ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure baseball welcomes 18 new members to the roster this fall as the program prepares for the 2026 season.

"Our staff has worked hard to put together a recruiting class we are very excited about. The chance to add eight junior college players with four of them named All-Americans, four talented four-year transfers, and six freshmen really gives us the type of ratio we are looking for in our recruiting classes," St. Bonaventure head coach Jason Rathbun said. "This class has players from California, Japan, and our local states of Pennsylvania and New York. I can't thank our admission staff, Donnie Moffat in academic support and Sarah Wolcott in compliance for all their help in getting these talented student athletes on our campus."

Joey Bruno – 2B 6'1" | 190 – Lake Orion, Mich. / Lansing CC
He was selected as a First Team NJCAA Division II All-American this past year at Lansing CC after hitting .460 with 68 RBIs and 25 extra-base hits while striking out just 10 times. He was also a threat on the bases as he stole 30 bags over two seasons and was caught only three times.

RATHBUN ON BRUNO: "Coming off an All-American season at Lansing CC, Joey has the chance to have an impact in the middle of our lineup. Low strikeouts, high stolen bases, and power have shown he will be a threat at the plate."

Joey Calabretti – 1B/RHP 6'2" | 200 – Perkasie, Pa. / Seton Hall
Calabretti spent the last two seasons in the Big East with Seton Hall where he was a two-way player with the Pirates. He made nine appearances on the mound and played in 32 games as a position player.

RATHBUN ON CALABRETTI: "We are really looking forward to giving Joey an opportunity to pitch and be an impact guy for our lineup. Coach Salerno loved his talent out of high school and we were very excited to give him a new home for his last two years. I think we will get a big year out of Joey this spring."

Tristan Ciampa – RHP 5'11" | 200 – Wilmington, Mass. / UMass Boston/St. Bonaventure/Northern Essex CC
Ciampa is actually a returning face as he spent the 2024 season with the Bonnies when he served as the team's top relief option for most of the year. He recorded two wins, five saves and 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings of work that season before needing to transfer to a non-Division I program due to NCAA eligibility rules at the time. He pitched at UMass Boston last year, going 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA, before the change in how NCAA rules junior college transfer eligibility allowed him another season of D-I eligibility to return to Bona's this year.

RATHBUN ON CIAMPA: "I'm so excited to welcome back Tristan to our program. He was a rock for our staff two years ago and think adding an experienced A-10 arm is something we are happy to have back. I'm glad he gets to finish his college career here with us."

Manuel Castro – 3B 5'10" | 190 – Manchester, N.H. / Northern Essex CC
Castro earned NJCAA Second Team All-American honors when he slashed .465/.540/.806, also earning Region 21 Player of the Year accolades at Northern Essex this spring. He ranked 10^th nationally and 11^th in slugging among all junior college players, driving in 53 RBIs while stealing 34 bases in 39 attempts. Also a standout defender, he won the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award at third base for a squad that reached the NJCAA Division III World Series.

RATHBUN ON CASTRO: "This is a baseball player. He led his team Northern Essex to the World Series last year and named All-American and a Gold Glove winner. We are very excited to add him to our program."

Derek Duvall – RHP 6'1" | 260 – Rotterdam, N.Y. / College of Charleston/Florence Darlington Technical College
After playing two junior college seasons in South Carolina where he was named his team's Reliever of the Year with a 2.80 ERA in 2024, Duvall stayed in state to play at the College of Charleston in the Division I ranks last spring. He made 15 appearances with the Cougars, striking out 15 in 14.2 innings of work.

RATHBUN ON DUVALL: "I have recruited Derek three times and glad to finally have him join us here at St. Bonaventure for his final season. An All-Star for the Amsterdam Mohawks this summer in the Perfect Game League, we are adding a competitor on the mound. He will be a valuable part of our staff finishing off games when the game is on the line."

Nolan Feidt – LHP 6'4" | 185 – Syracuse, N.Y. / Niagara County CC
Feidt went 4-0 with a save and a 2.73 ERA over 29.2 appearances last season at Niagara County CC, finishing the spring with a 1.08 WHIP and 31 strikeouts over 29.2 innings on the hill.

RATHBUN ON FEIDT: "The makeup on the mound has been measured as elite stuff. If it all comes together for Nolan, he will be hearing his name on draft day. We are hoping he can have a major impact on the weekends for us."

