| Matchup |
Saint Michael's (7-19, 3-7 NE Div.) at
Merrimack (19-12, 8-1 NE Div.) |
| Dates//Times |
Friday, April 19, 12 | 3 p.m. // Monday, April 22, 12 p.m. |
| Venue |
New England Baseball Complex | Northborough, Mass. |
| Gameday Links |
Live Stats // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball program hosts the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights for a three-game Northeast Division series this weekend, beginning on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. followed by a single game on Monday afternoon, which is another noon first pitch. All three contests will be played at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.
Merrimack enters the contests on a seven-game winning streak, the longest for the program since a seven-game run in 2017. The Warriors are one win shy of tying their longest winning streak this century and three away from the lengthiest run without a loss since 1999.
Five Things to Know:
- Merrimack evened its divisional series with Assumption on Tuesday, blanking the Greyhounds at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, 9-0. Seniors Cam Monagle, Trevor Cooley and Riley Sorenson combined for the shutout, while classmate William Keegan led the offense with three hits and four RBI. During the team's seven-game unblemished run, the Warriors have outscored opponents by a tally of 55 runs (71-16)
- The recent run has since the Warriors' team batting average rise to .270, with seven of the team's regulars hitting .276 or better. Eight different players have at least 20 hits, five have at least 19 RBI and five more have scored at least 19 runs. Merrimack ranks among the top half of the NE10 in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored and RBI
- Individually, junior Thomas Joyce is the team's leading hitter at .324 and in on-base percentage at .438. He ranks 12th in the NE10 in OBP. Senior Matthew Ronai is tied for the team lead with 39 hits, and will begin the series with 195 in his career. With five more, he will become just the sixth player in school history with 200 career base knocks
- The junior duo of Joey Porricelli and Nick Shumski continue to be the table-setters for the offense, occupying the first and second spots in the order in every game this season. Porricelli leads the team or is tied for the team lead in hits, extra-base hits, runs scored, stolen bases, slugging percentage and total bases. Porricelli's 22 thefts rank second in the NE10, as well. Shumski's 28 RBI lead Merrimack, while his 12 extra-base hits and 30 runs scored only trail Porricelli for the tom spot. The duo share both the team and NE10 lead with four triples each
- On the hill, Monagle's outing against the Greyhounds lowered his team-leading ERA down to 1.13, which ranks second in the NE10 and second nationwide. Sophomore Timmy Kalanzakos has also emerged as one of the league's best, raking sixth in the NE10 and 24th across Division II in ERA. Kalantzakos leads the team in both innings thrown (53.0) and strikeouts (39), followed closely by classmate Vin Zappulla (51.0, 36). Merrimack's 3.98 team ERA ranks fourth in the NE10
Scouting the Opposition:
| Merrimack (19-12, 8-1 NE Div.) |
Stat Category |
Saint Michael's (7-19, 3-7 NE Div.) |
| .270 |
Batting Average |
.228 |
| .358 |
On-Base Percentage |
.332 |
| .367 |
Slugging Percentage |
.313 |
| 3.98 |
Team ERA |
6.02 |
| 215 |
Team Strikeouts |
160 |
| 66 |
Total Stolen Bases |
21 |
| .969 |
Team Fielding Percentage |
.932 |
| Thomas Joyce (.324) |
Batting Average Leader |
Trevor Allen (.398) |
| Porricelli (4) |
Home Runs Leader |
Allen (6) |
| Nick Shumski (28) |
RBI Leader |
Allen (21) |
| Cam Monagle (1.13) |
ERA Leader (Individual) |
Zach Rodgers (1.14) |
| Timmy Kalantzakos (39) |
Strikeouts Leader |
Rodgers (37) |
Up Next:
Merrimack will look to sweep its Northeast Division series with Bentley University on Wednesday afternoon when the Warriors meet the Falcons at DeFelice Field in Waltham, Mass. for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.
