ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Following a run to the Empire 8 Conference Championships with the Elmira College baseball team this spring, several Soaring Eagles have flocked around the country – and around the world – to hone their skills playing summer baseball.
 
"We are excited that more of our team each year is playing summer baseball," Head Coach Corey Paluga said. "It's a tremendous opportunity to continue to develop and to be challenged with competition on the field. Summer baseball continues to be an emphasis for the growth of our program."
 
Here's a look at where the Soaring Eagles are playing this summer:
 
Conor Bawiec '18 – North Shore Navigators | Futures Collegiate Baseball League
For the second consecutive summer season, Bawiec has joined the North Shore Navigators of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in Lynn, Massachusetts. After earning E8 All-Conference First-Team accolades and an ECAC Division III North All-Star nod, the rising senior toed the rubber for the Navigators in their first game of the season on June 1. While he struck out seven in 5.0 innings of work, Bawiec was tagged with the loss in a slim 2-1 defeat against the Seacoast Mavericks.
 
Nick Cottone '19 – New Market Rebels | Valley Baseball League
Cottone has relocated to New Market, Virginia, to play for the Valley Baseball League's New Market Rebels this year. As a sophomore, the Toms River, New Jersey, native fanned 13 in 11 relief appearances for the Soaring Eagles, and through the first week of the summer season, Cottone has struck out two in 3.0 innings of work with the Rebels.
 
Jansen Crossley '20 – Langley Blaze | British Columbia Summer Collegiate
Crossley opened many eyes with a standout freshman season at EC, as he batted .275 with 22 hits, 16 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 29 games played. He was even better inside E8 conference play, where he compiled a .327 average while tying for the team lead with 15 RBIs. Crossley has returned to his native British Columbia for the summer and will play for the Langley Blaze.
 
Corey DeMauro '20 – Onondaga Flames | Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
DeMauro was one of Elmira's top freshmen pitchers during the 2017 season. He led all rookies with 20.0 innings pitched and was one of four pitchers on the team to post double-digit appearances. In the Flames' season-opener against the Amsterdam Mohawks, the Syracuse, New York, native tossed 3.1 innings of relief and gave up just one earned run, equaling a 2.70 ERA, while striking out a pair.
 
Joey Florio '20 – Newburgh Nuclears | American Legion
Florio flashed signs of potential at the hot corner in his debut season for the Soaring Eagles. The rookie third baseman batted a respectable .257 (9-for-35) with two doubles, five RBIs and seven runs scored. Used mostly as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, he was never afraid of getting dirty and made multiple highlight-reel-worthy plays in the infield. This summer Florio will suit up for the Newburgh Nuclears.
 
Tommy Fogarty '20 – Conestoga Baseball Club | American Legion
Fogarty will return to his hometown of Wayne, Pennsylvania, to play American Legion ball for the Conestoga Baseball Club after his tremendous freshman season at Elmira. He started 31 games for the Purple and Gold in 2017, second-most on the team, while ranking second in hits (34) and RBIs (19), and third among regulars in batting average (.304).
 
Nate Hanner '18 – Bancroft Bandits | Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League
Coming off of a junior season in which he hit at a .271 clip with eight doubles, one home run, 14 RBIs and .415 on-base percentage, Hanner has migrated to Bancroft, Iowa, to compete in the Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League with the Bancroft Bandits. The small Midwestern town is home to a population of just 732, but Bancroft has produced two major league players in former Brooklyn Dodger Joe Hatten and two-time National League All-Star Denis Menke.
 
Justin Iannotto '20 – Long Island Dodgers | Stan Musial League
First-year catcher Iannotto, a Long Island native who hails from South Setauket, New York, will remain local for the summer and compete in the Stan Musial League with the Long Island Dodgers. Although the 6-foot, 215-pound backstop only registered a trio of hits in 12 at-bats as a freshman, two of them left the yard, as he homered in his collegiate debut on April 4 against Hilbert College and again in an E8 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology on April 15.
 
Joe Kidd '18 – New Cumberland Tigers | West Shore Twilight Baseball League
After a one-year hiatus from baseball, right-handed hurler Kidd returned to the Soaring Eagles for his junior season and played a valuable role on the mound. He capped off the spring with a 2-1 record, a 4.75 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Kidd and the New Cumberland Tigers are off to a strong start to the summer campaign with a 6-3 record, which included a 4-0 start to the campaign.
 
