A League of Their Own
In 1957, the Manhattan College baseball team played in an NCAA regional game against eventual national runner-up Penn State at the Polo Grounds. The team has had its fair share of ups and downs since then, but the faith that loyal Jasper fans have provided was paid back in 2006, as the Jasper Nine won the program’s first MAAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 49 years.
The season began with a glimpse of what was ahead, as the team kicked off the 2006 campaign under first-year head coach Kevin Leighton at No. 15 Tulane. Starter Chris Cody ’06 displayed the composure that would make him the team’s ace, twirling a complete game shutout as Manhattan emerged with a 1-0 upset victory. Despite dropping the next two games, the Jaspers held leads in both contests against the nationally ranked Green Wave.
Despite working three new starters into the lineup, Manhattan began MAAC play with a three-game sweep of Siena. Cody tossed a shutout in the opener, and Nick Derba ’07 belted a walk-off home run in the finale. The Jaspers
finished 17-9 in conference play and earned a program-best No. 2 seed in the MAAC tournament.
The team was rewarded for its stellar regular season with four First Team All-MAAC selections: Cody, Derba, Matt Rizzotti ’08 and John Fitzpatrick ’06. Cody also was honored as the MAAC Pitcher of the Year. The MAAC tournament opened with the Jaspers battling the No. 3 seed Rider University Broncs, and Jesse Darcy ’07 turned in his finest performance of the season with a 5-0 shutout. With a spot in the championship round on the line, the Le Moyne College Dolphins touched Cody for two early runs. But with the teams locked in a 2-2 eighth-inning tie, Eric Nieto ’08 belted his first career homer. Then Cody took over from there, striking out four of the final six batters to secure the win. The second MAAC title game appearance in school history for Manhattan turned out to be a rematch with the Dolphins. This time, however, it was not close. Josh Santerre ’07 stymied the Le Moyne offense, and the Jaspers rolled to a 7-3 triumph. Nieto was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Derba, Cody, Fitzpatrick and Dom Lombardi ’07.After winning the MAAC championship and securing the school’s first NCAA appearance in nearly half a century, the Jaspers became big news throughout New York City. The team was featured in the Journal News, the New York Daily News and the New York Times, as well as on the CBS, NBC, MSG and News 12 networks.
