Setting the Pace after School

The Pittsfield Colonials have a former Setter who set the record for freshman strikeouts in a season. Still, Mackenzie King is not the only Setter who played baseball after school ended.

King is just one former Pace student who sought a career in baseball after school ended. The Setters baseball program has produced a total of 25 student athletes who have continued to play after graduating since 2008.

The Blairstown resident graduated from Pace one month ago, yet his dream of playing baseball has taken him to the Can Am Independent League.

"Obviously I would much rather prefer to be pitching for either a minor league team or in the show, but I love baseball too much to stop playing yet," King said. "Obviously I want to pitch in the show, but right now I can't imaging my life without baseball."

King enjoyed success during his time at Pace. He struck out a total of 221 career strikeouts in his four year career, which is good for the most strikeouts in Setters history. 

Although King enjoyed a great deal of success on the diamond, his grades never faltered because of baseball. The Blairstown resident graduated with a 3.82 grade point average and was named to the Northeast 10 Conference spring All Academic team this year. 

"Obviously it is nice to get recognition for my grades," King said. "There are plenty of people who deserve this honor and the recognition is nice."

Other former Setters have made the attempt to get to the major leagues. Patrick Stanley was drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the 16th pick in the 2004 Amateur draft and made his way to the Toledo Mud Hens in 2008. Also, Brian Halberg was drafted 12th overall in the 2006 Amateur draft by the Houston Astros. 

Although Pace has produced minor league baseball players, no Setter has ever made it to the show. King hopes to be the first Pace baseball player to play for a major league team.

"It has been my dream ever since I was little," King said. "I have been playing baseball all my life and I want nothing more than to play for a major league team."

For now, King's dream of the majors remains a fantasy. But when the Can-Am season begins again, the Colonials will hope to win the League lead by their new King. 

Play Ball

Any baseball team who has just four hits and three errors are not likely to win any games. Fortunately for Pace, their opponents were making the mistakes.

The Setters (25-16, 15-8) capitalized on the miscues of the Le Moyne Dolphins (30-11-1, 15-7-1) in route to a 5-0 win this afternoon. Although almost half of the Setters runs were unearned, Setters designated hitter James Pjura pointed out that every run counted just the same.

"We were fortunate that some of the breaks went our way," said Pjura who had three hits and one run batted in in the victory. "These guys are really good and we did a good job taking advantage of their mistakes."

The Setters struck first in the third inning on key mistakes by the Dolphins. Shortstop Robert Horn scored on a wild pitch by starter Derek Zielinski and Patrick Chaputian scored from second base on a throwing error by the Dolphins.

Coach Henry Manning may was not complaining about the way his team scored runs, he was more concerned with the game's final outcome.

"Look sometimes all of the breaks will go your way, and today was one of those days," Manning said. "I will not complain if we score most of our runs on mistakes by the other team, as long as we play well enough to win."


The Setters were able to generate more conventional offense in the top of the seventh inning. First baseman Joe Lombardi singled in two runs to increase his season RBI total to 23. Lombardi's two run single was his only hit of the game.

"It may have been the only hit, but I'm glad it counted," Lombardi said. "As long as the team continues to perform as well as we have been, I'll be okay with going 0-4 every game."

The Setters will need Lombardi and the rest of the offense to play well again very soon. The Setters will take on the Dolphins again on a Sunday afternoon double header.

Fresh Look

When a player first gets recruited to a school to play sports, there is a certain amount of pressure that is placed on every incoming freshman. Fortunately for the Pace golf team, freshman Brian Allmendinger has been everything they could have asked for.

Allmendinger was selected by the NCAA to play at the East Region Tournament earlier this week. The East Islip resident will be making the trip out to the Hershey Country Club in Pennsylvania on May 7 to play with the best.

"Any time that you get a chance like this you have to take it," Allmendinger said. "I am very happy that I get this chance to go out to Pennsylvania and show out my skills."

The East Islip resident has wowed his teammates and coaches alike with his play this season. Allmendinger has averaged a score of 77.9 through 11 tournaments this season, including a second place finish at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spring Invitational.

But it is the infectious work ethic of Allmendinger that has caught the attention of his peers. Sophomore Joe Raitano praised Allmendinger for taking a leadership role on the young team.

