Baseball | 5/8/2024 2:41:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University baseball team will play for a fourth-straight Empire 8 title this week, traveling to Schenectady for the Empire 8 Baseball Championship Tournament beginning Thursday.

Here's what you need to know:
 
About The Regular Season
Fisher finished the regular season 23-17 overall, with a 15-3 record in the Empire 8. The Cardinals started off the regular season slowly, struggling during the spring trip to Florida, but turned it around once they came back north, going 21-9 since March 13. 
 
The team ultimately finished second in the conference, just behind Russell Sage College, to grab the number two seed in the conference tournament. 
 
Tourney Format
The Empire 8 tournament is a double-elimination format with four teams. In other words: every team plays until they have lost twice, until finally just one remains. Games are scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at Union College's Central Park "A" Diamond. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic seed to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. 
 
The four teams in this year's field are Russell Sage, the Cardinals, Utica, and Houghton. 
 
Championship History
The Cardinals have won the last three Empire 8 titles, including defeating Russell Sage last season. They've won five E8 titles overall and have qualified for the Division III tournament seven times. 
 
Know Your Foes
Russell Sage College enters the tournament as the number one seed with a 23-15 overall record and a 16-2 record in the Empire 8. They were the lone team in the conference to beat Fisher twice, allowing them to grab the top seed. They are led offensively by Brendan Espinal, who tops the conference in several categories including batting average (.453), on-base-percentage (.551), and OPS (1.239). On the mound, their ace is Joe DeGroot, who led the conference in wins this season with six. 
 
In the third seed is the team that Fisher plays to start the tournament: Utica. The Pioneers were 17-23 overall this year but finished the conference schedule with a 11-7 mark. Fisher beat them all three times they met this season. Utica is led offensively by Josh Duval (third in conference in batting average at .393) and Jason Story (tied for first for conference lead in HR, with 10), while Austin Rhodes (conference-best .185 opponent batting average) is likely their top pitcher. 
 
Houghton is the tournament's fourth seed, entering the week with a 15-20 overall record and a 9-9 conference mark. They beat Fisher once this season, and are led by pitcher Ethan Cetton, who is third in the conference with a 3.20 ERA and second in strikeouts (58). Ian Slate finished tied for sixth in the conference in doubles, with ten. 
 
Norsen and Murphy, Hitters-at-Large
Graduate student first baseman Brian Norsen and senior third baseman James Murphy have led the Cardinals offense for much of the season, and they'll likely play an important role if the team is to lift the conference title this week. 
 
Norsen is the team's big power threat, and has a chance to make program history this week: at 40 career home runs, he's just one back of tying Scott Eisenmenger for the all-time program record for round-trippers. The Hamburg native isn't just home runs, though: he's seventh in the conference this year in batting average (.373) and also appears in the leaderboards for several other categories. 
 
Murphy finished the regular season atop the conference in hits (61), runs scored (56) and tied for first in stolen bases (32) while also finishing in the top 10 for several other categories, including finishing tied for third in doubles (11), as well as in fourth for batting average (.391) and RBI (38). 
 
A FulTON of Talent
Sophomore Ethan Fulton has emerged as a two-way threat this season, but he's made the most impact on the mound. The Trumansburg native leads the Empire 8 in ERA (2.81), strikeouts (61), and fewest runs allowed (21), while he places second in opponent batting average (.219) and is third or tied for third in wins (4) and innings pitched (51.1). He's still contributed at the plate, however, including hitting a home run against Alfred during the final series of the season. 
 
What Comes Next
If the Cardinals win the Empire 8, they'll play in the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, which starts May 17 with regionals. 
 
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, scores, highlights and more by downloading the official mobile app for Fisher Athletics. Just search SJF Athletics in the App Store or on Google Play and download today for free. Follow the Cardinals on social media for more! Twitter | Instagram