After the first Atlantic 10 Championship since 2016, the University of Rhode Island baseball team’s new goal is to go back-to-back for the first time in program history.
“Every year, our goals and expectations are to compete for an Atlantic 10 Championship,” Rhode Island Head Coach Raphael Cerrato said. “That’s never easy, you’ve got to be good, and you’ve got to have some luck.”
The Rams weren’t just “good” last season; they were historic. Rhode Island’s 38-22 overall record was the most wins in program history, leading to the Rams being selected as the No. 3 seed in their NCAA regional for the first time.
“There’s certainly been a lot more attention to the program,” Cerrato said. “A lot of alums following, donations have gone up, there’s been a lot of excitement from our alumni and family.”
Outside of wins, URI shattered its single-season totals for runs scored, hits, runs-batted-in, home runs and stolen bases, among other categories. It was an offensive showcase from a veteran group, but now only three everyday starters remain on the roster.
Third-year infielder Reece Moroney returns following a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 season and the team’s second-best batting average among qualified hitters. Joining him in the infield is third-year Scott Penney.
“Scotty has gotten better every single year,” Cerrato said. “I think he’s taken another step up from last year. So we feel like he’s a guy who can put up some big numbers in the middle of the order.”
Rounding out the returning bats is fourth-year Jack Hopko. The First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection primarily served as the team’s designated hitter, but he’ll have the chance to show his strong fielding ability in right field this season.
“It lets you be more locked in for every play and every at bat,” Hopko said. “Just contributing to the team in as many ways as I can is something that I’m really looking forward to doing.”
Six starters graduating, including the team’s full outfield, will open plenty of opportunities and at-bats for last year’s reserves, some newcomers and one key returner to earn a starting spot.
“When we had everyone healthy [last year], it was pretty much a set lineup,” Cerrato said. “This year is going to be different, where I expect 13-14 guys to get a pretty good amount of playing time, especially the first four weeks prior to conference.”
One of the biggest voids to fill for the Rams is replacing the production of the program’s home run king, and seventh-round pick in the MLB draft, Anthony DePino ’25. Fifth-year Ryan King is set to hold down the hot corner in DePino’s place, after four years of limited action.
“Any other season in the history of URI baseball, Ryan King would have been an everyday starter for us last year,” Cerrato said. “I give him a lot of credit, because he hasn’t played a lot in his career, and he wanted to come back knowing he’s going to have a real opportunity to be an everyday guy this season.”
Fourth-year two-way player Connor Grotyohann transferred to Rutgers University after the 2024 season, but after one year away has returned ready to contribute in whatever role he can for the Rams.
“We’re really excited about him,” Cerrato said. “He had an excellent fall, really good preseason. He’s a dangerous hitter. He’s just a big, scary guy in the batter’s box. He’s excited to be back here after a year at Rutgers that didn’t go very well, and he’s super motivated.”
Grotyohann has the potential to be a double-digit home run hitter and an impact bat, according to Cerrato. From the mound, he is likely to fill a depth role despite throwing 35 innings in his last season with the Rams. It’s not because he can’t, they just might not need him to.
“It’s a significantly better pitching staff than last year,” Cerrato said. “I have high expectations. Just pure talent, it’s one of the best staffs we’ve ever had, but they got to still go out there and do it and stay healthy.”
It’s a staff without the newly drafted Savannah Banana Trystan Levesque ’25, the program leader in career starts on the mound, who posted an 8-1 record last season.
“Trystan was a big loss for us,” Cerrato said. “He was a great pitcher for four years, somebody you could count on giving us a chance to win every time out.”
Luckily, the Rams didn’t have to look far for replacements, with multiple arms set to return from season-ending injuries. Fourth-year Evan Maloney started two games before his year was cut short, and should be back early in the year to compete to regain his weekend slot. Third-year Tommy Turner is in line for his URI debut after rehabbing last year, set to be the team’s closer.
“A lot of scouts are on him,” Cerrato said. “We’re really excited to see Tommy pitch for the first time.”
Turner taking over the closer role comes with big shoes to fill after third-year pitcher Joe Sabbath delivered eight saves across 41 innings of action.
Sabbath showed his stuff throughout the summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League, becoming an all-star closer for the Falmouth Commodores. Three other Rams joined him on the Cape, competing against some of the top players across the country.
“That’s obviously the premier league in the country,” Cerrato said. “It’s a confidence boost, it’s great for the program, it’s good for recruiting. There’s just a ton of benefits from it.”
After the strong summer out of the bullpen, Sabbath has a new challenge ahead of him as he’s set to serve as the team’s Friday starter this season.
“It’s a new role for him; he’s been a really good reliever for us for two years,” Cerrato said. “It’s a little bit of an adjustment for him, but he has the stuff to do it.”
Second-year reliever Parker Aikens made a spot-start last season against Saint Louis University, shoving for 5.1 innings and allowing just one run. Despite this promising preview as a potential starter, Cerrato sees him as “more valuable” retaining his current high-leverage role.
“He can pitch multiple times a week,” Cerrato said. “He broke our single-season appearance record as a freshman, and I think he can throw more this year, to be honest.”
Aikens made 29 appearances in 2025, bridging the gap between the starter and Sabbath in 4.1 total scoreless innings between both of his A-10 Tournament appearances on back-to-back days.
“In a pinch, he can start for sure,” Cerrato said. “He’s so valuable to be able to pitch two, three, even four times a week if you need, especially late in a year or conference tournament type situation. He can pitch a lot.”
Rhode Island doesn’t have to wait long to be tested. Their first three weekend series opponents are all coming off 30+ win seasons and similar success to the Rams: opening against Jacksonville University before facing the University of Alabama and Kent State University.
“Our first three weekends will be really tough tests,” Cerrato said. “Not being outside is certainly not optimal, but we can’t use that as an excuse because we’ve still been working really hard even indoors for the past three to four weeks.”
As a Northeast baseball program at the mercy of Mother Nature, their upcoming opponents in both Florida and Alabama have been able to enjoy a starkly different climate and different practice conditions.
“It’s been more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge for the guys,” Hopko said. “We’re just looking forward to going to challenge ourselves down south.”
Rhody returns to the diamond to start their back-to-back bid at the A-10 Championship with a four-game series against Jacksonville. Friday’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
