FLUSHING, N.Y. – With a balanced roster and renewed energy, the Queens College baseball team is poised for an exciting 2026 season.
 
The Knights, led by 13th-year head coach Chris Reardon, open their campaign on February 20 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., marking the fifth consecutive season the program has begun play at the coastal site.
 
Reardon is joined by a familiar and experienced coaching staff, including associate head coach John Smith and assistant coaches Alex Nikolic, Paul Sasso, and Carlos Pena. Joining the staff this season are Edward LaMarr and Queens College alumnus Stephen Castro '23, a member of the Knights' 2023 championship team.
 
The 2026 roster features 28 student-athletes, comprised of 14 returners and 14 newcomers. The class breakdown includes six seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores, and six freshmen.
 
Last season, Queens posted a 20-28 overall record and went 9-11 in East Coast Conference play, advancing to its third ECC Championship final in four seasons.

Key Returners

Queens returns two All-ECC honorees in juniors Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Peter Nenadich III (Bayside, N.Y.), both of whom earned All-ECC Second Team recognition.

Vilardi put together a standout sophomore campaign en route to earning Second Team honors as a utility player. He batted .310 across 46 games, recording 52 hits, 14 doubles, 21 RBI, and 34 runs scored while drawing 20 walks. He registered 14 multi-hit performances and four multi-RBI games, highlighted by a season-best six-game hitting streak and a 16-game reached-base streak.
 
On the mound, the Massapequa native made 12 appearances, including six starts, compiling a 2-2 record with one save. Across 40.0 innings pitched, he tallied 25 strikeouts. Vilardi recorded his second career complete-game victory in a win over Felician on March 23 and later contributed to a combined shutout victory over St. Thomas Aquinas on May 2 as the Knights clinched their sixth consecutive ECC postseason berth.
 
Vilardi earned one ECC Player of the Week honor and four Honor Roll selections during the season.
 
Nenadich III delivered a career year on the mound, earning All-ECC Second Team honors as a starting pitcher. The right-hander posted a 4-2 record across 16 appearances, including eight starts. Across 60.0 innings pitched, he allowed 57 hits and struck out 55 batters. On April 14, he recorded a career-best nine strikeouts in a victory over Molloy.
 
Nenadich III saved his most memorable performance for the postseason. Facing elimination in the ECC Tournament, he tossed the program's first-ever postseason complete-game victory, allowing just one earned run while striking out six as Queens defeated College of Staten Island to advance to its third championship final in four seasons.
 
The Bayside native was named ECC Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 21 and earned two Honor Roll selections.
 
Senior shortstop Nick Piazza (Queens, N.Y.) returns after appearing in 42 games with 41 starts last season. Piazza batted .286 with 36 hits, 17 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 26 RBI. He recorded nine multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI performances while earning ECC Honor Roll recognition.
 
In the ECC Tournament, Piazza led the Knights with a scorching .471 batting average, collecting eight hits, seven RBI, two doubles, and one home run. Queens will look for Piazza to build on that momentum as he enters the 2026 season riding a six-game hitting streak and a 14-game reached-base streak.

Newcomers/Transfer

Reardon and his coaching staff have added several experienced players to the roster who bring valuable collegiate experience.
 
Senior outfielder Vincent Mallon (Massapequa, N.Y.) arrives in Flushing following a successful three-year career at the University of Bridgeport. Across 119 games, Mallon compiled a .287 batting average with 117 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 66 RBI, 65 runs scored, 34 walks, and 33 stolen bases.

Junior catcher Niko Sorice (Rocky Point, N.Y.) returns to Division II play after an outstanding 2025 season at Hudson Valley Community College. In 40 games, Sorice batted .366 with 77 hits, 34 RBI, 41 runs scored, 29 walks, 13 doubles, and one home run en route to earning All-Region Third Team honors.

Two Division I transfers in junior catcher Thomas McElwee (West Islip, N.Y.) from the University at Albany and senior infielder Connor Waiting (Seaford, N.Y.) from Canisius University add depth and experience as the Knights aim for another championship push.
 
Queens will also look to its freshman class to make an immediate impact in outfielder John Harkins (Babylon, N.Y.), left-handed pitcher Jacob Daddino (Garden City, N.Y.), right-handed pitcher Noah Kirwin (Manorville, N.Y.), infielder Joshua Angely (Upland, CA), utility Dylan Vikara (Westbury, N.Y.), and outfielder Jayden Ramirez (Selden, N.Y.) will look to make a significant impact right way.

East Coast Conference Preseason Poll

Queens has been selected to finish third in the 2026 ECC Coaches Poll, earning 26 points, as the Knights aim for their seventh straight ECC postseason tournament berth. ECC Full Story

Opening Weekend

The Knights begin the 2026 campaign on Friday, February 20, with a familiar opponent in Southern New Hampshire University Penmen. The matchup marks the fifth consecutive season Queens has opened against the Penmen, who enter the year following a 32-16 campaign and a seventh-place ranking in the NCBWA East Region Preseason Poll.
 
Queens continues play on Saturday, February 21, with its first doubleheader of the season against Adelphi University. The Panthers finished 20-26 last season.
 
The trip concludes on Sunday, February 22, against defending East Regional Champion Felician University. The Golden Falcons have been ranked nationally in multiple Division II preseason polls, including being ranked nationally #17 in the NCBWA Week Two poll released on February 18. 

Next Pitch

Queens returns home to host Franklin Pierce University Ravens, the 2025 East Regional runner-up, for a four-game series from February 28 – March 1. More details to follow.

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