OSWEGO, N.Y. — The Oswego State Baseball team will face off against Clarkson for the second time this season on Tuesday, May 4th. The Lakers have a chance to tie their win streak record that was set at eighteen victories back during the 1982 season as the group heads into the doubleheader with a sixteen straight wins. Oswego comes into the contest with a 17-1 overall record and is undefeated in non-conference matchups this season. The Golden Knights of Clarkson enter the doubleheader with a 12-13-1 record and is currently coming off a split with conference opponent RIT.
Clarkson and Oswego have already met up in Potsdam this season as the Lakers were able to get a sweep on the road back in April. The 17-13 and 9-4 wins were momentum boosters as multiple Lakers were able to get hits against the Golden Knights. Since those two games, Clarkson has gone 4-5-1, all games against Liberty League opponents. Since April 14th, Oswego has been able to take sole possession of first place in the SUNYAC West division. Today’s doubleheader will give the two teams a chance to take a break from conference opponents and build momentum for the final stretch of the season. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m. and game two is tentatively set for 4:00 p.m. from Laker Baseball field.
Image Provided by William Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
-
Team Spotlight: Oswego State Men’s Soccer
OSWEGO, NY — The Oswego State Men’s Soccer team, a squad surrounded by a lengthy but rather disappointing history in terms of success, has recently been on the upswing the past couple of years. This due to the arrival of Head Coach Dan Kane, who took over the Lakers heading into the 2017 season. A program that has transferred from being a doormat for the SUNYAC to a championship hopeful which showed just a year ago. The 9-7-2 team lost to SUNY Cortland in penalty kicks, a once nationally ranked team, in the opening round of the SUNYAC tournament. The squad’s first appearance in the bracket since 2014 was another step in the right direction for the Lakers.
The obvious common problem teams face across the nation comes down to retention of progress gained over the course of more than one season. For Kane’s Lakers, the group realized quickly what was expected of them before heading home last semester.
“The team realized that we got to make some advances individually and collectively,” Kane stated, “if we are going to sustain our kind of progression from the last few years.”
Of course, the return to Oswego has been much different for a team that usually starts games before the start of September. Kane spoke on the lack of team practices has made team cohesion difficult, something the head coach wished the group had similar to previous years. However, Kane found a positive in the situation as the coach touched on how this difference gave him the ability to work on a different subject, the incoming Class of 2024.
“We are way further along in terms of getting to know them as people because we have been having so many calls with them.” Kane said, “I know our freshman a lot better than I normally would which I am really thankful for.”
The push to the potential spring season gives the new members of the squad an opportunity to gain maturity before their first steps onto the Laker Turf. Kane explained the “grind of college and of the season catches up” and often saw regression through the course of a season from his first-year athletes because of this. Coach continued about his envy towards spring sports due to this trend, that may now be able to be tapped into due to this uncommon season.
Another plus for these Lakers is the return of the backline and starting goaltender Brian Terra. The defensive core that held conference opponents to an average of less than a goal last season will continue to be the backbone for the Lakers success. A defensive strategy that Kane plans to build on to improve the game at the other end of the pitch.
“It is going to look different.” Kane expressed, “[We] are going to play a bit differently but the more you can rely on your defense to win individual battles, the more freedom it gives our attacking players to take some chances and be creative and get more numbers forward.”
For now, the Lakers will have to remain on the sidelines before kicking off their season after the end of the calendar year. A group that got a taste of soccer together one week ago at their first team practice on the Laker Turf. The torrential downpour of rain did not take off the smiles that were found on every student athlete.
“We were in small pods.” Kane continued, “the energy and the positivity at practice was amazing. They were loving it.”
However, the Lakers will not be able to continue preparation for the 2021 season until next semester after the postponement of Athletics due to the recent spike of COVID-19. This added set pack could put the group at a disadvantage compared to other SUNY institutions across the conference, but Kane is taking a different look at the situation.
“To all the teams that are practicing, I wish them well.” Kane stated, “we hope to be back there soon in January, and we will make the most of the time we are given. We are not going to be the team that has excuses like that.”
For this team, the optimism shines from the head of the program. The Lakers seem to be in good hands heading into the most unusual season in sports history. Kane acknowledged the adversity that lies in front of the group but told his athletes to stay committed to the process.
“This is no question a time of adversity, so what kind of growth can we have in these moments and the second thing is even though we are not able to be together in a normal sense, we still have to be for each other.” Kane continued, “Those are kind of the two biggest messages, stay present and be there for each other. When the referee does blow that first whistle and lets us play, we will be ready for that moment.”
