Halfway through the conference schedule, the Saint Joseph's baseball team heads to Richmond, Virginia, to take on Atlantic 10 leader VCU for a crucial three-game series beginning on Friday night.
First pitch in the series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at The Diamond. The teams will then meet at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday before the series finale at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Saint Joseph's at VCU
April 28-30 • The Diamond • Richmond, Va.
Live Stats
• Saint Joseph's (13-20 overall, 5-7 Atlantic 10) finds itself in a four-way tie for eighth place in the conference after winning a weekend series over Richmond at Smithson Field last weekend. After the Spiders scored seven runs in the first two innings en route to a 10-2 win on Friday, the Hawks claimed a vital doubleheader sweep on Sunday. Marc Giacalone's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth won the opener, 2-1, while Peter Sitaras provided the only offense in the nightcap with a solo home run in the seventh inning of a 1-0 victory.
• Last time out, the Hawks pounded out 17 hits and drew 11 walks, both season highs, as they handled Rider, 13-5, for their third win in a row. Charlie Concannon drove in four runs, Matt Maul had four hits, and Deon Stafford, Jr., scored three runs and reached base in all six of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with four walks.
• Maul is the Hawks' leading hitter, checking in with a .352 average and 43 hits on the season. He also ranks second on the squad with 18 runs scored and a .412 on-base percentage.
• Stafford leads the league with a .478 OBP and his 29 walks rank among the A-10 leaders as well. His 23 runs scored are a team best as well.
• Dominic Cuoci is among the league leaders in home runs with eight and also leads the Hawks with 24 runs batted in and a .550 slugging percentage.
• Tim Brennan and Lucas Rollins have pitched well for the Hawks of late, as Rollins' 2.60 earned run average ranks sixth among pitchers that have thrown as many innings.
• As a staff, the Hawks have posted a 3.05 ERA in conference play, with Rollins checking in at 1.21 and Brennan posting a 2.12 league mark.
• VCU (25-15 overall, 13-2 Atlantic 10) has won six in a row, including a three-game sweep at Fordham last weekend.
• Paul Witt leads the Rams and the Atlantic 10 with a .372 batting average, and his .445 OBP is the highest on the squad. Logan Farrar has scored a team-leading 30 runs on the season.
• Darian Carpenter leads VCU with nine home runs and 31 RBI; Farrar ranks second with three longballs, while Zac Ching has knocked in 26 runs this far.
• On the mound, the Rams are led by Sean Thompson and Brooks Vial, who share identical 6-3 records. Vial leads the staff with a 1.95 ERA, while Thompson checks in at 2.82.
• Closer Sam Donko has a 0.95 ERA to go with 11 saves, having fanned 39 batters against just five walks in 38.0 innings. Donko became VCU's all-time leader in saves last weekend.
Around the A-10
Here's a look the rest of the Atlantic 10 schedule for the weekend; teams listed as "idle" may be in action in non-conference play.
Davidson at George Washington
Dayton at Massachusetts
Fordham at Rhode Island
George Mason at Richmond
St. Bonaventure at La Salle
Idle: Saint Louis
Atlantic 10 Standings
