Kyle Stracher<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final Paper<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
(All pictures were taken by myself)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Cortland Red Dragons have had a rollercoaster season in 2023. From nationally ranked, to unranked, back to ranked; Injuries, All-Americans, walk-offs, and no-hitters, there was no predicting what was going to happen. Here are the top 10 moments from the 2023 regular season for the SUNYAC Champion, Cortland Red Dragons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. 13-1 Win Against Transylvania (2\/24)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cortland Baseball\u2019s season was off to a disappointing start early in the year. After Losing 3 of 4 their first 4 games, it looked like D3Baseball.com\u2019s preseason ranking of the Red Dragons at 14, was a complete whiff. Cortland needed a big win to get back on track and they did just that. Powered by 5 innings of 1 run ball by Junior Will McCarthy and 4 scoreless innings from the Cortland Bullpen, Transylvania could only muster 1 run. Offensively, 3rd<\/sup> baseman Dylan Mackenzie homered and drove in 3 along with a homer by sophomore outfielder Mitchell Kelly. The Dragons stayed patient at the plate, amassing 7 walks. Sophomore infielder Kyle Novak described the game as, \u201cA sigh of relief that we needed to get things going again.\u201d Since that game, Cortland is 25-6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Dylan Mackenzie takes over the Shenandoah Tournament (3\/3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Dylan Mackenzie has been unreal for the Red Dragons all year. But at the time of the Shenandoah tournament, Mackenzie had yet to really prove himself. Cortland was on the road in Virginia after dropping out of the national rankings the week prior. Mackenzie himself was off to a slow start but had a chance to prove himself against #11-ranked Shenandoah and Susquehanna University. The first-year starter went a combined 6-10 in the two games driving in 8 of Cortland\u2019s runs. In Game 1 Mackenzie had a great day at the dish, going 2 for 4 with 3 runs batted in, but Game 2 is where he unleashed on the 11th-ranked Shenandoah Hornets. In a \u201cprove it\u201d game for the Red Dragons, Mackenzie went 4-6 driving in 5 runs. While the third baseman highlighted the offensive outburst the game was a metaphor of sorts to the players. \u201cAfter the first two weeks, we got killed by ranked teams, it wasn\u2019t even close. We were ranked pretty high coming into the year, and I think up until that game (Shenandoah) we thought maybe we weren\u2019t as good as we thought.\u201d Said, Dylan Mackenzie. The game served as a huge confidence boost for Cortland, who is again in the top 25 polls by D3.Baseball.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Weekend Sweep of Oswego (3\/24)<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oswego and Cortland\u2019s baseball teams have a bitter rivalry. Games often feature more than a few upset fans and parents, and the players frequently have less-than-ideal comments for one another. In 2022, the Red Dragons ended up losing home-field advantage for SUNYACs to Oswego after 2 of their last 3 regular season games to them. A big part of Oswego\u2019s offense in 2021, was the now Red Dragon right fielder, Hunter Holiday. When Holiday transferred to Cortland as a grad student, Junior Will McCarthy said, \u201cOh yeah, he was a familiar face.\u201d But Holliday bought in right away and made his former team pay. Holiday said \u201cThe sweep over Oswego felt really good to see old friends, but at the end of the day, I want to win. During the weekend series, Cortland outscored Oswego 35-4, with all the games being called early due to the new SUNYAC mercy rule. Holiday reminded his old team of what they lost, going a combined 5-10 with 5 RBIs and his first homer of the year during the series opener. The series displayed the powerhouse that Cortland was with an all-around display of pitching, defense, and hitting. (As well as a No-hitter that will be talked about later!