Baseball Showcases All-Around Talent in 2024 Season - Pace University Athletics (2024)

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team got the job done in multiple facets during their solid 2024 season. Whether it was their brilliant pitching or great hitting, the Setters put together an accomplished season on the field. Under head coach, Hank Manning, the Blue and Gold boasted a 17-10 conference record along with a 28-19 overall record.

Coming into the season as defending champions of the Northeast-10, expectations were high for the Setters as they ranked number one in the preseason poll within the Southwest division. Coming off a year where he was named the champion most outstanding player, Patrick Gleason was selected to the NCBWA Preseason All-American third team. With significant expectations, Pace embarked on the 2024 season with a confident mindset despite losing several key players from their championship run.

The Setters came out of the gates slow, dropping their first three games on the road in Cary, NC. However, the team turned it around earning their first win of the season against Dominican University of New York. Sean Costello,a member of the Northeast-10 all-rookie team, emerged in the win tossing five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit. A third-team All-NE10 selection, Anthony Labita, kick-started his impressive season in Pace's 6-3 win with a long home run to right field.

Returning to Pleasantville, N.Y. the Setters earned a 3-1 series win over Mercy University after dropping their home opener. In the second game of the series, Dan Brown rose to the occasion tossing five shutout innings with seven strikeouts. It would be the first of several outstanding performances for the senior.

With a two-game sweep of Dominican the Setters increased their win streak to five games before taking on Adelphi University for a three-game set. In the series, the Blue and Gold captured two-of-three wins including a dominant 13-1 victory. In that game, Pace knocked 16 hits which included a three-hit performance from shortstop Mason Baronian.

After suffering a setback against East Stroudsburg University, the Setters then hosted a two-game set against a well-round Franklin Pierce University squad. Pace split the doubleheader with the Ravens taking game two behind another productive outing from Brown. The East Northport, N.Y. native earned the win and posted ten strikeouts in a six-inning outing.

After splitting with Franklin Pierce, the Setters strung together five straight wins defeating Saint Michael's, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and the University of New Haven. Their win streak came to an end in the final game of the series against New Haven, but the Setters managed to take the series 2-1. Before moving into a road trip, the Setters began another win streak taking down Bridgeport University 8-5. In the contest, Josh Miller churned out one of his best games of the season going 3-for-3 with a home run and two runs batted in. At the halfway point of the season, Pace held a 15-8 overall record.

Next, Pace traveled to Springfield, MA to battle American International College. In the three-game series, the Setters swept the Yellow Jackets in a commanding three-game stretch. The series included a 9-3 victory where the Setters smacked a season-best 18 hits. Hunter Goldstein, Labita, and Miller all produced three hits in the game as the Setters cruised past AIC. In the series, Costello surpassed the freshman record for saves in a season reaching five total on the year. In game two of the series, Gleason threw a complete game shutout surrendering one hit and retiring a season-high ten batters on strikes. His stellar day on the mound earned him a Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Week selection.

After the AIC road sweep, the Setters headed to East Stroudsburg University to take on the 12th-ranked team in Division II. Nine innings was not enough to settle the game as a 15-inning marathon ensued at Creekview Park. The Setters triumphed in the battle 9-7 after Luke Rivara and Dylan Koch each drove home a runin the 15th inning. Christian Rodriguez earned to win in the contest putting togetherhis most efficient outing of the year pitching five scoreless innings in extras with no hits allowed.

After the 15-inning affair against East Stroudsburg, the Setters put up ten runs against Caldwell University to extend their win streak to six games marking a season-best streak. In the contest, Baronian went 4-for-4 with three runs batted in. Koch continued to prove his case for Southwest Rookie Hitter of the Year going 3-for-3 with three steals, and three runs batted in.

Over the next four games, the Setters slid dropping four games in a row to Bentley University and Assumption University. Following their worst stretch of the year, the Blue and Gold moved back in the right direction and swept the twin bill against Southern New Hampshire University. In game two of the series, the Setters came back from down four runs with an impressive five-run fifth inning. The pitching duo of Vincent Civitella and Costello kept the opposition's bats quiet. Civitella tossed 5.1 innings recording six strikeouts while Costello earned his sixth save posting three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.

The Setters fell in two of their next three games before moving on to a three-game series against the College of Saint Rose. In the opening game, the Setters went toe-to-toe with the Golden Knights in a back-and-forth 12-11 loss. Matthew Rinaldi produced three runs off two hits in the contest. Over the next two games, Pace held Saint Rose to no runs scored and captured the series win 2-1. Labita accumulated five hits and three RBIs in those two games, including a home run. In the third game of the series, Civitella tallied seven strikeouts and a complete-game shutout in his best performance of the season. His outing earned him Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Week honors.

Following a loss to Felician University in their final home game the Setters traveled to New Haven, CT to wrap up their 2024 regular season against Southern Connecticut State University. Pace dropped game one of the three-game set but rallied in the remaining two games to finish the season on a solid note. Rinaldi led the Setters in game two producing three hits in the lead-off spot. In their final game of the regular season, freshman Dominic Rivara highlighted Pace's offense launching his first and second home runs of his career to push the Setters ahead of SCSU 5-4. Rivara's heroic two-home run performance earned him Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week honors. With the win the Setters secured the Southwest division title as the Blue and Gold concluded their regular season with a 27-17 overall record and a 17-10 conference record.

Moving into the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, Pace held the number one seed in the Southwest division and matched up against Saint Rose in the opening round. Behind Baronian's four-hit, three RBI game, and Gleason's elite pitching out of the bullpen the Setters captured an 8-5 win over Saint Rose to move on to the next round of the conference championship.

Pace headed to Rindge, NH to take on Franklin Pierce in the next round. In an uncharacteristic performance on the mound, the Setters allowed eight earned runs leading to a 10-2 loss forcing them to the brink of elimination. With the season on the line, Pace went against Assumption in hopes of keeping their title chances alive. The Setters jumped out to a four-run advantage after two innings behind a three-run homer from Labita. Despite the early lead, the Greyhounds rallied from behind to score seven unanswered runs to secure the victory over Pace. Following the game, the Setter's season ended earlier than expected as they failed to defend their Northeast-10 Championship.

However, the Blue and Gold made their fans proud in a successful season that provided many moments to look back on.

The Setters took home several postseason honorsincluding two major awards. Brown was selected as the Southwest Division Pitcher of the Year whileKoch earned the Southwest Division Rookie Hitter of the Year. Pace earned numerous all-conference awards with Brown leading the way as a NE10 first-team selection along with a NCWBA All-East Region second-team honor. Rinaldi, Civitella, and Costello earned NE10 second-team honors while Gleason, Baronian, Labita, Goldstein, and Marco Siracusa rounded out NE10 third-team selections. Freshman Koch and Costello were both chosen for the NE10 All-Rookie team.