Coming off the win in the 2024 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), with a 29-16 overall record during the season and 11-7 for the conference, the Ramapo men’s baseball team is back and looking to take over another season.
The team is once again led by their seven year head coach Ryan Rinsky, with an experienced team both on the field and on the mound, to make another great season.
Coach Rinksy said in an interview, “We have an older team, who has played together for a few years now.” He continued, “Each year with them we have improved, and I am looking forward to seeing where this year goes.”
With a team full of seniors and graduates, they have the experience in big games and with other teams to make this season the best yet. Rinsky returns this season with 13 graduating seniors and a no. 1 ranking in a NJAC preseason poll for the first time in program history.
Rinsky also returns this season with six All-Conference honorees and four All-Regions players including Jack Tallent, Zach Bailey, Matt Lalomia, Dominick Ciani, John Higgins and James Pazdera.
“I’m really looking forward to competing with this group and seeing how we come together as a team,” said Higgins, a graduate student at Ramapo and one of the chosen three captains of the baseball team.
He said that the team has put in the work during the offseason and thinks the team has the potential to come together and create something special again.
This season has a bunch of players to watch, with key contributors of the team that have done nothing but improve. Bailey was first team All-Conference and first team All-Region, and Tallent won the NJAC Rookie of the Year award. These two players are ones to watch for batting this year. For the key players on the mound, look out for Jack Martin and Pazdera to come in clutch for the Roadrunners.
On the mound, Martin returns to the pitching rotation as the team leader in strikeouts in 2024, while also taking on the record of 7-2 overall and 60 strikeouts for 2024. Pazdera added 58 strikeouts to his overall record with a 3-1 record.
Another pitcher that will return for his final season to pitching coach Walker Larson’s staff is senior Nick Danbrowney, as he earned four wins and 50 strikeouts just in last season. Will Paoli returns out of the bullpen as the program’s career saves leader with 15 appearances on the mound and collected 17 strikeouts last season.
Rinksy relies on his long-time players but looks to his small band of newcomers to bring them together and then a season to bring them through the playoffs. Players like Hunter Sabbers and Carlo Lalomia make a considerable impact on the field this season amongst the more seasoned players on the team and bring them one step closer. Amongst the two new players, he welcomes 6 freshman recruits to bring in new talent to the Roadrunners.
Higgins said that this season, “We’re looking strong. Everyone has been locked in during practice, and we’re returning a lot of players from last year’s group.”
Coming off the championship win, the team will work harder and play together to have another successful season.
“I think a key part of our off-season has been knowing that we haven’t accomplished anything yet in 2025,” Rinsky said.
He said that while they did great last year, it has no real impact on this year and that the team will treat every game the same way. If they play their way of baseball then they will have the same success this season.
Higgins said the team is ready to compete and put into the effort for a good season. They are looking forward to representing Ramapo the best they can as a team whether it is on or off the field.
“It’ll be exciting to see how we perform when we step on the field against another team,” he said.
Right now, Ramapo is ranked no. 23 in the D3baseball.com Preseason Top 25 and opens their season on Feb. 26 at Centenary University. Following that they will play a double header on the road at Farmingdale State on Saturday, March 1.
Rinsky said to expect the baseball team to compete every single day regardless of who they are going against.
“We learned a lot over the past few years, the guys have worked so hard and are ready to compete and be a contender,” he said.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Ramapo Athletics
