Josh Koepsell: The Next Andy Dlugosz

When you see Freshman pitcher Josh Koepsell one thing comes to mind...Andy Dlugosz. Former ace of the Blue Devil pitching staff, Andy Dlugosz, was a standout performer during his career (2008-2011) and is currently the program's all time wins leader (17). Now you may be wondering, "Why does he come to mind when seeing Josh?" Well the resemblance between the two is uncanny.

"Some players on the team have come up to me and said they see a huge resemblance between Andy and I," said Josh. "I would honestly have to say that I see a slight resemblance but maybe not as much as other people see. "

Josh actually had the opportunity to meet Andy during the team's annual alumni game this past fall. "Andy was an extremely nice guy," said Josh. "I really hope that I can follow in his footsteps and have the same amount of success as he did during his time at Fredonia."

That success may not be too far off for Josh. Over the past few years Josh played for the Niagara Eagles Showcase travel team based out of Niagara County. During his time with the team, he played under Coach Mark Gabriele and Bob Kowalski, two former professional ball players. Thanks to them, Josh feels that they have made him into the ball player he is today and that he would never have reached the collegiate level without them.

Josh also gives a lot of credit to former Blue Devils assistant coach Matthew Bowman who helped guide Josh to Fredonia. "Coach Bowman was actually the first person I ever met from the Fredonia Baseball program," said Josh. "He was very helpful in putting me in contact with Coach Palisin and he just made things a lot easier for me when I had to make my decision of where I wanted to play college baseball."

Josh went under the radar as far as recruiting. "Josh's high school team was very young," said coach Palisin. "When I went to see him play, his team was down 5-0 nothing after five innings, but then I noticed, he had a no hitter going. I think better defense at a higher level will give Josh a lot more confidence this year. He really improved every day as the fall progresses."

Away from the field Josh enjoys hanging with his teammates, playing football and watching his beloved Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns. "I am a BIG Johnny Manziel fan," said Josh. "I liked him ever since his first season with Texas A&M but, of course, I will always love my Buffalo Bills more. GO BILLS BABY!"

Josh is ready take on his first season as a Blue Devil. He looks to compete for some innings and take advantage of every opportunity he is given.

James Krolikowski

Just like teammate Alexio Medina, James Krolikowski has followed quite the similar path throughout his college baseball career. After putting together a successful career at Erie Community College (All-Region outfielder), James decided it was time to walk away from the game.

Despite being enrolled at Fredonia, Krolikowski did not play. "Last year I decided to take my junior season off to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life," said James. "I wanted to make sure that switching my major from Physical Education to Sports Management and transferring to Fredonia was the best decision for myself."


James feels confident that he is ready to continue his career again. "It honestly feels great to be back," said James. "There was a big part of my life missing last year when I stepped away from baseball and it feels great to be part of a team again."


James also feels an excitement to return to the field with many of his former ECC teammates.

He gives much of his credit to returning to the game to former ECC and current Blue Devil teammate Kyle Sherman. James feels that because of Kyle, he found his place again with the Fredonia baseball program.

"Kyle definitely had an influence on me choosing Fredonia and wanting to play baseball again," said James. "I talked to him a lot this past summer and he really pushed me to come tryout this season." And as we all know, the rest is history.

Coaches comment: "Jimmy is a great addition to our team. The past few years we have gotten away from the running game, and his speed will be a nice addition. He's proven himself at the junior college level as an All Region player and will push for a starting spot this year. Off the field, he's got a great personality. If you can't get along with Jimmy, something's wrong with you."

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James not only gives Kyle all the love about choosing Fredonia. The past few summers, James had the privilege of playing with Fredonia alum and former team captain Mike Austin in AA Muny in Buffalo. Thanks to him, James felt his decision in Fredonia was the perfect choice.

"Mike is truly an awesome guy and he didn't hesitate once to answer any questions I had about the Fredonia baseball program ," said James. "He had nothing but awesome things to say about Coach Palisin and that I would not regret choosing to continue my career there. And it turns out he was spot on with that."


