St. John Fisher University Athletics

Brandon Potter enters his 17th season as the head coach of St. John Fisher University’s baseball program in 2026. A 2004 Fisher graduate, he also serves as the athletic department’s Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Events. 

The Cardinals have been massively successful under Potter, who owns a 449-212-1 record as the program’s winningest coach. Fisher has won six Empire 8 Conference titles, including four of the last five, and made eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament since Potter became the program’s head coach before the 2010 season. The Cardinals reached the DIII College World Series in 2016. 

St. John Fisher has finished with a winning record in each of the last 16 seasons, recording 30 or more victories in nine of them. Fisher has never finished a season with fewer than 21 victories under Potter, a five-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year winner. 

The list of accolades Potter’s players have garnered over the years is seemingly endless. In addition to dozens of All-Empire 8 and All-Region selections, Potter has coached 11 players who’ve earned All-America status, some of them multi-time honorees, and four national award winners. In 2021, catcher/first baseman Adam Zebrowski claimed Division III Player of the Year honors, while pitcher Anthony Brophy was named Division III Rookie of the Year. The Division III Commissioner’s Association (DIIICA) named Noah Campenelli its Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2023, and in 2024, James Murphy earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Gold Glove for DIII third basemen. 

Fisher’s all-time leaders in runs scored (Justin Graham), hits (Graham), home runs (Brian Norsen), runs batted in (Norsen), stolen bases (Campanelli), strikeouts (Justin D’Amato), earned-run average (D’Amato), pitching wins (D’Amato) and saves (Loukas Brigham) have come through the program during Potter’s tenure. 

Potter’s resume at Fisher also includes three Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft selections, most recently in 2021, when the Atlanta Braves took Zebrowski in the 13th round. Pitchers Dan Jurik (Braves, 25th round) and Marc Iseneker (Texas Rangers, 28th round) were selected in the 2010 and 2016 drafts, respectively. 

While the Cardinals have had many memorable seasons under Potter, the 2016 campaign stands amongst the best by any team in the history of St. John Fisher athletics. The Cardinals set a program record for wins (39-13 overall, 16-2 Empire 8) and won the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional championship with victories over Salve Regina, UMass Boston and Keane (twice), clinching a spot in the Division III World Series for the first time in school history. Fisher rallied from a 3-0 deficit in its second College World Series game to beat powerhouse University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3.  

Potter played four years of baseball while attending Fisher. He earned Empire 8 second-team honors as a catcher in his senior season after receiving honorable mention recognition as a junior. 

After graduating from Fisher, he spent a year with the Cardinal baseball coaching staff as an assistant under Dan Pepicelli. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for Minnesota State University, Mankato (NSIC – DII), where he aided in setting a school record for wins (45), and Cerro Coso Community College (Foothills Conference) in Ridgecrest, California. Between those two positions, he coached five players taken in the MLB Draft. He also served first as the pitching coach and then as the head coach for the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s (NYCBL) Watertown Wizards.

Potter is a member of the ABCA. He currently resides in Victor.

Year-By-Year At Fisher

By The Numbers Under Potter

All-Empire 8 Selections: 149 (76 first team)

American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region Selections: 66 (32 first team)

Empire 8 Player of the Year Winners: 8… Noah Campanelli (2x, 2022 and 2023), Adam Zebrowski (2021), Allen Murphy (2019), Scott Eisenmenger (2017), Nick Flemister (2014), Steve Karnyski (2012), Steve Karnyski (2011)

Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year Winners: 7… Patrick McGuire (2023), Connor McHugh (2022), R.J. Kuruts (2021), Anthony Brophy (2017), Justin D'Amato (2x, 2011 and 2012), Dan Jurik (2010)

Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Winners: 1… James Murphy (2024)

Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Winners: 8… Jordan Perry (2025), James Ward (2021), Kenneth Westbrook (2019), Anthony Brophy (2017), Scott Eisenmenger (2015), Marc Iseneker (2016), Justin D'Amato (2011), Ben Bostick (2010)

Empire 8 Tournament MVP Winners: 4… James Murphy (2024), Ethan Perry (2023), Michael Beimel (2022), Justin Graham (2021)

American Baseball Coaches Association New York Region Player of the Year Winners: 3…  Allen Murphy (2019), Adam Zebrowski (2021), Noah Campanelli (2023)

DIII Player of the Year Honorees: 1… Adam Zebrowski (2021)

DIII Rookie of the Year Honorees: 1… Anthony Brophy (2021)

Rawlings Gold Glove Winners: 1… James Murphy (2024)

Division III Commissioner’s Association Male Athlete of the Year Honorees: 1… Noah Campenelli (2023)

D3baseball.com All-America Honors Earned: Nine players have combined to claim 12 All-America honors (3 first-team selections)... Noah Campanelli (2x, 2022 and 2023), Patrick McGuire, Adam Zebrowski (**2021), Justin Graham (2021), Allen Murphy (2019), Stephen Lewis (2016), Justin D’Amato (3x, 2012, 2013, 2014), Nick Flemister (**2014), Steve Karnyski (**2012)... ** denotes first-team selection

American Baseball Coaches Association All-America Honors Earned: 10 players have combined to claim 11 All-America honors (three first team selections)... James Murphy (2024), Noah Campanelli (2x, 2022 and **2023), Patrick McGuire (2023), Adam Zebrowski (**2021), Justin Graham (2021), Allen Murphy (2019), Nick Flemister (2014), Steve Karnyski (**2012), Justin D’Amato (2012), Sean Osterman (2012)