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2013 Season Highlights
• MAAC and program-record 42 victories
• First MAAC Championship in program history
• Finished No. 89 in the final NCAA RPI rankings - second time in the last seven seasons to finish in the top 90
• 11-game winning streak - longest in program history
• Second in the country with 25 road victories
• 17th in the country with a .712 winning percentage
• Seventh straight appearance in the MAAC Championship - longest streak in the conference
• Fourth appearance in five years in the title round of the MAAC Championship - no other team has appeared more than twice in that timeframe
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| In the National Rankings |
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| Batting Average |
.306 |
17th |
| Runs Per Game |
7.0 |
18th |
| Triples |
26 |
6th |
| Stolen Bases |
107 |
20th |
| Base on Balls |
263 |
28th |
| Hit By Pitch |
125 |
2nd |
| Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings |
8.59 |
59th |
| Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings |
3.10 |
61st |
| On-Base Percentage |
.416 |
4th |
| Winning Percentage |
.712 |
17th |
| WHIP |
1.30 |
44th |
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| On-Base Percentage |
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| Jimmy Luppens |
.465 |
44th |
| Ronnie Bernick |
.455 |
68th |
| Connor Panas |
.451 |
83rd |
| Hit By PItch |
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| Jimmy Luppens |
19 |
30th |
| Victories |
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| Garrett Cortright |
11 |
15th |
| Saves |
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| Jon Fitzsimmons |
10 |
49th |
| Complete Games |
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| Garrett Cortright |
5 |
20th |
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The turnaround is complete.
The Canisius baseball team won the first conference championship in program history in dramatic fashion, with a 12-11 walk-off victory at ARM & HAMMER Park in Trenton, N.J. That victory was the 42nd of the season, the most in program history and the most in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference history and sent the Golden Griffins to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Upon coming to Canisius following the 2004 season after three years at Niagara University, coach Mike McRae was taking over a Golden Griffin program that ranked No. 292 of 293 teams in the NCAA Division I RPI. In 2007, he led the team to its first MAAC Championship appearance since 1994, the first of seven consecutive appearances. In 2008, Canisius went from 20 wins to 41 wins, the second-biggest single-season turnaround since 1997. The program won its first postseason game in 2008 and made its first appearance in the championship round of the MAAC Tournament in 2009.
After a heartbreaking end to the 2012 season that saw two extra-inning, one-run losses in the title round of the MAAC Championship, the Golden Griffins faced high expectations with the return of nine players who made at least 30 starts, their top four starting pitchers and three relievers with 10 or more appearances.
Canisius started the season slowly, splitting its first eight games of the season. But once the calendar turned to the month of March, the Golden Griffins showed their potential with a 15-3 record that included some impressive individual performances. Junior Jimmy Luppens hit three home runs and had eight RBI in the third game of a four-game sweep at Ohio University. Canisius closed the month in historic fashion, with three pitchers — Alex Godzak, Rohn Pierce and Jon Fitzsimmons — combining for the first nine-inning no-hitter in program history in an 8-0 win at Iona.
Another speed bump awaited the Griffs in early April as they were swept in a three-game series at Rider, the first three-game sweep of Canisius by a conference team since the 2007 season. Once again, the Griffs responded to the adversity with a program-record 11-game winning streak, that included the program’s first-ever three-game sweep of Manhattan at Van Cortlandt Park and the first sweep of Manhattan in Riverdale by a MAAC school in six years. The 11th victory of the winning streak featured the best regular-season game of the season, a 2-1 walk-off victory over Marist in 10 innings at the Demske Sports Complex.
Canisius clinched its spot in the MAAC Championship after a three-game sweep of rival Niagara University on the second-last weekend of the regular-season. The Griffs were swept in a doubleheader by Fairfield a week prior to the postseason, but again bounced back with a solid 5-0 win over the Stags in the regular-season finale to get momentum heading to the four-team, double-elimination tournament.
The No. 3 seed Golden Griffins opened play against No. 2 seed Marist. Garrett Cortright once again showed his propensity to be a big-game pitcher as the staff ace gave up one hit in the game – a two-out double in the bottom of the first. He yielded an unearned run in the second inning and didn’t allow a runner past first base the rest of the game. A bases-loaded walk to Jesse Kelso in the fifth and an RBI groundout from Mike Krische in the sixth would be all the offense Cortright needed in the 2-1 victory.
Inclement weather affected the tournament for the second consecutive day as Canisius and No. 1 seed Rider University didn’t start the winners’ bracket game until 9:45 p.m. The teams played four long innings and were tied at 5-5 when the game was suspended. The Griffs jumped out to the early 4-0 lead thanks to a grand slam from Jesse Puscheck. The host Broncs battled back and evened the score before more rain forced the game to be suspended until the next day. Each team scored twice in the fifth but Canisius broke the game open with an eight-run top of the sixth inning. The Griffs worked 13 walks and were hit by three pitches en route to the 16-8 win, moving into the driver’s seat for the second consecutive season.
Canisius faced No. 4 seed Siena College for the conference title and appeared to be in control with a 10-3 lead after six innings. The Saints fought back, as they had throughout their run through the losers’ bracket. Siena made it 10-9 by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh. The Griffs added an insurance run in the seventh but a two-out, two-run homer to left-center from Larry Balkwill in the top of the ninth tied the game at 11-11.
The Griffs rallied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, with Brooklyn Foster drawing a walk. After an opposite-field single from Connor Panas, a walk to Puscheck loaded the bases. With the count at 2-2, Jose Torralba took one for the team and was hit by a pitch to force home Foster as the championship-winning run.
Canisius earned a date with No. 1 overall seed North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional. The Golden Griffins battled the host Tar Heels on May 31, loading the bases with one out and trailing 4-3 in the top of the eighth inning. Freshman closer Tyler Thornton recorded two strikeouts to get out of the jam as North Carolina avoided the Griffs’ upset bid, 6-3. The Griffs would be eliminated the following afternoon in a 14-6 loss to No. 23 Florida Atlantic.
A number of Golden Griffins received individual accomplishments and recognition throughout and after the season. Cortright was selected in the 40th-round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles and signed with the franchise while fellow junior Jon Fitzsimmons signed a free-agent contract with the Kansas City Royals, with both pitchers forgoing their final year of eligibility.
Cortright and Fitzsimmons were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Northeast Region Division I First Team while Luppens was named to the Second Team. Godzak earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball while Luppens and Cortright were named ECAC Division I All-Stars.
On the conference level, Fitzsimmons was named the MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive season while Godzak earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors. Cortright, Luppens and Jesse Kelso earned All-MAAC First-Team accolades while Godzak, Foster and Ronnie Bernick were selected to the All-MAAC Second Team.
| 2013 Postseason Honors |
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| Ronnie Bernick |
Ryan Coppinger |
Garrett Cortright |
Jon Fitzsimmons |
Brooklyn Foster |
Alex Godzak |
Jesse Kelso |
Jimmy Luppens |
Jesse Puscheck |
• All-MAAC
Second Team
• MAAC All-Tournament Team |
• MAAC All-Tournament Team |
• ABCA
All-Northeast
First Team
• ECAC All-Star
• MAAC All-Tournament Team
• All-MAAC Second Team |
• ABCA
All-Northeast
First Team
• MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year |
• MAAC All-Tournament Team
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• Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
• MAAC Rookie of the Year
• All-MAAC
Second Team |
• All-MAAC First Team |
• ABCA
All-Northeast
Second Team
• ECAC All-Star
• All-MAAC
First Team |
• MAAC Championship MVP
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