Newark, Del. – The 2023 Queens College baseball team officially concluded their historic season on Day 3 of the NCAA East Regional Tournament at Bob Hannah Field.
On Saturday (May. 20) afternoon, the No. 6 seed Knights needed to defeat No. 2 seed Goldey-Beacom College Lightning to advance to game two of Saturday's doubleheader for an opportunity to keep their season alive.
After dropping the opening game of the tournament on Thursday, the Knights avoided elimination by defeating Felician on Friday afternoon to keep their season for at least one more day.
Facing the No. 2 seed Lightning, it would be the host who would end the Knights' season to the final score of 14-2 in game five.
Offensively, the Knights belted 10 hits led by three-multi-hit games off the bat of senior Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (2-4, R), rookie Andrew Ramirez (Walnut, Calif.) (2-4, 2B, 2RBI) who combined for six hits, two RBI and one run scored.
While sophomore Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (1-4), senior Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.) (1-3), rookie Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (1-1, 2B, R) and junior Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (1-4) combined for four hits and one run scored.
On the mound, senior Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.), sophomore Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.), freshman Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y), and senior Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) would make their first NCAA Tournament on the mound while Naronis made his second appearance in two days as they tried to the limit the bats of the Lightning.
The Lighting would take an early 3-0 lead after the top of the second inning, but as the Knights loaded the bases with three straight singles in their response in the home half of the second inning, Barreiros who battled for eight pitches to keep at-bat alive would send a liner to center field but as luck would have it, it would find the glove of the centerfielder to end the scoring threat for Queens.
But Goldey-Beacom would put the game away by adding five runs in the top of the fourth and back-to-back runs in the sixth and seventh.
The Knights would avoid the shutout by adding two runs in the bottom of the ninth off a rookie Ramirez's RBI double to left center field as Queens fell to the final score of 14-2 to see their historic season officially come to a close Saturday afternoon with a program-best record of 34-19.
Head coach Chris Reardon and the coaching staff of John Smith, Paul Sasso, Carlos Pena, Alex Nikolic, Julien Arcos, and the Knights put together one of the best seasons seen in Flushing in 25 years.
It was a season of many firsts and more as the Knights put together an impressive run that saw the players tested to their final limit as they battled adversity and injuries but they would show that Never Die Attitude to keep them in every game and they would walk out of the season as CHAMPIONS!
Few Highlights of the Knights' Historic Season
- Comeback rallies when facing deficits of more than five runs or more
- Three extra-inning wins
- Five walk-off victories
- First East Coast Conference Title in 25 years,
- First NCAA Tournament Appearance in 25 years
- First NCAA Tournament Victory in program history
- Second ECC Rookie of the Year in back-to-back seasons
- Program Record Seven All-Conference Selections
- Most wins in program history of 34
Reardon and the Knights say goodbye to 10 seniors in Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.), Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.), Teovaldo Estevez(Bronx, N.Y.), Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.), Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.), Johnnie Rodopoulos(Scarsdale, N.Y.), Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.) Dante Interlandi (Massapequa, N.Y.), and Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) have helped put the Knights baseball program on the map.
Provided by the Queens Sports Information Department.
