April 25, 2013
AMHERST, Mass. - The Saint Joseph's baseball team will play its second consecutive Atlantic 10 road series this weekend as the Hawks head north to face the Massachusetts Minutemen in a three-game set. Live stats for all three games will be available at SJUHawks.com.
Hawk Headlines
• Saint Joseph's will head to Massachusetts for the first time since 2009 this weekend for a three-game set against the MInutemen. Last season, the Hawks took two of three from UMass at Smithson Field and have won four of the last six meetings.
• SJU's last win in Amherst was on May 13, 2006.
• Kevin Kratochwill is three hits away from the 100-hit mark for his career. Brian O'Keefe, meanwhile, sits on 96 career hits. They would be the 60th and 61st Hawks of all time, and the third and fourth this season, to reach the plateau.
• Head coach Fritz Hamburg earned his 100th career victory as the Hawks rallied from a 7-0 first-inning deficit to beat Delaware, 12-11, in extra innings on Wednesday.
Probable Starters
Friday, 3:00 p.m.: RHP Kyle Mullen (6-3, 3.39 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Grant (2-5, 5.70 ERA)
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Jordan Carter (3-2, 3.90 ERA) vs. LHP Jordan Pace (3-4, 4.01 ERA)
Sunday, Noon: RHP Daniel Thorpe (3-6, 3.92 ERA) vs. LHP Conor LeBlanc (0-4, 6.68 ERA)
Last Time Out: Saint Joseph's head coach Fritz Hamburg became the fourth coach in school history to notch 100 wins as the Hawks battled back from seven runs down in the first inning to win, 12-11, in 10. Greg Kumpel and Brian O'Keefe hit three-run home runs early on and Collin Forgey's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th secured the victory.
Last weekend, the Hawks took two out of three at Richmond. Friday's game was suspended due to lightning after 10 innings with the score tied, 6-6. After the resumption of play on Saturday, the Hawks scored three in the 12th en route to a 9-7 win.
In Saturday's regularly scheduled game, a four-run seventh inning brought the Hawks back from a 3-2 deficit as the clinched the series with a 7-3 win.
Daniel Thorpe tossed a complete game on Sunday, but it wasn't enough as the Spiders salvaged the final game of the set with a 2-1 win.
Centurions Club: Senior Greg Kumpel is moving up the all-time hit list at Saint Joseph's, currently tied for 28th place with 142 career hits. Classmate Quinn Renner belted a home run for his 100th career hit on March 12; he currently sits 42nd all-time with 121. Anthony Cirillo notched his milestone hit a month later on April 12; his 106 hits put him in a tie for 56th all-time.
Mull It Over: Hawk fans can set their watches by senior Kyle Mullen. Saint Joseph's has won Mullen's last 17 regular season starts in conference play, dating back to April of 2011.
Stefan-tastic: Stefan Kancylarz set a Saint Joseph's school record in 2012, playing in 56 games. The sophomore has picked up where he left off, playing in 37 of 39 games and leading the team in walks while ranking third in slugging percentage.
Rubber Arm: Junior Steven Schuler set a program record for appearances in a season last year, pitching in 30 games for the Hawks. Schuler also notched three saves while sporting a 5-2 record and a 3.19 earned run average. This season, Schuler is racking up the appearances once again, having pitched in 16 of SJU's 35 games in 2013.
First-Time First Team Senior Kyle Mullen was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team in 2012 after posting a 5-0 record and a 1.99 earned run average in conference play. Mullen is the first Hawk to earn a spot on the league's All-Conference First Team as a starting pitcher.
Family Affair: Hawk hurler Kyle Mullen is from a legacy of Hawks. His father, Mark, donned the Crimson and Gray between 1978 and 1980 while uncles Tony and Kevin played from 1976-78 and 1979-82, respectively. Kevin Mullen's 1982 Hawk squad posted an impressive 20-6-1 record, setting a school record with a .769 winning percentage. Kyle had the distinction of starting the first game at SJU's new ballpark.
California Love: After going 17 years without a California native on the roster, Saint Joseph's reach on the West Coast has expanded noticeably. Senior Quinn Renner (Laguna Niguel), graduate transfer Collin Forgey (San Diego), and freshman Matt Haskins (Newbury Park) all hail from the Golden State.
Prach On, Pracher: If new assistant coach Alex Pracher looks familiar, it's because he spent the 2012 season as a member of the Hawk pitching staff. Pracher tossed a five-hit shutout in SJU's first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament game as the Hawks topped Rhode Island, 3-0, on May 23. After donning the Crimson and Gray for his final year of eligibility, Pracher has transitioned into coaching as part of Fritz Hamburg's staff.
