The baseball team traveled to Florida in hopes of a great start to their season, and that is exactly what they got, posting an 8-0 record over the course of the week long trip. The Red Hawks are ranked 23rd in the nation, and dominated their opponents, outscoring them by a combined score of 79-20 runs throughout the eight games.

The men posted victories over Salve Regina, Cornell College, SUNY IT, Husson, John Jay College, St. John Fisher, and Widener. A strong offense and steady pitching were the keys for success for RPI. Individual honors were earned by three Red Hawks. Senior Ken Carroll, junior Tim Klein, and freshman John Dreimiller were named Liberty League Performer of the Week, Pitcher of the Week, and Rookie of the Week, respectively.

The baseball team will look to continue their success when they return to action on March 24 on the road versus William Patterson in Wayne, NJ.

Women’s Basketball

The RPI women’s basketball team opened up the ECAC Playoffs against Elmira College on February 28. In the game’s opening minutes, play was very evenly matched, but from the 9:27 mark on, the Red Hawks maintained a lead, and were up 37-24 at halftime.

When play resumed it was more of the same as RPI continued to dominate, shooting 50.8 percent from the field for the game. Despite a run by Elmira that cut the lead to just five with under eight minutes remaining, the Red Hawks got right back to work and wound up winning by 13, the final score finishing at 74-61. Sophomore Whitney Coleman led the way with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Senior Kristi Baranowski recorded a double-double with 12 and 13.

Next up for the women was William Smith in the semi-finals of the ECAC Tournament. The score was tied at 21 late in the first half, but the Herons led by six at the end of the half.

In the second, William Smith came out strong, controlling a short lead for some time. The game, however, came down to the wire. RPI was down six with roughly four minutes remaining, and went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to just one, 52-51, with just 38 seconds remaining on the game clock. The Herons drained all of their free throws in the closing seconds and won by a score of 56-51.

Coleman scored a game high 21 points. Baranowski and sophomore Caitlyn Charest added eight points each. With the loss, the Red Hawks’ season comes to an end as they finish with a final record of 16-11.

Men’s Basketball

The RPI men’s basketball team squared off against Ithaca in the first round of the ECAC Tournament on February 28. The Red Hawks took the lead roughly two minutes into the game and held on to a slim margin for the entirety of the first half, the largest margin being seven. However, headed into the break, the Rensselaer advantage was just three and the score was 37-34.

In the second half Ithaca turned the tables on the Red Hawks, and this time it was the Bombers who grabbed the lead and maintained it for the rest of the game. Behind tremendous efforts from sophomore Sean Burton, who scored 29 points, and classmate Jeff Bostic who scored 20 points while grabbing 13 boards, the Ithaca attack was just too much for RPI to surpass.

The final score was 80-69, as Rensselaer’s final record on the season now stands at 13-13. Junior Sam Simmons led the way for RPI, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while senior Neal Wesson contributed with 12 and six. With the loss, the Red Hawks returned to Troy with their season now at an end.

Softball

The softball team concluded the start of their season in Florida with a 12-3 victory over Loras College on March 9. Sophomore Michelle Street earned her fourth win of the young season. The Red Hawks blew the game open in the fourth inning as they scored five clutch runs. Freshman Becky Bailey went 3-4 from the plate with three RBI.

RPI, which played an astounding 12 games over the course of their trip, went 9-3 and established itself as a powerhouse in the Liberty League, even in just the opening moments of the season. In the midst of their success, three Red Hawks earned Liberty League awards. Senior Courtney Sweeney was named performer of the week, freshman Michelle Bianchetti was named Pitcher of the Week, and classmate Christina Ciccione earned Rookie of the Week.

Head Coach Erika Lewis and company will get back to work on March 30 when they take on Castleton State at home at Doris Robison Field.