FOUR CONFERENCE GAMES ON TAP
The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team (13-14, 5-6 NE-10) will play four Northeast-10 Southwest Division games this week, beginning on Tuesday against Adelphi, before playing a three game series over the weekend at Le Moyne.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST ADELPHI AND LE MOYNE
The Owls enter the week with a 18-16-2 all-time against Adelphi and 4-7 against Le Moyne.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Adelphi (10-13, 7-6 NE-10) enters Tuesday's matchup riding a three-game losing skid, most recently dropping two games at Saint Anselm on Sunday. Vincent Sharkey leads the team with a .385 batting average and a .467 on-base pct. Robert Vani is batting .380 and leads the team with four doubles and a .527 slugging pct. Kory Cassara is batting .340 and has two of the teams three home runs. Jonathon Mulford (2-0, 3.05 ERA) leads the pitching staff, which has a team ERA of 6.30. Mike Cranston (1-1, 4.63 ERA) has both of the team's saves.
 
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH ADELPHI
This will be the third meeting of the year between the Owls and Panthers, with Adelphi winning the first two matchups, erasing late-inning, multiple-run deficits to come from behind in both games. AU scored eight runs in the sixth through eighth innings on March 18 to capture an 8-5 win, and scored three times in the eighth to win 4-3 on April 1.
 
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Le Moyne (10-13, 3-4 NE-10) enters the week after taking three out of four from American Int'l on the road this past weekend. The team will host Saint Rose on Tuesday and play a non-regional doubleheader at East Stroudsburg on Wednesday before their weekend tilt with Southern. The Dolphins have a team batting average of .254, led by Brian Cox (.368/.468/.395). Donato DiNorcia has two of the club's three homers to go with his team-high 13 steals. He also has chipped in 19 runs and 15 RBI. Ryan Davis (4-1, 2.77 ERA) anchors a pitching staff that has a team ERA of 4.92. He has two complete games on the season and averages over one strikeout per inning (41 K's, 39 IP).
 
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH LE MOYNE
Last season, the Owls took two out of three from Le Moyne, capturing a 9-2 win on April 17, 2014, and another 2-0 win on April 21. Nick Baviello had three hits, three runs and a RBI on April 17, while Pat Egan tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing no runs.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Owls split a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Sunday at Stonehill (17-9-1, 5-5 NE-10), taking game one with a 2-0 shutout, before dropping the second game 4-3. Owls' starter Jason Harper was dominant in the opening game, carrying a no-hitter into the ninth inning before finishing with a complete game one-hit shutout, allowing just one walk with nine strikeouts. Joe Breen had three hits in the opening game, while Brandon Docimo and Jake Lieberman (Commack, N.Y.) each picked up a RBI.
 
HARPER NAMED NORTHEAST-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Junior Jason Harper has been named the Northeast-10 Pitcher of  the Week on April 13. Harper carried a no-hit bid through the first 8.2 innings at Stonehill on April 12, finishing with a complete game, one-hit shutout with one walk and nine strikeouts to lead the Owls to a 2-0 win. Harper now holds a team-best 1.46 ERA and has 15 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched, spanned over seven appearances (three starts).


TURNIER TABBED NORTHEAST-10 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt senior pitcher A.J. Turnier was named the NE-10's Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 6. Turnier earned the complete game shutout victory in the Owls' 1-0 win on April 3 against American Int'l. He allowed just three hits and struck out seven to run his record to 5-1 on the season. Turnier leads the team with 2.20 ERA and is holding opponents to a .190 batting average over 41 innings of work this season.
 
BURNS TABBED AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt junior outfielder Matt Burns was named the NE-10 Conference Player of the Week on February 23. Burns batted .500 (8-for-16) and had a .556 on-base pct. in the Owls' four games on Feb. 20-22, totaling seven runs scored, six RBI, two walks and seven stolen bases. He also added a pair of triples and a solo home run.
 
IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
SCSU was picked to repeat as champions of the NE-10 Southwest Division in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll.
2015 Northeast-10 Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll:
Northeast Division:
1. Franklin Pierce – 99 (8)
2. Southern New Hampshire – 95 (6)
3. Stonehill – 77
4. Bentley – 67 (1)
5. Merrimack – 55
6. Assumption – 38
7. Saint Anselm – 29
8. Saint Michael's – 16
 
Southwest Division:
1. Southern Connecticut – 81 (6)
2. New Haven – 77 (5)
3. Le Moyne – 66 (2)
4. Adelphi – 62 (2)
5. Pace – 40
6. Saint Rose – 27
7. American International – 18
 
THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Tim Shea has announced that Nick Baviello, Brandon Docimo and Pat Egan will captain the Owls this spring.
 
TWO NAMED PRESEASON ALL-REGION
Nick Baviello and Matt Burns were both named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All East Region Team.
 
A STRONG VETERAN PRESENCE
Southern Connecticut has 18 student-athletes returning from last year's team that finished with a 24-15-1 mark and won the Northeast-10 Southwest Division Championship.
 
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome 10 newcomers to the team for the 2015 season - Griffin Bremer, McNeill Finnegan, Mike Giordano, Jason Harper, Nilson Ibert, Ryan Kaplan, Zach Merkle, Jordan Picini, Jeremy Rodriquez and Jake Santamaria.
 
CUNDARI SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES
Rocco Cundari signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves following the 2014 season.
 
BUSY SUMMER FOR BREEN
Joe Breen was named a Summer All-American by the D2 Baseball News for his play with the Wachusett Dirt Dogs at the FCBL.
 
THREE NAMED ALL-ECAC
Rocco Cundari, Nick Baviello and Matt Burns were recognized with All-ECAC honors at the conclusion of last year.
 
AMONG THE NCAA STATS LEADERS
Pat Egan was sixth with 12.09 strikeouts per nine innings for Southern Connecticut. Rocco Cundari was 13th in earned run average with a 1.56 mark. The Owls were seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 12th in strikeouts per nine innings, 15th in shutouts, 17th in WHIP and 25th in walks per nine innings.
 
TWO TABBED FOR NEIBA ALL-STAR GAME
Nick Baviello and Rocco Cundari took part in the 2014 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game.
 
PAIR NAMED ALL-REGION
Rocco Cundari and Nick Baviello were recognized with All-Region honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2014.
 
REGIONAL GOLD GLOVE HONOREE
Kyle Holland was awarded American Baseball Coaches/Rawlings Second-Team-All-Region Gold Glove honors for his defensive play in 2014.
 
EIGHT NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Nick Baviello, Matt Burns, T.K. Kiernan, T.J. Shea, Mike Yerina, Jordan Hamler, Ethan Joyce and Rocco Cundari all earned All-Northeast-10 Conference Team honors in 2014. Rocco Cundari  also earned the NE-10 Conference Pitcher of the Year Award.
 
ON DECK
Next week, the Owls will play at New Haven on Wednesday, April 22, before hosting Saint Rose on April 24 and a doubleheader on Saturday, April 25.