Canton, NY – The SUNY Canton baseball team competed in 33 games, including seven in sunny Myrtle Beach, as they nearly doubled their win total from the previous season in their second year as a member of the SUNYAC in 2026 under Head Coach Ryan Stevens. 

The Roos won their season opener on February 28 as Sal Diaz knocked in the game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth of a 4-3 win against SUNY Poly. Canton won a pair of games during their spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. Johnathan Guerrero and AJ Campi combined to give up just one run over seven innings in a 6-1 win against Olivet on March 9.



Three days later the Roos won a thriller as they scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and walked it off in the 10th inning to defeat Rivier 8-7 in extras. Campi scored Zack Baiani on the walk-off and Campi also earned the win on the mound.   



Following their spring break Canton had a successful trip to the greater New York City area picking up three wins in a pair of doubleheaders against Baruch and Lehman. The Roos won the opener against the Bearcats on March 20 scoring four runs in the second and adding what proved to be an important insurance run in the fourth in a 5-4 win.



The Roos followed that up with an offensive explosion scoring 28 runs in an 11-0 and 17-2 doubleheader sweep against the Lightning the following day. Baini and Jared Paone each homered in the opener, while Diaz hit two bombs in the nightcap and Jacob Ortiz went 3-for-4 with three runs and drove in four more. Guerrero and Jayden Cunningham combined to give up just one run each earning wins in the doubleheader.



The Roos split a doubleheader at Utica on March 25 as Chris McLean homered once in each game and Canton used a four-run seventh inning to take the nightcap 10-9. Diaz also hit a round tripper in game two and Vázquez and Korbin Lovejoy combined to drive in five runs in the win.



After dropping their SUNYAC-opening series to Oswego that included three four-run games, the Roos bounced back with a 6-5 win at crosstown St. Lawrence to kick off April. Alfredo Pabón earned his first career win on the mound and Canton turned a double play on a sacrifice fly to end the game defensively.



For the second consecutive year the Roos took the season series from Fredonia winning two of the three games against the Blue Devils. Canton won the opener on April 24 by a score of 4-3 as the Roos scored three runs in the eighth inning with Lovejoy tying the game and Mark Maybee Jr. recording the game-winning RBI.



Canton also won in dominating fashion 11-1 in eight innings in the opener the following day behind two hits each from Campi and McLean and a homer from Diaz. Cunningham was dominant in the win allowing just one run with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

The Roos closed out their season with a 10-8 road win at Plattsburgh on April 27 as Diaz recorded four hits, scored four times, drove in five runs and was just a triple shy of the cycle.
                                                                                                                                     
During the season Diaz was named both the SUNYAC Athlete of the Week and the D3baseball.com National Team of the Week during the same week (3/23/26). Following the season Diaz was named to both the D3baseball.com (First Team) and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA – Second Team) All-Region Teams in Region 3. Diaz and Jared Paone earned SUNYAC First Team All-Conference honors, while Campi and McLean picked up Second Team All-Conference recognition for their performances throughout the season.

Diaz, Paone and Johnathan Guerrero were recognized at the beginning of June with the prestigious SUNYAC Award of Valor at the conference's awards ceremony on June 1 in Syracuse.
 

Additionally, Zander Johnson and Eliezer Vázquez earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) At-Large Academic All-District for maintaining at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and participating in at least 90% or starting 66% of their team's games.

The Roos are expected to lose Jake Detlefsen, Sal Diaz, Derek Maldonado, Mark Maybee Jr., Chris McLean and Lance Phillips Jr. to graduation.
 
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.