"Our team is mostly made up of Freshman, so Brian's play has been huge," Raitano said. "It is great to see that Brian has embraced the role of leader, he has played really well this year and his example has helped the team do better."

And Allmendger has certainly lead by example this season. Not only is the freshman's average score the lowest on the team, he is just one of three Setters who averaged a score under 80 this season.

Although Pace did not have anyone who won a tournament in 2012, Setters coach Frank Ganiero has been impressed by the poise of his freshman, especially Allmendinger.

"These kids are playing well, and I like the way Brian has been playing," Ganiero said. "We are going to be better as Brian and his teammates mature in age and play more tournaments."

Allmendinger will get the chance to gain more experience at the East Region Tournament. If Allmendinger plays well enough, he could go to the final on May 15 at the Cardinal Club in Kentucky.

Senior Day Game

For eight students, this game could be one of the last times they ever play a home game. And unfortunately for the upper classmen, the Setters could not deliver a pleasant parting gift.

The Pace Setters (5-8, 3-6) were defeated by the Merrimack College Warriors

15-10 this afternoon. Despite the Setters 4-2 home record, they could not deliver a win on Senior Day, even though junior Mike Ruppert and company desperately wanted to.

“It’s really hard to hold a big time celebration only for the team to lose,” Ruppert said. “We really wanted to send the seniors off with a win, and we just could not do it.”

Despite the final result, the Setters seniors made an impact in defeat. Midfielder Kevin Kadlick picked up a goal and defensemen Taylor Belviso and John Kolesar recorded assists.

Still, the final score was a bitter pill to swallow as the Setters seniors played their second to last home game. Midfielder Evan Feehan found the words to describe the loss hard to find.

“I know we still have one more home game, but this loss is a tough one,” Feehan said. “All of our families and friends were here to cheer us on and we just didn’t get the job done.”

The fact that the loss marked the Setters second defeat in a row was an afterthought for the coaches and players. Everyone on and off the field was focused on appreciating the upperclassmen.

Post game hugs were exchanged in the rain. And Setters coach Davy Carty made sure that his seniors felt appreciated after the game.

“These kids have been busting their tails and learning from the beginning,” Carty said. “I could not ask anything more from them, sure it would have been nice if we got the win, but I am still so proud of them regardless of what the score says.”

The Setters will get one more chance to give their seniors a win at home. Pace will play the Mercy College Mavericks (5-5. 4-4) tomorrow afternoon.

Senior Moment

Even as the rain bombarded the Setters home field Tom Murphy did not seek shelter. The senior took the chance to soak up every drop of what would be his last lacrosse game.

            Murphy is one of eight seniors taking part in their final home games. Yet for the Yonkers resident, the emotions pour out of him like the rain hitting the field.

            “It really is hard to think that this is my last game,” Murphy said. “I have been playing lacrosse since I was little, and at this point in my life it is hard to imagine myself without it.”

            The midfielder has been a big cog in the Setters (5-7, 3-5) lineup since he first played on the team as a freshman. And for underclassmen like Mike Ruppert, Murphy has made a greater impact on the team as a leader in the locker room.

            “Murph is just a guy that we could always count on to keep us level after tough games,” Ruppert said. “He may not be the guy scoring all the goals, but I know that this team wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without him.”

Murphy has made a larger statistical impact on the team over the course of his career. The Yonkers resident went from scoring just three goals as a freshman to tallying two goals and five assists as a junior.

Still, the numbers are not what the senior will remember about his four years at Pace. Murphy insists he will remember the camaraderie of the locker room.

“There were so many hilarious stories from my time here that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Murphy said. “To me those are the things that I am going to appreciate long after I stop playing, the numbers don’t matter at the end of it all.”

Murphy throws the ball to junior Jake Galizia. The midfielder talks strategy with his defensemen, a routine that the two have had going for two years.

“He knows a great deal more about the game than I do,” Galizia said. “He has helped me improve as a player more than he realizes, I owe him a lot for that.”

Murphy dawns his helmet and his team heads to the locker room. The Yonkers resident and his fellow seniors will take on the Merrimack College Warriors later today.

