4/1/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College baseball team will take on a pair of opponents this weekend, both on the road, as they enter the April portion of their schedule. The Falcons, thanks to Mother Nature's rain on Thursday and Friday, will now travel to County College of Morris on Saturday, April 2^nd, for a big Region XIX doubleheader at the County College of Morris baseball field in Randolph, NJ, and then travel back to Jersey to take on Division III opponent Salem Community College on Sunday, April 3^rd, in Carneys Point for another doubleheader.     
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (10-7, 2-0) are coming off an impressive start to their Region XIX schedule, after sweeping Raritan Valley CC in a doubleheader on the road this past Thursday.  Lackawanna scored 48 combined runs in the two games, including a 27-run output in game two against Raritan Valley. Quinn Hanafin went 6-for-9, driving in nine runs and scoring six of his own, including hitting two homeruns. Cody Fleischer went 6-for-11, driving in four runs and scoring six, while Daniel Keenan was 6-for-12 with four RBIs and six runs scored, including hitting two triples. Read the recap HERE.
 
Lackawanna is hitting, as a team, .362 so far this season, with a combined 1.051 OPS. They have 63 extra base hits, including 36 doubles and 19 homeruns already this season. They're slugging .597 as a team, and have stolen 31 bases so far this year. The Falcons have a .454 OBP on the year, and are averaging just over nine runs per contest this season.
 
On the mound, the Falcons are holding their opponents to a .286 batting average, and have a staff ERA of 6.94 this year. In 105 combined innings, the Falcons have given up 124 hits and 95 runs, 81 earned, while striking out 110 batters and walking 59. The Falcons have picked off five base runners so far this season, and have turned six double plays, while committing 29 errors as a team so far this year.
 
Quinn Hanafin is the team leader in batting average, hitting .571 so far this season in his 14 appearances. Hanafin has a 1.509 OPS, and is tied for the team lead with 24 hits on the year. Hanafin leads the Falcons with eight doubles so far this season, and he has ten total extra base hits. He's first on the Falcons with 21 RBIs, and leads the team in total bases with 38. His .905 slugging is tops on the squad, among players who have played in ten or more games. Hanafin has seven multi-hit games so far this year, and had recorded a hit in eleven straight games, before going 0-for-1 against Monroe. Hanafin was a combined 6-for-9 with six runs, nine RBIs, two homeruns and a double against Raritan.   
 
Cody Fleischer has a .471 batting average so far this year, and is second on the team with a 1.282 OPS. Fleischer is tied with Hanafin at 24 hits so far this season, and leads the Falcons with 25 runs scored on the year. Fleischer's 13 RBIs are tied for second on the team, and he's got seven extra base hits on the season. Fleischer's .557 OBP is second among players who've played in ten or more games for the Falcons. Fleischer leads the team with ten walks this year, and is tied for second on the team with four steals so far this season. Fleischer was a combined 6-for-11 with six runs scored, four RBIs, a double, and a homerun against Raritan Valley on Thursday.  
 
Leadoff hitter Daniel Helfgott is hitting .368 on the year, and is tied for third on the Falcons with 14 hits so far this season. Helfgott has scored eleven runs so far this season, good for second on the squad, and has an OBP of .429 so far this year. Helfgott went 2-for-5 in with a double, a run scored, and an RBI in the first game against Monroe last Tuesday. Helfgott wasn't in action against Raritan on Thursday.
 
George Castro is hitting .316 on the year, has a 1.132 OPS, and is slugging at at .737 on the year. Castro leads the Falcons in RBIs (13), homers (4), and total bases (28) this season. Castro was 2-for-6 in two games against Monroe, with a homer and three RBIs in the second game, all courtesy of a three-run homerun to left field. Castro did not play against Raritan on Thursday.
 
Eli Riley, in his eight games of work for the Falcons, is hitting .478 on the year, and has a 1.375 OPS. Riley has eleven hits, and 13 runs scored, second on the team. Riley has a .739 slugging percentage, and has four extra base hits on the year. He also has four stolen bases on the season. Riley was a combined 5-for-7 with six runs scored, five RBIs, a double, and a homerun.
 
Aiden Starn leads the team in innings pitched at 18 so far this year. Starn is 1-1 in four starts, giving up 24 hits and 18 runs, 14 earned, while striking out 12 batters. He has a 7.00 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .296 against him. Starn pitched a complete, seven-inning game against Raritan for his first win of the year, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and striking out a season-high seven batters.  
 
Jason Carpenter has pitched 10.1 innings so far this season. Carpenter has given up 13 hits and ten runs, seven earned, while striking out eight batters on the year, and has an ERA hovering just over six. He's 0-1 in his three appearances. Carp went 4.1 innings against ASA Brooklyn last Monday, striking out a pair and giving up three runs.  
 
