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Regional preview: Binghamton

Did you know the Bearcats were a D3 school not that long ago?

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We start by taking a look at the Cowboys’ first opponent, and the team least likely to win this regional: the Binghamton Bearcats.

Team Info

Location: Vestal, NY
Record: 25-25
Conference: America East
How They Got Here: Winning four straight games in the America East Tournament, including a 12-inning walk-off thriller against top-seeded Stony Brook to claim the conference automatic bid.

About The Bearcats

Binghamton comes in as an average team, which is seen both in the season record and the stat sheet. They fall around the middle of the nation in terms of batting average, home runs, team ERA and runs per game. However, even an average team can get hot, and in the same kind of madness that embraces our Marchs and early Aprils, all it takes is a few good games for an average team to reach great heights.

There are a couple of good players on the squad. Center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz leads the team with a .360 average, a .425 on-base percentage and 23 stolen bases. Second baseman Daniel Nevares has five homers and 35 RBIs, leading the team in slugging percentage.

But the pitching staff doesn’t have an ace, and the bullpen is shaky at best. No starter has better than a 3.77 ERA and as a whole, the staff has a 4.00 ERA. Closer Greg Ostner has a 2.01 ERA in 20 appearances with four saves, but other than that, there’s no one to brag about.

A few other things Binghamton has going against it: a 12-18 record on the road this season, along with trouble against big-name opponents. In eight games against Duke, Georgia and Boston College, Binghamton was just 2-6. That could be a problem when put in a Regional with three nationally prominent programs.

About The Coach

Tim Sinicki must have some good job security, and an even better agent. This year was Sinicki’s 22nd season in charge of the program, and he currently has a career record of 486-493-1 at Binghamton. He suffered through some rough years as he guided the team from Division III up to a D1 program.

Despite the losing record, the past decade has been successful for Sinicki. Since 2007, he’s led the program to four America East regular-season titles, three conference tournament championships, and now a third NCAA Tournament appearance. He’s also been named America East’s Coach of the Year four times.

About The Program

Binghamton was an independent Division III program from its inception in 1948 until 1974, when it joined the State University of New York Conference. It went independent again in 1998 to prepare for a move to Division II, where the program spent two years before making the leap to Division I. Though the team has been successful since joining the America East in 2002, this year will likely be the third losing season in four years for the Bearcats.

This will be the third NCAA Tournament appearance for Binghamton, who is 1-4 all-time. The lone win came in the team’s first appearance, in 2009. Last year’s team traveled to the Raleigh Regional, where it lost both game. 

All-Time Series

Against Oklahoma State: 0-3 (Outscored 47-9 in three-game series in 2005)
Against Nebraska: 0-0
Against Cal State Fullerton: 0-0 

Fun Fact

The Binghamton media guide features two sets of record – the normal records, and the Pre-Division I records. That’s not something you’ll see in too many media guides across the country.

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