Ace in the Hole

His turn in the rotation may not have been this afternoon, yet his eyes remained fixated on the game in front of him.

            That kind of focus helped Pace starter Michael Tamburino win the NE-10 player of the week award. The junior has struck out an impressive 52 batters in 56 and one third innings of work for the Setters (21-14, 11-7) this season.

            “It is very nice to get this award,” Tamburino said. “I feel like this is a team award, even if I am the only one to have my name on it.”

            Tamburino watched as his fellow ball players pound the rival Adelphi Panthers (15-17, 6-12) 15-2 this afternoon. And even though he had a day off, Tamburino spent the duration of the game analyzing his opposition.

            “Even if it is not my turn to pitch today, I know that I can always keep getting better,” Tamburino said. “Just because I am not on the mound does not mean that I can’t help my team in some way.”

            The Baldwin resident offered his insight to Setters first baseman Joe Lombardi. Tamburino pointed out some of the tendencies of the opposing pitcher to help his teammate perform.

            Lombardi appeared to listen to his ace’s advice. The first baseman went two for three with a home run and three runs batted in against the panthers.

            “Mike is a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to baseball,” Lombardi said. “He picks up on the opponent’s tendencies pretty quickly and he is constantly making adjustments.”

            It is not just the in game adjustments that have helped Tamburino be recognized by the NE-10. The junior leads the team in innings pitched, and it is Tamburino’s ability to pitch deep into games that has impressed coach Henry Manning.

            “Mike has been a workhorse for us all season,” Manning said. “I have the confidence to pitch him six, seven innings a game because he has proved that he can perform all season, I’m not surprised he got this award.”

            Tamburino’s award marks the second time this season the Setters have had a male athlete win NE-10 player of the week in April. Setter’s lacrosse attacker Matt Mirabito won player of the week on April 9^th.

The Setters raining player of the week will be on the bench again offering insight against the Deacons of Bloomfield College. 

Softball Sweep

Unearned runs in softball can be as lethal as anthrax or as helpful as antibiotics. The Pace Setters softball team was fortunate enough to benefit from their opponent’s mistakes and make it to .500.

Pace (24-14, 11-11) beat the Saint Michael’s Purple Knights (5-23, 3-17) by a score of 3-0 in the first game of a double header. The Setter’s 9-0 win in the nightcap brought the team’s conference record to .500.

The game’s first run came when outfielder Nicole Schultheis walked and scored on an error. The senior scored her 22^nd run this season.

“I mean it would have been nice if we got a chance to get driven in, but softball doesn’t always work out that way.” Schultheis said. “Some times you get lucky breaks, and this one seemed to work out in our favor.”

The Setters were able to add runs in a more conventional manner in the third inning. Freshman Jean Drury notched a double to increase her RBI total to 25; the second most runs batted in this season.

“I mean it’s nice to see stats that say I’m playing well, but it’s not that big a deal.” Drury said. “We win as a team, loose as a team and drive runs in as a team, stats are not as big as everyone likes them to be.”

Statistics may not mean much to Drury, but starter Caitlin McCann was happy to bolster her own. The freshman threw a complete game shutout to pick up her ninth win of the year.

“Stats can be a reflection of how the team is doing,” McCann said. “Bad stats are obviously not the end of the world, but it is nice to recognize when people are playing well.”

There were plenty of good statistics from the Setters in the nightcap. The Setters struck with six of their nine runs in the first inning.

Setters coach Claudia Stabile downplayed her team’s statistics, yet she admitted that getting to .500 in conference was a good thing.

“It is nice to see that our in conference play has improved,” Stabile said. “We are doing a lot more of the little things right now as opposed to the start of the year, hopefully this bodes well for us in the future.”

The Setters immediate future brings tidings of Franklin Pierce University. The two will square off on Tuesday at noon. 

Twin Killing.

One day after Friday the 13th, Pace’s Michael Tamburino took on the role of Jason Voorhees on the mound.

The Setters (18-14, 7-7) bludgeoned the American International College Yellow Jackets (5-14, 4-9.) 9-1 earlier this afternoon behind Tamburino’s dominance. Tamburino surrendered just one run while striking out 13 yellow jackets in his complete game victory.

