POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 29, 2014) – The Vassar College baseball team concludes its 2014 regular season this weekend, taking on the Raptors of Bard College Saturday and Sunday. The Brewers are coming off a weekend split with Union College, as both squads took both games played on their home fields. The playoff picture in the Liberty League is very much in the air right now, as all but two teams still have a chance at getting into the four-team tournament.

Vassar College (14-12, 9-7 Liberty)
(Vassar College Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)

Game Details
Opponent: at Bard College (3-22-1, 0-16-1 Liberty)
Links: (Bard Baseball Home Page) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Fishkill, NY
Facility: Dutchess Stadium (4,494)
Date: May 3, 2014
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats)

SENIOR DAY
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility:  Prentiss Field (500)
Date: May 4, 2014
Time: 12 p.m.
Game Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 

Vassar College vs. Bard
Category	Vassar	Bard
Batting Avg.	.299	.218
SLG%	.396	.266
OB%	.380	.300
FLD%	.937	.935
SB-SBA	18-24	23-34
ERA	4.94	6.93
AVG. AGAINST	.272	.297
BB	102	111
K	136	109

 
What To Look For
Looking at the playoff picture in the Liberty League right now is akin to looking into a murky swamp, nothing is really clear. As of right now, the University of Rochester has clinched a spot as it is done with all of its Liberty League contests, and boasts a .667 winning percentage. Going into the weekend, Union College has a .676 winning percentage and is playing Rochester Institute of Technology who is a game ahead of Vassar with a .611 winning clip. Rensselaer is in third tied with RIT with a .611 percentage, and will take on St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY as the Saints are just over .500 at 9-8. The scenarios will be much easier to figure out after Saturday afternoon's action.

A Look At The Brewers
Vassar College may have saved its season Sunday afternoon, as the Brewers rallied from being swept Saturday at Union to return the favor Sunday to the Dutchmen. The freshman duo of Trent Berg (Milton, MA/Boston College) and Adam Erkis (Villanova, PA/Radnor) was again stellar, as the two picked up a pair of victories over Union.

Sophomore designated hitter Brooks English (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) was 11-for-23 last week, leading the Brewers in batting with a .478 clip over the last seven games, while Nick Johnson (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) was 10-for-22 (.455) with two doubles and an inside-the-park homerun. Senior Parker Werline (Newport Beach, CA/Corona Del Mar) also batted over .400 for the week, going 8-for-18 with three RBI. Junior shortstop Jason Garfinkel (Encino, CA/Harvard-Westlake) has really played well lately, hitting .375 over his last seven games, stealing four bases, scoring eight runs and making no errors in 28 chances.

On the season, senior infielder Brett Zaziski (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) continues to pace the offense. Zaziski is hitting .400 this season with a team-leading .531 on-base percentage. Johnson leads the team in hits, doubles and RBI with 23, and English is right behind him with 21 RBI. Junior Kyle Casey (San Diego, CA/Vista) is batting .333 and has committed just two errors all season for the Brewers.

Looking at the staff, the success for the Brewers has come with Erkis and Berg on the hill. The duo has 12 of the Brewer's 14 wins this season, as both currently have sub-2.00 earned run averages. Berg is 6-1 with a 1.73 ERA, leading the team with 30 strikeouts, while Erkis has pitched a team-high 45.1 innings, going 6-0 with a 1.99 ERA. Sophomore reliever Connor Cucalon (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius) has thrown 11.1 innings, saving three games while not allowing a run in 2014. Senior Joe Lovizio (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) is second on the team with 28 strikeouts, and freshman Robert Winkelmann (Wappinger's Falls, NY/Beacon) has allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings this season.

A Look At The Raptors
The Raptors are in their first season as a Liberty League squad, as Bard College is playing only its second season as an NCAA program. Bard College has yet to earn a Liberty League win, but the Raptors have been pretty competitive, earning a tie against conference-leading Union College. BC comes into the weekend hitting .218 as a team, and is giving up 6.93 runs per nine innings thus far this season. Bard has captured wins Lehman College and D'Youville College twice, but since the tie with Union has lost 15 straight.

Bard is led by two-way threat Dylan Long, who comes into the doubleheader leading the squad in batting with a .382 batting average, while posting a 4.40 earned run average in 30.2 innings over work. Alec Montecalvo is batting .319 with 22 hits and the team's lone homer this season, while JP Fisher has started all 26 games and is batting .292 with a team-best 26 hits and five doubles. Jack Hawke is hitting .270 as well for BC, and Adam Carafotes leads the team with 11 RBI.

Fisher has the team's best ERA this year with a very strong 3.58 average on the hill, throwing 27.2 innings thus far. Gabe Kleiman is 1-3 on the season with a team-best 32 strikeouts, and Zach Ward has thrown a team-high 34.1 innings, posting a 7.60 earned run average and a .306 batting average against.

Against Bard All-Time
This weekend's games with the Raptors will be the first-ever between the two Mid-Hudson River rivals.

Senior Day
The Brewers will honor seniors Joe Lovizio, Parker Werline, Brett Zaziski and Dave Robbins (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) prior to Sunday's doubleheader on Prentiss Field.

Home Sweet Home
This season, the Brewers are 9-4 at home this year. The Brewers are batting .311 in home games, and have held opposition to a .238 batting average.

Prime At Prentiss
This season, freshman Adam Erkis has tossed 22.1 innings at Prentiss Field, allowing just two earned runs. He also has two complete games, including a complete game against Union last weekend.

Liking The Liberty League
Sophomore Nick Johnson leads the team in hitting in conference-only play, as the lefty batter is batting .424 with nine doubles and 15 runs scored.

Brooks Brother
Sophomore Brooks English had a stellar weekend against Union, as he posted three multiple-hit games and now has 11 games with two or more hits.

Closing In
Senior Brett Zaziski is currently six walks short of the all-time walks record at Vassar College, as his 78 trails just Tim Reinhardt and his 84.

5^th Inning Fever
This year, the Brewers have loved to hit in the fifth inning, going .351 with 25 runs, eight doubles and two homers.