Baseball | 6/27/2017 9:00:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – RIT baseball made history during the 2017 season, winning a school record 33 games, while earning their first Liberty League Championship. RIT advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and broke countless single-season records along the way.
 
RIT opened the season by winning three of its first seven games. After winning three of its first four Liberty League games, followed by an extra innings loss to nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College, RIT would enter its first home conference games against Vassar College with a 7-6 record. What followed was the most dominating five weeks of baseball in program history.
 
The Tigers would set a program record by winning 14 straight games, eventually going on a 28-1 tear to earn its first national ranking. RIT would win its last 19 Liberty League regular season contests and earn home field for the conference tournament. On May 12, the Tigers won their first Liberty League Championship, knocking off Clarkson to earn the automatic berth into the NCAA Championship.
 
RIT set single-season program records for most wins (33), highest winning percentage (.785), highest fielding percentage (.973), runs scored (317), hits (432), doubles (105), home runs (23), runs batted in (287), total bases (642), slugging percentage (.452), and walks (191). The pitching staff re-wrote the school record book with the most strikeouts (319), shutouts (4), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.22), and lowest WHIP (1.19).
 
The Tigers received contributions from everyone in the lineup and were spurred on by a pitching staff that finished sixth nationally with a 1.19 WHIP, seventh with a 3.27 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 13th with a 3.19 earned run average and 15th, allowing just 8.29 hits per nine innings. Defensively, RIT was seventh nationally with a .973 fielding percentage and overall, its .786 winning percentage (33-9 overall record) was ninth best in Division III. A program record 12 Tigers earned All-Liberty League honors, while six were named to the ABCA/Rawlings and All-New York Region team.
 
Senior outfielder Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia) capped off a record-setting career in 2017, as he was named the Liberty League Player of the Year, in addition to earning all-league first team honors for the third straight season. Gorman also earned ABCA All-New York Region and D3baseball.com first team honors for the third straight season and was a preseason honorable mention All-American pick. On May 8, Gorman was named RIT's Senior Co-Male Athlete of the Year and on June 14, became the first Tiger in 34 years to be selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, a 32nd round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
 
Gorman appeared in all 42 games for the Tigers in 2017, setting RIT single season records with 10 home runs, 50 runs scored, 34 walks, and 107 total bases. He also led the team with a .485 on-base percentage, .677 slugging percentage, 26 extra base hits and 43 RBIs. Gorman homered twice, scored four runs, drove in four runs, and reached base nine times in two NCAA Tournament games. He finished his career as RIT's all-time leader with 27 homers and 155 RBIs, 343 total bases, and a .641 slugging percentage. He is also in the top-three in six other categories, including hits (195), runs scored (128), at-bats (536), doubles (35), triples (16) and walks (73).
 
Named the NCBWA Division III Hitter of the Week on April 27, Gorman was named to the Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team for the second time in 2017 and also was a 2017 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team selection.
 
RIT's pitching staff emerged as one of the best in Division III, with five hurlers throwing at least 45 innings. Opposing batters combined to hit .241 off the RIT staff in 2017, while the Tigers struck out 319 batters to just 99 walks. RIT had four shutouts and five more games allowing just one run. In total, the Tigers allowed three runs or less in a game 24 times in 2017.
 
Junior Brian Reed (Rochester, NY/Penfield) was the ace of RIT's staff, leading the team with eight wins, four complete games, 69 strikeouts, and 66 innings pitched to go along with a 2.18 earned run average, while opponents hit just .231 against him. Reed was named the D3baseball.com New York Region and Liberty League Pitcher of the Year and was a first team selection on both teams, in addition to earning ABCA/Rawlings All-New York Region first team accolades. In six Liberty League regular season starts, Reed was 6-0 with a 1.89 ERA and four complete games with 42 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. He was a two-time Liberty League Pitcher of the Week and was named to the Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team. He was RIT's first Liberty League and D3baseball.com New York Region Pitcher of the Year.
 
Sophomore Jameson Moran (Geneseo, NY/Geneseo), an All-Liberty League second team selection and ABCA/Rawlings All-New York Region third team pick, enjoyed a breakout season, compiling a 6-0 record and one save, while leading the team with a 1.79 ERA to go along with 56 strikeouts and just 12 walks allowed in 55 1/3 innings pitched, holding opponents to just a .202 batting average. He was dominant in Liberty League play, going 4-0 in six appearances with an incredible 0.33 ERA and 0.70 WHIP. He was named to the Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team and was the Liberty League Pitcher of the Week on May 15. On May 19, Moran came on in relief and threw 10 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out a career-high 12 batters in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional against Lesley University.
 
Junior reliever Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport) was RIT's top bullpen arm, appearing in a school record 23 games with a 5-2 record, six saves and a 2.22 earned run average. Bouchard, who earned D3baseball.com All-Region and All-Liberty League first team honors, while garnering ABCA/Rawlings All- Region second team accolades, struck out 33 batters, while walking just three in 48 2/3 innings in 2017. Five of Bouchard's six saves were longer than one inning, including two different 3 2/3 inning efforts against Skidmore and Union.
 
