ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT baseball team opens the 2026 season with a three-game series against The College of New Jersey in Teaneck, N.J., this weekend, with the first game scheduled for tomorrow (Feb. 20) at 3 p.m. Here are six things you need to know about this year's squad:
LAST SEASON
The Tigers finished the 2025 campaign with an 11-7 record in the Liberty League while posting a 22-14 overall record. RIT ended the season falling to RPI in the best-of-three Liberty League Crossover Series.
Individually, RIT saw seven players named All-Liberty League, as starting pitcher
John Arnold and shortstop
Randy Dodig were named to the First Team.
ON THE DEFENSE
Senior infielder
Charlie Slaymaker was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Defensive Team for Region Three after posting a .973 fielding percentage with 36 putouts, 71 assists, and just three errors.
SWING AWAY
Slaymaker and senior
Jarin Moses will again look to lead the Tigers at the plate after leading the team last year with 142 and 141 at-bats. Slaymaker recorded a .324 batting average while Moses led the team with a .539 slugging percentage.
Slaymaker started all 36 games for RIT while Moses appeared and started in all but one game in 2025.
NOTABLE RETURNERS
The Tigers return plenty of offense from last season, including seniors
Jarin Moses,
Charlie Slaymaker, and
Roberto Reade. The trio led the team in RBIs as Moses also led RIT in runs (34) and home runs (10).
On the mound, sophomore
Owen Fisher and graduate student
Ryan Merkov return after ranking third and fourth in innings pitched last year. Fisher finished second on the team with 45 strikeouts while Merkov posted a 4-0 record with a 2.72 ERA.
TIGER CUBS
The Tigers have plenty of fresh faces on the roster this season, including 10 first-years.
The newcomers include first-years
Nolan Bonnell,
Brady Majchrowicz,
James Kelly,
Patrick White,
Drew Kindlon,
Sly Cash,
Warner Harper,
Gavin Smith,
Gavin Hardee, and
Ben Milner.
Graduate student
Max Matteucci comes to RIT after a successful club career at Purdue, where he was named an NCBA Division I All-American after the 2024 season.
SCHEDULE
The Tigers start on the road with a three-game series at The College of New Jersey (Feb. 20–21) and two games at John Carroll (Feb. 28–Mar. 1). From March 6–10, they head to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, facing opponents such as Maritime, Dickinson, Russell Sage, Wheaton (Mass.), and Washington & Jefferson.
After returning north, RIT visits St. John Fisher on March 13 before hosting the Cardinals for the home opener on March 14. Liberty League play begins March 20–21 with a home series against Clarkson, followed by trips to St. Lawrence and Ithaca, and home matchups with Bard, Union, and Hobart. The regular season wraps up with the Liberty League Crossover Series (May 1–2), where the Tigers aim to secure a postseason berth.
