| Matchup |
Merrimack (12-10, 4-0 NE Div.) at
Assumption (12-11, 1-3 NE Div.) |
| Dates//Times |
Tuesday, April 2, 2019 // 3:30 p.m. |
| Venue |
Rocheleau Field | Worcester, Mass. |
| Gameday Links |
Live Stats // Video // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball program sets its sights on its fifth straight win on Tuesday afternoon when the Warriors visit Assumption College for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch out in Worcester, Mass. at Rocheleau Field. The contest marks the first of the three-game divisional series between the Warriors and Greyhounds.
Five Things to Know:
- The Warriors have won their first four divisional games of the season, all coming last week; Merrimack bested Bentley last Wednesday before sweeping Stonehill College over the weekend. The Warriors blanked the Falcons (3-0) before posting two straight 6-0 shutouts against the Skyhawks, recording three consecutive shutouts for the first time ever in school history
- With the wins came a pair of awards as junior Thomas Joyce was named NE10 Player of the Week and senior Cam Monagle earned NE10 Pitcher of the Week. Joyce led Merrimack in OPS, slugging and RBI from the cleanup spot last week, driving in seven including an inside-the-park homer against Stonehill on Sunday. Monagle tossed a complete game shutout against Bentley, needing only 86 pitches to do to throw the first Merrimack complete game of the season
- In addition to Joyce's offensive prowess, senior Matthew Ronai broke out of a 0-for-19 slump in a massive way last week. The team captain posted a team-best 10 hits for a .625 batting average. He recorded three multi-hit games over the four contests, including a 4-for-4 performance in the second game of Saturday's twinbill against the Skyhawks. Ronai saw his season average rise .289 and he now ranks second on the team with 24 total hits
- Junior Joey Porricelli leads the team across the board offensively. His 54 total bases lead the NE10, while his 12 extra-base hits pace Merrimack and rank second in the conference. The third baseman's four triples – two of which occurred on Sunday including the game-winning three-run three-bagger in the eight innings – also lead the conference, while his four homers and 21 RBI are among the top five in the league. Porricelli's 14 stolen bases also lead Merrimack and are good for third in the NE10
- Joining Monagle with impressive outings on the hill were sophomores Timmy Kalantzakos and Vin Zappulla, who each threw eight-inning shutouts to beat Stonehill on Saturday. Kalantzakos struck out a career-best eight batters in his outing, scattering just a pair of hits while retiring his first 11 batters of the day. Zappulla did not relent a hit from the third inning through the seventh of his start, sitting down 12 straight Skyhawks. All three pitchers are among the top 15 in the NE10 in ERA
Scouting the Opposition:
| Merrimack (12-10, 4-0 NE Div.) |
Stat Category |
Assumption (12-11, 1-3 NE10) |
| .257 |
Batting Average |
.284 |
| .344 |
On-Base Percentage |
.396 |
| .353 |
Slugging Percentage |
.409 |
| 4.50 |
Team ERA |
5.12 |
| 150 |
Team Strikeouts |
150 |
| 40 |
Total Stolen Bases |
14 |
| .968 |
Team Fielding Percentage |
.966 |
| Joey Porricelli (.319) |
Batting Average Leader |
Jared Brescia (.333) |
| Porricelli (4) |
Home Runs Leader |
Hunter Tralli (4) |
| Porricelli (21) |
RBI Leader |
Derek Adamson (20) |
| Cam Monagle (1.03) |
ERA Leader (Individual) |
Cole Chudoba (3.18) |
| Vin Zappulla (26) |
Strikeouts Leader |
Chudoba (32) |
Up Next:
The Warriors return to Rocheleau Field on Friday, playing a non-conference game against the Greyhounds. First pitch is also scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Â Â Â
