Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team is set to host its home opener against Empire 8 Conference foe Elmira College at the UC Baseball field this weekend. The Pioneers host the Soaring Eagles for a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. The two squads return to the diamond on Sunday for a single game at 12 p.m.

Hot Bat: Utica freshman Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) has made an immediate impact since being called up from the junior varsity program … In just five games played, Quinlan leads the Pioneers with a .500 batting average (7-for-14) … He has moved into a starting role at third base and also has four RBIs, two doubles and a triple … He also provides speed on the base paths as he has swiped two bags in just five games.

Ross Continues Strong Play: Transfer JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) has played in started in all 13 games for the Pioneers this season in right field … He leads the team with 16 hits and five RBIs … His .340 batting average ranks 12^th in the Empire 8 and he also leads the team with four doubles.

Batting .300: Utica's Vincent Burillo (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central ) and Matthew DeMartino (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) are both batting over .300 for the year … Burillo has played in all 13 games and has scattered 12 hits over 37 at-bats … He has two doubles and one RBI … DeMartino has played in 12 games and has 12 hits to go along with four RBIs.

Speed and Contact: Utica's Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) holds a .289 batting average and he has a team-best three stolen bases … He has struck out just three times in 38 at-bats and he has been hit by a pitch on six occasions. 

Webb Racking Up the K's: As expected, senior Joshua Webb (Verona, NY/VVS) leads the Pioneers pitching staff this season … Webb has pitched in 13.2 innings and has a team-best 19 strikeouts … He boasts a 2.63 earned run average and has a 1-1 overall record … Webb now has 148.0 career innings pitched and has 157 strikeouts to go along with eight victories on the mound. 

Pitching Staff: Junior right hander Ed Zakrzewski (Rome, NY/Rome Catholic) leads UC with a 2.45 ERA this season … In 11.0 innings of work he has 12 strikeouts and has allowed just three earned runs … Ithaca College transfer Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) ranks third on the team with a 3.38 earned run average in two appearances on the mound … In his first appearance in the orange and blue he pitched a complete game and struck out seven while allowing just one earned run against McDaniel in Florida. 

Looking Back: The Pioneers currently hold a 1-12 overall record and a 1-5 mark in Empire 8 play … Utica picked up its first win of the season last Saturday at Houghton College Joshua Webb (Verona, NY/VVS) pitched a complete game four-hitter and struck out 12 batters as the Pioneers topped the Highlanders 5-0 in the first game of a doubleheader … UC has lost four games this season by just two runs or less.

Last Time Out: Utica dropped a pair of Empire 8 games at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ on Wednesday … The Pioneers lost a tight contest in game one, 3-0, and the Ducks came back with a convincing 12-4 victory in game two … Freshman Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) went 3-for-6 on the day with one RBI, while JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) added a 3-for-7 effort at the plate. 

Social Media: Make sure to follow live updates of the game on the Pioneers official Twitter feed: @UCPioneers… If you are at the game and on Twitter, or talking about the game on Twitter, make sure to use #UCMoose… You can also "Like" the Pioneers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UCpioneers ... Fans can also follow the Pioneers on Instagram: UCPioneers.

Live Stats: Make sure to follow live stats on Pioneers All-Access: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/utica/.