Rizzo Named MSAC Coach of the Year

In only his first season leading Cayuga Community College Baseball, Coach John Rizzo has been named the Mid-State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Rizzo made his first season as head coach a memorable one, guiding the Spartans to a conference title, a program-record 26 wins, a second-place finish in the NJCAA Region III East Division, and a playoff berth. The Spartans will host Finger Lakes Community College in the opening round of the Region III playoffs in a best-of-three series starting Saturday.

Rizzo was quick to shift credit for receiving the award to the Spartans' roster, which featured one of the top lineups in Region III, all-conference players Fernando Espinal, Hazel Martinez, Michael Norton, and Greg Osterhout, and the conference Player of the Year in Martinez.

"This is a team award that just happens to have my name on it," he said. "It's easy to win this award when you have the conference Player of the Year, four all-conference players and an entire team that played well. They bought into our program and what we were emphasizing — the importance of things like playing solid defense and running the bases well."

Rizzo also pointed out that his coaching staff, including previous head coach TJ Gamba and assistant coaches Eric Conway and John Fiermonte, were essential to the team's success.

"Coach Gamba had already built the foundation for this team over the past three seasons with the work he put in. Between everything he's done since the program started, Coach Fiermonte's work with the team in the weight room this winter, and Coach Conway's work with the pitchers, this is an award that's won by many people on our team," said Rizzo.

An Auburn native, Rizzo is a Keuka College graduate who played four years as a shortstop for the Wolves. He was an assistant coach with the Spartans in 2019 and 2021, and in 2020 he was the head coach for the Ithaca College junior varsity baseball team and an assistant coach for the varsity team.

In Rizzo's first year at the helm the Spartans finished 26-10 with a 17-7 divisional record. The Spartans averaged more than 10 runs per game and led Region III with a .376 team batting average.

The Spartans will look to extend their season this weekend in the NJCAA Region III Sub-Regionals against the Lakers. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday at Falcon Park, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. A third game, if necessary, is scheduled for Sunday at Falcon Park. The winner will move on to the Region III Tournament, which starts May 19 at site host Herkimer College.