POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist baseball class of 2020 has seen much success in their time with the program. They achieved a MAAC Championship, multiple winning seasons and helped the Red Foxes solidify themselves as household names in the conference and the region. But most of all, they played for each other and loved the game.

These seniors experienced triumph early after winning the MAAC title in 2017. They contributed greatly to that run, despite being only in their first years on the team. The Red Foxes made names for themselves and got a taste of victory, and worked hard to reclaim that in the ensuing years.

While they were not able to reach those heights again in their sophomore and junior seasons, they were prepared to make 2020 their year. With a new look to the team and many talented young players, the baseball seniors vowed to work hard to click at the right time and end their careers on a bang. Unfortunately, they did not get that chance in 2020.

Nevertheless, these Red Foxes had journies they and everyone who knew them were proud of. While it's uncertain what the future may hold for them, the members of the class of 2020 loved being part of the Marist program and played for each other as much as they played for themselves.

As a five-year member of the team, Tyler Kapuscinski has been a big part of Marist's recent years of success. After red-shirting the 2016 season, Kapuscinski went on to have three of the most consistent seasons of any hitter in Marist history.

In 144 games as a Red Fox, Kapuscinski batted .336 for his career to place himself firmly in the Top-10 of the Marist record books. The Marlboro-native was named All-MAAC Second Team in 2017, and First Team in 2018 and 2019. He received Second Team All-Region honors after his 2019 campaign in which he led the MAAC in batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.469) while ranking fourth in slugging (.531).

Entering his final year of college, the first baseman and designated hitter was primed to cap off his career with another successful season. He was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team as well as D1Baseball's list of Top 150 College Hitters at 59^th. While the season ended before it truly began, Tyler Kapuscisnki's three years of dominance at the plate speak for themselves as a testament to his talent and work ethic as a Red Fox.

"Being on the baseball team really helped me become comfortable in my first couple of years of college. The upperclassmen accepted me and always had my back, and I tried to follow in their footsteps the best I could," reflected Pichardo. "I was not solely a pitcher in high school, so I am beyond proud how far I came with the help of my coaches, teammates and trainers."

As a member of the Marist pitching staff, Skyler Pichardo has seen his role change throughout the years. He started in 18 of his 44 appearances with the Red Foxes, including 14 games his junior year. Throughout that time, Pichardo stayed ready and worked on his game to accomplish whatever was asked of him. In his last outing of 2020 at ETSU on March 8, he struck out all four batters he faced.

Pichardo has shown his versatility on the mound over time, throwing for 8.1 innings with six strikeouts against Niagara in April of 2019. In his career, he tossed a total of 125 innings with 115 strikeouts. Pichardo pitched for 5+ innings on seven occasions in 2019, and looked to become one of the top relievers in 2020. He worked hard, stayed ready and did what was asked of him.

"In regards to my class, we became brothers. We have been through so much together," explained Pichardo. "For coach [Chris Tracz], thank you for trusting me, giving me the chance to continue my career as a baseball player, and making me a better man."

Like Pichardo, Conor McNamara has seen a variety of roles as a Red Fox. He made 20 starts between his freshman and sophomore years, and then emerged as one of the team's key closers as a junior. Though he did not get to play in 2020 due to injury, he made an impact on the program in his first three seasons.

After tossing 69.2 total innings in 2018, McNamara had the opportunity to play with the Irish national team over the summer where he took the mound on European soil. The right-hander has seen plenty of time on the rubber in his three seasons, tossing a total of 133 innings. He struck out 98 batters, more than twice as many as he walked. Overall, McNamara served a variety of roles for the Red Foxes and performed well in each of them.

After battling injuries for much of his collegiate career, Patrick Lightner finally entered the 2020 season with improved health, ready to help the team. He was ready to contribute on the field, while mentoring his younger teammates as well. Lightner believed in himself, his teammates and their ability to succeed when it counted.

When Lightner returned to the field for the final games of 2019, he immediately made an impact. He batted .321 with an on-base percentage of .429, and helped the Red Foxes win 13 of their final 17 games in which he played. While he did not get that same chance to provide a spark for the team in 2020, the infielder did the work and had the capabilities the team could count on when they needed them.

"Although our season was cut short, I still feel grateful for having been a part of the Marist Baseball community," stated Van Beusekom. "My teammates and coaches made it a pleasure to come down every day and work hard towards our common goal."

Will Van Beusekom was having the best season of his career in 2020. Through 12 games, he had made five appearances and thrown for more innings than in 2019 with less hits and runs allowed. He was just two strikeouts away from surpassing his season-high from 2018 as well. The right-hander had emerged as one of the top relievers for the Red Foxes.

"Much is up in the air, but whatever the future brings, my four years flew by and I could not have picked a better place for my undergraduate career."

Van Beusekom had a number of impressive showings this season, despite the limited opportunities. On February 21 at George Washington, he struck out all five batters he faced. In his final appearance against Wagner, he punched out six of seven total hitters. On the year, he had allowed just four hits, two earned runs and walked three. Van Beusekom was positively lethal, and certainly would have continued that trend had the season continued.

In his 2019 season, Matt Rubayo came into his own as a consistent starter in the outfield. He posted career highs in every category, and even ranked third on the team with 10 doubles. His plan was to build off of that momentum in his senior season, provide depth in the lineup and guide the outfielders as the squad's most senior member.

In the 11 games that he played in, Rubayo was able to contribute and even come up big with some clutch hits in tight games. His experience showed, and the Skillman-native worked well with his fellow outfielders to aid the team's success. Rubayo showed leadership in his years with Marist, and was big part of many successful lineups ever since becoming a starter.

While he was plagued by injury for much of his career, Austin Phillips still found ways to contribute to the Red Foxes. Since 2017, the pitcher appeared 12 times. As a freshman, he threw in 10 games and earned a start. As a senior, he took the mound twice, and certainly would have earned more time if given the opportunity.

While sidelined, Phillips was always working to make it back, and his teammates and coaches recognized that. He even served as the first base coach in games when he couldn't play, and was counted upon to help the team to victory. Though he was not always able to take the mound, Phillips worked hard and found other ways to contribute to the program.

"Being a walk-on for Marist Baseball, I originally chose Marist for the academics," reflected catcher John Port. "Coming out of high school, I knew I wasn't ready to give up the sport that taught me more than all my years of schooling."

In his time with the program, Port was a model teammate and a great representative of the Red Foxes. He was always working hard to better himself, and could always be counted on when a pitcher wanted extra practice.

"After the tryouts my freshman year, Coach Tracz extended an offer for me to be a part of his program. The ensuing years would be the best years of my life to date," explained Port. "I met my best friends, I was able to go places and have experiences that I never could have dreamed of, be part of a team, and I grew as a person because of it."

Port's hard work did not go unrewarded. He made two appearances in 2019, and against Saint Peter's on May 4, he smashed a two-run homer to fuel Marist's dominant victory. The dugout exploded for their teammate, because they knew how hard he had trained for that moment.

"The things I took the most pride in was being a great teammate and leading by example," summarized the catcher. "I took immense pride in showing my teammates how there is always more to give when you're willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish something, and that the team always comes first."

This class saw 89 victories in their time at Marist, which was as strong a span of play as the program had seen in a decade. The group came together for years of consistency, hard work and leadership, and will certainly be remembered as a close-knit class who loved the game.

While the 2020 season was not completed, the seniors believed in their ability to come together and make a championship run when the time came. Their accomplishments and virtue were undeniable in their careers, and they will go on to have successful futures inside or outside of baseball.