ALFRED, NY – Entering their third season as a varsity program, the Alfred University Baseball team is looking to build off the progress made in the 2025 season and continue to grow into a competitive contender within the Empire 8 Conference. The Saxons will have 27 returning players with the addition of nine new players.

Alfred University will be led by Head Coach Brian Kehew, who is entering his third season with the program. He will be assisted by Coach Mike Bassage.

The Saxons picked up their first conference win as a varsity program against Houghton University last spring. In the win, three Saxons recorded hits, with one being a two-run home run off the bat of incoming senior Jeff Petrozzini (Hopewell, NJ / Hopewell Valley). Returning pitcher, Alex Beaird (Oswego, IL / Oswego), pitched all seven innings in the match up, allowing just six hits and four runs.
The squad was busy right away in the offseason, working to improve athleticism, strength, quickness, and placing players in the correct positions.

"The primary focus of our offseason was to get stronger, and a lot of our guys have," Kehew said. Another goal of the teams was to build their academic standing in which they have reached a team GPA of 3.33 prior to the start of the 2026 season.

Among the returners, Ashton Colunio (Elmira, NY / Edison) and Nolan Pridmore (Toronto, ON, Canada / Etobicoke Collegiate Institute) will seek to build from their success at the plate last season. Colunio posted a .284 batting average with 21 hits and 10 RBI in the 2025 season. Pridmore posted a .270 batting average with 24 hits and 17 RBI.

Alfred University is excited to have Beaird and Derek Vlietstra (Otisville, NY / Minisink Valley) back on the mound for the season. "Having Alex and Derek back this year will be huge for the team," Kehew said. The team will feature nine new additions, including six new first-year student-athletes. Pitchers Kyle Miller (Corning, NY / Corning-Painted Post), Michael Calogero (Henrietta, NY / Aquinas Institute) and Gavin Walker (Corning, NY / Corning-Painted Post) are three highlighted players who will be competing for the Saxons this year. "Several first-year players, I believe, will have a direct impact this season," Kehew said.

Transfer student, Nick Yorlano (Parsippany, NJ / Parsippany Hills) will also seek to make an impact on the Saxons this spring.
 
The team will be the first program at Alfred University to compete at the new Saxon Hill Sports Complex. "It will be nice to have our own space. Beyond serving as a home venue for the baseball team, this field will provide our team with a state-of-the-art playing and practice facility."

There is a lot of preparation going into the season for the Saxons. They seek to use the Spring Break in Florida as a tool to improve defense and increase the level of confidence within the dugout. "The Spring Break competition will help us with conditioning, help us get that level of confidence we need, and will give us an opportunity to compete for positions," Kehew said.

Alfred University will begin their season in Florida to compete in 12 games over the University's Spring Break from March 7-14. The team will begin conference match ups on March 20 against Houghton University and the following day, competing against the same opponent; the Saxons will play their first game at the Saxons Hill Sports Complex.