After seeing the 2020 campaign cut to just 12 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Queens College Baseball program returns to the field for the first time in 375 days as it travels to Caldwell, NJ on Saturday, Mar. 20th. 

Leading the Knights is Head Coach Chris Reardon who enters his eighth season in Flushing.  Since 2014, Reardon has amassed 108 career wins and is ten wins away from tying former Head Coach Ed Tatarian who compiled a record of 118-116 in seven seasons from 1992-98. Reardon’s staff is comprised of returning Assistant Coaches John Smith, Alex Nikolic, Paul Sasso, and Cristian Lynch.

The Knights return 13 members from the 2020 roster, while also welcoming 14 newcomers. Rob Backus (Merrick, N.Y.) and Dylan Hughes (Merrick, N.Y.) earned the honors of being named captains who will not only look to help guide the Knights but lead the starting pitching rotation.

The Knights will field a young roster that will primarily include freshman and sophomores in their starting lineup. 

Infield

The infield will see brand new faces contending for the starting role in each position. 

At first base sophomore Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.), along side freshman Daniel Deutsch (Northport, N.Y.) and Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.)  will provide depth to the coaching staff. 

In the middle bases, Holy Trinity product Jordan Ramlogan (Hicksville, N.Y.) and James Mahoney (Levittown, N.Y.) hailing from McArthur High School will compete for time at second base.

At shortstop, transfer Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) from Mercy College and freshman Nick Burke (North Babylon, N.Y.) will circle the middle bases as they look to lock up the shortstop position as their own.

On the hot corner, returner and freshman Evan Christopher (North Babylon N.Y.) will start at third base, while fellow returner Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) and Barreiros will also be vying for the third base role.

Outfield

The outfield will be patrolled by returners Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.), who started 10 games in 2020 will see time at center or left field with junior Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) roaming either left or right field. In 2020 Diez recorded at-bats (38), runs (7), hits (8), and RBIs (3), and had one multi-hit game making him second among all freshman while leading the Knights in stolen bases-attempts (8-8). Rodopoulos started six games in the outfield, while appearing in 10 games posted a .314 batting average, hits (6), runs (9), doubles (2), RBIs (3), stolen bases-attempts (3-3) with one home run. 

Looking to lock up the right outfield role, Southampton High School product Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) has impressed the coaching staff and has shown good signs of being an impressive player for the years to come in Flushing. Also, Smith could see a role out of the bullpen as part of the pitching staff. As a two-way player, Suffolk Community College transfer Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.) brings flexibility to the coaching staff as he will see time not only in the outfield but also part of the pitching starting rotation. 

A variety of players will look to provide depth to Reardon and the coaching staff in the outfield with returner Mike Tagliarini (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Hoskins, and freshman Juan Vasquez (Queens Village, N.Y.). 

Catching

Behind the plate, the Knights have a pool of talented candidates to select from with transfer and freshman Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) from Herkimer Community College who helped lead Center Moriches high school to two state baseball championships, while Barreiros, Estevez, and Hoskins will provide plenty of depth at the catching spot.

Pitching

On the mound, Reardon and the pitching staff will look to veteran righties Backus and Hughes to make immediate impact as the Knights aces. Backus will look to continue his 2020 form as he led the Knights in wins (2), strikeouts (19), ERA (1.84), earned runs (3) while pitching 14.2 innings in three starts. Backus was awarded the ECC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 17 for his outing in the doubleheader sweep over USciences.

After leading the Knights in the 2020 season-opener win against USciences (Feb.16) as he pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run with four strikeouts, Hughes earned a spot on the ECC Weekly Honor Roll sheet (Feb. 17). Hughes will be heavily relied on as one of the aces to lead the starting pitching rotation.

Pulsipher will also take charge as a starter of the rotation, alongside returner righty Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.) and freshman righty Johnny Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.). They will be counted on to provide significant innings as starters. 

The former New York Tech and Francis Lewis lefty Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) will be relied heavily upon as a starting pitcher and out of the bullpen to provide significant innings for the Knights. 

Elsewhere on the staff, a mix of fresh faces and returners will look to provide relief out of the bullpen. Veteran righties Dimitri Papazoglou (Bayside, N.Y.), Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) will look to make an impact out of the bullpen. Both Papazoglou and Gargano made starts in 2020 with the former earning a win vs. Nyack College on Mar. 2 as he pitched 5.0 innings giving up four hits, two walks while striking out six. 

While righty Christopher will be counted on to deliver solid innings on the mound, last season Christopher made his pitching debut in the game one win against USciences coming on in relief and pitching 4.0 innings while allowing three hits, one earned run, and striking four to earn ECC Rookie of the Week honors on Feb. 17. Returners Dante Interlandi (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.), alongside freshman Robert Puccio (Whitestone, N.Y.), and Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) will look to earn on the time on the mound for the Knights. 

The Knights begin the 2021 season this Saturday, Mar. 20, when they travel to Caldwell, NJ for the first two games of the four-game series against the Caldwell University Cougars. First pitch will be at 11 a.m.