POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 30, 2015) – The Vassar College baseball team (8-17, 6-16 Liberty League), coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Manhattanville College Wednesday, returns of to finish its season this weekend. The Brewers will face John Jay on Saturday, May 2 at 1 p.m., before taking on CCNY in a doubleheader on Sunday, May 2, starting at 1 p.m. on Prentiss Field.
 
Game Details
Opponent: vs. John Jay (3-26, 0-8 CUNY)
Links:  (John Jay Baseball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Prentiss Baseball Field
Date: May 2, 2015
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@JJayAthletics)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Opponent: vs. City College of New York (13-15, 4-4 CUNY)
Links:  (CCNY Baseball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Prentiss Baseball Field
Date: May 3, 2015
Time: 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Twitter Coverage: (@VassarAthletics) (@CCNYSports)
Live Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
 
Vassar Baseball Links:
(Vassar Baseball Homepage) (Roster) (Stats) (Schedule)
 
What to Look For
The game against John Jay will be Vassar's Senior Day, where the Brewers will honor the contributions of seniors Jason Garfinkel (Encino, CA/Harvard-Westlake), Kyle Casey (San Diego, CA/Vista), and Dan McCormack (Nashua, NH/Nashua), all of whom have had huge impacts with Vassar baseball over the past four seasons. Despite losing these three seniors, with 18 players returning, including 11 underclassmen, the Brewers have a bright future ahead of them. But first, the team will hope to end their season strong in the last weekend of the season, building off of a strong showing in a 6-5 defeat of Manhattanville on Wednesday.
 
A Look at the Bloodhounds (3-26, 0-8 CUNY)
Like the Brewers, John Jay has struggled to even play games, with 12 games being postponed or cancelled this season. In the games that they have played, the Bloodhounds have been unable to get much of an offense going, scoring five or more runs in six games this season. However, John Jay has been steadily improving, scoring seven or more runs in four of their past seven games, including a 9-5 win against Mount Saint Mary. This past weekend, the Bloodhounds fell to NYU on Saturday, before dropping both games in a doubleheader against Manhattanville on Sunday. During the week, despite scoring a season-high 12 runs, John Jay fell to Bard 19-12 on Tuesday, before bouncing back to defeat St. Joseph's-Long Island 9-6 on Wednesday.
 
The Bloodhounds are led on offense by sophomore Zach Hyde with 32 hits and a .291 batting average.  Senior Nico Rivera is second on the team with 30 hits and a .303 batting average, while junior Joe Jacobsen has been the most efficient, recording 12 hits on just 25 at-bats to lead the team with a .480 batting average. On the mound, senior David Schildwachter has been efficient for John Jay, with a 1-1 record and a 3.57 ERA. Freshman Christian Rodriguez leads the team with 20 strikeouts.
 
Against John Jay All-Time
John Jay leads the all-time series 7-2, dating back to 1992, though the two teams have not played since 2005. After the Bloodhounds won the first six games in the series, Vassar has won two of the last three, including a 25-7 victory on Apr. 20, 2005.
 
A Look at the Beavers (13-15, 4-4 CUNY)
Similar to John Jay, CCNY has, unfortunately, had 13 games cancelled or postponed this year. However, the Beavers have seen more success than the Bloodhounds, winning five of their first seven games this year, including a sweep of a doubleheader against John Jay on Mar. 27. Recently, the Beavers have struggled, losing three straight and six of their last seven games. This past weekend, CCNY dropped both games to Staten Island on Saturday, before splitting a doubleheader against Western Connecticut State on Sunday. In their last matchup, a doubleheader against NYU on Wednesday, CCNY fell 9-8 and 9-3.
 
On offense, sophomore Adrian Pena leads the Beavers with 35 hits on a .354 batting average and a team-high .515 slugging percentage. Senior Gabriel Pena is second on the team with 29 hits and a .330 batting average, while Senior Richard Bethea leads the team with a .383 batting average, among players with more than five at-bats. At the mound, junior Sacha Urbach has been very effective for CCNY, with a 3-1 record and a team-low 3.55 ERA, among pitchers with more than ten innings pitched. Urbach also has recorded a team-high 45 strikeouts. Fellow junior Jose Aquino is tied with Urbach with three wins, and has a 6.70 ERA on the season.
 
Against CCNY All-Time
CCNY leads the all-time series 7-3, going back to 1992. The two teams played a doubleheader each year from 1992 to 1996, but have not played since. CCNY won the first six games in the series, though the Brewers have come back to win three of the last four. The teams last met on Mar. 31, 1996, where Vassar won the first game 17-6, before falling in the second matchup 11-4.
 
Farewell To Finks
Senior captain Jason Garfinkel has been a huge presence on the field for the Brewers. Over four years, Garfinkel has totaled 113 hits on 427 at-bats for a .265 career batting average, with 72 runs scored, 55 RBIs, 24 doubles, three triples, and one home run.
 
On April 7, 2012, Garfinkel had a career-high three hits and a career-high 4 RBIs against RIT. The senior also had a career-high two doubles against Rochester on Apr. 19, 2014, and has scored three runs in a game four times in his career.
 
Captain Casey
Senior captain Kyle Casey has been a vital utility player for the Brewers over the past four seasons, playing almost every position on the field. Over his four seasons, Casey has accumulated 107 hits on 375 total at-bats for a .285 career batting average, with 51 RBIs, 47 runs scored, ten doubles, and two triples.
 
Over his career at Vassar, Casey has recorded three hits in a single game eight times, three RBIs three times, and three runs scored twice. On Apr. 25, 2015, Casey had a career-high two doubles against Bard. In the field, the senior has the record for putouts in a single game with 19 against Rochester on Mar. 29, 2013.
 
McCormack Daddy
Senior captain Dan McCormack has been a very consistent presence for Vassar in many of their victories. Over his four seasons, McCormack has totaled 33 hits on 121 total at-bats for a .219 career batting average, with 21 runs scored, 16 RBIs, and five doubles.
 
On Apr. 7, 2012, McCormack had a career-high three hits, as well as a career-high three RBIs in a single game against RIT. The senior later tied one of these records with three RBIs against Union College on Apr. 15, 2012.