By: Scott Eddy, Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure Baseball head coach Jason Rathbun has announced nine additions to the Bonnies 2026 recruiting class as Austin Allen, Markus Brehm, Bennett DiCarlo, Cole Lombardo, Kyle Mandirola, Sean Munzert, Mihretu Rupertus, Austin Seipp and Sean Spitaleri have all signed to join the program next fall.
"We are proud to announce the 2026 Bonnies Baseball recruiting class," Rathbun said. "I want to thank our recruiting coordinator Jackson Root and Associate Head Coach B.J. Salerno for their work on bringing in this talented class. We added important players that will fit into our roster construction for the future of our program."
Allen is a 6-foot-1 left-handed pitcher from Levittown, Pa. In 100 innings pitched at the high school level for Harry S. Truman High, he has struck out 131 batters while compiling a 3.10 ERA. He intends to major in criminology at St. Bonaventure.
RATHBUN ON ALLEN: "He is a smooth lefty with the ability to contribute on the mound as a freshman. He's a talented arm who knows how to fill up the zone and throw multiple pitches from the left side."
Brehm is a native of Wayland, N.Y. where he was a standout for Wayland Cohocton Central School. A 5-foot-11 middle infielder, he is currently at Finger Lakes CC. In high school, he served as team captain and was crowned the New York State Section V Baseball Player of the Year in 2023, setting his school record for stolen bases with 118. At the junior college level, he hit .351 with six homers, 42 RBIs and 31 stolen bases along with 19 doubles and four triples as a freshman at Finger Lakes CC, capturing NJCAA All-Region honors. He put his speed to use as a track star in high school as well, winning the Section V Class A3 championship in the 55-meter dash. During summer ball this year, he was named a New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) All-Star with Hornell. A business major, he was also selected to the NJCAA Region III All-Academic Team.
RATHBUN ON BREHM: "Markus gives us an experienced player with the ability to play multiple positions on the field. He had a huge freshman year for Finger Lakes CC, helping his team to the regional finals while playing shortstop every day. He followed that up with a big summer. His versatility is something we really needed. Elite speed."
DiCarlo is an imposing figure on the mound as a 6-foot-7, 230-pound right-hander from Manassas, Va. He did not allow an earned run in 13 innings this past spring, helping his Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology squad to its first regional playoff game and winning record since 2019. During his high school career, he has been an All-District honorable mention as both a pitcher and a catcher. He plans to major in computer science.
RATHBUN ON DICARLO: "Bennett is a physically gifted pitcher who we are excited to work with. He is a talented arm with a high ceiling."
Lombardo comes to SBU from Garnet Valley, Pa. where he is a shortstop for Garnet Valley High. A right-handed bat, he hit .322 as a sophomore and vaulted to a .452 batting average as a junior this past spring. A First Team Delaware County selection, his squad has reached districts each of his three seasons at the varsity level. He is also an Honor Roll student in the classroom.
RATHBUN ON LOMBARDO: "We are very excited to add a quality shortstop like Cole. He has stood out defensively while also adding a clutch hit tool that he has showcased for a few years. He's a good athlete with speed and a strong arm with the ability to be a starter in the middle infield throughout his college career."
Mandirola is a product of Exton, Pa. and is a 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher. As a senior at Downingtown East High, he struck out 29 batters in just over 14 innings of work as his team set a school record by being its first squad to win districts and reach the Pennsylvania state quarterfinals. He started his collegiate career at Monroe University where he was the program's Pitcher of the Year for the junior college this past spring. Working primarily as a starter at Monroe, he earned eight wins on the mound with three complete games and fanned 71 batters in 60.1 innings. He intends to major in sports management at SBU.
RATHBUN ON MANDIROLA: "Kyle dominated his freshman year on the mound for D-I JUCO Monroe College. An arm injury this summer did not scare us away from this talented lefty. The ability to be here for three years with already having college experience was very intriguing for us."
Munzert is a local product from Buffalo, playing at Williamsville South High. A catcher and third baseman, he has a .390 career batting average from the right side of the plate in high school. He picked up First Team All-League honors in each of the last two seasons and also captured his league's Defensive Player of the Year accolades as a sophomore. A three-year team captain, he is also an Honor Roll student who plans to major in business.
RATHBUN ON MUNZERT: "Sean is someone we have followed for a few years. Sean features a strong arm and power bat who physically can help contribute right away."
Rupertus comes to Bona's from Philadelphia as a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher for St. Joseph's Preparatory School. In 29 innings on the hill, he struck out 33 batters, holding opponents to a .193 batting average against along with a 2.39 ERA. He earned All-League honors and plans to major in psychology.
RATHBUN ON RUPERTUS: "We are very excited about Mihretu on the mound. He has easy velo and showed the ability to throw strikes. I would not be surprised to hear his named called one day in the draft and be a mid-to-upper 90's guy. A very talented arm from Philly."
Seipp hails from Stormville, N.Y. where he is an outfielder for John Jay High. He has hit .500 during his high school career and comes from an athletic family where both of his parents played Division I soccer at the collegiate level. At St. Bonaventure, he has plans to major in business.
RATHBUN ON SEIPP: "Austin is a physically gifted athlete who we think can contribute as a freshman. He's a standout three-sport athlete who brings multiple tools to the baseball field. His power bat will be a middle of the order hitter in the future for our program."
Spitaleri's hometown is Glen Rock, N.J. where he plays at Glen Rock High. He has played both first base and catcher along with pitching, batting from the left side. He produced a .447 batting average with six homers and 80 RBIs while on the mound he struck out 25 in 22.1 innings with a 1.88 ERA. A First Team All-Conference pick twice, he also was named Third Team All-State while helping his team to the New Jersey Group 2 state sectional championship.
RATHBUN ON SPITALERI: "A dual player that will help on the mound right away. His ability to catch as a left-handed hitter will be a great fit for our roster."
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