POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 16, 2015) – The Vassar College baseball team, after 16 road games and various postponements and cancellations, will finally have their first home games this weekend. The Brewers will host Rochester in a four-game conference series this Saturday and Sunday at Prentiss Baseball Field.
 
Game Details
Opponent: at Rochester (18-7, 11-1 Liberty League)
Links:  (Rochester Baseball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Prentiss Baseball Field
Date: April 18-19, 2015
Time: 1:00 p.m. (DH), 12:00 p.m. (DH)
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@UofRAthletics) (@URbaseball)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Vassar Baseball Links:
(Vassar Baseball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
 
What to Look For
Vassar was finally able to play Skidmore on Wednesday, after being forced to postpone the conference doubleheader twice this season. The Brewers were able to earn a split against the Thoroughbreds for their third conference victory of the season. Vassar needs to carry that momentum into this weekend, with a huge four-game series against Liberty League-leading Rochester. However, the Brewers are finally able to play at home, after their first five home games were cancelled or postponed, so hopefully Vassar can take advantage of the home field advantage.
 
A Look at the Yellowjackets (18-7, 11-1 Liberty League)
After an up-and-down series of games in the UAA Championships, Rochester has really turned it up as of late. In Sanford, FL, the Yellowjackets went 4-4, including victories against Emory, Brandeis, and NYU. After two tough losses back in New York, Rochester has been on a hot streak, winning 13 of their last 14 games, including four-game sweeps of league opponents St. Lawrence and Skidmore. During their streak, the team only lost to Bard, going 3-1 against the Raptors.
 
The Yellowjackets are hitting well as a team, with a batting average of .313, good for third in the Liberty League. Junior Jake Meyerson leads the team with a .452 batting average. Fellow junior Brian Munoz is hitting .363, with a team-high 33 hits, while junior Nolan Slutsky has 33 hits and a team-high 29 RBIs. At the mound, senior Josh dSchulman leads Rochester with a 2.72 ERA, among pitchers with more that 15 innings pitched. Schulman also has recorded four wins, which is tied with juniors Evan Janifer and Dan Warren for the Yellowjackets. On the field, senior Brendan Garry has a team-high 191 putouts, and a team-high .990 fielding percentage.
 
Against Rochester All-Time
Rochester currently leads the series 28-7, dating back to 2001. The longest winning streak for either team was when the Yellowjackets won eight straight games from 2009 to 2010. The teams last met in a four-game series on Apr. 18-19, 2014, where Rochester won three of four games.
 
Big Day Bobby
Freshman third baseman Bobby Kinne (Great Barrington, MA/Monument Mountain Regional) had a huge day against Skidmore, hitting .750 across the two games, including a career-high four RBI in the nightcap. On the season, Kinne is now batting a team-high .412, which is good for 10th in the Liberty League.
 
Jet Fuel
Junior right fielder Nick Johnson (San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius College Prep) also was fantastic against Skidmore, hitting .714 over two games, including a perfect 3-for-3 in the nightcap, scoring three times.. Johnson is currently third on the team with a .333 batting average, and has recorded a team-high seven doubles.
 
Settling In
Sophomore pitcher Adam Erkis (Villanova, PA/Radnor), the reigning Liberty League Pitcher of the Year, earned his first win of the 2015 season on Wednesday, after allowing five runs in six innings. On the season, Erkis leads the pitching staff with 18 strikeouts.
 
English Major
Junior first baseman Brooks English (Milton, MA/Milton Academy) had a very solid all-around day against Skidmore, hitting .571 with four hits, and scoring three runs. English has been a rock at first base for the Brewers, converting 93 putouts and five assists without an error on the season.
 
Welcome Home
After spending the first 16 games of the season on the road, the Brewers will finish their season with nine of 11 games being played at Prentiss Baseball Field.
 
Up Next
After this weekend, the Brewers will host The College at Old Westbury in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, Apr. 22 at 4 p.m. Next weekend, Vassar will have their final four conference games, facing off against Bard in a home-and-away series. The teams will play twice on Saturday, Apr. 25 at the Prentiss Baseball Field, and then travel to Annandale-on-Hudson to play twice Sunday afternoon.