Editor's Note: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is celebrating its 40th anniversary season in 2020-21. Throughout this summer, the conference will be announcing all-anniversary teams for each sport it currently sponsors. In conjunction, the Marist Athletics Department will highlight its achievements from the MAAC era.
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Softball
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Since its arrival in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the 1998 season, the Marist baseball program has established itself as elite.
The Red Foxes' six MAAC Tournament championships and 17 Major League Baseball Draft selections over the last 23 seasons both rank number one in the MAAC. Marist's three victories in NCAA Regional play are the most of any school in conference history.
Here is a closer look at the individuals and teams who have contributed to the Red Foxes' legacy:
Chris Tracz – The Red Foxes' head coach for the past 11 seasons was a dominant force on the mound in his playing career from 2001-05. Tracz still holds the program records for wins (38), strikeouts (298), innings pitched (379.1) and starts (56). He is also tied for first in complete games (14) and second in ERA (3.13). Tracz was a two-time MAAC Pitcher of the Year (2002, 2005), and the conference's Rookie of the Year (2001). During his career, Tracz's teams made three NCAA Regional appearances (2001, 2002, 2005). In 2001, Tracz was also a Freshman All-American selection by Louisville Slugger and Baseball America. He was named First Team All-Region in both 2002 and 2005. In 2005, Tracz returned from Tommy John Surgery and earned MAAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Region honors as Marist won the MAAC for the third time in his career. Overall, Tracz is heading is heading into his 20
th year with the program, encompassing his time as a player, pitching coach, and head coach. His 269 wins as a head coach are the most in program history.
Anthony Bocchino – Bocchino, who played at Marist from 1999-2002, is the most dominant hitter in program history. He remains the program's all-time leader in batting average (.410), hits (334), runs batted in (218), doubles (74), and triples (24). He also ranks second in runs scored (205), third in home runs (23), and sixth in stolen bases (38). Bocchino increased his batting average every year of his career, and hit over .400 in his sophomore (.404), junior (.430), and senior (.444) years. Marist advanced to NCAA Regionals in all three of those seasons. Bocchino was named MAAC Player of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American as a senior in 2002.
Kevin Ool – Ool is one of the top pitchers in program history and helped lead the Red Foxes to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2000-02. He is the program's all-time leader in earned run average (2.52), and is tied for first with 14 complete games. He trails only Tracz in all-time wins (27), strikeouts (280), and innings pitched (335.2). Ool shined as both a starter and reliever, with 37 starts and 46 appearances out of the bullpen in his career. His 83 appearances stood as the program record for nine years, and that total currently ranks third in program history.
Ricky Pacione – A versatile performer who played four positions (second base, third base, left field, catcher) for the Red Foxes from 2008-11, Pacione was also one of the most dynamic offensive performers in program history. He ranks in the top 10 all-time in hits (second, 271), games played (second, 212), triples (third, 13), runs batted in (fourth, 152), batting average (sixth, .337), doubles (sixth, 52), runs (eighth, 154), home runs (ninth, 16). He helped the Red Foxes to a MAAC championship in 2009, and became the program's first Academic All-American in 2011.
Frankie Gregoire – The top power hitter in program history, Gregoire shattered Marist's all-time home run record with 38 in his career. He also ranks second all-time at Marist with 175 career runs driven in. Gregoire burst onto the scene in 2016, as he was named a Freshman All-American after belting 10 home runs. He helped lead the Red Foxes to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, and was a three-time First Team All-MAAC selection. He finished his career with an outstanding senior season, one which saw him belt 14 home runs and drive in 57.
Head Coach John Szefc – Szefc was one of three coaches selected to the 40th anniversary team. He guided the Red Foxes for seven seasons, the final five of which were the program's first half decade in the MAAC (1998-2002). Szefc led Marist to three consecutive MAAC Championships from 2000-02, a feat that has not been accomplished in the conference since. In each of those three seasons, Marist went on to win a game at the NCAA Regionals. He guided the Red Foxes to the MAAC final in four of his five seasons coaching in the conference. Eight Red Foxes who played for Szefc when he was coaching in the MAAC became Major League Baseball draft selections. Szefc is currently the head coach at Virginia Tech.
2002 - One of the most dominant teams in MAAC history, the Red Foxes set a school record with 41 wins as they rolled to their third consecutive conference championship. The team reeled off a 19-game winning streak from late March through late April. Marist earned a #3 seed at NCAA Regionals, the only time a MAAC team has accomplished that feat. The Red Foxes then earned a 5-4 first-round win over Missouri State in which Tim Allen belted a leadoff homer in the 11
th, and Chris Tracz tossed seven innings of one-run ball. Anthony Bocchino was named an All-American and MAAC Player of the Year, while Tracz earned MAAC Pitcher of the Year.
Kevin McCarthy – On Sept. 9, 2016, McCarthy became the first Marist baseball player to play in a Major League game when he appeared as a relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. McCarthy has pitched for the Royals in each season since, and has appeared in 164 games as a reliever. He has amassed an 11-6 record and a 3.78 earned run average. After three seasons at Marist, McCarthy was a 16
th-round selection by the Royals in 2013.
