Baseball | February 17, 2017

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle baseball team will open its 2017 season today with two games against Butler and Ohio in Lexington, South Carolina. The Explorers will rely on a combination of senior leadership on the pitching staff and youth in the field this season in an attempt to make it back to the A-10 tournament for the fourth time in eight years.

"We're excited," said Head Coach Mike Lake. "The guys are working hard in the weight room and on the field."

The young Explorers will look for leadership from an experienced pitching staff that includes Luke Reilly, the team's top starter from a year ago and projected starter for Opening Day this season. Reilly threw 50 strikeouts in 59.1 innings and gathered a 2-4 record with a 3.49 ERA last season. He's expected to be on the mound for the team's first game today.

Reilly will be joined on the staff by sophomore C.J. Pruitt who was one of the team's best relievers last season. As a freshman, Pruitt went 2-1 with a 2.92 ERA. He hopes to carry that success into his sophomore season as he steps into a bigger role. Jordan Mattera will also be a mainstay in the rotation after making four starts last season.

"There are some older guys on this team who have a lot of experience," said fifth year pitcher Michael Flax. "We just need to share some of the things that we learned throughout our time here. I think we have a good group of guys who will be committed to doing that."

Flax appeared in 11 games last season as a pitcher and infielder. He threw 12.2 innings in relief and had seven hits at the plate. Flax and the rest of the upperclassmen are expected to have a big influence in the freshman group. La Salle rosters 13 freshman which outnumbers every other class.

"We come together as one group," said pitcher Jared Mattera. "In the end, we're all trying to win a game."

One of the team's top returning bats is sophomore Brian Tagoe. Tagoe, an outfielder, showed flashes offensively last year including a four game stretch where he went 10-for-14 (.714) in early April.  Classmate Kevin McGowen made 47 starts and played in 51 games a season ago. He finished the season with 42 hits.

The Explorers are set to play Butler again on Saturday followed by Ohio on Sunday before returning to Pennsylvania for a game at Lafayette on Tuesday.

The Explorers' schedule features 57 games. The team travels around the east coast playing a tough early-season schedule that includes opponents such as No. 9 East Carolina and No. 19 Virginia. In the Explorers'  home opener, they host Villanova on March 14 at 3:00 PM. Atlantic 10 conference play begins at VCU on March 24 and continues until the Atlantic 10 Tournament on May 24.