| Matchup |
Merrimack (25-15, 14-4 NE Div.) at
#15 SNHU (33-11, 14-4 NE Div.) |
| Dates//Times |
Thurs., May 2, 6 pm // Sat., May 4, 3:30 pm | 6:30 pm |
| Venue |
SNHU Baseball Field // Hooksett, N.H. |
| Gameday Links |
Live Stats (Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3) / Watch / |
| Social Media |
Twitter / Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The 2019 fight for the Northeast-10 Conference's Northeast Division Regular Season Championship will come down to the final three games of the regular season as the Merrimack College baseball program visits No. 15 Southern New Hampshire for a three-game set beginning Thursday night at the SNHU Baseball Field. First pitch of Thursday's game commences at 6 p.m. while the Warriors and Penmen reconvene on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Both Merrimack and SNHU begin the series with matching 14-4 divisional records. The winner of the series will claim the division's regular season crown and top seed in the conference tournament; Merrimack has not won a regular season conference title since 1999 while the Penmen aim for their third straight division championship. The Warriors need to win just once to secure the program's first home playoff game since the 1999 NE10 Championship game.
Five Things to Know:
- The Warriors control their own destiny in terms of conference tournament seeding. Merrimack will finish no lower than second in the division with one triumph this weekend. The program will also secure a top-two rank if Bentley University falters in any of their final three games this weekend. Merrimack won 13 of its final 16 games in the month of April, enjoying separate winning streaks of seven games and six contests.
- The Warriors return to Penmen Field for the first time since last season's NE10 Championship, where the program won its first conference tournament since 1996. Merrimack and SNHU have already played three times this season though, meeting for non-conference tilts earlier in the year. SNHU took two of three, but two of the contests were decided by one run and both went to extra innings. Merrimack's win came in walk-off fashion via a double by sophomore Thomas Crowley
- In terms of batting average, the Warriors are right in the middle of the pack among NE10 teams. The Warriors' .266 team average ranks eight in the conference, one spot higher than SNHU's .261 clip. Merrimack also boasts a top-four pitching staff in the NE10 in terms of team ERA (3.49), and the Warriors .973 team field percentage not only leads the NE10, but it ranks first in the East Region and currently is among the top 25 fielding percentages nationwide
- Junior Joey Porricelli enters the weekend as the team's offensive catalyst. The third baseman is on a 27-game on-base streak and a nine-game hitting streak, leads the NE10 and ranks 11th nationwide with 31 steals, ranks second in the NE10 in total bases (93) and third in extra-base hits (21). Junior Thomas Joyce leads the program and ranks sixth in the NE10 with 36 RBi while freshman Michael Golankiewicz has enjoyed a hot streak, recording a seven-game hitting run to increase his average to .252
- Senior Cam Monagle threw another nine-inning outing on Tuesday, his second straight of the season. The righty's 1.36 ERA ranks second both in the conference and in the nation, while his 66.0 innings thrown are one off the team lead. The sophomore tandem of Timmy Kalantzakos and Vin Zappulla are ranked sixth and 10th in the NE10, respectively, as well. Senior Riley Sorenson completes Merrimack's top arms, leading the team with 14 appearances and coming off a week that saw him allow one run over 16 innings
Scouting the Opposition:
| Merrimack (25-15, 14-4 NE Div.) |
Stat Category |
#15 SNHU (33-11, 14-4 NE Div.) |
| .266 |
Batting Average |
.261 |
| .353 |
On-Base Percentage |
.358 |
| .365 |
Slugging Percentage |
.356 |
| 3.52 |
Team ERA |
2.76 |
| 286 |
Team Strikeouts |
438 |
| 97 |
Total Stolen Bases |
86 |
| .971 |
Team Fielding Percentage |
.967 |
| Joey Porricelli (.320) |
Batting Average Leader |
Sam Henrie (.301) |
| Porricelli (6) |
Home Runs Leader |
Four Tied (3) |
| Thomas Joyce (36) |
RBI Leader |
Henrie (31) |
| Cam Monagle (1.36) |
ERA Leader (Individual) |
Jake Walkinshaw (1.69) |
| Timmy Kalantzakos (56) |
Strikeouts Leader |
Walkinshaw (88) |
Up Next:
Merrimack has locked up a spot in next week's NE10 Championship, and will play in the opening round on Tuesday. One victory or one defeat by Bentley University will secure a top-two finish for the program for the first time in school history.