Dan Petrouskie has pitched ten combined innings on the season, appearing in five games, two starts, and going 2-0 with a 10.80 ERA. Petrouskie has allowed 15 runs, 12 earned, and 17 hits, while striking out 13 batters. Opponents are hitting .354 from against Petrouskie on the year. Dan got the win in game two against Raritan Valley, pitching four innings against the Lions, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits, while punching out a season-high six batters.
 
Kyle Scott has pitched eight innings so far this year, holding a 2.25 ERA and a 1-0 record. Scott has struck out 14 batters, a team high, and has allowed seven hits and two runs in his action. Scott's last appearance was the start, and win, over ASA in game two last Monday. Scott went four innings, giving up four hits and a run while striking out a season-high seven batters.
 
Matthew Stam has pitched eight innings in his three appearances so far this year, giving up five hits and three runs, all earned, while striking out six batters. Stam has a 3.38 ERA, and opponents are hitting just .200 against him so far this year. Stam got a win earlier this year, going four innings in relief against PSU New Kensington, allowing just three hits and striking out five batters. He pitched two innings of relief against Monroe in his last game, giving up two hits and a run.
 
Samuel Daniels has been excellent for the Falcons this year, allowing neither a run nor a hit in 6.2 innings of work, all while striking out 13 batters, second-best on the team. He went two innings of relief in his last appearance, striking out three batters to help the Falcons secure the win against ASA College in the first game last Monday.  
 
Coach Mike McCarry enters his fourth season at the helm for Lackawanna College. McCarry has helped elevate the Falcon program in his short time, guiding Lackawanna to a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances in his first three seasons, one of which was shortened and ultimately cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at Lackawanna, McCarry was the pitching coach at Stephen F. Austin and LaSalle Universities. As a pitching coach with both schools, he had multiple pitchers sign professional contracts, and, especially in his time at LaSalle, McCarry brought four NJCAA All-Americans to be a part of the Explorer program. Before that, McCarry spent his time in baseball in the Philadelphia Suburbs in Bucks County with Central Bucks West and the Colts Collegiate Summer Team. McCarry is a Keystone College graduate, where he played baseball for Jamie Shevchik and the vaunted Giants program. McCarry is 88-41 in his career at Lackawanna College.   
 
About County College of Morris
Morris comes into the contest with a 10-4 overall record, and 2-0 in Region XIX play, and is coming off a 10-6 win over ASA Brooklyn this past Wednesday. In that game, the Titans trailed 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, before exploding for six runs to take the lead and, eventually, the win. Morris is on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Hudson Valley CC 12-2 on Tuesday.
 
The Titans are hitting .334, as a team, so far this season. The team has a collective 1.026 OPS, and have scored 108 runs on 139 hits so far this season, averaging 7.7 runs per contest. Morris has 53 extra base hits this year, including 31 doubles and 17 homeruns. They've drawn 83 walks, while striking out 81 times, and are 33-for-36 on stolen base attempts so far this season.
 
Morris's strength is on the mound, where the Titans have a stellar 3.18 ERA on the year. In 96.1 collective innings, they've given up 46 runs on 63 hits, 34 of those runs earned, while striking out 88 batters and walking 51. The pitching staff has given up just two homeruns on the year, and is averaging around eight strikeouts per nine innings. The pitching staff has two shutouts on the year, and has allowed three or less runs on seven different occasions.
 
Christian Maceda leads the Titans with 20 hits so far on the year, and has a .455 batting average. He's one of four regular rotation players with a .400 or better batting average. Maceda also leads the team in runs scored (17) and walks drawn (10) so far this year. He's second on the team with nine extra base hits, including five doubles and four homeruns, and is second on the team in RBIs with 14 on the year. He's got a 1.397 OPS, good for second on the team, buoyed by a .841 slugging percentage, also second on the team. His eight stolen bases are tied for the team lead, and he's only struck out three times this year. Maceda has seven multi-hit games on the year, including a 2-for-2 performance against SUNY Rockland, where he hit a double and a homerun, drove in three runs, and scored another.
 
Chris Giacalone leads the Titans with a .486 batting average, and is second on the team with 17 total hits this year. Giacalone leads Morris in extra base hits (10), RBIs (16), OPS (1.590), and slugging (1.029) in his eleven games so far this year. He has six multi-hit games on the season, with his best game coming against Camden County, where he was 3-for-4 with a pair of homeruns and five RBIs, responsible for all five runs in the 5-1 victory.   
 
