Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team will be on the road this weekend for a three game, Empire 8 Conference series against Ithaca College. There will be a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., and then one nine inning game Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: In the last appearance for the Pioneers, they swept SUNY Poly in a double header at home by scores of 4-2 and 12-11 … Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) batted 3-for-6 on the day with five RBI's and two doubles … JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) went 3-for-7 at the plate with two doubles, three RBI's, and three runs scored … Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) finished 4-for-7 with two RBI's, while Derrin Lilley (Utica, NY/Proctor) went 2-for-3 including a walk-off single in the second game to score the game winning run … Justin Bodley-Bjorklund (Washington, DC/St. Johns) (3-1) and Kolbie Glionna (Hagaman, NY/Amsterdam) (1-3) earned wins on the mound for the Pioneers.
 
Statistical Leaders: Utica senior JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) is currently leading the Empire 8 with his batting average of .442 … Ross also has the most hits, 53, and leads the conference with 20 doubles this season … Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) is ranked fifth, while Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) is eighth in the conference with batting averages of .404 and .386 respectively … Quinlan is second in the E8 with 40 RBI's on the season and ranks third with his three triples.
 
Empire 8 Standings: After Wednesday's wins the Pioneers improved their record to 17-12 overall and are 7-5 in conference play … UC is currently fifth in the Empire 8 and are one spot away from the fourth seed to make the E8 Conference Tournament … As of right now, the top four teams in the conference are as follows: 1. St. John Fisher (12-0 E8), 2. Ithaca (10-3 E8), 3. Stevens (8-7 E8), and 4. Elmira (8-9 E8) … With matchups against Ithaca and Elmira still remaining on the schedule, those games will be vital to the Pioneers chances of making the conference tournament.
 
Pioneers Have Heart: Over the last week, the Pioneers have won five of six games including two come from behind wins on … Both comeback wins were capped off by a walk-off in the bottom of the final inning of the game … In game two of the doubleheader against Stevens, Utica trailed 6-3 going into the bottom of the ninth … The Pioneers rallied to score four runs in their at bat, finished off by Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston)'s walk-off single to center field which scored the game winning run … In the second contest of the double header against SUNY Poly UC topped themselves by putting together an eight run effort in the bottom of the seventh inning … The Pioneers trailed 11-4 heading into their final at bat, but showed tremendous heart to set up Derrin Lilley (Utica, NY/Proctor) for the walk-off single to bring in the winning score … The Pioneers have shown resilience and the ability to rally when they need it most.
 
Scouting Ithaca: The Ithaca Bombers currently hold an overall record of 21-9 and are 10-3 in E8 competition … The team recently defeated SUNY Oneonta by a score of 19-3 and will play #8 SUNY Cortland on Thursday … In the win over Oneonta, Matt Carey went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI's … Web Little batted 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored, while Andrew Bailey finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI's and three runs scored … Bailey has the top batting average on the team (.366), as Ryan Henchy leads the Bombers with 35 RBI's this season.
 
Against Ithaca: Last season the Pioneers went 2-2 against Ithaca College … UC won the regular season series, 2-1, after taking both games of a doubleheader at home … However, the Bombers did get revenge by handing Utica a loss in the Empire 8 Tournament … The Pioneers will look to win the regular season series again this year, on their way to fight for a playoff spot.
 
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers will return to action on May 2^nd, to face Hamilton College on the road for the annual Jackie Robinson Game. The nine inning contest is scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m.