Sophomore Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville), a D3baseball.com New York Region and Liberty League first team selection, as well as ABCA/Rawlings All-Region second team pick as both a pitcher and utility player, enjoyed incredible success in 2017. On the mound, he finished 6-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 46 2/3 innings of work to go along with three complete games, while opponents hit just .207 against him. At the plate, Zeglen batted .324 with 10 doubles, two homers and 30 RBIs, while compiling a .486 slugging percentage. He drove in 17 runs in 16 Liberty League contests, while winning all six of his starts with a 2.15 ERA. On May 1, Zeglen was named the Liberty League Player of the Week and a day later, was named to the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week.
 
Freshman Stevie Branche (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz), an All-Liberty League second team pick, compiled a 4-1 record with 64 strikeouts in just 45 innings, while opponents batted just .204 against him. He was 3-0 in Liberty League play with 46 strikeouts in 30 innings. On April 14, Branche struck out 15 batters without a walk in a win over Rochester. He was named the Liberty League Pitcher of the Week on May 1.
 
The Tigers also received solid contributions from junior Kyle Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport), who made 13 appearances, along with senior Tom Dillon (Oswego, NY/Oswego), freshman Connor Ewing (Fairport, NY/Fairport), junior Nick Claver (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and sophomore Ben Clough (Tolland, CT/Tolland). Claver had two wins and a save, while Povlock picked up one save. Ewing had one win and opposing batters hit just .241 against him.
 
While RIT's pitching emerged as a dominant force as the season progressed, the offense hit the ground running from day one and was among the national leaders by averaging 7.5 runs scored per game. RIT scored at least 10 runs in a game 15 times in 2017.
 
Brett Kajganich (North Royalton, OH/Holy Name), a senior designated hitter, and one of RIT's three captains, earned 2017 All-Liberty League first team and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region second team accolades after breaking the RIT single-season record for doubles in a season with 16. He was second on the team in hitting with a .337 batting average to go along with 56 hits, two home runs and 39 RBIs, while slugging .482 to go along with a .426 on-base percentage. Kajganich earned Liberty League Championship All-Tournament Team honors for the second time in 2017.
 
Senior catcher Mike Myers (Hamlin, NY/Brockport), a tri-captain, excelled both offensively and defensively in 2017. Myers batted .259 with 11 doubles, five homers and 33 RBIs, having also thrown out 15 would-be base stealers. Myers, the 2017 Liberty League Tournament Most Valuable Player and all-league second team pick, was the Liberty League Player of the Week on May 15 and earned a spot on the D3Baseball.com Team of the Week on May 9. In addition, Myers was awarded RIT's prestigious A. Stephen Walls Leadership Award on May 8.
 
RIT's double-play duo of freshmen Navada Waterman (Coudersport, PA/Coudersport) and Daniel Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) played well beyond their years in helping solidify RIT's record-setting defensive showing in 2017.
 
Waterman, an All-Liberty League first team pick, served as RIT's leadoff hitter and batted .302 with 44 runs scored, eight doubles, three triples, and 23 RBIs, while stealing a team-high seven bases. Defensively, Waterman made just five errors in 176 chances at second base, recording a .972 fielding percentage. Capra, an All-Liberty League honorable mention selection, emerged as RIT's starting shortstop and hit .311 with 10 doubles, a team-best four triples, and 14 RBIs, while drawing 20 walks in 37 games. Defensively, Capra made just four errors and had a sparkling .972 fielding percentage. He was named the Liberty League Rookie of the Week on May 15.
 
Sophomore Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) enjoyed another strong season as RIT's third baseman in 2017, driving in 27 runs. Schulz hit a clutch home run against Union in the Liberty League Tournament and earned All-Tournament Team honors. Senior Phil Sammon (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield), junior Benjamin Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and freshman Joey Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) split time at first base. Sammon hit .325 with a pair of home runs and 21 RBIs, while Terzini drove in 14 runs. Mylott was perfect defensively with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 34 games.
 
Junior centerfielder Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick), battled a midseason injury to hit .327 in 32 games with six doubles, two triples, and 17 RBIs. He led all RIT players by hitting .400 in 18 Liberty League games with a .471 on-base percentage, and .533 slugging percentage, earning all-league honorable mention accolades. Sophomore left fielder Patrick Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) played in 34 games, hitting .312 with 28 runs scored, a home run and 18 RBIs. Freshman Gianfranco Gentile (San Pedro, CA/Mary Star of the Sea) would serve as a late game defensive replacement in the outfield, playing in 29 games.
 
Head Coach Rob Grow and his coaching staff, which includes Dave Kajganich, Greg Keagle, Tyler Leichtenberger, Wayne Childs, Adam Potter, and Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence) was honored as the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. Grow won his 450th career game at RIT on April 29 against St. Lawrence.
 
RIT exceled in the classroom as well, a dozen players were named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team for maintaining a cumulative 3.30 grade-point average.
 
The Tigers lose Dillon, Gorman, Kajganich, Myers, and Sammon to graduation. RIT will look to win its second straight Liberty League title in 2018.