POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 15, 2016) – Vassar College looks to shake a mini midseason slump as it takes on two non-conference opponents over three games this Saturday and Sunday.  After a disappointing Liberty League weekend against Clarkson, where the Brewers dropped three of four games to Clarkson, the Brewers fell again to a strong Old Westbury squad this past Wednesday.

That marked the third straight loss for the Brewers and fourth loss out of their last five.  This weekend provides an opportunity for the Brewers to get back to their winning ways and gain some momentum as they head into the final stretch of Liberty League play.
 
Game Details
Opponent:    
vs. Stevens Institute of Technology (17-10, 9-2 Empire 8)
vs. Western Connecticut State (9-10, 2-2 Little East)      
Links:
(Vassar's Baseball Home Page)(Roster)(Statistics)(Schedule)
(Stevens Baseball Home Page)(Roster)(Statistics)(Schedule)
(WCS's Baseball Home Page)(Roster)(Statistics)(Schedule)
Site: Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Prentiss Field
Date: April 16-17, 2016
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday (DH)
Coverage: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

A Look At The Brewers (10-13, 6-6 Liberty)
Vassar College has gone cold at the plate in their last five outings totaling just 15 runs over that stretch.  The Brewers were able to put nine runs across in their sole win against Clarkson this past weekend, but the offense remained stagnant in the rest of the series.  While the offensive numbers have taken a dip as of late, the Brewers still rank near the top of the Liberty League in Doubles, Steals, and On-Base Percentage.

The constant bright spot for the Brewers offense has been Nick Johnson who, in the LL, ranks ninth with a .386 AVG and 16 RBI, third with eight doubles, and second with 32 hits on the season.  Junior Mike Koscielniak has provided a boost for the Brewers lineup going 8-17 since being inserted into the Brewers everyday lineup.  Koscielniak is currently riding a five-game hit streak, and has reached base in all eight of his appearances.

The Brewers pitching staff has been consistent this year headed by the likes of Johnny Mrlik, who leads the team with three wins and three complete games, and Adam Erkis, who leads the squad with a 3.77 ERA and 31 IP. 

A Look At The Ducks (17-10, 9-2 Empire 8)
The Ducks have displayed tremendous offensive capability so far this season, coming into this weekend with a .289 AVG, 19 HR, and 135 RBI.  Stevens has been playing their best baseball of the year in the past three weeks with wins in 10 of their last 12 contests including a current three game win streak.  The Ducks roll with a very top-heavy lineup with four players batting over .348, and combining for 13 of the teams 19 home runs, while no other players bat over .300. 

The leader of the Ducks is Senior Jayson Yano, who comes into this weekend hitting .400 on the year with 3 HR and 25 steals in 27 attempts.  The former All-American also leads the Ducks staff with 3 wins, 2 CG, and 1.97 ERA in 9 starts this season.  Junior Zeph Walters also dominates on both the mound and at the plate for the Ducks, hitting .389 with five homers and 30 RBI on the season, while also sporting a 3-1 record with one save and a 3.21 ERA.

Against Stevens Institute of Technology
The Brewers come in with a 14-18 lifetime record against the Ducks.  Stevens has taken the last six contests with Vassar's last win coming in Hoboken, NJ back in 2006.

A Look At The Colonials (9-10, 2-2 Little East)
The Colonials come into play this weekend riding their hot bats that have plated 43 runs in their past four contests, winning three of those four games.  The consistency of the WCSU lineup has been the backbone of this team, hitting .317 on the year and reaching base at a clip of .395.  The Colonials sport six players hitting above the .300 mark and are led by standout Senior Chris Callahan who's hitting a remarkable .478 with an OBP of .566 on the season.

The Colonials pitching staff has been effective thus far, but not as strong as their lineup.  The staff holds a 5.08 ERA and has surrendered 116 runs of 157.2 IP.  Senior Todd Lyons has been outstanding for WCSU posting a 1.16 ERA, while averaging over 7 2/3 IP per start and 11.2 K/9.  The Colonials rely heavily on their Starting Pitchers as five of them average more than six innings per start.

Against Western Connecticut State All-Time
Vassar holds a 2-3 record all-time against the Colonials of Western Connecticut State.  The two teams last faced off in 2005 in which the Brewers won by a score of 8-3.

Other Brewer Notes:
-Junior Mike Koscielniak is tied for the Liberty League lead in HBP with five in just 19 at-bats.  The two other leaders have 59 and 75 AB showing that Koscielniak gets hit at an exceptional rate
-Sophomore Eric Strickland's reach base safely streak ended at 20 games this past weekend against Clarkson.
-Matt Hernandez recorded his first two doubles of the season, finding the left-center gap twice against The College of Old Westbury on Wednesday.  The game was one of the sophomore shortstop's best at the plate on the season.
-Junior Robert Winkelman remains dominant out of the Vassar bullpen. The Bearded Bob continues his hunt for the VC appearance record, currently having pitched in 11 games for the Brewers.

Up Next
The Brewers will be facing off against Rochester Institute of Technology at home Saturday at one, looking to get a pair of big conference win.