SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team is set to open the 2017 season this weekend with a three-game series at Savannah State University.

The Knights, who matched the program's season-high for wins with 28 and returned to the NEC Tournament for the second-straight season, set off on this year's excursion as the preseason number four in the conference.

Up first for FDU is a date with the Tigers of Savannah State University, who posted a 12-40 overall record last season, including a 7-17 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play. The Tigers play 21 of their first 25 games at home to start the season.

Although the Knights will miss some of their key seniors from last year's squad, the Knights return plenty of firepower including outfielder Ryan Brennan and right-hander Logan Frati. Frati boasted a 7-1 record in 13 starts last spring and is expected to anchor the rotation this season. Brennan, who was named D1Baseball.com's NEC Preseason Player of the Year, batted .342 last season with six home runs, 24 RBI and 39 runs scored. The versatile outfielder also provided a huge lift out of the bullpen for the Knights by tallying nine saves across 13 appearances. Brennan's nine saves tied him for third on the team's all-time save list.

Corey Zeller will take the ball in Friday's opener for the Knights. The sophomore right-hander notched a 7-3 record across 11 starts last season, posting a 3.74 ERA in his 74.2 innings of work.

Additional Content:
FDU Baseball Roundup 2/15
NEC Preseason Poll Announcement

Series Information:
Fairleigh Dickinson University* (28-28, 16-15 NEC) at Savannah State University* (12-40, 7-17 MEAC)
*2016 records
Where: Tiger Field -- Savannah, Ga.
When: Friday, Feb. 17 (5 p.m.), Saturday, Feb. 18 (2 p.m.), Sunday, Feb. 19 (12 p.m.)
Series History: The all-time series is split at 1-1.
First Meeting:  Mar. 1, 2013 (SSU W, 6-0)
Last Meeting: Mar. 2, 2013 – (FDU W, 8-2) 
Stats: Live Stats

Probable Starters*
*2016 records
Friday - (FDU) Corey Zeller - RHP (7-3) vs. (SSU) Trevor McKenna - LHP (2-4)
Saturday - (FDU) Danny Demetrops - LHP (1-3) vs. (SSU) Austin Robinson - RHP (2-1)
Sunday - (FDU) TBA vs. (SSU) Alec Kliphouse - LHP (0-0)

Next up for the Knights:
The Knights travel to Davidson, N.C. for three games at Davidson University on February 24-26. They open against Lehigh University on Friday, February 24 at 3 p.m. Saturday the Knights square off with UMass Lowell and then Sunday they wrap up the weekend against the host Wildcats.

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