SUNY Niagara softball saw its season end against Erie Community College in the NJCAA Region III Division II B sub-regional Tuesday in Williamsville. In a best-of-3 game series, the sixth-seeded Thunderwolves lost 8-0 in six innings in Game One and 12-4 in seven innings in Game Two versus the No. 3 Kats.
Tuesday marked SUNY Niagara’s first postseason appearance since a pair of losses against Onondaga Community College in the Region III North A District Semifinals in 2023. The Thunderwolves were also aiming for their first district championship appearance since a loss to Corning Community College in the Region III North A championship in 2022.
SUNY Niagara finished 14-20 overall and went 12-10 in NJCAA Region III play during the regular season. This was the Thunderwolves’ fourth season with double-digit wins this decade and their best finish in regional play since 2023 (25-4).
North Tonawanda resident and D’Youville commit Quinn Manth recorded her 81st and final career stolen base (40 this season) in a 4-1 win against Mohawk Valley May 2, establishing the program’s new record in the modern era (since 2013). Manth also recorded a .451 batting average, two home runs, 43 runs batted in, and 93 hits — seventh most in the modern era — over 64 career games.
Classmate Caitlyn Hanley recorded her 10th career win in the circle during the same contest versus Mohawk Valley after posting a complete-game four-hitter and earned her 11th and final victory in 2.1 innings of relief in a 9-7 comeback win versus Genesee May 3. Hanley’s 11 wins in 31 starts are the second most in the modern era, behind 2017 graduate Mariah Howe’s 12 wins in 36 starts, and her 98 career strikeouts in 183.2 innings are the seventh highest.
Sophomore and Barker graduate Mia Herman also completed her SUNY Niagara career. In 62 career games, Herman had a .305 batting average, 46 hits, drove in 24 runs and stole 27 bases.
North Tonawanda resident Miranda Shingleton wrapped up her freshman campaign tied for ninth in NJCAA Division III with a .505 batting average and tied for 17th with her team-best 43 runs batted in. The seventh player in the modern era to deliver at least 40 runs in a season, Shingleton also stole 33 bases, the second-highest total on the Thunderwolves.
Baseball
SUNY Niagara won three of four games against Corning Community College, including both on May 3 for Sophomore Day, to conclude the regular season. The Thunderwolves enter the NJCAA Region III Div. III postseason with a 46-5 record and won their ninth consecutive regional West banner since 2017 (24-2).
Matt Kasprowicz was named the Region III Athlete of the Week Tuesday after posting a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 10-0 six-inning win against Corning May 3. The Mansfield commit from Williamsville became the fourth Thunderwolf to record double-digit strikeouts in a start this season, joining Keegan Bazinet (3), Derrick Allen (2) and Liam Hadfield (1).
Bazinet, a George Mason commit, recorded his 10th career win and moved to 9-0 this season against Corning on May 3. Bazinet is the 19th pitcher in SUNY Niagara’s modern era (since 2007) to record at least 10 wins in a career.
. At the plate, Dalton Harper enters the postseason second in NJCAA Division III with a .539 batting average, is fifth in home runs with 14, and is tied for fourth with a team-high 68 runs batted in. In two seasons, the Penn State commit has posted a modern-era record 149 hits, driven in 106 runs and his 17 career home runs only trail Gavyn Boyle’s 19.
Two of Harper’s classmates, Mike Schaefer and Cooper Rossano, also reached milestones. Schaefer has driven in 63 runs this season and, with 111 in his career, is three shy of breaking Boyle’s modern-era record (113), while Rossano drove in his 100th career run versus Corning on May 3.
The Thunderwolves have five players with over fifty hits this season in Harper (82), Cam Gravelle (67), Schaefer (64), Evan Kohr (56) and Luke Gigliotti (54). SUNY Niagara’s 467 total RBI is currently tied with the 2022 team for the second-highest total category over the last 12 seasons, with the 2024 team leading at 501.
SUNY Niagara hosts Jefferson Community College in the NJCAA Region III Div. III sub-regionals in a best-of-3 game series at Sal Maglie Stadium this weekend and will air on 1340 WLVL and WLVL.com. The first two games of the series will be held at Noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, and the if-needed Game Three will start at Noon Sunday.
SUNY Niagara is 48-2 at “The Sal” since it made the historic ballpark its new home venue in 2024. The Thunderwolves are also 35-9 in the NJCAA Region III tournament over the last 10 seasons (since 2017).
Golf
SUNY Niagara won two of its three NJCAA Region III invitationals last weekend and improved to 5-3 on the season. The Thunderwolves competed at the Jefferson Invitational May 1 in Watertown, the Herkimer Invitational May 2 in Little Falls, and the Mohawk Valley Invitational May 3 in Oneida.
SUNY Niagara won the Jefferson Invite with a team score of 3-over-par 291, tying the team score record for the lowest round in Region III history. Sophomore Finn Graham won and broke the school’s record for lowest individual tournament score at four-under 68, while Bode Daumen finished in a three-way tie for fourth at 73.
Then, the blue-and-gold won the Herkimer Invite behind a team score of 308, six strokes ahead of Onondaga. Graham had the best score overall at 1-over 73, his fourth win of the season and fifth of his career, and then received NJCAA Region III Athlete of the Week for a third time this season Tuesday.
SUNY Niagara finished runners-up to Rowan Gloucester at the Mohawk Valley Invite with a score of 330, 12 strokes behind the leader. Daumen finished tied for second overall at 6-over 77.
The Thunderwolves have the best team average in NJCAA Region III at 312.75, an average of 7.25 strokes better than the rest of the field, and have four in the individual scoring. Graham has the best scoring average at 75.63, Daumen is fifth at 78.25, Lockport’s Anthony Gagliardi is ninth at 80.13 and Ryan Conrad is 10th at 80.38.
SUNY Niagara now prepares for the NJCAA Region III championships with a practice round Saturday and competition both Sunday and Monday at the Chautauqua Golf Club in Chautauqua. The Thunderwolves are looking for a third consecutive regional title and their fifth in the last six seasons.