MERION STATION, Pa. – Fresh off a five-game journey to Florida, the Saint Joseph's baseball team is set for its home opener on Friday afternoon. The Hawks will host Wagner at 3:00 p.m. at Smithson Field before taking on Northeastern and Niagara over the weekend.
Friday, March 13: Saint Joseph's (2-9) vs. Wagner (0-7-1), 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 14: Saint Joseph's vs. Northeastern (6-7), 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 15: Saint Joseph's vs. Niagara (0-9), 2:00 p.m.
(Dates and times subject to change due to weather and field conditions)
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LAST TIME OUT: Saint Joseph's once again took part in the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Hawks split a pair of midweek games, topping Florida International, 11-5, on Tuesday, before wrapping up the trip with a 16-9 defeat to Seton Hall on Wednesday. John Brue hit .625 with two home runs and drove in seven runs over the the last two days of the trip.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS: The Saint Joseph's offense has been led thus far by senior Stefan Kancylarz and junior John Brue. Kancylarz has reached base in all but one game and has posted a .350 batting average and eight RBI, while Brue has hit four of the team's six home runs and driven in a team-high 10 runs through 11 games.
Pitchers Tim Ponto and Pat Vanderslice have made three starts each and posted sub-3.00 earned run averages for SJU, while Lansing Veeder has the Hawks' lone save of the campaign.
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS: Wagner has been led offensively this season by Ben Ruta, whose .323 average leads all regulars. Tommy Mazurkiewicz and Nick Dini have hit a home run apiece, while Brendan Benecke leads the Seahawks with three RBI.
Lefthander Matt Morris had made two starts for Wagner, posting a 13.50 ERA, while Danny Marsh (3.18, 5.2 IP) and Austin Goeke (3.38, 8.0 IP) have posted sub-4.00 ERAs for the Seahawks.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Michael Foster and Pat Madigan have torn the cover off the ball for Northeastern, checking in with .500 and .429 batting averages, respectively. Foster and Madigan have each hit a home run on the year; the Huskies have hit four as a team, from four different players. Joey Scambia is Northeastern's leading RBI man, knocking in 11 in 10 appearances.
Six different pitchers have notched a win for the Huskies, with Nick Berger and his 4.63 ERA leading the way among the starters. Mike Fitzgerald leads the team with two saves, posting a 2.70 ERA in five appearances.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES: Niagara is led by Thomas Rodrigues and Michael Fuhrman, with .379 and .333 batting averages, respectively. The pair also rank first and second with five and four runs batted in, while Taylor Hackett has notched four RBI as well to draw level with Fuhrman.
On the mound, Liam Stroud's 6.30 ERA leads the starting staff, while Michael Bucci leads the team with five appearances, all in relief.
