The Saint Joseph's baseball team is headed back to the Sunshine State for five games in the next six days. The Hawks will visit Fort Myers, Florida, for a three-game set at Florida Gulf Coast before returning to Port Charlotte to close out their participation in the Snowbird Classic with games against Army West Point and Butler on Tuesday and Wednesday.
SAINT JOSEPH'S (5-5) at FLORIDA GULF COAST (5-7)
Friday, March 6: 6:30 p.m. |
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Saturday, March 7: 2:00 p.m. |
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Sunday, March 8: 1:00 p.m. |
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PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: RHP
Jordan DiValerio (SJU) vs. RHP Mason Studstill (FGCU)
Saturday: RHP
Ryan Devine (SJU) vs. RHP Nikolas Bitner (FGCU)
Sunday: LHP
Lucas Rollins (SJU) vs. RHP Ronaldo Gallo (FGCU)
SAINT JOSEPH'S vs. ARMY WEST POINT (3-7)
Tuesday, March 10: 11:00 a.m. |
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SAINT JOSEPH'S vs. BUTLER (7-3)
Wednesday, March 11: 10:00 a.m. |
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LAST TIME OUT
• Saint Joseph's took two out of three at North Carolina Central. In Friday's series opener,
Jordan DiValerio fanned 10 in six innings en route to Big 5 Pitcher of the Week honors as the Hawks earned a 5-1 win. SJU would come from behind twice to grab a 12-7 victory on Saturday before falling in Sunday's series finale.
• Florida Gulf Coast won two of three at Bethune-Cookman last weekend before topping #22 Pepperdine, 6-5, at home on Tuesday night. Down 4-1 midway through the fourth, the Eagles scored three in the bottom of the frame to draw level before Kyle Machado's fifth-inning home run put the on top to stay.
• Army West Point split four games with Air Force and Campbell last weekend in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The Black Knights went 1-1 against each of their opponents. They will take on Western Michigan, UIC, and Iowa in the Snowbird Classic this weekend before meeting the Hawks on Tuesday.
• Butler started the season with six consecutive wins before being swept at Evansville last weekend. The Bulldogs rebounded with a 22-4 win over Saint Francis (Ind.) on Tuesday. Butler will play a three-game set at #14 UCF this weekend and then face Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday before the game against the Hawks on Wednesday.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
•
James McConnon remains the Hawks' leading hitter through the opening portion of the season, hitting .370 thus far.
Nate Thomas also checks in with a .341 average and leads the Hawks in hits (14), home runs (two), and runs batted in (11).
Jake Artz is also hitting above .300 at .308, and has scored a team-leading 12 runs, which also ranks second in the Atlantic 10.
•
Langston Livingston has also hit two home runs and ranks second on the squad with five RBI, while four others have driven in four apiece. Artz and
Tim Johnson lead the team with three doubles, while
Brendan Hueth has drawn a team-best eight walks and stolen a team-high four bases.
• DiValerio has been outstanding to start the season, turning in a 3-0 mark with a 1.06 earned run average. He leads the league in both wins and ERA and is tied for the top spot with 26 strikeouts.
Cole Stetzar and
Luke Zimmerman have been strong out of the bullpen as well; the pair has combined to allow a single earned run and strike out 12 batters across 11.0 innings of relief.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
• Cameron Krzeminski leads FGCU with a .333 average over the season's first 11 games, with Brian Ellis close behind at .317. Joe Kinker has hit two home runs, while Richie Garcia's four doubles and nine RBI are both team-highs. Ellis is also a threat on the basepaths, going 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts; the rest of the Eagles have combined for three steals in four attempts.
• Mason Studstill has been the ace of the Eagles' starting staff, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.06 ERA in three starts. His 24 strikeouts and and 17.0 innings are also team-bests. Gus Carter and Hunter McGarry lead the bullpen with seven and six appearances, respectively, while Sebastian Gruszecki has saved two games.
SCOUTING THE BLACK KNIGHTS
• Tim Simoes (.333) and Andre Walden (.302) are the Black Knights' leading hitters, while John McKenna's two home runs and eight RBI lead the team in those categories. Simoes and Walden are second with six RBI apiece, while Simoes leads the team with four doubles and Walden has a team-high three stolen bases.
• Logan Smith is 2-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21.0 innings across three starts. Will Hart has made seven appearances on the mound, all in relief, posting a 4.05 ERA and a save, while Anthony LoRicco leads the team with 21 strikeouts in 14.0 innings.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Brody McGrath and Nick Ortega lead the Butler offense with averages of .371 and .357, respectively. Ortega is also one of four Bulldogs to hit a home run on the year, while his 10 runs scored and nine RBI are the most on the squad. McGrath, James Gargano, and Jonah Wichman have each driven in seven runs as well.
• Connor Schultz has paced the starting staff with a 2-1 record and a 3.57 ERA in three starts thus far. Jack Myers leads the Bulldogs in strikeouts with 25, while Greg Gilbert and Jack Pilcher have each appeared in a team-high four games. Pilcher has also notched three saves on the season.
UP NEXT
• Saint Joseph's will open its home slate with a three-game series against Long Island next weekend before hosting Villanova on March 18.
• FGCU will host Georgetown on Tuesday before Marist comes to town for a three-game series next weekend.
• Army takes on Georgetown on Wednesday before a three-game set with Rutgers beginning next Friday; that series is set for Fort Myers.
• Butler plays its home opener next Friday when the Bulldogs kick off a weekend series with Western Michigan.
