Utica, NY – The Utica College baseball team heads down to Florida this weekend to compete in the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational. The Pioneers begin play for the week on Sunday against Loras College at 1 p.m.
Recent Cancellation: UC was originally scheduled to face Centenary University on Friday and Saturday for a three-game series, but was unfortunately cancelled due to weather conditions.
Last Time Out: The Pioneers swept Yeshiva University on opening weekend, winning the two-game series by scores of 14-6 and 20-1. Pitchers
Mark Spina (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) and
Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) both received winning decisions.
Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) batted 4-for-6 in the series, tallying four RBI's and five scored runs.
Matthew Yozzo (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) had two plate appearances in game two of the day, earning two hits including a three-run homer.
Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) put his staple on the series in game one, going 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a home run, and four RBI's.
Active Bats: The Pioneers had the bats going strong against Yeshiva to start the year off on the right foot offensively. During the two-game series sweep UC connected for 29 hits, including seven doubles and four home runs, and scored 34 runs.
Matthew Yozzo (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro),
Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna),
Adam Nell (Vernon, NY/VVS), and
Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) all registered their first homers of the season. Carrigan and Quinlan both have hit two doubles and knocked in four RBI's.
Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) joins his two teammates in tallying four RBI's to start the year as he rattled off four hits in the series.
Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) contributed with a two-game line of 3-for-6 at the plate with one double and one RBI.
On the Mound: Just two games into the 2018 season, the Pioneer pitching staff has recorded 21 strikeouts. Sophomore
Griffin Baur (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) started the season opener, pitching three innings and allowing just one earned run. Baur also accumulated six strikeouts in the first game of the series against Yeshiva. Senior
Brett Sarnowski (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) came in to close out the second game of the weekend, as he struck out six of the seven batters he faced in the final two innings of the contest.
Alex Rocci (Utica, NY/Notre Dame) and
Mark Spina (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Schuyler) earned decisions in the series, as both start the year off with a 1-0 record.
2017 Russ Matt Appearance: UC traveled to compete in the Russ Matt Invitational last season as well, going 2-6 throughout the week of competition. The team split the two-game series against Lesley University (W: 3-2, L: 3-4) and Trine University (W: 26-9, L: 7-16), before being swept in the matchups with Loras (L: 2-12, L: 1-14) and Olivet (L: 5-8, L: 3-10). Utica's Russ Matt scheduled this year will also feature a total of eight games, with a chance for revenge against Loras College on the first day of the invite.
2018 Russ Matt Schedule: After facing Loras on Sunday, UC will continue with three doubleheaders over the next three days. The Pioneers will pull double duty against Curry College on Monday, The College of New Jersey on Tuesday, and Iowa Wesleyan University on Wednesday. The team's trip down south comes to a close on Thursday as it battles the University of Maine-Farmington for a single game.
Live Stats: Live stats will be provided for certain games at the Russ Matt Invitational next week. Visit the following link to the UC Baseball schedule page to see the available live stat options throughout the week:
http://www.ucpioneers.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball.
Looking Ahead: When the Pioneers return from Florida they will gear up for the beginning of Empire 8 Conference play, with the first series coming against Houghton College. The three-game series will commence on March 23rd at Houghton with a 3 p.m. start time.
