Syracuse Club Baseball gears up for Cortland Fall Invitational
Syracuse Club Baseball gears up for Cortland Fall Invitational
President Jake Kleiman and the team’s board have two goals: 20 wins and a division sweep.
With the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Syracuse Mets seasons all coming to a close, there is still competitive baseball in Salt City with the Syracuse Club Baseball team.
Syracuse Club Baseball competes in Division II of the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) and is gearing up for the 2025 NCBA Cortland Fall Invitational Tournament that is taking place from Friday, Oct. 24 to Sunday, Oct. 26.
The team has fallen short of expectations since losing the regional championship to the University of New Hampshire in the spring 2023. The team impressed that season, going 19-4, winning the New England West division and earning a No. 3 national ranking.
However, the Orange followed that up by going 9-8 in 2023-2024, placing only third in the New England West division. Last season, the team got back to second in the division despite rainouts and cancellations with an 8-4 record, but the executive board does not believe breaking .500 should be the standard. With incoming talent, the board, led by president and outfielder Jake Kleiman, has set a goal to sweep the division and reach 20 wins.
“I think we got a really good freshman class this year, and so I think that makes those goals not as ambitious and more realistic,” Kleiman said.
The team opened its season in a doubleheader against Boston University at NBT Bank Stadium, winning 12-4 and 13-0, respectively. The 2-0 start was an early statement by the team, which built on that momentum last week against Bentley.
Syracuse won two of three games in its series against Bentley, improving to 4-1 on the season. The games were much closer in these contests, winning the first game 4-2, losing the second 7-6 and winning the rubber match 11-5. Nonetheless, a promising five games for Syracuse to wrap up its first two series with only one total loss.
Offense has been a significant factor in the team’s early success. Syracuse’s 46 runs scored throughout its first five games is the second most in its conference, trailing only SUNY Brockport, which has 54 runs scored and remains undefeated at 6-0.
Infielder/outfielder Keenan Sawada has played a pivotal role in the Orange’s offensive firepower, earning NCBA Division II Player of the Week by going 6 for 10 with a walk, four RBIs, five runs scored, and five stolen bases. Sawada says that getting off on the right foot offensively has been important for the team.
“100% [it’s been important]. I mean, when we can go out there and score runs in the first, especially. Like, being up big helps everyone,” Sawada said. “It helps our pitchers, helps our batters be more comfortable, pitchers tend to throw more strikes. It’s huge.”
If the batting is helping the pitching, proof comes in the team’s 2.50 ERA per nine innings. The Orange’s 18 runs allowed are just six more than SUNY Brockport and SUNY Cortland, and 22 fewer than the next fewest, Siena.
The Orange face 1-5 Clarkson University this weekend for a three-game series. Syracuse has a chance to extend its opponent’s three-game losing streak. Taking care of business against Clarkson becomes important as Vice President and starting pitcher Dan Goodstadt says Syracuse will need an abundance of arms with tougher competition in the Cortland Invitational Tournament.
“Heading into the Cortland Invitational Tournament next weekend, you know, if we wanna win the whole thing, we have to play five games. That’s 35 innings, and I really do think we do have about ten pitchers. So if all ten pitchers give you three solid innings, we can get through those games right there,” Goodstadt said.
The tournament consists of three divisions, each with four teams, with three divisional winners and a wild-card team advancing to the tournament’s playoffs. A strong showing in Cortland would reinforce Kleiman’s belief in how far this team can go.
“I truly believe we can win the regional playoffs and get to the College World Series. That being said, we got some real testers ahead of us in the coming weeks,” Kleiman said.
Syracuse has drawn high-caliber opponents in 4-2 Millersville, 10-3 Marist, and 4-2 Temple. The tournament puts the team on the club national stage with an opportunity to win meaningful games and continue its early success.
Syracuse’s upcoming games for the 2025 Cortland Fall Invitational are:
Friday, Oct. 24, at 4:30 p.m. vs Marist
Saturday, Oct. 25, at 10:00 a.m. vs Temple
Saturday, Oct. 25, at 3:30 p.m. vs Millersville
The single-elimination playoffs for the tournament begin on Sunday, Oct. 26th, at 9:00 a.m.
is a Digital Producer for the NewsHouse.