by Max Effort Baseball. He batted .435 with 10 HRs and 49 RBIs pic.twitter.com/uqmSPOhRNz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 8, 2022
Cisco will be one of the captains of the team along with catcher Nick Barreiros, SS Francis Segarra and closer Danny Gargano (9 saves last season).
Coach spoke highly of Segarra, who was off to an incredible start to the season – batting .387 through 111 at bats with a .979 OPS all while playing a great defensive SS. He suffered a broken hamate bone and missed the rest of the season but he is back to full health and they are optimistic about him providing another big season for them.
The rotation will be anchored by Jordan Sanabria and Chris Naronis, two pitchers who combined for 131 innings and both proved their mettle in that Championship game against Molloy.
In terms of newcomers, they got a big boost with the transfer of OF Phil Krpata from St. Joseph’s LI. He was named All-Region after batting .349, 6 HRs, .520 SLG, 47 stolen bases and 55 runs scored.
Behind the dish, they brought in Bobby Gitto from Massapequa HS. His teammate, Mike Vilardi, had a huge season for the Chiefs and will have a chance to be the rare two-way player in college as coach said he was “impressive in the fall. He’s got a presence about him. He’s a good, well-rounded athlete.”
On the bump, they brought in RHP P.J. Nenadich from St. Francis Prep. He’s a hard-thrower that has been in the upper 80s already and was an accomplished pitcher at the high school level.
Peter Nenadich has shown impressive command of his breaking ball today as he’s froze a handful of hitters and thrown it for strikes. Fastball has been 85-86 pic.twitter.com/5xbtPCBKQI
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 6, 2023
Reardon also mentioned LHP Vinay Patel, a New Hyde Park graduate that transferred from Belmont-Abbey, as a strike thrower that could log some innings on the mound.
Queens will enter the season with high expectations once again as the program has soared to new heights with 34 wins and an NCAA East Regional appearance.
Reardon noted that the perception of the program has elevated since appearing in the ECC Championship in 2022 which has helped them recruit and bring in good players.
They will kick off the season on Friday, February 23 down in Myrtle Beach, SC against perennial powerhouse Southern New Hampshire. They will also face Post University in a DH and Chestnill Hill before heading home.
