Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team is scheduled to begin conference play this weekend, with a three-game series against Houghton College. The teams will meet at 12 p.m. for the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday and then close out the series with a single game on Monday at 4 p.m.
Returning from Florida: After an eight game stretch at the Russ Matt Invitational down in Florida, the Pioneers went 4-4 throughout the week to secure a 6-4 record overall on the season. UC split the doubleheaders with Curry College and Iowa Wesleyan University, while also defeating Loras College and the University of Maine-Farmington during the week. UC now returns home in preparation for the beginning of E8 play.
Empire 8 Competition: The Pioneers are to start Empire 8 conference competition this weekend against Houghton College. The team will then have E8 clashes with Elmira, SUNY Canton, Ithaca, St. John Fisher, and Stevens throughout the remainder of the regular season. Last year UC finished 8-10 against conference opponents, coming up just one game short of an E8 Tournament appearance.
Stepping Up to the Plate: Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) holds the top batting average, .500, on the team so far this season.
Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) is not far behind with a mark of .438 and leads UC in doubles (5), home runs (3), and RBI's (11). During the team's trip to Florida, Quinlan rattled off the 100th hit of his career.
Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) and
Ryan Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) have combined to score 21 runs for the Pioneers. Palmer owns a .364 batting average to go with his eight RBI's, while Ryan bats .378 and is tied for first on the team with 14 hits this season.
On the Mound: Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) has been strong as UC's top option on the mound, holding a 3-0 record in three starts and tied for the lead within the pitching staff with 15 strikeouts.
Brett Sarnowski (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) also has 15 strikeouts at his point in the year after pitching just over nine innings. Sarnowski has earned one save thus far and has not allowed a single run to score on his watch. As a relief pitcher,
Justin Shabman (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Kennedy Catholic) owns a record of 1-0 and made one save in 8.2 innings pitched. Shabman has not allowed any earned runs while on the mound.
Scouting Houghton: The Highlanders own an overall mark of 6-5 so far in 2018, as they remain an undefeated 4-0 at home. The team has won four in a row, earning sweeps in the two game series against Medaille and Pitt-Bradford. In the most recent doubleheader victory over Pitt-Bradford, Houghton cruised to wins by scores of 10-0 and 17-5. Ben Closson has started off his junior campaign on the right foot with a batting average of .500 and 10 RBI's just 11 games into the season. Teammate Tage Johnson leads the Highlanders with 13 RBI's and a batting average of .421. Johnson has connected for three doubles, two triples, and two home runs already this year. Victor Cavalieri holds his spot as the ace of the Houghton pitching staff, with a record of 2-1 in three starts. In 15 innings of action on the mound, Cavalieri has allowed just five earned runs and struck out 24 batters.
Looking Ahead: The next course of action for the Pioneers is to ready themselves for a three-game series against Elmira. Game one of the matchup is scheduled for 3 p.m. on March 30th, as the final two games will be played on March 31st, starting at 12 p.m.