“I really felt awesome out there today,” Tamburino said. “Everything was working for me, I felt like I could pitch the second game too and only give up a run.”

            Tamburino’s confidence that he could win the second game of the doubleheader sparked his team. Yet, as well as Tamburino pitched, he did need his teammates to provide run support.

Setters designated hitter Kyle Turnier made perhaps the most difficult job in baseball look incredibly easy.  The Waterford resident got two hits and drove in four runs off the bench for the Setters in the win.

“The hardest thing in sports to do is to come off the bench cold and deliver,” Turnier said. “I was lucky that I saw a couple of pitches that I could drive and took advantage of the other team’s mistakes.”

            Although Turnier went hitless in the second matchup between the two teams the result remained similar. The Setters pulled off the day-night sweep with a 11-4 victory.

            For the second game in a row, the Setters got a quality performance from the designated hitter. Sophomore James Pjura delivered three runs on three hits to raise his season RBI total to 20.

            “I have to give a lot of credit to the guys in front of me,” Pjura said. “They are getting on base and putting me in position to put runs on the board.”

            The Shelton resident was not the only one providing punch for the Setters. Second baseman Chris Gill provided two additional RBI’s to add to the Setter’s season total of 178 RBI’s.

             

Player of the Week in Defeat

            For junior Matt Mirabito goals, assists, and excellence all come in multiples of two.

The attacker for the Pace Setters (4-5, 3-3) pilled up eight points on four goals and four assists in just two games to earn the NE-10 Conference player of the week this past week.  The Binghamton resident has taken this honor in stride with the rest of the season.

“I am happy that I have been recognized for my play,” Mirabito said. “Sure it is something for my family and teammates to brag about, but this season is far from over and there is still work to be done.”

Mriabito’s good play did continue in the Setters afternoon 10-2 loss to the Adelphi Panthers (8-2, 4-2). The reigning conference player of the week scored a goal in the third quarter against the sixth ranked panthers.

Even in defeat Mariabito’s teammates were raving about his play. Matt Ruppert scored the game’s second goal, and he had nothing but complements about his award winning teammate.

“Mariabito has been on one of those kinds of rolls we all want to have,” Ruppert said. “Let me put it this way, I’m glad that he is on our team the way he has been tearing it up.”

The reigning NE-10 player of the week’s success has not been limited to just his conference. Mariabito’s 22 assists this season are more than any other player in Division II play.

Even though the Setters lost by eight goals, Mariabito and Ruppert showed great chemistry. Ruppert’s goal was assisted on by Mariabito and the reigning NE-10 player of the week’s goal was coincidentally assisted on by Ruppert.

“I guest that’s one of those quirky things that you don’t really think about until after it happens,” Mariabito said. “The two of us were in sync out there, but I would have been happier if it resulted in a win.”

The Setters next chance to get a win comes this Saturday against the Purple Knights of Saint Michaels (6-2, 2-2). The two teams meet for the first time this season.

Pace Sports Week 1-Piece 3

Pace Setter lacrosse defender Elliot Johnson sat at the game with a dejected frown painted across his face.

Not because the Setters were not playing well, but rather because he could not play with them.

Six weeks ago Johnson broke his ankle and has been sidelined for the remainder of the season. It was the junior's first season playing lacrosse, and he was ultimately disappointed that it came to an early end.

"There is no way that it is not frustrating," Johnson said. "I was just getting into the swing of things as a defender, and I am pretty good at it."

Johnson did his best to contribute to the team from the sidelines. The Chicago native was the most vocal supporter as the Setters went on to beat Southern New Hampshire 9-3. 

Still, the junior admitted that his inability to contribute on the field was hard to live with. Johnson said that he had been so used to contributing to every team he has played for, not just lacrosse.

The Chicago native has triple dipped in football, baseball, and lacrosse since first coming to Pace in 2009. Yet ultimately, Johnson ended up with a stick in his hand as opposed to a bat or ball.

"Lacrosse gave me scholarship money plain and simple," Johnson said. "If football or baseball had given me the money to be playing that sport here instead, but it all worked out for the best."

And unlike football, which has won two games in Johnson's tenure there, the lacrosse team has been the most successful team the junior has been a part of. With their win yesterday, the Setters improved to 4-4 with their next game on Tuesday against the Adelphi Panthers.

