Herkimer Baseball

The Program

Herkimer baseball has climbed towards the top of NJCAA DIII baseball under the direction of head coach Jason Rathbun (112-47). Herkimer has powered their way to the top with strong offensive teams. Herkimer has carried a team batting average over .300 every year under Rathbun to go along with a total of 76 homeruns. To go along with the offense, Herkimer plays strong fundamental defense behind smart pitching for a winning combination. During the past four seasons, Herkimer has collected four straight Regional Final Fours, two Regional Championships, a Mountain Valley Conference Championship, two year with Academic All-American Honors, and two World Series appearances. The program is a three-part season set up to keep our student athletes competing at the top level in the classroom and on the field. Herkimer baseball offers you the opportunity to begin your college education and play baseball in a program that promises maximum exposure to four-year universities, professional scouts, and an immediate chance to play your freshman year. A total of 21 players have received baseball scholarships the past four seasons, with one player currently playing professional baseball.

Herkimer baseball begins the day you walk on campus. Fall baseball includes preseason tournaments against outside competition, intrasquad scrimmages, daily practice fundamentals, plyometric and weight conditioning, mental preparation, and our Blood Bowl Series.  It gives us a chance to evaluate you over a time period to see what your future will be with the program.

The winter is the off season where we provide indoor facilities for weight training, indoor batting cages,  indoor mounds, open turf area, two gymnasiums, and a indoor pool for aquatic training. The winter is important for growth and strength conditioning.

Our annual spring trip in March kicks off our spring season of competition. Spring season is a 40 game scheduled season against Mountain Valley Conference teams, NJCAA Region III teams, along with competition from outside the region against top Division I and II teams.  The Region III record determines seeding for tournament play, with the chance to advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series.

2008 Review

After two straight appearances in the World Series, Herkimer baseball’s run as regional champions came to an end in 2008. “Expectations are high in our program, but I am very proud of what this team accomplished this season,” stated Head Coach Jason Rathbun. A long list of those accomplishments starts with a fourth straight trip to the Regional Final Four and ends with a Academic All American Honors for a team GPA over 3.00.

Keith Hendricks was the only returning starter in the lineup in 2008 and he worked hard to carry this young squad, posting a .316 average with 6 homeruns and 36 runs batted in. Hendricks was selected to the All Region 2 nd Team and leaves Herkimer with a wall full of accomplishments. Hendricks has signed a baseball scholarship to attend Flagler College in Florida next year. Shortstop Ty Folli had an outstanding freshman season finishing 3 rd overall for Regional Player of the Year with a .412 average, 11 doubles, 2 homeruns, and 36 runs batted in earning him First Team All Region. Folli was named a 2008 NJCAA All American, the fourth player to receive this honor in the past three seasons. Other freshman also had solid years, Chris Massar hit .310 with 3 homeruns, Ron Patterson posted a .388 average, Ben Brady finished at .309, Nate Sanzo hit .298 with a team leading 11 stolen bases, and Steve Campbell hit .270 with 3 homeruns. “These guys had a good year this year and we expect a great year out of them next year.”

The pitching staff will take the biggest hit this off season as five out of the top six arms from this year are all moving on. Rex Brinkmeyer and Don Potter both had solid seasons posting a 7-3 combined record. Starters Mitch Kierpiec was 6-1, Casey Avery ate up the second most innings on the squad, and Hendricks bounced back and forth between the rotation and as closer. Freshman Matt Gonyea is a bright spot in the Generals future as he led the team in ERA and matured throughout the year.

Herkimer finished the season at 22-15, Head Coach Jason Rathbun now stands at 112-47 in four years. Herkimer has been to four Regional Final Fours, two World Series, and two seasons as Academic All American Honors for a GPA over 3.0 under the direction of Rathbun. A total of 21 players have received baseball scholarships and 32 have moved on to four year baseball programs the past four seasons.