| Matchup |
Assumption (7-14, 0-0 NE DIV) at
Merrimack (8-8, 0-0 NE DIV) |
| Date//Time |
Wednesday, March 28, 2018 (7 p.m.) |
| Venue |
New England Baseball Complex (Northborough, Mass.) |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball team plays its first Northeast Division contest of Northeast-10 Conference play on Wednesday evening when the Warriors take on Assumption College in the first of three games between the Warriors and Greyhounds in divisional action. The game will be played under the lights at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass. at 7 p.m., with the Navy and Gold serving as the home team.
Last Time Out:
- Merrimack played a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend at Southern Connecticut and No. 7 Haven, which paired the first NE10 contests of the season for the Warriors
- The Warriors split their games with the Owls on Saturday. Senior righty Joe Westerman tossed eight scoreless innings to record the victory and graduate student Tyler Lyne knocked in one run while scoring two more to lead the offense
- The Navy and Gold's best victory to date came on Sunday, upsetting the nationally ranked Chargers, 6-1. Freshman Vin Zappulla was named NE10 Rookie of the Week for his efforts, dealing seven quality innings and allowing just one run. The Warriors broke the game open with five runs in the eighth and ninth innings
'Mack Facts:
- Zappulla lowered his ERA to 2.87 through nearly 16 innings of work, which includes two starts and two relief appearances. The Staten Island, N.Y. native leads the staff with three victories
- Four Warriors are currently hitting above .300, with senior Matt Nicholson (.393) and Matthew Ronai (.392) separated by just .001 for the team lead. Nicholson, Lyne and sophomore Joey Porricelli are tied for the team high with 24 hits apiece
- Batting from the leadoff spot throughout the season, Porricelli has impressively struck out just four times in 76 at-bats. The second-year infielder is one of two Warriors this year with at least one double, triple and homer
- On the pitching side, senior PJ Browne, Westerman and Zappulla have emerged to lead the rotation. The trio boast ERAs of 3.45 or lower, and own three of Merrimack's top four innings-pitched totals
- Browne and Westerman have combined for 51 punch outs, which is nearly have of Merrimack's staff total (115)
Scouting the Greyhounds:
- Assumption is also coming off a pair of doubleheaders in the Nutmeg State, losing three of four games against New Haven and SCSU
- Since returning from a trip to Florida, the Greyhounds have lost six of nine games against regional competition
- Senior Quinn Moynihan and Andrew Jaehnig lead the offense. The former paces the team in average (.357), hits (30), runs (15), extra-base hits (7) and doubles (6). The latter provides the pop, delivering a pair of homers and knocking in 13 runs this season
- Three senior starters lead the pitching staff in innings pitched: Tom Horstkotte, Kyle Chudoba and Mike Curtis. Horstkotte leads the starters in wins (3), ERA (2.27) and strikeouts (31)
Recent Series:
- Merrimack holds a six-game winning streak over Assumption, sweeping the Greyhounds in each of the last two seasons
- Redshirt-junior Garrett Hudson picked up the win in the first meeting in 2017, while Browne won back-to-back games against the Greyhounds to complete the sweep
- Ronai went 8-of-13 last season vs. Assumption, including a four-hit game
Up Next:
Merrimack travels to Franklin Pierce this weekend for a three-game set against the Ravens, beginning on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Rindge, N.H. The set concludes Saturday with a twinbill beginning at 12 p.m.