Photo Provided by Oswego State Athletics
-
Baseball opens SUNYAC play with weekend series sweep
Endwell N.Y. — The Oswego State baseball team took to the road this weekend to take on the New Paltz Hawks for a three game set to open their SUNYAC play. They played two games Saturday, winning both, and took the series topper on Sunday. Saturday’s first game saw the Hawks grab an early 2-0 lead. A lead of single and then a one out walk got two men on the base paths, a two out double drove both runs home. The Lakers finally found their swings in the third inning. Back to back one out doubles saw the Lakers grab their first run of the inning. After a fly out, an error on the Hawks saw the second runner get home. A walk followed by a single and another walk saw the Lakers load the bases, and then Julien Drew would send them all home with a grand slam. They Lakers ended the inning with the lead 6-2. The next inning saw the Lakers put three more on the score board. A lead off double, followed by walk and single saw the Lakers load the bases for the second inning in a row. Julien Drew would come back up to the plate with two out and this time hit a double to drive in three, his fifth, sixth, and seventh RBI’s of the day. In the fifth Ryan Enos would drive out his sixth homer of the season, this one a two run shot, to put the Lakers up 11-2. Oswego got another run in the sixth. In the seventh the Lakers would hit another two run shot and drive in a third to put the lead to 13, 15-2. Oswego’s staters, Anthony Van Fossen, was relieved to start the eighth, he gave up six hits, two runs, and walked three. With Van Fossen out of the game, New Paltz found a grove. Back to back singles, followed by a single loaded the bases with none out in the inning. A fielder’s choice at third saw one run cross the plate, and left men at first and second. Another fielders choice saw the Hawks have men at first and third with two outs. A single scored one, and that was followed by bunt to load the bases. A passed ball saw their fifth run score, and a wild pitched scored their sixth. No runs would be scored for the rest of the game and Oswego won, 15-6. Oswego finished the game with 20 hits, six doubles, and three homeruns.
Game two of the double header was a the exact opposite of game one. The Lakers were the first to find the scoreboard. Paul Tammaro led off with a walk for the Lakers. New Paltz got two outs, but Tammaro stole second and third in the process, he scored on single. Both teams went scoreless on through the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, Ryan Enos led off with a walk, he moved to second on a Kyle Lauria single, and scored on Lukas Olsson double to left, for the Lakers second run. The Lakers held the Hawks scoreless over the final two innings and won 2-0 in the seven inning bout. The Lakers were held to four hits, but walked six times. Paul Tammaro stole four bases in the game. New Paltz was held to three singles and a lone walk in the game.
The third game of the series was played Sunday. The Lakers grabbed the early lead again in this game. A Ryan Enos single in the bottom of the first followed by a Kyle Lauria walk brought Lukas Olsson to the plate. He smacked a double into left and drove in both runners for the 2-0 lead. A one-two-three top of the second was followed by a lead off double by Jacob Levine in the bottom half. A single moved him to third, and he scored on a double-play. The Lakers kept their momentum going and Paul Tammaro singled with two outs. He moved to third on an error, and Enos walked to have runners at first and third. Lauria tripled driving in both, and he then scored on an Olsson single. Oswego left the inning up 6-0. New Paltz grabbed one in the third, but Oswego answered with one of their in the bottom half. A scoreless fourth was followed by a five run fifth for the Lakers, a CJ McCarthy three run shot, and a Lauria two run single. Oswego also got one in the sixth, a lead off solo homer by Sam Allen. The Hawks got their second run in the top of the seventh. New Paltz got one in the top of the eight, and in the bottom of the eight, Oswego grabbed one more too. The game ended with Oswego winning 14-3. Oswego had 18 hits and seven walks in the game. Kyle Lauria led the team with four RBIs, with Lukas Olsson and CJ McCarthy both having three.
The Lakers now have a 13-3 (3-0 SUNYAC) record. They are currently 20th in the national poll. Their next game is Wednesday against St. John Fisher in Rochester, and that’s followed by three game set with the Plattsburgh Cardinals on Friday and Saturday.
-
Oswego State Men’s Lacrosse Ends 2021 Season Winless
CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Oswego Men’s Lacrosse team lost their final game of the season on Friday falling to the Cortland Red Dragons 16-5. This is the Lakers second loss to the Red Dragons in 2021 and their seventh loss of the season. This contest wraps up the 2021 season for the Lakers, the first year that the program will go winless. With the win, Cortland will take the number one seed in the west division after finishing the season with a 5-1 conference record.
Cortland was dominant from the opening faceoff, scoring the first 6 goals of the game, including four first quarter goals by attackman, Dante Yacovone. Oswego freshman midfielder, Lucas Cioch, got the Lakers on the board following a second quarter goal, however, they were unable to keep pace with Cortland’s explosive offense. Three other Lakers scored in Friday’s contest, including Ryan Dumont (2), Ryan Eccles (1), and Tyler Stevenson (1). Senior goalkeeper, Kevin O’Donnell, ended his collegiate career on a high note, totaling a career high 27 saves, bringing his season total to 125. With this loss, Oswego drops to 0-7 on the season and finishes last place in the SUNYAC West division.
It was an unfortunate season for the Oswego Men’s Lacrosse team to say the least. The first two games of the season were cancelled due to Covid regulations, so the Lakers weren’t able to get off to a hot start. Junior attackman, Weston Gray, lead the team in goals with 9 and added 4 assists in 2021. Oswego went into a reduced season with an extremely young roster and while they may not have won, they will continue to develop their talented players to compete in the future.
Image Provided by William Rogers, WTOP 10 Photography Department