League of Extraordinary Expansion: The Atlantic 10 expanded in the summer of 2012 to include Butler University and Virginia Commonwealth University. The additions brought the total league membership to 16 (15 for baseball). The A-10 Baseball Championship will also expand in 2013, as the top seven schools in the standings will head to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the conference tournament from May 22-25. In previous years, only the top six teams qualified for the Championship.
Let's Play Two (More): The Atlantic 10 schedule includes one bye week and three-game series against eight league opponents. The Hawks will spend their weekend off from the conference slate playing host to league foe St. Bonaventure, as the Bonnies are also on a bye from April 5-7. In addition, Saint Joseph's traveled to Richmond, Virginia, over the second weekend of the season for a non-conference series at VCU. The set with the Rams was scheduled before VCU joined the league last summer. Neither series will count in the league standings.
Save the Day: Jimmy Yacabonis notched his first two career saves in the wins over Stetson. He faced six batters in two innings, striking out five of them. For his efforts, Yacabonis was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher of the Week and the Philadelphia Big 5 Baseball Pitcher of the Week on February 19.
We Must Protect This House: After starting the season with 12 road games, the Hawks returned to Smithson Field on March 9, hosting Central Connecticut. Over the course of their opening homestand, SJU notched an impressive 6-1 record.
Big (5) Men on Campus: Mike Muha and Quinn Renner were recognized for their outstanding play in the Hawks' first two weeks at home, as they were named the Big 5 Baseball Players of the Week on March 12 and March 19, respectively. Formed in 2006 as the Diamond Five, Philadelphia Big 5 Baseball aims to increase exposure for college baseball in the Philadelphia area. The organization selects a Pitcher and Player of the Week throughout the year and names an All-Big 5 Team and award winners at the end of the season.
Crooked Numbers: The Saint Joseph's bats have answered the bell early this season, posting big innings on a regular basis. The Hawks have scored three or more runs in an inning 30 times this season, including a 10-spot in the seventh inning against Iona on March 10. SJU achieved the feat 24 times throughout the entire 2012 season.
Strikeout King: Senior Kyle Mullen continues his assault on the Saint Joseph's record book this season. After setting the program record for innings in a season and tying the program record for strikeouts in a season in 2012, Mullen broke the SJU career record on March 22 when he fanned Temple's Matt Elko for his 213th career strikeout. The previous record had been held for 47 years by Saint Joseph's Hall of Famer John Butz.
Jordan Rules: Junior Jordan Carter had the finest outing of his career on March 28, tossing his first career complete game as the Hawks beat Fordham, 11-1. Carter allowed one unearned run on six hits while striking out eight en route to being named the Big 5 Baseball Co-Pitcher of the Week.
Started From the Bottom, Now He's Here: Catcher Brian O'Keefe entered the series against Fordham without a home run this season. He then hit three home runs in four games and began the next week's series against St. Bonaventure as the team's leader in the category. For his efforts, O'Keefe pulled in Big 5 Player of the Week honors on April 2.
Stay in the Yard: Through 39 games, Saint Joseph's pitchers have allowed just four home runs. That total is tied for the fewest in Division I this season. (statistic courtesy of Boyd Nation/BoydsWorld.com)
Big Numbers for the Big 5: Junior Chris Hueth tore the cover off of the ball from April 2-7, posting a .556 batting average, a .680 on-base percentage, and a 1.056 slugging percentage. He went 10-for-18, including four triples, and was a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. He also drew four walks and was hit by a pitch three times. Hueth scored in all five of the Hawks' games and totaled seven runs scored for the week. For his efforts, he was selected as the Philadelphia Big 5 Baseball Player of the Week on April 9.
Another Week, Another Honor: Saint Joseph's earned a Big 5 weekly award for the for the third consecutive week on April 16. After being named the Big 5 Pitcher of the Year in 2012, Kyle Mullen pulled in his first weekly honor of 2013 when he earned the nod for Big 5 Pitcher of the Week. Mullen went seven innings in his previous start against La Salle on April 12, allowing just one run on four hits, to earn his 19th career victory, tying him for the Saint Joseph's record held by Jed Johnson since 1996.
Free Baseball: The Hawks have played three extra-inning games this season and have come away with wins in all of them. Most recently, SJU secured its first walk-off win of the season with a 10-inning win over Delaware at Smithson Field on April 24.
Milestone Man: Head coach Fritz Hamburg became the fourth coach in school history to reach the 100-win mark for his career in SJU's come-from-behind 12-11 win over Delaware on April 24. The win was also the 20th of the season for Saint Joseph's, the third consecutive year that the Hawks have won 20 games. The last time SJU achieved that feat was a four-year stretch from 1998-2001.