Jeremiah Deanta is second on the team with a .481 batting average, and leads the squad with a .600 OBP. Deanta has 13 total hits on the year, good for third, and has an OPS of 1.304, also third on the team this season. Deanta has scored ten runs, and driven in five runs on the year, while hitting four extra base knocks, including three doubles and a homerun. Deanta has four multi-hit games, including a pair of 3-for-4 showings against both Camden and Lehigh Carbon this year.
 
Tyler Ruban is another Titan with a .400 batting average, and has a 1.186 OPS so far this season. Ruban has 12 total hits so far this season, and has three doubles and two homeruns, along with eight RBIs on the year. Ruban has three multi-hit games, including a 2-for-4 showing against Lehigh Carbon, where he scored two runs and had a pair of doubles.
 
Will Fritch is third on the team with ten RBIs so far this year, and has a 1.160 OPS and a .348 batting average. Fritz has six extra base hits, including a homerun and five doubles, and has scored seven runs in his ten games so far this season. Fritch went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a homerun, plus two runs scored, against Hudson Valley this year.
 
Christian Weippert comes into the contest having appeared in four games, with two starts, and at 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA on the year. Weippert, in 20 innings pitched, has allowed three runs, just one earned, and seven hits, while striking out 19 batters. Weippert won his last appearance, a start against Hudson Valley on Wednesday. He went five innings, giving up two runs on a hit, while striking out nine batters.
 
Tim Crum has appeared in four games, two starts, and is 1-2 with a 6.60 ERA on the season. Crum, in 15 innings, has allowed eleven runs on 12 hits, while walking eight batters, and striking out eleven on the season. Crum started his last game, a loss against Northampton. He went 5.1 innings, giving up six runs and four hits, while striking out a pair against the Spartans.
 
Cal Chase has appeared in four games, three starts, and is 2-1 with a 5.52 ERA so far this season. In 14.2 innings, Chase has given up 15 runs, nine earned, on 15 hits, while striking out 17 batters. Chase struck out a season high eight batters earlier this year against Ocean County, but was tagged with the loss in his last appearance, against Northampton. He pitched 3.1 innings, allowing ten runs, seven earned, on seven hits, while striking out three batters.  
 
Matt Lemieux has appeared in three games, all starts, and is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA so far this season. In 14 innings, Lemieux has allowed five runs, three earned, on eleven hits, while striking out seven batters so far this season. Lemieux got the win in his last appearance, a seven-inning start where he allowed two runs on seven hits, while striking out six, to beat Lehigh Carbon.
 
The head coach for the Titans is Jason Fiore, in his first year at the helm for County College of Morris. Fiore previously spent 25 years as a police officer, but is no stranger to Morris, having played at Morris previously, as well as the University of Miami and FDU-Madison. Fiore is a New Jersey native, having gone to HS at Hudson Catholic.
 
About Salem Community College



The Mighty Oaks of Salem enter the weekend with an 11-15 record, and will take on the Falcons on Sunday, after hosting Bergen CC on Saturday. They were successful in their last game, a 12-3 victory over Montgomery County CC this past Tuesday. Salem scored eight runs in the first three innings, then held steady the rest of the way to knock off the Mustangs. The Mighty Oaks piled up 14 hits, hitting a pair of homeruns, and were led by Nick Toms, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Ryan Dipper was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while hitting a double and a homerun, and Jacob Roberts was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a homer for the Oaks. Salem had six stolen bases on the day, and got a good start from Sean Broadhurst, who went five innings, allowing three runs and six hits, while striking out four to pick up the win. The Mighty Oaks got four innings of scoreless relief from their bullpen to secure the win.
 
 The Mighty Oaks are hitting .275, as a team, so far this season. The team has a collective .764 OPS, and have scored 144 runs on 197 hits so far this season, averaging 5.5 runs per contest. Salem has 54 extra base hits this year, including 32 doubles and 15 homeruns. They've drawn 77 walks, while striking out 209 times, and are 40-for-47 on stolen base attempts so far this season.
 
Salem has a collective 5.79 ERA on the year. In 169.1 collective innings, they've given up 149 runs on 205 hits, 109 of those runs earned, while striking out 129 batters and walking 118. The pitching staff has given up 18 homeruns on the year, and is averaging around seven strikeouts per nine innings. The pitching staff has two shutouts on the year, and has allowed three or less runs on seven different occasions.
 
Phil Sedalis leads the Mighty Oaks in several categories this season, starting with an impressive .435 batting average in all 26 contests. Sedalis has leads Salem in total hits (37), extra base hits (13), doubles (7), triples (4), runs scored (25), RBIs (29), stolen bases (11), OBP (.484), slugging (.682), and OPS (1.166). Sedalis has two homeruns on the year, placing him fourth on the team this season, and has drawn nine walks, putting him in a tie for the team lead this season. Sedalis has recorded a hit in 24 of his 26 games, and has eleven multi-hit games on the year. Sedalis was 1-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk against Montgomery County CC.
 
