“We have always strived to play the best teams, and this year we raise the level of our competition even higher,” says Baruch Athletics Director and self-styled “jock of all trades” Ray Rankis.
This spring men’s baseball, women’s softball, and men’s tennis will confront a very competitive schedule—their sights set on winning a CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship. In 2010–11, all three teams finished in second place, but with a large number of returning student-athletes on each team, the coaches are working hard to bring a first-place trophy to campus.
Men’s tennis will play the most competitive schedule in its history, matching up against NYU, Vassar, Manhattanville, and CUNY rival Hunter. Baseball will play 36 regular-season games against strong regional and regular NCAA opponents, such as Ramapo, Farmingdale State, Rutgers–Newark, and CUNYAC baseball archrival, the College of Staten Island.
Despite a large number of injuries that decimated their roster last season, women’s softball used strong team unity to finish in second place. The Bearcats will travel twice to Virginia for tournaments and also play all the top schools in the New York region. Ivy League competition also heats up in 2012: women’s basketball goes up against Yale on Jan. 8 and men’s volleyball against Princeton on Apr. 14.
“I encourage all alumni to come out to support the Bearcats,” says Rankis.
—John Neves
Visit the Athletics website for up-to-the-minute reports.