James looks forward to getting back on the field and improving himself as player everyday he has the chance. He is prepared to do whatever it takes to help his team win and reach the SUNYAC title this spring.

The ECC connection: Since 2013, the following eight Kats have played at Fredonia:
Ricky Mendiola
Matt Wilhelm
Joe DiLeo
Vinny Sherman
Kyle Sherman
Bobby Graczyk
Alexio Medina
Jim Krolikowski

Ben Atkinson

When it to comes to memories of high school baseball, one may think of all the great teammates they had the opportunity to play with throughout their career. Some of these guys they had the opportunity of playing with for two, three or maybe all four years of their high school career. Now, imagine playing with a completely different team each year that is filled with various players from various schools throughout your community. That is exactly what freshman pitcher Ben Atkinson experienced throughout his time in high school.

Due to lack of funding and competitiveness; Corcoran, Fowler and Henninger High School combined with Nottingham High School (Ben's High School), to give players at each school a chance to continue their baseball careers. It may not be viewed as the most favorable way to play high school baseball, but it never seemed to bother Ben.

Ben not only praises his teammates for the lasting memories he experienced during his baseball career but he also shows love for his coach as well. "Bob 'Southy' Southworth was by far one of the best coaches I have ever had in my life," said Ben. "He taught me so many things about the game of baseball and it was truly an honor to play under him."

I'm sure Coach Southworth feels the same about having Ben as a player. During Ben's senior year, his team left Coach Southworth with one incredible memory. His 700th career win. "We had a huge game to play against Liverpool High School early on in the season and it was my turn to pitch," said Ben. "I was a nervous heading in but once game day arrived I was ready to get that win for Coach." That's exactly what Ben went on to do. He went on to pitch five strong innings and gave up only one run. His team would go on to win 2-1.

Now that he has reach the collegiate level, Ben has set goals for himself this year. He plans to compete and be effective in any situation that comes his way this year. No matter who he faces this spring, Ben fully intends to help the Blue Devils find success this season.


Interesting Facts:
Favorite Player: Jacob DeGrom
Player he models his game after: Klayton Kershaw
Roommate: Rob Wiegand
Major: Biology
Played AAU hoops against Jim Boehiem's son

Alexio Medina: A New Beginning

Alexio Medina has not lived the ordinary life that every college baseball experiences. Before coming to Fredonia, Alexio studied at Erie Community College where he was a member of the baseball program like a few his Blue Devil teammates (Jim Krolikowski, Kyle Sherma). Instead of trying to continue his baseball career after ECC, Alexio took a different route. He decided to hang up his cleats and  try to pursue a career in contracting.

After a year-long break away from the field, Alexio realized this was no longer the life he wanted to live. "The career in contracting was just not panning out the way I had expected," said Alexio. "I decided it was time to make a change and head back to school."

He was ready to give college another look and get back into baseball. "Honestly sitting out a year of baseball was torture," said Alexio. "There aren't too many things in this world that I love more than playing this game and now that I am back, I couldn't be happier."

Alexio does not give himself all of the credit for deciding to continue his career. He gives some credit to his former ECC teammates for pushing him to return. "I missed these guys a lot more than I realized," said Alexio. "My time with those guys at ECC were some of the best years of my life and I cannot wait to create new ones with them and my new teammates here at Fredonia."

 Alexio had the opportunity of playing with Blue Devils senior captain Kyle Sherman, a former ECC teammate, this past summer in AAA Muny. It was during this time that Alexio began to develop an interest in Fredonia and feel that if given the chance to play, he could have a major impact on the team. "Everyday Kyle would push me to come tryout at Fredonia," said Alexio. "He believed that I could help out the team in many ways and hearing that really just made me want to come to Fredonia then."

Coach Palisin met up with Alexio at a summer-league game and was impressed with his size and speed. Sherman vouched for his character. "In the time Alexio has been here, he is one of the most concientious people I have met. He also gets the job done in the weight room and in the cage," said coach Palisin.

