Wednesday, March 16 (ALBANY, NY) – The second group of Albany Dutchmen player announcements for the 2022 season features a group of returning pitchers from the 2022 staff. Michael DiMartino (Fairleigh Dickinson), Connor O’Neill (Manhattan) and Billy Fitzgerald (Fairfield) all return after being key pieces to a Dutchmen bullpen that dominated opposing lineups a year ago.
Michael DiMartino (Pictured) was a staple of the bullpen last summer, as his 10 appearances led the team. DiMartino finished the summer with a 2.51 ERA, logging 14.1 innings while striking out 26 batters and holding opponents to a .115 batting average. DiMartino started the summer strong, as he did not allow a hit in his first three outings which totalled 4.2 innings. DiMartino had a strong July, throwing three hitless innings on two separate occasions, while racking up 16 strikeouts in those six innings. DiMartino’s most impressive outing was his final one, where he punched out nine of ten batters he faced in his final outing of the season on 7/28/21, which gave the team momentum to score four runs in the final two innings fo r a comeback victory.
Connor O’Neill was a frequent arm out of the bullpen, as he was one of four pitchers to make nine appearances. O’Neill impressed with a 3.07 ERA across 14.2 innings, and held opponent batting average down to .185. O’Neill had a solid June, throwing five combined no-hit innings in his first three outings of the summer. O’Neill showed his ability to be a long reliever, as he threw three innings on three separate occasions, including his statement outing on the Fourth of July, in which he struck out seven in three shutout innings.
Billy Fitzgerald went 2-0 on the summer and kept the team in some close games. Fitzgerald logged a 5.14 ERA through seven innings and struck out five batters on the summer campaign. Fitzgerald’s three June outings all came at home, while his three July appearances were all on the road. In June, Fitzgerald logged 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs while punching out three. In July, he threw 2.2 innings, punching out two and allowing one run.
Stay tuned for group three, coming soon!