Ricky Pacione – Pacione is heading into his seventh season as a bullpen catcher of the Cleveland Indians on the staff of manager Terry Francona. Pacione helped Cleveland win the American League championship in 2016, and he appeared with the team's coaching staff at the 2017 All-Star Game. After his stellar four-year career at Marist, Pacione played two years in the Los Angeles Angels' system.
Draft Selections – Since joining the MAAC, Marist's 17 Major League Baseball Draft selections are the most of any team in the conference. The Red Foxes had a program-record four selections in both the 2003 and 2011 drafts. The Red Foxes have one current active minor leaguer in Scott Boches, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2017. Boches reached the Triple-A level in 2019.
- MAAC championships: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2017
- NCAA victories: 2000, 2001, 2002 (one apiece)
- Bocchino was named a Second Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2002. That season, he hit an astounding .444 with nine home runs, 56 runs batted in, and 65 runs scored in 55 games. He has a .522 on-base percentage, .778 slugging percentage, and stole 17 bases in 19 tries.
- The Red Foxes have had two Freshman All-Americans. Chris Tracz earned the honor in 2001 after winning the first 10 decisions of his collegiate career. He finished his freshman season at 10-1 with a 3.13 ERA, with his lone loss coming to eventual College World Series participant Stanford.
- In 2016, Frankie Gregoire was named a Freshman All-American after being named First Team All-MAAC and First Team All-Region. Gregoire paced the Red Foxes offensively by hitting .317 with 10 home runs, 40 runs batted in, 16 doubles, and a slugging percentage of .583.
Batting Average
1-Anthony Bocchino, .410; 2-Ryan Brady, .352; 3-Tim Bittner, .346; 4-Steve O'Sullivan, .341; 5-Ricky Pacione, .337
Hits
1-Anthony Bocchino, 334; 2-Ricky Pacione, 271; 3-Travis Musolf, 265; 4-Keith Brachold, 263; 5-Ryan Brady, 262
Home Runs
1-
Frankie Gregoire, 38; 2-Keith Brachold, 25; 3-Anthony Bocchino, 23; 4-Tim Allen, 21; 5-Bryce Nugent, 19
Runs
1-Anthony Cervini, 208; 2-Anthony Bocchino, 205; 3-Ryan Brady, 191; 4-Travis Musolf, 190; 5-Steve O'Sullivan, 185
RBIs
1-Anthony Bocchino, 218; 2-
Frankie Gregoire, 175; 3-Keith Brachold, 153; 4-Ricky Pacione, 152; 5-Mike Orefice, 142
Stolen Bases
1-Travis Musolf, 71; 2-
Randy Taveras, 49; 3-Keith Brachold, 44; 4-Graham McIntire, 43; 5-
Anthony Lazar, 40
Games Played
1-Travis Musolf, 214; 2-Ricky Pacione, 212; 3-Andy Kiriakedes, 208; 4-Anthony Bocchino, 207; T5-Keith Brachold, 206; T5-
Frankie Gregoire, 206
Wins
1-Chris Tracz, 38; 2-Kevin Ool, 27; 3-Charlie Jerla, 26; 4-Chuck Bechtel, 22; T5-Doug Connolly, 21; T5-Chad Gallagher, 21
Strikeouts
1-Chris Tracz, 298; 2-Kevin Ool, 280; 3-Chuck Bechtel, 237; 4-
Tony Romanelli, 231; 5-Ryan Kondratowicz, 215
Innings Pitched
1-Chris Tracz, 379.1; 2-Kevin Ool, 335.2; 3-Josh Rickards, 290; 4-Chad Gallagher, 276.1; 5-Charlie Jerla, 258
Saves
1-Ryan Thomas, 29; 2-Rob Ryan, 24; 3-Chris Homer, 18; 4-Kevin McCarthy, 12; 5-Mike Coss, 11
Complete Games
T1-Chris Tracz, 14; T1-Kevin Ool, 14; T3-Mark Ciccarelli, 10; T3-Kevin Olore, 10; T3-Doug Connolly, 10
Appearances
1-Ryan Thomas, 93; 2-Jake Rifkin, 86; 3-Kevin Ool, 83; 4-Mike Coss, 78; T5-Erik Supplee, 73; T5-Eric Alessio, 73
Starts
1-Chris Tracz; 56; 2-Josh Rickards, 47; 3-Charlie Jerla, 45; 4-Chuck Bechtel, 41; T5-Rich Vrana, 40; T5-Chad Gallagher, 40
Fielding Percentage
1-Mike Orefice, .996; 2-Steve Laurino, .995; 3-Greg Kocinski, .992; 4-John McGorty, .988; 5-Keith Glasser, .988
Putouts
1-Mike Orefice, 1,521; 2-John McGorty, 910; 3-Bryan Towler, 887; 4-Ben Cueto, 871; 5-Bryce Nugent, 818
Assists
1-Zach Shank, 681; 2-Andy Kiriakedes, 555; 3-Rich Curylo, 495; 4-Steve O'Sullivan, 492; 5-Nick McQuail, 450