Ryan Dipper is second on the squad with a .382 batting average this year in his 26 games. Dipper is second on the team in total hits (26), doubles (6), extra base hits (9), RBIs (21), OBP (.436), slugging (.603), and OPS (1.039). Dipper is tied for second on the team in homeruns with three this year. Dipper has seven multi-hit games this year, including a 4-for-5 showing against Ocean County, hitting a double, knocking in a run, and scoring two more. Dipper was 2-for-4 with a double, a homerun, and three RBIs, along with two runs scored, against Montgomery County CC in his last game.
 
Nick Toms is third on the team with 25 total hits this year, hitting .321 for his batting average this year. Toms has six extra base hits, including four doubles and one homerun, and is second on the team with nine stolen bases this year. Toms is second on the team with 20 runs scored, and is also tied with Sedalis for the team lead in walks, with nine on the year. Toms has seven multi-hit games, three in his last four, and was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored against Montgomery in his last game.
 
Drew Tongue is fourth on the team with 19 total hits this season, and has a .317 batting average. His .533 slugging percentage is third on the squad, as are his 16 RBIs. Tongue leads the Mighty Oaks with four homeruns, and is second on the team with seven drawn walks this year. He's also scored 16 runs on the year, good for third. Tongue has five multi-hit games this year, including a 3-for-3 showing against Rochester CTC where he hit two homeruns and drove in three runs. Tongue did not play against Montgomery.
 
Jacob Roberts is fifth on the team with 18 hits this year, and has a .286 batting average. Roberts has scored 15 runs, good for fourth in the team, and has seven extra base hits, including three homers and four doubles, driving in eight RBIs this year. Roberts leads the team in strikeouts, with 20 K's so far this season. Roberts has five multi-hit games, including a 3-for-5 showing against Montgomery, where he hit a homer and drove in a pair of runs. His best game was a perfect 4-for-4 against Ocean County, where he scored four runs, and also drew a walk.
 
Sean Cocuzza has appeared in seven games this year, six of them being starts, and is 1-4 with a 5.34 ERA. He has pitched a team-high 30.1 innings, giving up 26 runs, 18 earned, on 39 hits, while striking out 25 batters and walking 19. His last appearance was a 7-4 loss to RCSJ-Cumberland, where he went 5.2 innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits and striking out three. His best showing was a win against Ocean County, where he went five innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on six hits, and striking out a season-best eight batters.
 
Joe Davis has been the staff ace this year, making six appearances, four of which are starts and going 4-0 with a 1.73 ERA. In his 26 innings of work, Davis has allowed just eight runs, five earned, on 18 hits, while striking out a team-best 26 batters. In his last start, Davis went seven innings against RCSJ-Cumberland, allowing just one run on seven hits, while striking out seven to get the 9-1 victory.
 
Raymond Knappenberger has made six appearances this year, five of them starts, going 1-3 with a 2.59 ERA on the year. Knappenberger, in 24.1 innings, has given up 20 runs, just seven earned, on 22 hits, whilke striking out 17 and walking 14. Knappenberger got the loss in his last outing, going six innings and giving up five runs, just one earned, on five hits, while striking out a season-high five batters.
 
Sean Broadhurst has nine appearances this year, tops on the team, with three starts, and is 1-1 with a 8.31 ERA on the year. In his 21.2 innings of work, Broadhurst has surrendered 22 runs, 20 earned, and 33 hits, while striking out 13 batters so far this season. Broadhurst got the start and the win against Montgomery County CC in his last appearance, going five innings and giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out four batters, a season-high.
 
The head coach for the Mighty Oaks in John Holt, now in his third season at the helm for the Mighty Oaks. Holt came to SCC in 2019 to help revive the baseball program for the 2020 season. He was the head baseball coach at Burlington County College from 1998 to 2011, where he won two GSAC championships and appeared several times in the Region XIX playoffs, winning the Region XIX championship in 2009. Holt is an Upsala College graduate, and is also the Athletics Coordinator at Salem CC. Holt holds a 28-34 overall record at Salem.
 
 
Game Information
The first game of the doubleheader against County College of Morris is set for a 1:00pm ET start in Randolph, NJ at the CCM Baseball Field, with the second game scheduled to follow after, around 3:30pm ET.
 
The doubleheader against Salem on Sunday, April 3^rd, will begin with the first game at 1:00pm ET at Carneys Point Recreation Park, and the second game will follow at 4:00pm ET.
 
After this weekend, the Falcons return to action with a single game on Thursday, April 7^th, at Northampton Community College. That is set for a 3:00pm ET first pitch in Bethlehem, PA.