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Cortland crushes Oneonta in a battle of the Red Dragons (4\/14)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nothing is better than watching your team fire on all cylinders. In a conference against the Oneonta Red Dragons, the Cortland Red Dragons pulled away with a lopsided 23-4 victory in 7 innings. The game was seemingly over before it started as during the second at-bat of the game for Cortland, Nick Chemotti hit a nuke of a home run deep into the woods behind right field. The Dragon-on-Dragon crime was far from over. Cortland scored 11 runs before the 3rd<\/sup> inning and topped that off with a 10-run 4th<\/sup> inning. Adam Mieczkowski highlighted a great day at the dish for Cortland with 2 homers in a game where Cortland tallied 19 hits. By the 5th<\/sup> inning, most of the entire Cortland starters were taken out for some underclassmen to get their first in-game reps. Left fielder Matt Bruno said, \u201cIt\u2019s great to get a win like this and get some of the younger guys playing time, it\u2019s a luxury that not all teams get.\u201d The 19-run victory was part of a weekend sweep for Cortland where they outscored Oneonta 41-6 in 3 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Oswego can\u2019t catch a break (3\/24)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine getting no-hit and mercy-ruled, then 1 hour later, you get mercy ruled again. In game 2 of the doubleheader versus Oswego, Cortland came back and capitalized with a 15-4 win for their second mercy rule win of the day. Two sport athlete, Will McCarthy started game 2 where the entire Cortland stands were filled will his fall football teammates. McCarthy pitched 5 strong innings with one home run tainting his final line of 5 innings, 3 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts. Matt Bruno headlined the offensive onslaught with 4 hits, (2 of them homers), and 7 RBIs. Head coach Joe Brown might have played into the voices of the (majority football team) crowd as after Will McCarthy was taken out, another Red Dragon football player, freshman Shane Van Dam came in and pitched a scoreless 7th<\/sup> inning. To throw salt in the wound, the Red Dragons won on a \u201cwalk-off\u201d homerun by Matt Bruno to enact the mercy rule. After the game starting Quarterback of the SUNY Cortland Football team, Zac Boyes, was ecstatic for his teammate McCarthy. Boyes said \u201cThis is what makes you proud to be a Cortland athlete. Seeing him (McCarthy) come out and deal speaks to the level of athlete he is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Mieczkowski, Cortland Clinches SUNYACs with a sweep over Plattsburg (4\/27)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n After losing home-field advantage to host the SUNYAC tournament in 2022, Cortland was hungry to redeem itself and declare themselves the regular season champions. In an away series in Plattsburgh, Cortland came in ready to win. Cortland outscored Plattsburgh 35-5 during the 3-game series. The series opener was a 10- 1 win for Cortland where Dylan Beers pitched 5 innings of 1 run ball and Adam Mieczkowski Homered and doubled. Freshman Shane Van Dam opened the second day in game 1 of a doubleheader with 5 innings of 2-hit ball where he punched out 11 and Adam Mieczkowski homered twice and tripled to lead the Cortland offense to a 15-2 victory. Game 2 of the doubleheader was more of a nail-biter as the game was tied 2-2 in the 6th<\/sup> but a Nick Chemotti RBI single broke the tie and Adam Mieczkowski\u2019s 4th<\/sup> homer of the series was the icing on the cake of Cortland\u2019s clinching of the SUNYAC regular season title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Cortland\u2019s 19-game win streak (3\/21)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n After a not-so-Cortland-like start to the 2023 season, the Red Dragons really made back some ground. Starting with a 6-5 win on March 21st<\/sup> over Case Western Reserve in South Carolina, Cortland Baseball tallied a few wins in a row, 18 more to be exact. Headlined with sweeps over New Paltz, Fredonia, Oswego, and Oneonta. During the 19-game win streak, Cortland scored 186 runs compared to their opponents\u2019 58. The streak looked in Jeopardy at 14, as the Red Dragons found themselves tied with Fredonia at 6 going into the 10th<\/sup> inning. Cortland responded with a 7-run 10th<\/sup> inning to ensure the streak stayed alive. The win streak not only exemplified the pure talent of Cortland but shot them back up into national rankings and gave them clear control of the SUNYAC conference. When asked about the win streak, 3rd<\/sup> baseman Dylan Mackenzie said, \u201cAll win streaks take some luck, but this group just wants to win, when things are clicking like they were, you come in into every game confident you\u2019ll win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Kelly, Cortland walk off an instant classic vs Cobleskill (3\/21)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 