Pace Sports Week 1-Piece 2

   If a physic was to tell Setters softball coach Claudia Stabile that her team would score nine runs that she would take that.

   If that same physic were to tell Stabile that her team would surrender twelve runs in a game that she would be a tad less than thrilled.

  The Setters dropped the second game of their double header against the Assumption Greyhounds 12-9 earlier this afternoon. The Setters defeat marks the third game in a row they have lost.

  “Obviously I’m not thrilled,” Stabile said. “We played well enough to win for about four innings, but we could not keep it up.”

  Sophomore Lana Buchbinder drove in three runs in the bottom of the third inning that resulted in seven runs scored. Buchbinder has fourteen runs batted in against opponents form the Northeast-10 this season.

  “I would not say that there was any correlation between my RBIs against conference opponents and my RBI’s against the other teams,” Buchbinder said. “It is not like I’m trying to do better against conference opponents or anything, I’m trying to help the team beat everybody.”

  Today the Setters could not topple the Greyhounds offense. The Greyhounds had a big fifth inning for the second game in a row, when they scored five runs to cut an 8-2 lead down to an 8-7 deficit.

 Setters starter Kayla Hill managed four and one third innings and got shelled for seven runs on twelve hits.  Hill said that she was disappointed in her start after starting off well.

 “I felt really good at the start of the game,” Hill said. “It was just I suddenly didn’t have it in the fifth inning, I am pretty upset with the performance I put out today.”

 Hill was not the only starting pitcher to struggle. The Setters were able to rough up Assumption starter Chelsea Duro for seven runs in just two and two thirds innings. Still, the Greyhounds were able to keep Pace with the Setters offensively.

  The Greyhounds took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Assumption’s run was sparked by two errors in the field by third baseman Hana Wright. 

 “I can’t help but feel partially responsible,” Wright said. “I know that I messed up, but I guess I have to just learn from this game and move on.”

 Pace will get the chance to end their bad run on Good Friday. The Setters will ship up to Boston to take on UMass-Lowell in the first two games of an eight game road trip. 

Pace Sports Week 1-Piece 1

Momentum can be what causes a team to peak at the right moments, or crumble when the spotlight intensifies.

       Right now the Pace Setters softball team’s momentum is going the wrong way.

The Setters dropped the first game of their double header against the Assumption Greyhounds 3-1 this afternoon. The defeat marks the second game in a row the Setters were defeated.

      The Greyhounds pounced on the Setters in the fifth inning, scoring all three of their runs. Right fielder Nikki Boris blasted a home run over the right center field wall to drive in three runs.

      The Setter who surrendered the blast was starting pitcher Caitlin McCann. The freshman knew she was in trouble from the moment the pitch left her hand.

      “I could just feel that there was something off about that pitch,” McCann said. “It just did not feel right leaving my hand and as soon as she hit it I knew it was going a long way.”

       McCann pitched well for the first four innings, relinquishing no runs on four combined hits. But as the game wore on and her pitch count increased, McCann’s pitches lost their sharp movements.

       On the other side, the Greyhounds got a dominating performance from their starter Jennifer Lowrey. The senior from Assonet Massachusetts pitched a complete game.  Lowrey surrendered only five hits and struck out 12 Setters.

       Pace’s offense looked overmatched against Lowrey after the second inning. Coach Claudia Stabile was frustrated throughout the back half of the game.

      “After the second inning we couldn’t buy a hit,” Stabile said. “We weren’t patient, and when we lost our patience, we lost the momentum.”

      The Setters got on the board in the second inning thanks to a home run from their catcher Natalie Gellos. But after that point, the well of runs dried up and the Lady Setters struggled to put anyone on base. 

       The home team only managed three hits in four innings after the home run by Gellos. Right fielder Samantha Garcia made it clear that her team did not hit when they needed to.

       “She was really good today,” Garcia said. “But at the same time, there were mistakes that we made that good we can’t make if we want to win.”

         The Setters did not win, yet they have a chance to break their negative momentum momentarily. The Greyhounds and Setters will square off in the second game of a double header at 5:00 this afternoon.