Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team will continue its brief home stand this weekend, as it will host Hilbert College for a doubleheader on Friday. Game one of the series is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Then through Saturday and Sunday, the Pioneers will host Empire 8 opponent Stevens Institute of Technology for three games. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. while the Sunday game will start at 12 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: In their last contest, the Pioneers defeated SUNY Oneonta at home by a score of 8-4 … The Pioneers had a big third inning, as they scored five runs to take control of the game … Ryan Palmer (Vernon, NY/VVS) batted 3-for-4 with one RBI, while JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI's … Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) earned the win on the mound for Utica, as he pitched five full innings without allowing a single run to score … Baur's record so far this season as a starter is now 3-2 … The win improved the Pioneers' record to 12-11 overall and the team is 5-4 in Empire 8 competition.
 
No Place Like Home: UC is currently undefeated, 6-0, in home contests at this point this year … The Pioneers average 10.3 runs per game while playing at home this season … The team has won 6 out of its last 8 games heading into another home contest … After the home doubleheader against Hilbert, Utica will play a three game series at home against Stevens and a doubleheader against SUNY Poly at home … The Pioneers will attempt to stay perfect at home during this stretch of games.
 
Statistical Leaders: JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) currently leads the team and is second in the Empire 8 with a batting average of .444 this year … He leads the Empire 8 with both a .656 slugging percentage and 14 doubles on the season … Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) has the sixth best batting average in the conference (.369) and is second in runs scored with 29 … Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) is the team leader in RBI's and is ranked fifth in the E8 with 28 so far this year.
 
Hilbert Matchup: The Hilbert Hawks are currently sitting at a record of 7-15 overall on the season … Most recently, the team lost both games of its doubleheader to Pitt-Bradford by scores of 11-6 and 15-5 … The Hawks have now lost five of their last six contests heading into Friday's doubleheader … Ryan Bonafede is the team's best hitter, as he owns a batting average of .486, rattled off 12 doubles, and has registered 20 RBI's … Henry Bowers is the top thrower on the pitching staff, with a starting record of 3-3 and a batting average against of .349 … The Hawks own an away record of 3-8 so far this season … This will be the first matchup between Utica and Hilbert in over ten years.
 
Stevens Matchup: Heading into the weekend, the Stevens Ducks own a record of 14-16-1 overall and are 6-5 in E8 play ... The Ducks have currently lost four out of their last five games, going into the matchup with UC ... The team most recently lost its game against Misericordia University by a score of 8-7 ... The designated hitter for Stevens, Zeph Walters, finished 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI's and one double in the loss ... Walters is the Ducks' top performing hitter, as he leads the team in hits, doubles, homeruns, and RBI's ... Stevens' top thrower is Danny Poidomani, as he owns a record of 4-3 as a starter, has struck out 76 batters, and holds an ERA of 1.98 so far this season ... Last year Stevens swept UC in the season series, winning all three meetings between the two teams ... The Pioneers will look to return the favor this year while they are hot on their home field.

Looking Ahead: After the busy weekend, the Pioneers will return to action on Wednesday to play SUNY Poly for another home doubleheader. The series is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.