POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 14, 2014) – The Vassar College baseball team is coming off a doubleheader split with No. 4 Cortland State on Saturday afternoon, scoring nine runs in the third inning of game to propel the Brewers past the Dragons 11-9. The win for Vassar was its first win over a team in the Top 10 ever, as Cortland was the highest ranked team VC has ever knocked off. This week, the Brewers will entertain the Knights of Mt. St. Mary College in non-conference play in a make-up of a March cancellation.

Vassar College (8-6, 4-2 Liberty)
(Vassar College Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)

Game Details
Opponent: vs. Mt. St. Mary College (11-11, 5-3 Skyline)
Links: (Mount Saint Mary Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Prentiss Field (500)
Date: April 16, 2014
Time: 4 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 

Vassar College vs. Mt. St. Mary
Category	Vassar	MSMC
Batting Avg.	.299	.278
SLG%	.406	.340
OB%	.384	.365
FLD%	.931	.963
SB-SBA	4-9	37-47
ERA	5.26	4.77
AVG. AGAINST	.266	.272
BB	57	66
K	87	97

What To Look For
Mount Saint Mary College comes to town for a non-conference game Wednesday, but both teams have busy conference doubleheaders coming up which could make the pitching situation interesting. Vassar will travel to Rochester for four games against University of Rochester this weekend, while MSMC will head to Patchogue for a pair Thursday afternoon with St. Joseph's (LI). Whatever team gets a better pitching performance from someone that might not pitch as much could be the difference between a win and a loss Wednesday.

A Look At The Brewers
Vassar College is coming off a 2-1 week last week, knocking off Skidmore College on Wednesday 10-1, before splitting with Cortland over the weekend. Freshman Adam Erkis (Villanova, PA/Radnor) was again solid for the Brewers against Skidmore, allowing just two hits and one run over six innings of work. Vassar hit just .215 last week as a team, but still used its patient batter's eye to get on base at a .390 clip. Over the three games, the Brewers drew a whopping 24 walks, four more than the 20 base hits they had this week. Luckily, Vassar's pitching staff held opposition to a .202 batting average.

The Vassar batters this season have still hit right around .300, let by the .489 from senior Brett Zaziski (Randolph, NJ/Randolph). Zaziski still leads the Liberty League in hitting, and is atop the on-base percentage list as well, reaching base safely 62.5 percent of the time. Sophomore Nick Johnson (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) leads the team with 10 doubles, driving in a team-high 16 runs, while Brooks English (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) is batting .365 with 15 RBI. Freshman Brad Kendall (Redlands, CA/Redlands) has been solid in the leadoff role, hitting .317 with 10 runs scored.

The pitching staff for Vassar has really settled in of late, as freshmen Trent Berg (Milton, MA/Boston College) and Adam Erkis have each solidified themselves as standout newcomers in the league. Both Berg and Erkis are 3-0, each sporting ERA's under 3.00. Berg is holding opposing hitters to just a .164 batting average against, allowing just seven hits in 15.1 innings of work this year. Sophomore closer Connor Cucalon (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) has yet to allow a run this year, and has two saves, while Dave Robbins (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) leads the team in appearances with six, surrendering just two earned runs in 6.1 innings.

A Look At The Knights (11-11)
Mount Saint Mary has lost four of its last five coming into the week, with the Knights scheduled to play the College of Staten Island on Tuesday, though weather doesn't bode well for that game. Before this tough stretch for Mount Saint Mary, the Knights had won six of seven including sweeping conference doubleheaders over Farmingdale State College and Yeshiva University.

The Mt. St. Mary offense is one that won't overpower you with extra-base hits, as the Knights come into the week 341^st out of 350 teams in doubles per game. The MSMC team batting average of .258 is 292^nd in the country, but the squad is still scoring a very respectable 5.5 runs per game. The strength of the Knight lineup is no-question the potent bat from senior Vinnie Carminati. The Huntington, NY native is hitting. 457 on the season, posting four doubles, four triples and a homer, along with 24 RBI. He also paces the Knights in hits and runs scored, as well as slugging and on-base percentage.

James Nakashian is batting .394 for the Mount, chalking up 28 hits and three doubles. Mike Leone also has batting .311 this season, stealing six bags in eight attempts. The Knight pitching staff has been stellar all season, coming into the week with the 25^th best WHIP in the nation. MSMC has allowed the 33^rd fewest hits per nine innings this season, and also has the 63^rd best earned run average in Division III. The staff is very deep for Mount Saint Mary, as eight pitchers have tossed at least 10 innings this year. Brandon Lubrano is 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA this season in 31.2 innings on the mound, while Kevin Duffy is 2-2, sporting a 2.59 ERA. Joey Pugliese has tossed 8.1 innings this year, but has allowed just three hits in 8.1 innings.

Against Mount St. Mary All-Time
Vassar has going 9-17 against their rivals to the south, with the Knights earning wins in the last three seasons after VC posted the previous four wins in the series. The series over the last three years has been entertaining, averaging a total of nearly 20 runs combined per game.

Let Him Hit
The word is out on senior Brett Zaziski, and other managers are taking note. Over the last three games, Zaziski has been walked seven times including four times against Skidmore last Wednesday.

Bases Loaded Breakthrough
The Brewers have had a tough time this season with the bases loaded, hitting just .227 in that situation. That didn't deter Kyle Casey (San Diego, CA/Vista) against Cortland, as he delivered a two-run single with the bags packed.

Well In The Windup
Vassar pitchers this season have been solid with no runners on, allowing them to work out of the windup. In no men on situations, opposition is hitting just .215 against Vassar arms.

Speed 'Em Up
Though the game of baseball doesn't have a clock, the pace of play this season lately hasn't the been the swiftest. Since April 5, four games have gone over 2:43, with the longest game of the season stretching nearly three hours against Clarkson University.

Two-Run Cushion
Vassar College this season has played in four two-run games, winning all four of them. In a strange statistic, Vassar is 9-2 over the last two seasons in games decided by two runs.

Quick Draw
The Brewers have done well getting out first on teams this season, scoring in the first inning in eight games while scoring first in 10 of their 14 games this campaign.

Crazy and Kooky
His personality is certainly kooky, but Connor Cucalon's stuff certainly is not. Over his last 11 appearances on the hill for Vassar, the lanky right-hander has allowed just two earned runs in 14.3 innings of relief dating back to last season.

I Need Relief
This year, the Vassar bullpen has been nothing short of stellar. Coming into the week, Vassar's relief pitchers have allowed hitters to swing at a .190 batting average. The pen has a 3.09 ERA along with four saves.

Up Next
Vassar heads to the University of Rochester in a pivotal conference four-game set this weekend, starting Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Rochester.