TEANECK, N.J. -- Looking to carry the momentum from its last win over Saint Peter's, the Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team (8-16, 0-6) will host Northeast Conference member Bryant (14-14-1, 6-4) this weekend for a four-game slate. All four games will have live stats and the game on Sunday can be seen live on NEC Front Row.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, April 13: (FDU) Trent Valentine - (BRY) Steve Theetge
Saturday, April 14: (FDU) Evan Raiburn - (BRY) Tyler Mattison
Saturday, April 14: (FDU) Corey Zeller - (BRY) Vito Morgese
Sunday, April 15: TBD – TBD
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights had an explosive day at the plate, tallying a season-high 15 hits, in a 10-6 win over MAAC opponent Saint Peter's. The sparkplug on the day was freshman Oliver Tavares, as the freshman notched four hits and drove in five runs. FDU was also helped out by Owen VonEsslinger, Joe O'Rourke, and Evan McDonald, who all hit home runs in the contest. Coming in relief, Chris Quijano gave interim head coach Justin McKay a boost, logging four innings, striking out six, while only issuing one walk. The performance gave the freshman his first collegiate win.
MIGHTY McDONALD
Junior catcher Evan McDonald has been the catalyst for the young FDU squad the past couple of weeks. McDonald is coming off a two-hit performance against the Peacocks to bring his season average to .289. The junior also paces the team with five home runs and 18 RBIs.
VALUABLE VEIT
Mike Veit has been a key cornerstone for the Knights, playing multiple outfield positions and contributing at the plate. The sophomore is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak and leads the team with a .291 batting average.
STARTING SUCCESS
Looking to continue its momentum, the Knights will be relying on the starting pitching to carry them. Corey Zeller and Evan Raiburn both have an ERA under four. Zeller has logged a 3.55 ERA, while tossing 33 innings. Freshman hurler Trent Valentine has been looked upon to provide solid innings, as Valentine has had success in the early part of the games.
SCOUTING BRYANT
The Bulldogs come into Teaneck with a 6-4 conference record. Bryant recently took two games from LIU Brooklyn and Mount St. Mary's to bolster its NEC record. The Bulldogs are led by Ryan Ward and James Ciliento at the plate, as Ward leads the team in hits (51), runs scored (27), doubles (12), RBIs (24), and batting average (.408). Coming into this weekend, Ciliento is second on the team in hits (43), runs scored (24), and batting average (.391). The ace of the staff is Steve Theetge, through eight games he has posted a 4.93 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 42 IP. As a whole, the Bryant pitching staff leads the NEC with a 4.93 ERA.
