TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team, who has won seven of their last 13 games, returns to action this week with a home game against St. John's and a crucial three-game road NEC series at Sacred Heart. After a slow start to the season, the young Knights (11-30-1, 6-9 NEC) have turned the corner and have won four of their last six NEC games to claw their way back into the postseason hunt.
The Knights host St. John's (23-17, 5-7 Big East) on Wednesday afternoon before traveling to Bridgeport, Connecticut for a three-game series at Sacred Heart (16-24, 8-7 NEC) Friday-Sunday.
On the play of his team as of late, head coach
Justin McKay said, "I truly believe our team is turning the corner. All credit goes to one of the youngest teams in Division I that is growing up each day and continues to develop and adjust to collegiate baseball. I also believe that playing four games during the week as opposed to the five and six-game weeks has made a significant difference. In addition to guys being able to get much needed rest, it has allowed us to practice and work with our guys individually more. It's no mystery that once we have had the opportunity to practice more -- the team has produced more. We've put ourselves in position to make a playoff run and I'm excited to see what we can do these last nine conference games."
Wednesday, May 1 vs. St. John's
3:00 PM |
Live Stats
Pitching Matchup:
Phillip Romeo (0-0, 11.37 ERA) vs. Matt Semon (1-0, 4.15 ERA)
Friday, May 3 at Sacred Heart
2:00 PM |
Live Stats
Pitching Matchup: TBA
Saturday, May 4 at Sacred Heart
12:00 PM |
Live Stats
Pitching Matchup: TBA
Sunday, May 5 at Sacred Heart
1:00 PM |
Live Stats
Pitching Matchup: TBA
Where the Knights rank..
NEC Games - Team
Slugging pct: .513 (Second)
On-base percentage: .401 (Second)
Runs: 123 (Second)
RBI: 115 (Second)
Home runs: 27 (Second)
Batting Average: .313 (Third)
Hits: 175 (Fourth)
Doubles: 31 (Fourth)
NEC Games – Individual
Hits: Frank (26 - Second), Brodsky (25 - Seventh)
Runs: McDonald (17 – Third), Brodsky (16 - Seventh)
RBI: Ruscitti (18 - Third), Monticciolo (16 - Sixth)
Home Runs: Ruscitti (6 - Second), 4th - McDonald, Monticciolo, Romano (4 - Fourth)
Doubles: Brodsky (6 - Second)
Total bases: Ruscitti (41 - Fifth), Brodsky (40 - Seventh)
On-base percentage: Frank (.470 - Sixth), Ruscitti (.460 - Ninth)
Slugging percentage: Ruscitti (.774 - Second), Romano (.682 - Sixth)
NEC Rookies of the Week
Adam Frank (2x)
Nate Brodsky
Salvatore Monticciolo
The Burgundy and Blue Report
The Knights took three of four from Saint Peter's last weekend and continue to receive contributions from up and down the lineup. The team has earned three NEC Rookie of the Week Award Winners in Brodsky, Frank and Monticciolo. Frank, a redshirt freshman, has had a remarkable first full season with the Knights. The Saddle Brook, New Jersey product leads the Knights with a.360 batting average, 49 hits and 12 doubles. Frank's batting average is fourth-best in the NEC, while he ranks second in doubles. In addition, in NEC games, he is hitting .426.
Monticciolo and first-year classmate
Tom Ruscitti have supplied plenty of firepower for the Burgundy and Blue in 2019. The duo is tied for fifth in the conference with nine home runs this season, while Monticciolo's 35 RBI are seventh in the NEC. Six of Ruscitti's home runs and 18 of his 27 RBI this season have come in NEC games.
In addition to the freshmen contributions, seniors
Evan McDonald and
Bobby Romano continue to excel in the middle of the lineup. McDonald (.313) and Romano (.301) have joined Frank and freshman Brodsky with batting averages north of the .300 mark. McDonald clubbed his second, two-home run game of the season last weekend against Saint Peter's and now has eight on the season. His 26 career home runs are third-most in FDU history.
As a team, the Knights rank third in the NEC in batting average (.273), slugging (.427), on-base percentage (.369), runs (252), hits (388), RBI (225) and doubles (74).
On the mound, the team has received three straight quality performances from sophomore
Aaron Cohn. The Knights are 3-0 in those contests. In last his two performances, Cohn has held opponents to just six hits and one run, while striking out six. The Tampa, Florida native pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout against Saint Peter's last weekend.
In addition to Cohn, freshman right-hander
Brendan Medoro has limited the opposition to five earned runs across his last two starts. Medoro has pitched five or more innings in each of his last four outings.
Scouting St. John's
The Red Storm defeated the Knights 11-4 in Queens back on April 16 but enter this week's action after suffering a three-game sweep at Georgetown. All three games against the Hoyas were low-scoring affairs as the teams combined to score 15 runs in the series. Matt Semon, Wednesday's scheduled starter against FDU, struck out the side in his lone inning of work on Friday, matching a season-high for punch-outs in a single game. The Red Storm hold a 48-7-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Knights including a 27-game winning streak. Offensively, junior outfielder Mike Antico spearheads the Johnnies' attack with a .343 batting average and four home runs. Ryan Markey, who ranks second on the team with a .291 average enjoyed the most success in the win over the Knights by knocking in three runs. Markey's 27 RBI this season lead the team.
Scouting Sacred Heart
After dropping the opening game, the Pioneers took the final two games of their series at LIU Brooklyn last weekend 17-10 and 9-3. The team will face Army West Point in a mid-week non-conference game before hosting the Knights in Bridgeport. At 8-7, the Pioneers currently occupy a piece of a second-place tie with Central Connecticut in the NEC standings, while LIU and Wagner are tied for the fourth spot at 8-10. This season, Sacred Heart pitching has held opponents to a .278 batting average and 24 home runs, which both rank second in the conference. Offensively, the team ranks fifth in nearly all major categories but is last in the NEC with a .354 on-base percentage. Jake Frasca and Isiah Daubon are the top two hitters for the Pioneers with a .355 and .317 batting average, respectively. Frasca has racked up 12 doubles, which is tied for second most in the conference, while his batting average is fifth best. On the mound, Ryan LaMay has been the most effective starter for SHU with a 3-3 record and 5.11 ERA across his nine starts. LaMay has held opposing hitters to a .250 average this season, which is second-best in the conference.
Next Up
Following their three-game series with Sacred Heart the Knights will host Manhattan for a mid-week, non-conference game on Tuesday, May 7 before visiting Central Connecticut State May 10-12.
