Baseball Heads To Albany For Empire 8 Championship Tournament

No. 3-Seeded St. John Fisher (27-10, 16-6 Empire 8)

Head Coach: Brandon Potter '04 (17th season)

Career Record: 476-222

• Roster
• Schedule
• Season Stats

No. 2-Seeded Brockport (21-19, 17-5 Empire 8)

Head Coach: Nick Pontari (1st Season at Brockport)

• Roster
• Schedule
• Season Stats

How They Got Here

No. 3-Seeded St. John Fisher: The Cardinals closed out the regular season with an 8-6 come-from-behind victory over Houghton University on Sunday at Dugan Yard ahead of their trip to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Fisher will face SUNY Brockport — the same team they beat 5-1 at Brockport on April 22 — on Thursday, May 7 at Central Park "A" Diamond in Schenectady with first pitch set for 2:30 PM.

The Cardinals finished the regular season 27-10 overall and 16-6. Their season included statement non-conference wins against then-No. 11 Johns Hopkins on opening day. Fisher's only significant rough patch came in a three-game series against RV Russell Sage in late April, but the Cardinals responded by bouncing back and closing out conference play on a winning note.

The Cardinals have been one of the Empire 8's most dangerous teams all season, posting run-rule victories with regularity — including a 32-4 demolition of Alfred and a pair of 22-2 and 19-2 wins over Keuka. The Cardinals have been equally impressive on the mound, posting a 3.55 team ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .218 batting average across 307 innings this season. Fisher's staff has racked up 330 strikeouts — more than one per inning — while issuing just 147 walks.

Fisher's away record stands at a perfect 16-0, heading into the championship tournament.

Players To Watch

St. John Fisher

Jack Griffin (Sr., 1B) – Griffin has been one of the most dominant offensive players in the Empire 8 this season, slashing .445/.561/.774 with 50 RBI across 37 starts. He has collected 61 hits — including 22 doubles and seven home runs — while drawing 31 walks and being hit by nine pitches, reaching base at an exceptional .561 clip. Griffin has also been nearly flawless defensively at first base, committing just three errors in 262 chances for a .989 fielding percentage.

Jordan Perry (So., OF) – Perry is batting .409 with 65 hits, 46 RBI and a .475 on-base percentage through 37 starts. He has swiped 10 bases in 11 attempts and struck out just 16 times in 159 at-bats, giving the Cardinals a dependable table-setter at the top of the order all season long.

Mario Cubello (Sr., OF) – Cubello has combined offensive production with elite speed and defense all season long. Batting .301 with 41 RBI, he leads the team with 27 stolen bases in 29 attempts and has not committed a single error in the outfield, posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 34 chances.

Justin Christensen (Fr., P) – Christensen has been virtually untouchable in 2026, posting a 6-0 record with a 2.09 ERA across 11 appearances and eight starts. He has struck out 62 batters in just 38.2 innings while holding opponents to a .162 batting average, giving the Cardinals a shutdown option at the front of their rotation.

Robert Leach (Jr., P) – Leach leads the team in wins (7-2), appearances (12) and innings pitched (48.2) while carrying a 2.77 ERA. He has struck out 49 batters and allowed opponents to hit just .224 against him, providing Fisher with a reliable anchor at the top of the rotation every time out.

Empire 8 Tournament Central 

SUNY Brockport is looking to repeat as E8 Champions, as Russell Sage College, Brockport, St. John Fisher, Utica University, SUNY Poly and Keuka College will vie for the 2026 Empire 8 Baseball Championship, which takes place from Monday, May 4 to Saturday, May 9. No. 5 SUNY Poly will host No. 6 Keuka in opening round action Monday, before action shifts to Russell Sage for the play-in game and double elimination format at Central Park “A” Diamond, in Schenectady, NY, hosted by top-seed Russell Sage College from May 7-9. The tournament winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which begins May 15.

No. 3 seed St. John Fisher enters the 2026 Championship looking to win its fifth title in six seasons and seventh overall in program history. The Cardinals finished 16-6 in league play have a 27-10 overall record. Jack Griffin leads the Cardinals with a .445 batting average, 1.335 OPS and 30 extra-base hits, including 22 doubles, seven home runs and 50 RBI. Jordan Perry is hitting .409 with four homers and 46 RBI, while Jackson Frey has a team-best 52 RBI and Mario Cubello has stolen 27 bases in 29 attempts to go along with 41 RBI. St. John Fisher is averaging 10.6 runs per game this season and is hitting .325 as a team. Pitcher Justin Christiansen is 6-0 on the mound with a 2.09 earned run average, 1.01 WHIP and with 62 strikeouts in just 38.2 innings. Fellow hurler Robert Leach is 7-2 with a 3.33 ERA and just over a strikeout per inning in 48.2 innings pitched.

The 2026 Empire 8 Baseball Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8).
 
2026 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Tournament Participants
No. 1 – Russell Sage College (21-1 E8, 33-5 Overall)
No. 2 – SUNY Brockport (17-5 E8, 21-19 Overall)
No. 3 – St. John Fisher University (16-6 E8, 27-10 Overall)
No. 4 – Utica University (13-9 E8, 22-16 Overall)
No. 5 – SUNY Poly (11-11 E8, 15-16 Overall)
No. 6 – Keuka College (10-12 E8, 14-19 Overall)
 
2026 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Schedule
May 4 at SUNY Poly; All games from May 7-9 to be hosted by Russell Sage College and played at Central Park "A" in Schenectady, NY)

Monday, May 4 (At Higher Seed – SUNY Poly)
No. 6 Keuka College at No. 5 SUNY Poly – 4 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 7 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Wild Card – No. 4 Utica University vs. Winner of SUNY Poly/Keuka (Losing team eliminated) – 11 a.m.
Game 1 – No. 2 SUNY Brockport vs. No. 3 St. John Fisher – 2:30 p.m.
Game 2 – Winner of Wild Card game at No. 1 Russell Sage – 6 p.m.

Friday, May 8 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Game 3 – Losing Team of Game 1 vs. Losing Team of Game 2 – 11 a.m. (elimination game)
Game 4 – Winning Team of Game 1 vs. Winning Team of Game 2 – 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winning Team of Game 3 vs. Losing Team of Game 4 – 6 p.m. (elimination game)
 
Saturday, May 9 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Game 6 – Winning Team of Game 4 vs. Winning Team of Game 5 – 12 p.m.
Game 7 – Winning Team of Game 6 vs. Losing Team of Game 6 (If Necessary) – 3:30 p.m.
 

The 2026 Season In Photos….