POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 10, 2014) – The Vassar College baseball team will look to keep its modest two-game win streak going this Saturday afternoon, as it will play host to the No. 4-ranked Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland. It will be the first meeting with a ranked opponent for the Brewers this season, who are coming off back-to-back conference victories over Clarkson University last Sunday and Skidmore College Wednesday afternoon. The Brewers are swinging the bats well of late, have notched an average of 7.5 runs over their last six contests.

Vassar College (7-5, 4-2 Liberty)
(Vassar College Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)

Game Details
Opponent: vs. No. 4 Cortland State (19-5, 8-1 SUNYAC)
Links: (SUNY Cortland Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Prentiss Field (500)
Date: April 12, 2014
Time: 12 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 

Vassar College vs. No. 4 Cortland St.
Category	Vassar	Cortland St.
Batting Avg.	.311	.341
SLG%	.431	.484
OB%	.389	.417
FLD%	.933	.975
SB-SBA	3-6	33-48
ERA	5.01	3.28
AVG. AGAINST	.269	.229
BB	49	78
K	75	174

What To Watch For
Saturday will be the Brewer's biggest test of the season, as the Red Dragons have won nine of their last 10 games coming in. Vassar College's pitching staff will contend with a lineup that is in the top 20 in batting average, doubles per game and slugging percentage. Also, SUNY Cortland has not beaten itself this season, as the Red Dragons have committed 22 errors in 24 games and are fifth in the nation in fielding percentage, making 97.6 percent of the plays that come their way.

A Look At The Brewers
Vassar College comes into Saturday's double dip with Cortland playing some solid baseball, especially offensively. The Brewers success with two-outs this year has been a key to its offensive output, as Vassar is hitting .331 with two gone this year. Vassar College has averaged just over 11 hits per game over its last five games, and set the school record for walks in a game Wednesday against Skidmore College with 13. Vassar College comes into the contest as the Liberty League leader in homers.

Senior Brett Zaziski (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) comes into the weekend fourth in the nation in slugging percentage, ranking ninth in the country in runs per game with 1.55 a game. Zaziski is also 14^th in batting average, and 11^th in on-base percentage. Sophomore outfielder Nick Johnson (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) leads the country in doubles per game with 0.82 a game, and is batting .420 on the season. Johnson has contributed five straight multi-hit games, and is tied for the team lead in that category with eight on the season. Junior Kyle Casey (San Diego, CA/Vista) has a career-high eight-game hitting streak coming into this weekend, and sophomore Brooks English (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) has reached safely in all 12 games this year.

The Brewer pitching staff right now has two freshmen at the top of the earned run listing, as Trent Berg (Milton, MA/Boston College) and Adam Erkis (Villanova, PA/Radnor) headline the column. Berg is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, striking out seven in two starts, while Erkis has a 2.96 ERA with a 3-0 record. Erkis has tossed a team-high 24.1 innings this season, and has one complete game to his ledger. Senior Joe Lovizio (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) has fanned a team-best 17 hitters this season, and reliever Connor Cucalon (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) has allowed only three hits in 4.2 innings of work this season.

A Look At The Red Dragons (19-5, 8-1 SUNYAC)
The Red Dragons lost their last time out, falling to Oswego State 9-5 for their first SUNYAC loss of the year. Cortland has been ranked the entire season, and jumped from No. 6 to No. 4 this past week. The Red Dragons lead their conference in 22 statistical categories, and are among the national top 30 in 16 different categories.

The offense for Cortland State is very spread out, as the depth of the offense is apparent when looking at the statistics. The Red Dragons have just one player on the roster that has started every game this year, as Max Rosing comes in hitting .321, which ranks him 10^th among players qualifying. Bryan Marotta leads the Dragons in hitting, as he is batting .533 in 17 games of action, while Donny Castaldo is batting .393 with six RBI. Anthony Iocomini has a team-best 28 RBI, playing in all 24 games, and Mark DeMillo and P.J. Rinaldi each are batting over .350.

The pitching for the Red Dragons has been stellar this year, as their top two starters are a combined 11-2 record, with both sporting ERAs under 2.00. Brandon McClain has a 1.41 ERA with a 6-0 W-L mark, while Brandon Serio has started eight times and is sporting a 1.81 clip. Both are holding batters under the Mendoza line of .200, while seven Red Dragon pitchers have thrown double-digit innings.

Against Cortland All-Time
The Brewers will play Cortland for the first time this weekend, as the Brewers will host the Red Dragons in a nine-inning game first, followed by a seven-inning affair in the second game.

Consistent Contributors
This season, Vassar College has seen five players play all 12 games, with three others playing and starting in nine games apiece.

Bullpen Brilliance
This season, the Vassar College bullpen has been solid, as the Brewers are sporting a 3.07 earned run average in 29.1 innings of work. Vassar College has allowed just 10 earned runs and is holding opposing hitters to just a .192 batting average.

Safe Travels
Sophomore designated hitter and third basemen Brooks English has reached base in his last 15 games, including all 12 contests this season.

Hey Rookie!
Freshman pitcher Adam Erkis was recently named Liberty League Rookie of the Week after his solid performances last week against Skidmore College and Clarkson University.

Hello, Goodbye
Senior Dave Robbins (Rumson, NJ/Rumson Fair-Haven) has been solid out of the bullpen, as he fanned at least one batter in each of his last four appearances. Wednesday at Skidmore, he struck five in two innings on the hill.

Back-to-Back Trouble
The Vassar College three-four combination of Brett Zaziski and Nick Johnson has been the best in the conference this year. Zaziski is first in the conference in hitting with a .512 clip, while Johnson is third in the League with a .420 batting average.

Up Next
Vassar College will play host to St. Lawrence University in a make-up of games postponed earlier in the season. The two squads will play two seven-inning Liberty League games Tuesday afternoon April 15 at 1 p.m. on Prentiss Field in Poughkeepsie, NY.