New Paltz Baseball Earns Record Five Selections to ABCA All-Region Team
New Paltz Sports Information Department
New Paltz, NY — The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced its annual All-Region honorees Tuesday, and the Hawks earned a record-setting five selections to the All-Region III team.
The State University of New York at New Paltz was well represented on the ABCA All-Region list as all five all-conference selects earned a spot, including first team honors for graduate student second basemen Michael Boccarossa and junior short stop Tommy Kreider, with sophomore pitcher Xavier Zyoff landing on second team while sophomore pitcher Matt Sarni and junior outfielder Michael Ascanio earning third team honors. The five selections are the most in program history, surpassing the previous record of three which occurred three times following the 2000, 2001 and 2012 seasons.
"This is such a great honor for these players and the program," said SUNY New Paltz coach Thomas Seay. "I don't know if New Paltz Baseball has ever had five All-Region recipients in our program's history. It's a true testament of the direction our program is headed. Specifically, to these five men: Tommy Kreider, Michael Boccarossa, Xavier Zykoff, Michael Ascanio and Matt Sarni. I couldn't be more proud of their accomplishments. Each had exceptional seasons in various ways, and all directly impacted our ability to have a historic season.
"Great thing is, all these guys are back next year with the exception of Boccarossa. We're going to miss Bocca's leadership but I have confidence he's prepared the next servant leaders in our program."
The 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Division III All-Region teams included three teams among 10 regions. There were 49 selection for Region III with the SUNYAC having six schools represented including SUNY Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Cortland, Oswego and Fredonia who joined the Hawks. Cortland had the most selections among the SUNYAC with six honorees, while the Red Dragons' Luis Misla was named as the Region Pitcher of the Year.
With their first-team selections, Boccarossa and Kreider will automatically be eligible for ABCA/Rawlings All-America consideration, which will be announced March 30.
To read the official ABCA All-Region press release and see full teams, click here.
Michael Boccarossa (Port Chester, NY/Port Chester HS) was a four-year captain for the Hawks who leaves the program as one of the best leaders to ever wear the orange and blue. Playing for SUNY New Paltz for six seasons, Boccarossa was the consummate teammate, putting the program above himself and set an example every single day as a student-athlete. His tireless work ethic came to fruition in a storybook-like final season where he put up career numbers to not only earn his first All-SUNYAC and All-Region recognition but lead a gritty group to the program's very first SUNYAC Championship title.
"Talk about a player who is as selfless and team oriented as they come, I'm super pumped Mike is getting the individual recognition he deserves," Seay said. "Mike has been the foundation the program's success has been built upon. There's not a guy who commands more respect than Mike. He had a great season. He's always been a clutch performer and this season he was really consistent. Breaking the single season program record for RBIs and breaking the program game started record are tremendous accomplishments. This is just the icing on the cake for him."
The intangibles he brought to the table could not quantify the impact he had on the success this past spring, and the ascension of a young group that overcame a history of tough finishes. What was unquestionable, however, was his production at the plate — most notably in clutch spots with runners in scoring position.
Boccarossa set a single season program record in RBI, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 by former teammate Dean Stalzer (45) as he concluded the season with a team-leading 47 RBI, while hitting a career-best .339 with an OPS of .867, slugging percentage of .429 and on-base-percentage of .438. He finished with 41 runs scored, 57 hits and 12 extra base hits with 25 walks and only 15 strikeouts.
Additionally, Boccarossa was named as a third-team D3Baseball selection.
Tommy Kreider (New City, NY/Clarkstown South HS) etched his name as one of the best to ever play for the SUNY New Paltz baseball program after the season he put together in 2024. He led the team in nearly every offensive category, while setting single season records for runs (62), hits (82), total bases (116), and on-base percentage (.561), and tied the single season record for doubles (19), while finishing second in single-season history in batting average (.463) and fifth in stolen bases (21).
"Tommy has always had the skill set to play to this level. He's as skilled as they come," Seay said. "I truly believe the biggest difference in this season from the two previous has been his strength and ability to stay healthy. We started to see some glimpses towards the end of last season. He had a tremendous second half of the season in 2023. He had an exceptional 2024 campaign, and I feel confident his accolades will continue to mount in the coming weeks. He's a tremendous player."
