Spartans Look Ahead to 2026
Cayuga Community College Baseball captured their third conference title in four seasons this spring behind a strong rotation and a deep lineup that batted over .300 in 2025.
The Spartans ended the season 28-19, with a 21-12 record in Region III East Division play and a 14-4 mark against Mid-State Athletic Conference teams. The conference record earned Cayuga its third title since the program's inaugural 2019 season, with the other titles coming in 2022 and 2023.
The regional record earned them a third-place finish in the East Division and a road trip to start the postseason, which was cut short in a road sweep at Finger Lakes Community College.
Though the Spartans ultimately fell short of reaching the Regional Final Four, Coach John Rizzo believes the experience earned by this year's freshmen will pay dividends moving into the offseason and ahead in 2026.
"We fell short of our ultimate goal, but looking at the adversity we overcame to still win a conference championship and make the playoffs, I think that's impressive," he said. "We set the standard high each season, and sometimes that can make it hard to meet. We had some players in unexpected roles, but they made the most of it."
Cayuga entered the season looking to build on last year's second-place finish in the East Division. After starting 2-3, the Spartans ripped off 11 straight wins to place themselves among the division leaders. A pair of six-game winning streaks later in the season kept the Spartans in playoff position.
Ultimately, they finished third behind Hudson Valley Community College and Herkimer College. That left them on the road for the opening round of the playoffs, where they lost twice to Finger Lakes, 9-8 and 12-7.
The Spartans returned key contributors in the field and at the plate, and those sophomores didn't disappoint. First baseman Michael DeRosa (.380 average, 41 RBI), middle infielder Jacob Laird (.324, 41 RBI), and left fielder Luca D'Emilio (.359, 33 runs) were among the team's leaders at the plate.
The freshmen class contributed heavily at the plate as well, with right fielder Jeremy Recio (.458 average, 51 RBI) named MSAC Player of the Year. Primary catcher Jakson Ross (.343, 19 SB), middle infielder Alejandro Diaz (.314, 45 runs) and outfielder/pitcher Isaac Allison (.328) also contributed to a Spartans offense that batted .320 on the season.
"This year's team really hit well. Every year, we've had a different identity. This year's team not only hit well, but hit for extra bases and drove guys in. We ran the bases really well, too. Offensively we had a lot of production from different spots in the lineup," said Rizzo.
On the mound, the Spartans saw four freshmen — Kyle Peryer, James MacLean, Ashtyn Traugott-Knoll, and Allison — combine for 22 of the team's 28 wins, with Peryer's team-high seven wins tying for fourth-best in Region III. Peryer also led the team in innings pitched with 51, with MacLean, Traugott-Knoll and sophomore Andrew Seward each clearing 42 innings pitched apiece.
Rizzo said the fact that the Spartans had only three sophomore pitchers returning this season pushed the freshmen into bigger roles.
"Usually we try to lean on our sophomore pitchers a bit more to let the freshmen acclimate, but we didn't have that choice this year. A lot of guys got thrown into the ring, but they had a lot of success," he said.
Looking ahead to next season, Rizzo said improving defensively and adding more depth throughout the roster, particularly on the mound, should help the Spartans take a step forward.
"Fundamentally, we weren't as good as we were in years past. That cost us some games. If we can get back to the way we played in the past, combined with how we can hit, we'll win more games," he said.
Along with Recio's MSAC Player of the Year honor, DeRosa and Peryer were named All-Conference, and D'Emilio and Ross were Honorable Mention.
Regional awards saw Recio named First-Team and All-East Division, Ross named Second-Team and All-East Division, DeRosa and Peryer named Third-Team, and centerfielder Owen Browne named to the All-Glove Team.