Eddie O'Donnell IV '18 – River Bandits | Interstate Collegiate Baseball League
A mainstay behind the plate in the final weeks of Elmira's 2017 season, O'Donnell is looking to continue his strong play this summer with the River Bandits of the Interstate Collegiate Baseball League. In the spring, he batted .306 (11-for-36) while throwing out eight would-be base stealers in 14 games. O'Donnell played a major role in the Bandits' first victory, a slim 3-2 defeat of the CD Storm on June 1, by throwing out one base runner and scoring the walk-off run on a wild pitch in the ninth.
 
Sam Plaugher '20 – Murrells Inlet Longboards| Beach Collegiate Baseball League
Plaugher, a first-year shortstop from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, has signed with the Murrells Inlet Longboards of the Beach Collegiate Baseball League, where he will play under the direction of former EC assistant coach Tony Deshler. In his debut season with the Soaring Eagles, Plaugher tallied six hits, scored nine runs, and reached base safely at a rate of .324 in 18 total appearances.
 
Andy Reed '19 – Geneva Red Wings | Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
Reed is returning to the PGCBL for his second season with the Geneva Red Wings, who play 60 miles north of Elmira up Route 14. The rising junior was nearly lights-out when entering out of the bullpen for the Soaring Eagles in 2017, registering a 2.17 ERA and a .214 batting average against in nine games as a reliever. Last summer, Reed was well utilized by Geneva, as he accumulated 23 strikeouts in 45.0 innings.
 
Dennis Rudolph '18 – La Rochelle Admirals | Collegiate Baseball League Europe
Traveling the farthest away from home to play summer ball is third-year outfielder Rudolph, who is heading to La Rochelle, France, a coastal town on the Bay of Biscay. He is one of six Americans who will play for the defending league champions this summer. In his junior season at EC, the Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native produced 31 hits, including eight doubles and two home runs, and was perfect in stolen-base attempts (6-for-6) and in fielding percentage (1.000) as the team's center fielder.
 
Nick Sampogna '18 – Bismarck Larks | Northwoods League
Junior righty Sampogna has ventured to the capital of North Dakota to plays for the Bismarck Larks of the Northwoods League, which is often recognized as one of the top wood bat leagues in the country. Following his breakout sophomore season, Sampogna earned a trio of victories and 35 strikeouts in a team-leading 56.2 innings of work in 2017. The Verplanck, New York, native has made one appearance out of the bullpen for the Larks so far, as he struck out two in an inning against the Thunder Bay Border Cats on June 2.
 
Garinder Singh Sarana '20 – Langley Blaze | British Columbia Summer Collegiate
Crossley is joined on the Langley Blaze by fellow Vancouverite Sarana, who will throw out of the Blaze's bullpen this summer. The intimidating 6-foot-6-inch right-handed pitcher accumulated six strikeouts in 5.1 innings as a freshman at Elmira and limited opponents to a paltry .176 batting average, the lowest of any pitcher on the EC staff this past season.
              
Matt van Muelken '18 – Seagulls | Virginia Beach Collegiate League
van Muelken had the best season of his collegiate career in 2017 with the Soaring Eagles. The third-year infielder posted career highs batting average (.250), on-base percentage (.344), hits (14) and doubles (5), while compiling an unblemished 1.000 fielding percentage on 43 total chances. Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, the rising senior is headed south to the Virginia Beach Collegiate League to play for the Seagulls this summer, where he'll look to build off of his strong spring showing.
 
Jack Volpe '20 – East Coast Royals | Nova Scotia Junior AAA Baseball
The rookie from Bedford, Nova Scotia, is returning to his home province to participate in the Nova Scotia Junior AAA Baseball League with the East Coast Royals. Although the Canadian-born outfielder missed his entire freshman season while recovering from injury, Volpe played in nine games for the Royals last summer and recorded six hits, six runs, four RBIs and nine stolen bases.
 
Zach Williamson '20 – Snow Dogs | Interstate Collegiate Baseball League
Williamson is returning to the Snow Dogs, previously of the Thruway Collegiate Baseball League, for the second year in a row. In 2016, he was named an All-League selection after batting .350 (14-for-40) and striking out 18 in 20.2 innings on the mound. In his debut season with the Purple and Gold, the 6-foot-3-inch product of Cicero, New York, made seven appearances on the mound and fanned 13 batsmen in 11.2 innings.
 
Harrison Zambarano '19 – Rathskeller | George Donnelly Sunset League
The sophomore from Johnston, Rhode Island, improved his numbers across the board, as he finished 2017 with career highs in hits (6), stolen bases (2), on-base percentage (.360) and batting average (.273) in 13 game played. This summer season, Zambarano is traveling 45 minutes south of his hometown to play for Rathskeller in the George Donnelly Sunset League, which traces its roots all the way back to 1919. He played in Rathskeller's game on May 30 and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single.