Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University head baseball coach Larry Sudbrook has announced the addition of six student-athletes who have committed to join the program this fall – Joseph Dombrowski, Michael Krauza, Brandon Henshaw, Braydon Nelson, Jeff Palczewski and Michael Magnanti. The spring additions bring the incoming class of recruits to 13 commits for next season.
“This spring we were looking to add people that are at positions of need,” Sudbrook said. “We are planning on losing our starting middle infield – Jared Baldinelli for sure as a senior and Cole Peterson in the draft. We wanted to bring in some more middle infielders for depth and competition at those positions. These signings, added to the recruits we signed in the fall, give us a balanced class where we think we can replace some of the key people we are going to be losing through graduation and the draft. We feel it is a very strong class pitching and infield-wise.”
Palczewski, Henshaw and Magnanti all will compete for middle infield positions with Bona next season.
A transfer from the University at Buffalo, Palczewski played in 22 games as a freshman with the Bulls in 2017. A product of Orchard Park High School, he ranks second on the OPHS all-time hits list and will battle for a job at second base with the Bonnies.
“He was like a lot of freshmen who sat behind a senior this past season,” Sudbrook assessed. “He got limited playing time (at Buffalo), but he is a guy we think has some pop from the right side of the plate and is a pretty good athlete. He is a guy who will come in and compete at the second base position.”
Henshaw joins the program from Genesee Community College where he was named the NJCAA Region III Division III Player of the Year last month. The native of Brockport, N.Y. helped his team to the Region III Final Four by hitting .447 in 159 at-bats and drove in 42 runs as a sophomore. He set the GCC single season record for most hits (71) and most runs scored (57) and leaves as the program’s all-time hits (116) and career batting average leader (.417). He was named to the all-region first team as a freshman in 2015 before sitting out the 2016 season due to injury. He has the ability to play shortstop and third base.
Magnanti, a native of Greece, N.Y., played the past two seasons at Finger Lakes Community College and can play shortstop or second base. While with Finger Lakes CC, Magnanti earned Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) Baseball Player of the Year honors in both 2016 and 2017. An NJCAA Second Team All-American in 2016, he hit .451 with a .526 on-base percentage combined over his two seasons with the Lakers. The product of Greece Athena High School drove in 58 runs, scored 118 and stole 49 bases over the past two seasons in 99 games.
“Both Magnanti and Henshaw are being brought in to compete at shortstop and both are guys who weren’t just the best players on their teams in junior college, but have been named Player of the Year for their conferences,” Sudbrook said. “We have had some luck with junior college guys recently and we think they will continue it.”
Dombrowski and Nelson are each right-handed pitchers who will be true freshmen next season.
“They’re both guys who are throwing mid-80s, upper-80s in high school,” Sudbrook said. “We’ve had a lot of success developing these type of guys over the years and by the time they are junior and seniors they’re Atlantic 10 pitchers and possible pro prospects. They’re both big kids with good arm action and are projectable guys to be A-10 pitchers down the road.”
Dombrowski comes to the Bonnies from Lancaster (N.Y.) High School where he registered a 1.35 ERA and the 6’4″, 200-pound righty was a standout in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society. Nelson, a 6’4″, 215-pound native of Brecksville, Ohio, played his high school ball at Saint Ignatius where he posted an ERA of just over 1.00 with nearly a strikeout per inning the past two combined seasons. He also is an AP Scholar in the classroom.
Krauza, another right-handed pitching prospect, will have three seasons of eligibility after joining the Bonnies from Xavier University.
“He is a unique situation in that he is a kid that went to Xavier for two years but did not play baseball,” Sudbrook said. “He has evolved into a pitcher with a Division I arm having done the Driveline and Eric Cressey school. We think he is going to come in and have a chance to compete for innings immediately. He is an upper-80s guy with good arm action.”
St. Bonaventure finished 26-22 with a 15-8 record in the Atlantic 10 last season and has won 52 games over the past two seasons.
Leave a Reply