Kreider also joins elite company, becoming just the sixth player in program history to be a two-time selection and first, two-time first-team All-Region pick. He was also named a D3Baseball First-Team All-Region III short stop.
Defensively, Kreider moved over to short and significantly made the Hawks better defensively. He finished the year with a fielding percentage of .969 with 194 catches, 86 putouts and 102 assists, while helping turn 10 double plays on the year.
Xavier Zykoff (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill HS) made the much-needed jump in his second year for SUNY New Paltz to solidify the rotation, as he continuously ate innings for the Hawks to allow their hot offense to flourish especially down the stretch in their magical run.
Zykoff, throwing just 23.1 innings in his first year, as he split between the mound and outfield duties, became the team's best arm in 2024. He led the team in inning's pitched with 69.1 and threw five-plus nine different times including seven innings in a four-hit performance in SUNY New Paltz's first round NCAA win over hosting Eastern Connecticut State.
"We thought Xavier could be a Swiss Army knife for us this year," Seay said. "Our plan was to use Xavier in the back end of a game but also to spot start him when needed. We loved his versatility, but as the early season progressed he quickly became our most reliable arm. Once conference series started we felt he needed to pitch in the rotation and he didn't disappoint. Xavier gave us quality start after quality start and our guys felt we could win every game he pitched. When we started to win those games, that confidence continued to grow to the point where we felt we could win any game, under any circumstance. Xavier anchored down our rotation and we're really fortunate to have him back next year."
Zykoff finished the year with an ERA of 5.58, WHIP of 1.51, going 5-1 in 14 appearances with 10 starts while adding a save on the year. He allowed 80 hits, 43 earned runs and 25 walks while striking out a team-leading 57 batters, keeping opponents hitting just .284 against.
Michael Ascanio (Armonk, NY/Byram Hills HS) helped solidify one of the best offenses in the country this past year, becoming one of Seay's most well-rounded players as he manned center field duties defensively for SUNY New Paltz.
"Michael is a dynamic and explosive athlete. He can do so many things to impact the outcome of a game," Seay said. "He has big time pop in his bat but also the speed to swipe 20-plus bags in the future. He's poised to be one of if not the best player in the conference next season. There's nothing he can't do. He can hit, hit for power, run, and he's an exceptional center fielder. If he can get a little stronger I think he'll be a guy next year that will put up some monster numbers.
Ascanio had a career season, hitting .322 with an OPS of .936 and on-base-percentage of .447. Making 45 of 45 starts, Ascanio finished second on the team, only to Boccarossa, in RBI with 47, while adding 33 runs, 56 hits including 18 extra base hits with 85 total bases and 34 walks. Also a threat on the base paths, Ascanio stole 14 bases on the year, second only to Kreider. Defenisvely, he finished with a .989 fielding percentage with 92 catches, 89 putouts and two assists with just one error in the field.
Matt Sarni (Levittown, NY/Gen Douglas Macarthur HS) like Zykoff, made the jump in a breakout second season for SUNY New Paltz. Due to an early season injury Sarni, who was utilized both in the field and on the mound as a freshman, honed in on his role as a closer for the Hawks in year two and finished with one of the best seasons for a relief pitcher in program history, as he broke the single season record for saves (5).
"Matt was our go to guy out of the pen all year," Seay said. "We went to him in the seventh inning multiple times to lock down games for us. He set the program record for saves in a season, won a big game versus Oswego in an elimination game in the conference tournament for us — words can explain what he meant for our success. I think his knee injury allowed him to focus on being a pitcher which in hindsight was the best thing for him. Early in the season his inability to move laterally kept him from being a position player but had little effect on his ability to pitch, and Matt's the kind of player who will put the team first. I'm excited to have him back as a position player for us in the fall because he's so dynamic and we're going to need his athleticism in our lineup."
Sarni made 19 appearances, 17 of which came out of the bullpen, going 4-2 on the year in 48 innings pitched, third most on the team. Sarni finished with an ERA of 4.69, WHIP of 1.56, while allowing just 56 hits, 25 earned runs and 19 walks with 48 strikeouts. He was also named a D3Baseball third-team all-region pick.
