Baseball Ranked 13th in NJCAA Baseball Poll

CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Following an undefeated spring trip to Auburndale, Fla., the Hudson Valley Community College baseball program is receiving national attention after being ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA baseball poll.

The baseball program is off to one of its best starts in program history as they are 11-1 and have won 10 consecutive games, including a 6-0 record last week during their annual spring trip to Florida.

In the 12 games played to date, the Vikings have scored 121 runs with nine home runs and a .370 team batting average, which is fourth-best in the NJCAA. The Vikings have four individuals hitting over. 425 on the year and are led by Matthew Carrera, who is batting .486 with 17 hits in 35 at-bats. Carrera has also scored a team-high 20 runs through the first 12 games of the season and is on pace to set the single-season runs scoring record (60). Returners Connor Waiting and Jeremy Taggart are hitting .467 and .438, respectively. Waiting is slugging a team-best .800 with four doubles and two home runs. Matthew Castrogiovanni is batting .429 with six hits in 14 at-bats over eight games played.

On the mound, the Vikings are led by a pair of left-handing pitchers, Hunter Stolov and Andrew Wilson. Combined the duo is 4-0 on the year with an earned-run average well under a 2.00 and have combined to strikeout 34 batters over 32 innings.

The baseball program was recently ranked as the second-best team in the lasted NJCAA Region 3 poll with the Vikings placing right behind a perennial power, Niagara, the three-time defending Region 3 champions.

Baseball is expected to play its home-opener, weather depending, this Saturday, March 23 as they welcome Cayuga to Joe Bruno Stadium for a Region 3 doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.