MERION STATION, Pa. – Fresh off a pair of midweek victories, the Saint Joseph's baseball team hosts Davidson in its first home Atlantic 10 series of the season this weekend. The games will mark the first-ever meetings between the two programs.
Saint Joseph's (11-10 overall, 2-1 Atlantic 10) has won three in a row, including Saturday's 6-5 win to clinch the series at Richmond. Sophomore catcher Deon Stafford, Jr., hit three home runs in the game, the first time a Hawk has ever achieved that feat. His third, a solo shot in the ninth, provided the margin of victory.
For his efforts in the series, Stafford was named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper/Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week as well as garnering Atlantic 10, ECAC, and Big 5 Baseball weekly honors.
On Tuesday, a five-run seventh inning propelled the Hawks past Lafayette, 9-4, and into the Liberty Bell Classic semifinals. SJU will host Villanova on Tuesday for a berth in the championship game at Citizens Bank Park.
SJU extended its run to three in a row with a 6-5 win over Bucknell on Wednesday. Junior outfielder Peter Sitaras hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to bring the Hawks back from a run down.
Stafford leads the Hawk offense with a .400 batting average over the season's first 21 games. He leads the Atlantic 10 in home runs (eight), slugging (.763), and on-base percentage (.505), and ranks eighth in all of Division I in home runs per game.
Junior outfielder Cal Jadacki has been swinging a hot bat lately as well, tying with Stafford for the team lead in RBI with 17. His four home runs ranks third on the team behind Stafford and senior outfielder John Brue (five).
On the mound, the Hawks have received major contributions from freshman starters Lucas Rollins and Tim Brennan, while graduate student Tim Ponto has slid back into the rotation as conference play begins. Senior Jack Stover, junior Ryan Kelly, and sophomore Justin Aungst have been reliable arms out of the bullpen, combining for a 2.41 earned run average across 33.2 innings of work.
Davidson (14-11 overall, 2-1 Atlantic 10) has dropped two in a row, including a game against #7 North Carolina on Tuesday. The Wildcats are led offensively by a pair of .300 hitters in Brian Fortier (.326) and Jake Sidwell (.308). Fortier leads Davidson in both hits and runs scored as well, while Sidwell went 7-for-11 last week to share A-10 Player of the Week honors with Stafford. Aaron Tovsky is the club leader in home runs (three) and RBI (17), while Sam Foy is 7-for-7 thus far in stolen base attempts.
Starters Clark Beeker and Durin O'Linger will get the ball for the Wildcats this weekend, as will fellow righthander Casey Sutherland. Beeker is 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA on the year and a team-high 33 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Westin Whitmire has notched four saves and a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings across nine appearances.
First pitch in the series opener is set for 3:00 p.m. on Friday at Smithson Field. Live stats and audio will be available for all three games, free of charge.
Probable Starters
Friday, 3:00 p.m.: RHP Tim Ponto (1-1, 2.40 ERA) vs. RHP Clark Beeker (5-0, 2.00 ERA)
Saturday, 2:00 p.m.: LHP Lucas Rollins (0-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. RHP Durin O'Linger (2-2, 3.86 ERA)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Tim Brennan (2-0, 3.33 ERA) vs. RHP Casey Sutherland (1-2, 5.96 ERA)