6-0, top of the 8th<\/sup>, at home, what could go wrong? In a non-league contest versus Cobleskill, Cortland had a 6-run lead going into the 8th<\/sup> inning. But Cobleskill didn\u2019t want to go down easily, in the 8th<\/sup> they took the lead 7-6 after a complete meltdown from the Cortland bullpen. With an RBI single by Dylan Tierney in the bottom of the 8th<\/sup> and a scoreless top of the 9th<\/sup> for Cobleskill, Cortland was up to bat-tied in the bottom of the 9th<\/sup>. The first batter of the inning was Mitchell Kelly who had replaced Matt Kraft at 1st<\/sup> Base earlier in the game. On the 1st<\/sup> pitch, Kelly drilled a ball over the left field wall as he rounded the bases on a walk-off homer. The whirlwind of a game was as Kelly described a \u201cBackyard whiffle ball moment as a kid.\u201d Kelly and the Red Dragons narrowly escaped with a win but kept the momentum going with their win streak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. McCarthy shuts down Oneonta in a complete game shutout (4\/15)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Death, Taxes, and Will McCarthy dominating when his football teammates come to watch him pitch are the only 3 guarantees in life. After a 13-2 win in game one of a doubleheader, Will McCarthy took the mound to complete the 3-game sweep of Oneonta. In a game where the stands looked like a SUNY Cortland football practice, McCarthy thrived off the support of his fall teammates pitching 9 shutout innings allowing 8 hits, and striking out 6. McCarthy\u2019s complete game was the first 9-inning shutout for Cortland since 2019. His performance earned him the D3baseball.com National Pitcher of the Week. McCarthy said, \u201cThere\u2019s so much juice when these guys (his football teammates) are here, I\u2019m always intense, but the support and love these guys give when they come watch takes me to a whole different level.\u201d McCarthy\u2019s historic performance was followed by a bombardment of hugs and excitement from both the baseball and football teams, but just narrowly missed out on the performance of the year for Cortland,<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Dylan Beers no hits Oswego (3\/24)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Unfortunately for Will McCarthy, the top moment of the year goes to another ace in the Cortland rotation. Dylan Beers had a legendary outing against Oswego where he threw a 7-inning no-hitter striking out 12 in a 10-0 win against Oswego. Beers was one walk away from a perfect game and said he \u201cwould have thrown a no-hitter even if it went to 9, that\u2019s how good I felt that day.\u201d The no-hitter was the 21st<\/sup> in program history and featured a 3-hit game from left fielder Matt Bruno. Beers didn\u2019t even realize he had a no-hitter as the Cortland bench seemed be practicing social distancing from Beers in the dugout in an attempt not to break the golden rule of no-hitters. Beers was locked in ready to go pitch the 8th<\/sup> with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th<\/sup>, but Zachary Kringdon must have been tired of seeing the Oswego batters come up and get sent right back down as his RBI single in the 7th<\/sup> enacted the 10-run mercy rule for Cortland. The performance also earned the righty a D3baseball.com National pitcher of the week and put his name in Cortland record books for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the regular season coming to a close, Cortland hosts the SUNYAC conference tournament on May 11th<\/sup> with their opener vs Oswego. An extremely young but talented Cortland team looks to earn their second ever national championship and don\u2019t be surprised to see a few Cortland representees in the All-American selections in the next few months,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kyle Stracher Final Paper (All pictures were taken by myself) The Cortland Red Dragons have had a rollercoaster season in 2023. From nationally ranked, to unranked, back to ranked; Injuries, All-Americans, walk-offs, and no-hitters, there was no predicting what was going to happen. Here are the top 10 moments from the 2023 regular season […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":2527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/04\/P1010132-scaled.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2023\/04\/P1010132-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"kyle.stracher","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/author\/kyle-stracher\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}