The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team will be looking to ruffle some feathers in the Northeast Conference this weekend when the last-place Knights take on the first-place Hawks of Monmouth in a four-game NEC Series starting Friday, April 29, at 3:00 p.m. The Garden State rivals will play a doubleheader featuring a pair of seven inning games on Saturday starting at 1:00 p.m., while the series finale will be played on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The Knights (8-29, 5-15 NEC) have played better of late. Despite losing last time out to Stony Brook, 17-12, the Knights held a 12-8 lead going into the eighth inning against a top-50 ranked team. FDU has also split last weekend at Central Connecticut State and have won three of its last five NEC contests.
Scouting Monmouth
The Hawks come into the weekend series with a record of 24-15 (15-5 NEC). Monmouth had its conference bye last weekend, but did sweep Wagner in NEC play two weeks ago. The Hawks have lost two in a row after winning 10 straight as Seton Hall defeated them twice earlier in the week in a home-and-home series. The Pirates won 10-9 in 11 innings at Monmouth on Tuesday before winning 4-2 Wednesday in South Orange, NJ.
The Knights and Hawks have played 87 times in the all-time series with Monmouth leading, 49-38. The two rivals first played each other back in 1980 and have played against each other in every season since. In 1987, the Hawks joined the old ECAC Metro Conference (which became the NEC a year later), putting the two New Jersey schools in the same conference for the first time. Last season, FDU and Monmouth split its four-game set in West Long Branch, NJ.
Leading the Knights
Junior Ryan Kresky (Freehold, NJ/Freehold) has been on tear for the Knights recently. Over the last 10 games, Kresky is hitting a sizzling .459 (17-for-37) with eight RBI's and 14 runs scored. The Knight's lead-off man is now hitting .348 on the season, including .370 in NEC play. Kresky leads the Knights in runs scored (35), hits (49), total bases (75), slugging percentage (.532) stolen bases (6-for-7) and has struck out the fewest amount of times (12). He is tied for the team lead in triples (2) and home runs (5), with senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney).
Over the last 10 games, junior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) is hitting .407, sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) is hitting .393 with nine RBI's and senior Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) is hitting .370 with five doubles, seven RBI's and five runs scored. Anderson has raised his average to .291 and leads the squad with 24 RBI's.
Senior Nick Melchiorre (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Holy Cross) leads the team in innings pitched (51.1) and has posted a team-best 4.03 ERA in 11 appearances (nine starts). He has one complete game and has allowed 44 hits, while striking out 27 and walking 19. Anderson leads the staff in strikeouts with 32 in 36.1 innings of work. Eliasen has 29 strikeouts in 45.2 innings and one complete game. Senior Spencer Kelly (Rockville, MD/The Bullis School) leads the Knights with five saves, which are the most saves in one season in FDU history.
Up Next
The Knights will conclude its seven-game home stand when they play a doubleheader against Saint Peter's on Wednesday, May 4, at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
