Cresson, Pa. - February 11 - The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) released it's 2026 Baseball Preseason Poll Wednesday morning. League coaches have tabbed Penn State Behrend as the team to beat in 2026, projecting the Lions to defend their back-to-back AMCC baseball championships. Pitt-Greensburg is expected to challenge in second place, while Alfred State rounds out the preseason top three. The AMCC coaches projected the Mounties to finish fifth out of the eight teams, being above Penn State Altoona, Pitt-Bradford, and La Roche.

The Mount Aloysius baseball program enters the 2026 season with a blend of fresh leadership, proven production, and high expectations after another strong campaign a year ago. The Mounties were picked fifth in the AMCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, positioning themselves squarely in the conference's competitive middle tier with plenty of upside heading into the spring.

Mount Aloysius is coming off a 27-14 season in 2025, once again earning a spot in the AMCC Playoffs. Competing in the conference's double-elimination format, the Mounties opened postseason play with a loss to Hilbert before falling to Alfred State in their second game, bringing the season to a close. Despite the early exit, the Mounties' consistent presence in the postseason underscored the program's stability and continued growth.

This season also marks the beginning of a new era, as Patrick Gully takes over as head coach in his first year at the helm. Gully succeeds Kevin Kime, who now serves as Mount Aloysius' Athletic Director and was recently inducted into the Mountie Athletics Hall of Fame. Kime leaves behind a legacy of success, and Gully inherits a program with a strong foundation and a winning culture already in place.

The Mounties will look significantly different this spring after 16 departures through graduation and transfers, including several key contributors. Among those losses are Brandon Cook, Ryan Bushey, Joey DeRubeis (now volunteer assistant), Jeremy Eck, and Tyler Quade, who is one of the most decorated players in program history. Quade earned multiple honors during his four-year career, including sweeping the Newcomer of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Player of the Year awards as a freshman, and later claiming AMCC Player of the Year in 2024.

Despite the roster turnover, Mount Aloysius brings back impact talent. Sophomore Troy Misiura (Coalport, Pa., Glendale) and junior Sidric Grove (Clearville, Pa., Everett) were both named Players to Watch in the preseason poll. Misiura emerged as a reliable arm early in his collegiate career, while Grove's versatility and consistency make him a key piece on both sides of the ball.

Misiura is coming off of a solid freshman campaign where he was an AMCC third team all-conference selection in 2025, registered a 5-2 overall record on the mound, and recorded 31 strikeouts. His five wins were tied for fourth in the AMCC. 

Grove was a AMCC second team all-conference selection in 2025. He led the Mounties with a .393 batting average with 44 hits and five doubles, two triples, and was 10-for-10 in stolen bases on the year. 

Other Mountie Returners:

• Junior Owen McDermott (West Leechburg, Pa., Leechburg) - started all but one game for the Mounties and hit .351 with a team-high 10 doubles and 38 RBI's.
• Sophomore Trent Dickson (Reinholds, Pa., Cocalico ) - batted .291 in 117 at-bats as a freshman and was second on the team in homeruns (5). 
• Senior Tyler Day (La Plata, Md., La Plata) - hit .288 in just 73 at-bats last season with four doubles.
• Sophomore Tyler Alexander (Portage, Pa., Portage) - threw 25.2 innings and started five games on the mound last season. His 3.51 era is the lowest among returners. 
• Junior Scott Ranallo (Pittsburgh, Pa., North Hills) - a key bullpen piece for the Mounties in 2025, collected 23 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work.

Baseball will begin their season in less than two weeks (Feb. 21), when they travel to Wayne, New Jersey to take on the William Paterson Pioneers. The Pioneers went 19-20 a season ago and compete in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). 

PRESEASON RANKINGS

1. Penn State Behrend
2. Pitt-Greensburg
3. Alfred State
4. Hilbert
5. Mount Aloysius
6. Penn State Altoona
7. Pitt-Bradford
8. La Roche

#GoMounties