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Utica, NY (4-27-12) – The Utica College baseball team prepares to host St. John Fisher in an Empire 8 Conference weekend at the UC Baseball Field.

Game-Time: First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.... Sunday's action will start at 12 p.m. as the teams will resume a 3-3 tie that was halted in the ninth inning on April 1st due to rain... A nine-inning game will follow.

Utica's Surge: UC has won four of its last six games including a recent road sweep of Clarkson University on Wednesday…  Freshman pitcher Sean McNeil (Riverside, NJ/) posted his first collegiate win in a complete, 4-2, game two victory...  After starting the season 1-15, the Pioneers streaked in April posting a 7-7 overall record including a 5-1 mark in non-league action.

Pioneers at the Plate: Junior Nick Dunbar (Granville, NY/Granville) looks to continue his hot bat as he leads the squad with a .356 batting average, 37 hits, 27 RBI and two home runs…  Senior Dan Bittel (New Hartford, CT/Northwestern Region) presently holds a .286 average with 20 hits, 15 runs and 14 RBI in 27 games…  Junior shortstop Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) has posted a .263 batting average and he is third in hits (26) and runs scored (16).

Sophomore's on the Hill: Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) and Alec Choleva (Coventry, CT/East Catholic) presently lead the rotation…  Jeffers, also a member of the UC basketball squad, recently picked up his team-leading third win of the season in a six-inning performance against Clarkson… In 45.1 innings of work, he has recorded a 5.76 ERA and 13 strikeouts… Choleva, Utica's ace, holds a 2-3 record including three complete games, 32 strikeouts and a 3.80 ERA… While starting in all 32 games for UC, he has registered a .288 average (32-for-111) while leading the team in runs (23), at bats (111), triple's (four) and second in hits (32) and RBI (17).

Scouting the Cardinals: St. John Fisher is currently 23-8 overall while posting a 7-4 record in the E8… The Cardinals, currently ranked fourth in the region, are riding the highs of a seven-game winning streak…  Fisher recently beat regional rival Brockport, 3-2, in Brockport after sweeping Ithaca College in a three-game set… Four of Fisher's eight losses have come by one run defeats.

Remaining on the Schedule: Following this weekend, the Pioneers hit the road for their final five games on the diamond… On Wednesday, UC heads to Keuka Park, NY to challenge Keuka College in a non-conference double header… Then, on Saturday May, 5, Utica will wrap up the 2012 season in Ithaca, NY for a three-game set against the Bombers in E8 play.