Baseball | March 14, 2018
PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle University baseball team will conclude its 15-game opening road stretch on Thursday, traveling to MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y., to take on the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights. La Salle will then open its home schedule with three games this weekend beginning with Manhattan on Friday, followed by Wagner on Saturday and Sacred Heart on Sunday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
La Salle (4-10) at Fairleigh Dickinson (4-4)
Brooklyn, N.Y. – MCU Park
Thursday – 12:30 p.m. |
LIVE STATS
La Salle vs. Manhattan
Hank DeVincent Field
Friday – 1 p.m. |
LIVE STATS
La Salle vs. Wagner
Hank DeVincent Field
Saturday – 2 p.m. |
LIVE STATS
La Salle vs. Sacred Heart
Hank DeVincent Field
Sunday – 1 p.m. |
LIVE STATS
Twitter:
@LaSalleBase #LaSalleBASE
LAST TIME OUT
La Salle ran into a tough Missouri team over the weekend, with the Tigers taking the three games on their home field. Missouri (13-3) has since moved into the national rankings, checking in at No. 24 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll. The Explorers battled back from a four-run deficit to come within just two runs late in the opening game, but the comeback attempt fell short in an 8-5 defeat. The Tigers' pitching staff then shut down the Explorers in games two and three to close out the series with 7-1 and 7-0 decisions.
Junior
Brian Tagoe made his first three starts of the season in center field, hitting .500 with a .636 on-base percentage in the series. In the opening game, Tagoe ripped a two-run double down the left field line to bring La Salle within two in the fifth. He also scored a run, stole a base and walked three times for the week.
STAT STUFFERS
The Explorers are second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in both batting average (.280) and hits (149) through 14 games. La Salle is also fourth in the league in scoring with 5.6 runs per game while ranking fifth in on-base percentage (.352) and slugging percentage (.363).
Junior
Ben Faso is third in the A-10 with a .362 batting average and sits second in hits per game with 1.62. Senior
Chase Arnold is among the top-10 in the conference in home runs (3), RBI (12), slugging percentage (.547) and doubles (4). Fellow senior
Austin Constantini is the toughest to strikeout in the A-10, averaging 14.8 at-bats per strikeout, which ranks in the top 50 nationally. On the mound, freshman pitcher
Colin Kennedy is averaging 10.57 strikeouts per nine innings, good for seventh in the league.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
After starting the season 0-4, Fairleigh Dickinson swept Delaware State over the weekend to even its record at .500 overall. Three of the Knights' wins over the Hornets came by just one run, while the fourth was a 3-0 shutout.
Jason Fatzinger leads the team offensively, batting .480 for the season with a pair of homers. Adam Frank is hitting .350 through eight games, and Evan McDonald has a team-high nine RBI. Reigning NEC Co-Pitcher of the Week Corey Zeller anchors the pitching staff with a 2.45 ERA, while Evan Raiburn leads the team with 10 strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE JASPERS
Manhattan (4-9) will play LIU Brooklyn Wednesday before making the trip to Philadelphia. The Jaspers dropped their first six games of the season but bounced back with series wins over A-10 opponent VCU as well as UNC Asheville.
Will Trochiano is the leader at the plate with a .347 batting average and a .448 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, Adam Genners is batting .321, while Fabian Pena leads the squad with three long balls and 15 RBI. Joe Jacques (2.00) and Marc Galvan (2.45) have both maintained a low ERA, and Jacques has racked up 21 strikeouts over 18.0 innings.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner (6-8) will have games against A-10 opponents Fordham and Saint Joseph's prior to Saturday's contest at Hank DeVincent Field. The Seahawks swept Stony Brook over the weekend to snap a six-game losing streak after starting 3-2.
NEC Co-Player of the Week Phil Capra is tops on the team in nearly every offensive category, hitting .339 with five homers, 20 RBI and a .661 slugging percentage. On the hill, Eric Ligda is 2-1 with a team-best 3.48 ERA. Neil Abbatiello (1-0) has piled up 25 strikeouts, and Nick Robino (2-1) is right behind with 21 strikeouts on the year.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart will enter the weekend with a 3-8 record after dropping a three-game series at Kennesaw State, two games to one. Since starting 2-2, the Pioneers have lost six of their last seven games.
Leading the offense is Dan Schock, who is batting .390 with three homers and nine RBI. Elijah Brown has scored eight runs and has stolen four bases as well. Brent Teller (2-0) is the ace of the pitching staff with a 3.00 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Baylor Sundahl also has 15 strikeouts over 10.1 innings pitched.
