TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team takes a break from Northeast Conference action this week as they square off with three non-conference foes in Fordham, Albany and Saint Peter's.
The Knights (8-27-1, 6-9 NEC) host Fordham on Tuesday, travel to Albany on Wednesday and then play a home-and-home double header against Saint Peter's on Saturday and Sunday.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 – 3:30 PM
FDU vs. Fordham (23-18, 8-7 A10)
Pitching matchup:
Griffin Gilbert – RHP (0-2, 8.84 ERA) vs. Gabe Kaslo – RHP (1-0, 1.67 ERA)
Live Stats
Wednesday, April 24 - 3:00 PM
FDU at Albany (15-19, 7-8 America East)
Pitching matchup: TBA
Live Stats
Saturday, April 27 - 12:00 PM (DH)
FDU vs. Saint Peter's (2-31, 2-13 MAAC)
Pitching Matchup: TBA
Live Stats
Sunday, April 28 - 12:00 PM (DH)
FDU at Saint Peter's (2-31, 2-13 MAAC)
Pitching Matchup: TBA
Live Stats
Scouting Fordham
The Rams have dropped four of their last five entering Tuesday's tilt with the Knights. They lead the all-time series against FDU 30-20-1 but the teams have not met since the 2008 season. The Rams took one of three last weekend from conference foe Saint Louis. The key to the team's success this season has been on the mound. The Rams feature a sparkling 2.95 earned run average which is tops in the Atlantic 10. Their 399 total strikeouts are also the most in the conference as sophomore right-hander John Stankiewicz's leads the charge with 77 of his own. Stankiewicz boasts a 1.11 ERA across his 57 innings of work and as a result leads the A10 with six victories on the campaign. Offensively, the team is paced by sophomore infielder Jake MacKenzie, who is batting .349 with 34 runs scored and 21 RBI on the campaign. MacKenzie's 58 hits this season are 21 more than the next Ram, Matt Tarabek, who checks in with a .257 average. As a team, the Rams are batting .237, which is last in the A10's 13 teams.
Scouting Albany
Most recently, the Great Danes dropped two of three to the America East's top team Stony Brook last weekend in conference play. Third baseman Brad Malm hit 8-for-12 in the series and currently leads the team with a .351 batting average and .506 slugging percentage. As a team, Albany is batting .256 on the season and has a 6.13 ERA. The Great Danes topped the Knights 11-2 last season at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex and own an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series. Prior to their tilt with the Knights, Albany, who currently sits in fourth place in the America East standings, hosts Central Connecticut State on Tuesday night.
Scouting Saint Peter's
The Peacocks have struggled to a 2-31 record this season with both victories coming in MAAC play. The team defeated Monmouth and Rider for their two victories this season but have since dropped eight straight contests. Offensively, Peter Ferony leads the team in total hits (35) and RBI (21), while John Gavura (.289) has the team's highest batting average. Gavura has also been the team's most effective starting pitcher this season pitching to a 6.38 ERA across his 36.2 innings of work. The right-hander has accounted for one of the team's wins as he held Monmouth scoreless over seven innings and struck out five. The Knights lead the all-time series with the Peacocks 51-26 and won the two meetings 7-1 and 10-6 last season in Teaneck.
The Burgundy and Blue Report
The Knights took one of three from LIU Brooklyn last weekend in NEC action and continued to have success at the dish. Facing one of the top staffs in the conference, the Knights amassed 28 runs in the three games including a 17-run outburst
in last Friday's win. Redshirt freshman
Adam Frank continues to soar as he went 8-for-16 in the series last weekend and currently boasts the fifth-highest batting average in the league at .359. Frank's efforts have helped the Knights total a .269 batting average, which is tied for third best in the NEC. The freshman launched two of the team's eight home runs last weekend as the Burgundy and Blue have slugged 39 long balls on the campaign – second-most in the conference.
In conference play, the Burgundy and Blue feature five players batting over the .300 mark including Frank (.426) and freshman
Tom Ruscitti, who is hitting .358 to go along with six home runs and 18 RBI – both team highs.
Senior
Bobby Romano joined teammate
Evan McDonald in the 100-RBI club as Romano reached the milestone mark in Friday's win. Romano launched a pair of home runs in the win over LIU.
On the mound, sophomore
Aaron Cohn provided the Knights with their best pitched game by a starter this season as he held LIU to just one run on Friday. Cohn allowed a run in the first and then shut down the Blackbird attack. The right-hander scattered four hits and struck out two to earn his second victory of the season.
The Knights are currently on the outside looking in at the NEC Tournament and sit tied for sixth with Mount St. Mary's at 6-9. LIU occupies the fourth and final postseason spot with a 7-8 record but the league is still up for grabs as only first-place Bryant has reached double-digit wins entering the week.
Next Up
The Knights host St. John's on May 1 at 3:00 p.m. before returning to NEC action with a road trip to Sacred Heart next weekend.