Anthony Fernandez – OF 6'2" | 200 – Cranston, R.I. / Monroe College
He was an NJCAA Division I All-American honorable mention this spring, hitting .345 with a 1.012 OPS. Fernandez drove in 42 RBIs with 15 doubles and four homers at Monroe, collecting 100 hits over two seasons following an All-State high school career in Rhode Island.

RATHBUN ON FERNANDEZ: "Anthony will be a fixture in our lineup and someone we can see getting his named called on draft day. The skill level is very high and his production has spoken for itself after being named an All-American for Monroe last year."

Justin Gottlieb – RHP 6'0" 220 | Boca Raton, Fla. / LA Pierce College
Gottlieb made 30 appearances including 14 starts over two seasons, working 33.2 innings in 2023 before missing the 2024 campaign. He earned five wins on the hill last season, logging 70 innings.

RATHBUN ON GOTTLIEB: "He is an All-Conference arm out of LA Pierce in California and is an older, experienced arm. He has the chance to pitch meaningful innings this year."

Mark Holm – LHP 6'0" | 190 – Bracebridge, Ontario / Niagara County CC
Holm was a bullpen ace for a Niagara CCC team that finished 51-2 last season, posting five saves with a 1.38 ERA and an 0.92 WHIP.

RATHBUN ON HOLM: "Mark was the closer for Niagara on their way to a record-breaking regular season and NJCAA World Series appearance. He's a big, strong lefty with potential to add quality innings for the staff."

Christian LaMothe – C/1B/OF 6'0" | 195 – San Juan Capistrano, Ca. / Tesoro High
A late freshman addition to the recruiting class, he hit .335 with a 1.269 OPS as a senior in high school this spring to help his squad to a league championship. During his time at Tesoro High, he was named a three-time Perfect Game Pre-Season All-American and was a top prospect in the state of California.

RATHBUN ON LAMOTHE: "Christian is a left-handed hitter who was ranked eighth in the state of California by PBR for first basemen. We are excited about his ability to play mulitiple positions and add a quality left-handed bat to our team."

Elijah Palmer – OF 6'2" | 205 – Salisbury, N.C. / Surry CC
Palmer played in 87 games the past two seasons and was another NJCAA All-American honoree after an impact 2025 season at Surry CC. He hit .428 this spring with a .522 on-base percentage, totaling 23 doubles, four triples and a homer along with 62 RBIs to be crowned the Region 10 Player of the Year. He was also selected to the region's All-Defensive Team as the club's everyday centerfielder, helping Surry win the Region 10 title and finish fifth at the NJCAA Division III World Series.

RATHBUN ON PALMER: "The North Carolina product led his Surry team to their first D-III JUCO World Series appearance, is coming off a Gold Glove and All-American season. Very excited about adding his talent to our roster and lineup."

Enger Paulino – RHP 6'4 | 220 – Worcester, Mass. – Northern Essex CC/Assumption College
Paulino fanned 34 batters in 28.0 innings, logging a 3.21 ERA and 1.07 WHIP as a sophomore at Northern Essex CC last spring. He also spent a season at Assumption College.

RATHBUN ON PAULINO: "Enger led Northern Essex out of the bullpen last year on their way to the NJCAA World Series. He has a chance to continue to build on his craft on the mound after hanging up the bat his freshman year. He has an elite fastball in the 93-96 range."

Tiaga Sakuma – OF 5'9" | 180 – Tokyo, Japan / Mid-America Christian/Herkimer CC
The Japanese native came to play in the United States in 2023 when he hit .357 with three homers and 25 RBIs, adding 18 stolen bases in 40 games at the junior college level with Herkimer CC. He moved to Oklahoma to play at Mid-America Christian at the NAIA level the past two seasons, taking All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors after hitting .405 with seven homers and 40 RBIs this past spring.

RATHBUN ON SAKUMA: "I have always been a fan of Taiga's game from back when I recruited him at Herkimer. I sent him to Olean after his freshman season to play locally for the Oilers and I think the community here is excited to watch him play again. He gives us an experienced left-handed bat for our lineup."

Along with the spring and summer recruits coming to the Enchanted Mountains this summer, the Bonnies also welcome five true freshmen who signed during the early signing period: Ty Corey, a left-handed pitcher from Phoenix, N.Y., Christopher Florentino, an outfielder from Hazleton, Pa., Eamon Giblin, a third baseman and right-handed pitcher from Syracuse, Jack Kelly, a right-handed pitcher from Rochester, and Kenny Mapes, a first baseman from Wyalusing, Pa.

For more on the early signees, read last fall's press release.

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