Elmira College Men's Baseball

Anthony Goncalves enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Elmira College baseball program in the 2026-27 academic year. Goncalves was introduced as just the second head coach in Elmira College baseball history in June of 2021. He spent one season as an assistant coach for the Soaring Eagles in the spring of 2021 before earning the promotion. In the 2026 season, the Soaring Eagles notched 12 wins on the season and four in conference play under Goncalves. EC picked up conference wins over St. John Fisher, Alfred University, and Houghton University. Jordan Barthel '29 was named to the Empire 8 First Team All-Conference as a utility player as well as the Second Team All-Conference as a designated hitter. Brady Buttice '26 was named to the Empire 8 Tomorrow's Leaders Team.  In the 2025 season, Goncalves led the Soaring Eagles to 13 wins on the season including 7 wins against conference opponents. Elmira picked up conference wins against Utica University, Keuka College, SUNY Polytechnic Institue, Alfred Unoversity, Houghton University, and Russell Sage College. Connor Stone '26 was named to second team All-Conference and Matteo Salvati '25 named to the Sportsman of the Year team. Logan Pizzullo '25, Matteo Salvati '25, and Brett Warden '25 all earned Academic All-District honors. Following his third season at the helm of the Elmira College Soaring Eagles Baseball program, Goncalves guided EC to 12 wins on the season and seven wins against Empire 8 Conference opponents. On the offensive side of the ball, the Soaring Eagles set several single-season program records, including slugging percentage (.406), on-base percentage (.404), home runs (23), and most times hit by pitch (75). On the defensive side of the ball, the Purple & Gold allowed the fewest hits for a single-season (287) and fewest walks allowed (182). Elmira also established a new single-game record after fanning 16 batters against Alfted (3/25/24).  Brett Warden '25 and Xander Canfield '26 were both named to the Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team, while Erik Charnetski '24 and Erik Berkan '27 were both named to the Empire 8 All-Conference Third Team. Warden was named to his third straight Empire 8 All-Conference squad after starting all 32 contests this season for the Soaring Eagles and extending his streak of consecutive starts for the Purple & Gold to 104 games. Canfield appeared in all 32 contests with nine appearances on the mound for Elmira as he batted .342 to go along with 27 hits, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, and 20 walks. Charnetski suited up in 31 games for EC and paced the team with a .385 batting average, .511 OBP, and .712 slugging percentage. He also set the program's single-season home run record after tallying seven, while also establishing new single-season marks for slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Berkan appeared in 12 contests with one start on the mound for the Purple & Gold and posted a 4.79 earned run average through 20.2 innings pitched to go along with 13 strikeouts. Following the 2022-23 season, Goncalves would see fifth-year second baseman Jared Money '22 earn the inaugural Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as he finished the season with a .983 fielding percentage and just two errors on 116 chances. As a team, the Soaring Eagles paced the Empire 8 in fewest fielding errors (35) and fielding percentage (.969) as both marks set new single-season program records. Elmira would also record the first no-hitter in program history on March 16, 2023 as seven Soaring Eagles combined to hold PSU Wilkes-Barre hit-less through nine innings in a 13-0 victory. Catcher Jourdan Plaisted '21 was named to the Empire 8 First Team, while outfielder Matteo Salvati '25 was named Empire 8 Second Team, and third baseman Brett Warden '25 Empire 8 Third Team. In his first year, Goncalves led the Purple & Gold to a 13-24-1 overall record, the most regular season wins since the 2017 season, and the program’s first ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament victory when they defeated No.1 seed St. John Fisher College, 6-5 in game one of the semi-final round. It was just the second time ever that Elmira College baseball defeated the Cardinals and snapped a 23-game losing streak in the head-to-head series for the Soaring Eagles. Goncalves mentored multiple all-conference honorees, including David Kruis ‘23 who was voted Empire 8 First Team as a relief pitcher, while Brett Warden ‘25 was selected to the Empire 8 Second Team as a third baseman. Warden was also named conference Rookie of the Year, the first-ever in Elmira College baseball program history. Goncalves began his coaching at his alma mater, Misericordia University, from 2011-13. Under the tutelage of renowned head coach Pete Egbert, he helped transform the Cougars into a regional powerhouse. Not only did Misericordia win three consecutive MAC Freedom championships, but the Cougars appeared in the national rankings for the first time in 2012. The following spring, they broke the program record for wins in a season with 39, a mark that still stands eight years later. After his tenure with the Cougars, Goncalves assisted the staff at Arcadia University for two seasons. The Knights witnessed one of the biggest turnarounds in program history during those two years with Goncalves in the dugout, improving by 11 games in the win column in 2015. As a student-athlete, Goncalves began his collegiate career at Union County College before transferring to Misericordia, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Sports Management. He received a master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2018.

Jack Donnelly heads into his fourth season as Assistant Coach for the Elmira College baseball team. Donnelly was a four-year letter-winner while earning his undergraduate degree from Elmira in 2019.   During his time with the Eagles, Donnelly was a two-year captain and was named to the Empire 8 President's List in each of his four seasons.   Before attending Elmira, Donnelly attended Cooperstown Central School where, he was a three-sport athlete lettering in baseball, basketball, and soccer.   Donnelly teaches at Alternative School for Math and Science and is pursuing his master's degree in General Education at Elmira.

Cameron Heggie ’18 returns to Elmira for his sixth year as an assistant coach of the Soaring Eagles baseball team in 2024.   Three-year member of the Elmira Baseball Team, Heggie posted a .248 batting average while appearing in 95 games. He ranks 1st in program history in hits in a game (5), which he accomplished against Valley Forge on March 16, 2016.   Before his time at Elmira, Heggie attended Oxford Academy High School where he was a four-sport athlete, playing Football, Basketball, Men’s Volleyball, and Baseball.   After graduation, Heggie began working as a civil/environmental engineer in Elmira, New York. Additionally, he received his Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of California: Riverside.  

Nathan OBrochta starts his first season as Assistant Coach for the Soaring Eagles Baseball program in 2024-25.