Baseball Begins NE10 Title Defense Tuesday at Bentley

Matchup	Merrimack (25-18) at Bentley (21-20)
Dates//Times	Tuesday, May 7, 2019 // 2 p.m.
Venue	DeFelice Field // Waltham, Mass.
Gameday Links	Live Stats // Watch // Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball program sets its sights on repeating at Northeast-10 Conference Champions this week when the Warriors begin the conference tournament at Bentley University on Tuesday for an opening-round tilt. Merrimack enters the league tournament as the third seed from the Northeast Division while the Falcons took the division's second seed. First pitch from DeFelice Field in Waltham, Mass. is set for 2 p.m.

2019 NE10 Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 7th – First Round (single elimination)
Game 1:  #4 SW Southern Connecticut at #1 SW Adelphi (3:00 PM)
Game 2:  #3 SW Le Moyne at #2 SW Pace (6:00 PM) 
Game 3:  #4 NE Franklin Pierce at #1 NE SNHU (6:00 PM)
Game 4:  #3 NE Merrimack at #2 NE Bentley (2:00 PM)

Thursday, May 9^th - Saturday, May 11^th – Championship Weekend (double elimination)  
Game 5:  Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Game 6:  Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 7:  Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 8:  Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 9:  Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser
Game 10:  Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Game 11:  If necessary

Five Things to Know:

• Merrimack finished the season with a 25-18 overall record, winning 18 NE10 tilts and 14 within the Northeast Division to finish third. The Warriors finish one game back of second-place Bentley and just three games south of division champion Southern New Hampshire
• In the season series against the Falcons, Merrimack claimed all three games. Senior Cam Monagle started all three games for the Warriors, throwing 26 of a possible 27 innings against the Falcons and winning all three contests. Monagle threw complete games in the first and third contests of the season against Bentley, while working an eight-inning outing in the middle tilt. The Warriors won each game by 3-0, 11-0 and 5-2 margins
• Merrimack ended the season ranking ninth in the NE10 offensively, posting a .261 average. The Warriors ranked as the second most aggressive team on the base paths, swiping 98 bases. That total also leads all conference-tournament qualifying teams. On the mound, the Warriors rank fourth in the NE10 in ERA (3.53) while Merrimack's boasts the top defensive unit in the league with a .973 team fielding percentage
• Junior Joey Porricelli leads Merrimack offensively into the postseason. The team leader in average (.322), OPS (.954), extra-base hits (23), homers (7) and steals (32), Porricelli also leads the NE10 in thefts and ranks tied for 12^th nationally in stolen bases. The starting third baseman and leadoff hitter also sits second in the league in both total bases (101) and extra-base hits. Junior Thomas Joyce leads Merrimack in RBI (37), classmate Nick Shumski is tied with Porricelli for the team lead in triples (5) while freshman Michael Golankiewicz enters the postseason riding a team-best 10-game hitting streak
• Monagle's career season saw the right-handed arm end the year with a 1.36 ERA over a career-best eight starts and 66 innings thrown. The Warriors' impressive rotation also includes the sophomore duo Vin Zappulla and Timmy Kalantzakos, who both enjoyed breakout seasons. Kalantzakos leads the staff in both strikeouts (59) and innings thrown (73.0), with Zappulla ranking second in both areas (54 strikeouts, 69.0 innings). Senior Riley Sorenson has also been an important arm for the Warriors, appearing in a team-best 15 games with three starts

Scouting the Opposition:

Merrimack (25-18)	Stat Category	Bentley (21-20)
.261	Batting Average	.271
.346	On-Base Percentage	.354
.357	Slugging Percentage	.380
3.55	Team ERA	4.76
305	Team Strikeouts	298
98	Total Stolen Bases	41
.973	Team Fielding Percentage	.962
Joey Porricelli (.322)	Batting Average Leader	Max Troiani (.324)
Porricelli (7)	Home Runs Leader	Troiani (9)
Thomas Joyce (37)	RBI Leader	Brandon Grover (39)
Cam Monagle (1.36)	ERA Leader (Individual)	Evan Christopulos (3.11)
Timmy Kalantzakos (59)	Strikeouts Leader	Paul Frisoli (49)

Up Next:
If the Warriors win, Merrimack will advance to the double-elimination portion of the NE10 Championship for the second straight season. The remainder of the championship will be hosted by the Southwest Division's highest remaining seed. Adelphi won the division and holds the No. 1 seed entering the week. If the Panthers were to falter, either second-seeded Pace or third-seeded Le Moyne would host the remainder of the tournament beginning on Thursday.