North East, MD – Very few collegiate coaches have the opportunity to see their career span over a decade at one school and be quite successful. Luckily, the Vikings have Head Coach Billy McClure who has put SUNY Westchester Baseball on the map. Sunday afternoon, McClure added another feather in his cap, winning his 400^th career game, all with the Vikings.
 
Game 1: 8-5 W
 
SUNY Westchester knew a target would be on their back heading down to Maryland to take on Cecil College. Last season, the Vikings came away with four wins and went on to a 41 win season. Valhalla grad Michael Dawson would be in charge on starting off the 2024 season for SUNY WCC. After an uneventful top of the first for the Vikings, the Seahawks would put themselves on the board first with a sac fly. Westchester would answer right back in the top of the second thanks to Thomas Wilson stealing home on a Michael Manganiello caught stealing. The Vikings would take the lead in the top of the third thanks to a Marc Stockhausen sac fly scoring Nick Vendola. Not to be outdone, Vendola would cushion the Westchester lead to four thanks to a three-RBI double in the top of the fourth. Dawson would hold it down for Westchester keeping Cecil to one run until the bottom of the fourth when the Seahawks would add a three-RBI double to cut into four run lead.
Top of the fifth came and would solidify the game for the Vikings. A Stockhausen single set up freshman Mike Tiseo two-run homerun over the right centerfield fence putting SUNY WCC up 7-4. The Vikings would add an insurance run thanks to a Vendola hit by pitch scoring Anthony Reyes. Mark Yorio would come into relief for Westchester and would pick up his first save of the year over three innings of work.
 
Game 2: 7-5 W
 
A solid comeback win for the Vikings. The Seahawks opened the game with an early 5-2 lead on Westchester. Sophomore pitcher Josh Rosario would settle in for the long haul after the bottom of the third. Both teams would be held scoreless until the top of the sixth when Reyes would score on a wild pitch cutting the lead to two. Tommy Poggi would add another run with a sacrifice fly to score Derek Beloff-Davis cutting the lead down to one run. The Vikings would tie up the ballgame with a broken play causing Cecil's pitcher to balk, ultimately scoring Mike Kocovic. Westchester would take the lead in the top of the seventh via a bases loaded walk and would add another run thanks to another bases loaded walk scoring both Reyes and Beloff-Davis. Rosario would go the distance for the Vikings, striking out seven, earning his first victory of the year. Vendola, Reyes, and Brandon Hernandez would all have two-hits in the game.
 
Game 3: 6-2 W
 
Sophomore Pitcher Jackson Kossow dominated in his first game holding the Seahawks to three hits and one earned run over his six-inning performance while striking out 12. Hernandez added three hits and two RBI's on the day while both Tommy Poggi and Mike Kocovic added two hits each. Marc Stockhausen would also add two RBI's on the day. Scoring came early for the Vikings with a Hernandez two-RBI double in the top of the first inning. Westchester would add their insurance runs in the third via a Poggi RBI Single, a Stockhausen RBI single in the fourth, and two runs in the sixth via a throwing error and another Stock RBI. In total the Vikings pounded out nine hits and walked nine times.
 
Game 4: 11-5 McClure's 400^th Career Win
 
The true definition of a "barn burner." The Seahawks, eager to pick up their second win of the year, would get on the board early with two solo homeruns in the bottom of the first against Viking pitcher Tyler Senft. Westchester would take the lead in the top of the third thanks to a Tommy Poggi RBI single scoring Luke Friscoe, followed by a Mike Tiseo double scoring Derek Beloff-Davis, ending with a Brandon Hernandez single scoring Stockhausen. Westchester would add another run in the top of the fourth off a throwing error by the shortstop, scoring Charlie Greenberg. Cecil would tie the game right back at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth via a wild pitch and an RBI single. SUNY WCC would explode for six runs in the top of the fifth. Scoring started off with Stockhausen scoring via a throwing error by the second baseman giving the Vikings a 5-4 lead. Andrew Reyes would expand the lead to 6-4 with an RBI double scoring Hernandez. Reyes would then score on a bases loaded walk extending the lead to 7-4 followed by a Seahawk wild pitch scoring Manganiello putting the lead to 8-4. Mark Stockhausen and Mike Tiseo would draw a bases loaded walk to add to the Viking lead putting them up by six. Beloff-Davis would end the SUNY Westchester scoring with an RBI double in the top of the sixth extending the lead to seven. Tommy Poggi would be stellar in relief pitching 3 2/3 innings scattering three hits while striking out five.
The win pushes Head Coach Billy McClure to 400 career wins as a head coach for the Vikings. In his 15^th season at the helm of the program, McClure has averaged 28 ½ wins per season (minus the 2021 season due to Covid-19) with six Region 15 titles, one East District Title, and an appearance to the D2 NJCAA World Series out in Enid, Oklahoma.
 
As the season looks bright for the Vikings, it is still too early to speculate what kind of run we are all in for. SUNY Westchester looks to build off this weekend as they host SUNY Adirondack on Saturday March 2^nd for a 12pm doubleheader scheduled to be played at Vikings Field.