Beside having a strong love for baseball, Alexio enjoys working out as well. "The weight room is similar to the baseball field to me," said Alexio. "It's a great way to escape reality and blow off some steam." You can always spot Alexio hitting up the gym with teammate and roommate James Krolikowski, who Alexio had some kind words to say about. "James is honestly one of the nicest kids I have ever met and it is so easy to live with him because we share many of the same values."

Here are some expectations that Alexio has for himself this season:

Did you know?
Alexio's father was drafted by the Montreal Expos.
Alexio is one of a dozen players on the team that played for local legend Ronnie Lieb at some point.
Majoring in psychology.

No-Shave November

Each year, thousands of men and women are diagnosed with cancer. Leaving so many in a battle of pain, confusion and heartache. We constantly sit around ask ourselves what we can do to make things better.

This November I ask all of you to take the time to participate in what many call "No-Shave November." This is a campaign movement that asks for all to embrace the growth of hair in honor of those who are losing their hair due to cancer treatments.

Anyone can join in on this fight against cancer. That's right ladies, it is not just for men. One can raise money, grow out their hair, or even help spread the word of the movement. One simple act of awareness can help change the lives of thousands.

Now its time to stop sitting around wondering what you can do and join the movement. Toss those razors and trimmers in the trash and let the growth begin. As a whole, let's take one step closer to ending the fight against cancer.

This November a few of the Fredonia baseball players will participating in the movement. Some will be participating in honor of loved ones and friends, while others are growing to join the cause. Keep a look out on campus during the next few weeks. I'm sure you won't be able to miss them.

"What's Your Purpose?" From the Captain's Desk

Every player has their own motive as to why they play the game of baseball, whether it be for the love of the game, for their teammates or maybe even for themselves. My motive, however, roots from a whole different source.

Each time I touch a ball field I have one thing in mind: My family.

I come from a family filled with baseball fanatics. Mets, Red Sox, Reds, A's and die hard Yankee fans (except for me, I'm a Cubs fan....rough life). Now you are probably thinking, "You have a family full of baseball fans, so what?" Well beside playing the game for my family members who I see on a regular basis, I play for those who are no longer with me. The ones who left an unforgettable impact on my life.

My grandfather was a die-hard Yankees fan. There wasn't a day when he wasn't tuning in to see his beloved "Bronx Bombers" play but he never could stand to watch because he was so nervous they would lose if he watched. He would always tell me stories of Mickey Mantle and how someday, if I kept working, I could be just as great as him. Meanwhile my grandmother would be chanting from the other room, "Yankees stink! Go Sox!" It was a love-hate relationship in their house when it came to sports but it always through good spirits.

I would never forget those words my grandfather said to me, "If you keep working, you can be as great as them." I would keep these words with me throughout the rest of my career and I still keep them close to my heart. Through one little sentence, he made me want to go out and be the best that I could be. I wanted to make him and all my other family members proud.

It was during my junior of high school, however, when I was crushed with the devastating news that my grandfather had passed away. He would never get the chance to see me play college ball, which was my dream at the time because there was nothing more my grandparents would have loved to see.

It was right then and there that I decided that I no longer had a choice but the obligation to reach the collegiate level no matter what it took. For the next year and a half, I dedicated all of my time to improving my game and not a moment passed when I wasn't thinking about what he told me so many years ago..."If you keep working, you can be the best."

That day finally came. I was a senior in high school when I received a letter from the Fredonia baseball program informing me that they were interested in me. I felt a huge sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulder. I finally reached my goal.

For the last four years I have carried the weight of every person who I have lost throughout my life. I truly give credit to them for how I have turned out as a ball player and a person. They are the ones who always push me to reach for my full potential because I know if I take a moment off they will know. I believe they are always watching over me.

So ask yourself each day, "What's my purpose and why am I truly here?"