ALBANY, N.Y. – The Albany Dutchmen continue to add to their talented roster with the addition of Connor McCaffery (Iowa) and Tommy Pellis (Seton Hill), two high-profile players with versatile athletic backgrounds.
McCaffery is a 6’6” redshirt freshman who is a dual sport athlete at Iowa, playing for the baseball and the men’s basketball team. This season he played in 34 games for Iowa’s men’s basketball team that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. With the basketball season over, McCaffrey is playing baseball full time, featuring in 16 games, starting in 14 of them, while recording 11 hits and one RBI.
His father, Fran, is the current head coach of Iowa’s basketball team but had previously served as the head coach of Siena’s men’s basketball team from 2005 to 2010. During his time at Siena, Coach McCaffery led the team to four consecutive 30 win seasons and three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He left Siena after five seasons with a .687 winning percentage, the second highest in Siena’s history.
Connor McCaffery graduated from Iowa City West High School in 2017, where he was the number two ranked outfielder and the number five overall player in the state of Iowa according to Perfect Game. He was also named a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and selected to the 2017 Perfect Game Central All-Region second team. In basketball, McCaffery earned two first-team all-state honors as ESPN’s number 90 recruit and Des Moines Register’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He set Iowa City West’s record for career assists en route to two state titles.
“Connor is someone that we feel has the ability to stand out after getting quality reps in the second half of their season following an outstanding basketball season for the Hawkeyes,” said Dutchmen Head Coach Nick Davey. “He has the ability to play at the next level, and we’re excited for our fans to have the chance to watch him develop into the prospect many think he can be.”
Pellis is a 6’0” junior who is in his first year with Seton Hill University. He has played 32 games for the Griffins, starting in 31, hitting .395 with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs. Pellis transferred from the University of Pennsylvania, where he played 53 games for the Quakers, starting in 34 of them. He graduated from Greensburg Central Catholic High School where he lettered four years in baseball and football. Pellis holds the conference record for single season batting average with a .745 mark, holds the school record for complete passes with 205, and is second in school history in career passing yards with 3,021.
“Tommy is an outstanding player that we are excited to finally have here in Albany with the Dutchmen,” said Davey. “He will be a major part of what we do in the middle of the lineup and will be someone that we lean on as a veteran while the young ones keep developing and learn the ropes of college baseball. Tommy’s versatility around the infield and threat on the bases will fit perfectly into our system this summer. He will be another one of those high level D2 kids that we’ve had over the years that play the game hard every day and set great examples on and off the field for our younger players. Tommy and Connor are going to be special for our program this summer.”
Albany starts the 2019 PGCBL season on the road Friday, May 31st at 7:05 p.m. against the Saugerties Stallions. The first home game for the Dutchmen is on Saturday, June 1st at 5:05 p.m. against the Glens Falls Dragons. For ticket information and more, visit dutchmenbaseball.com.
