3/10/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – After some inconsistent results so far on its southern trip, the Lackawanna College baseball team is hoping to hit find the hint of a spark this weekend with a three-game series at Bryant & Stratton College this Saturday, March 11^th, and Sunday, March 12^th.
 
The Falcons are set to face off with the Bobcats in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in Hampton, VA, starting with game one at 12:00pm ET, and game two to follow at 3:00pm ET. Then, on Sunday, both teams will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 12:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available for all three games, via the Bryant & Stratton Live Video page HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (5-6) comes into the contest on the wrong end of a two-game slide, losing its last game by a 16-10 margin to Patrick & Henry CC in a nine-inning game on Thursday, March 9^th. In that game, the Falcons outhit the Patriots and held a 7-5 lead after the top of the fourth, but errors and pitching let the Falcons down, as Patrick & Henry scored eleven runs over the final five innings, including a five-spot in the bottom of the eighth to salt away the Falcons for the win. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .311 on the year so far, posting a combined .923 OPS, with a .429 on-base percentage. The Falcons have scored 77 runs, while giving up 89, and have scored ten or more runs in six games this season, five of which have been wins. Lackawanna College has 34 extra-base hits, and the Falcons have been deadly on the base paths, going 38-for-38 on steals this year. The Lackawanna pitching staff holds a 9.55 ERA so far this season, giving up 89 runs, 75 earned, on 80 hits in 70.2 innings. The Falcons have struck out 82 batters and are holding their opponents to a .276 batting average this season.
 
Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) is tops on the team among players with nine or more appearances with a .353 batting average. Walsh has a 1.094 OPS, and has a team-high 12 hits and 14 runs scored, along with three RBI, and five extra base hits. Walsh has drawn six walks, and stolen 14 total bases this year. He had five steals in the first game of the year against SWVCC, drawing three walks and scoring four runs in the shutout win. Walsh had a nine-game hitting streak snapped against Patrick & Henry, and has two multi-hit games on the year. Against the Patriots on Thursday, Walsh was 0-for-2 with three runs scored.   
 
Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) is averaging .375 on the year, with an OPS at .971 on the year. Ludwick has nine hits on the season, scoring seven runs and driving in eight RBI, third on the squad this season. Ludwick has a homerun and a double this year, and a .429 OBP. He was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the win over Harford in game one last month, then hit a solo shot for his first dinger of the year in game two. Ludwick has three multi-hit games this season, and was 2-for-5 with two RBI in the loss to Patrick & Henry on Thursday. Ludwick is 5-for-his-last-11, a .454 average, with three runs scored, a double, and two RBI.  
 
Spencer Butz (York, PA) is hitting .476 on the year in his eight games, with five starts this season. Butz has a 1.641 OPS, buoyed by a 1.048 slugging percentage this year. Butz leads the Falcons in RBI (12), as well as extra base hits (6), including two doubles, triples, and homeruns, each, this year. Butz is second on the team with ten total hits this year, and has a .593 OBP. He's also drawn five walks, tied for third on the team. Butz is 5-for-11 in his last three games, a .454 batting average with a pair of triples, a homerun, three runs scored, and eight RBI. He was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, and three RBI total in the loss on Thursday against Patrick & Henry.
 
George Castro (Philadelphia, PA), a third-year player for the Falcons, and is hitting .261 on the year. Castro has a .904 OPS, and has drawn eight walks, first on the team, for a .469 OBP this year. Castro has six hitson the year, and has three extra base hits, with two doubles and a triple. Castro had a six-game hitting streak snapped against Wake Tech. He's gone 0-for-6 in his last two games, including an 0-for-3 performance with a run scored against Patrick & Henry.  
 
Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) is a .286 hitter this year, with an .894 OPS on the season. Murphy, thanks to his eight-RBI performance last weekend, is second on the team with 11 RBI this year. Murphy is slugging at .500, and has three doubles and a homerun on the year. Murphy has two multi-hit games this season, with his 3-for-4 against Florence-Darlington on Sunday being his best on the year. He was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI against Patrick & Henry.
 
Dennis Pierce (Quakertown, PA) is hitting an even .500 through five games this year. Pierce is 4-for-8, driving in five RBI on the year, second on the team. Pierce holds a 1.125 OPS, and is slugging at .625. He was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI in the first game against SWCC, then went 2-for-3 with two RBI in game two. Pierce, normally an infielder, appeared as a relief pitcher for the Falcons against Harford, giving up a run on three hits and striking out a pair in 2/3 innings of work. He also pitched an inning of relief in the win over Florence-Darlington last Sunday, giving up one run, unearned, while striking out a pair in the seventh inning.
 
Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) has the most at-bats (41) and holds a .244 batting average through eleven games on the year. Rush has a .704 OPS, with two triples, a homerun, and five RBI to his name this year. His seven runs scored and ten hits are tied for second on the team this season, both with Butz. Rush was 3-for-5 with three runs, a triple, and two RBI in the season opener against SWVCC, then had a solo homer in the game two win. Rush snapped a five-game hitless streak with a hit in the win over Florence-Darlington last weekend. He has three multi-hit games this year, and was 1-for-3 with an RBI in the loss to Patrick & Henry on Thursday.
 
Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) is hitting .600 in his five games this year, going an impressive 6-for-6 in his plate appearances against Florence Darlington last weekend. Of Miller's six hits, one has been a double, and another a solo homerun. He's driven in two runs this year, and has a slugging percentage at 1.000, boosting his OPS to 1.667 in the early going. Miller was 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, as well as an RBI, in the win over Florence-Darlington last weekend. He was 0-for-1 in the loss to Patrick & Henry on Thursday afternoon.  
 
On the mound, the Falcons are led by Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD), who is 1-1 on the year in three starts. He went five innings against SWVCC in the season opener, striking out ten batters and allowing just two hits in what became a shutout 12-0 win for the Falcons. Scott was the Region XIX Pitcher of the Year in 2021, and battled through injuries last season to still be named to the Region XIX second-team. Scott has a 3.60 ERA in ten innings pitched, giving up six runs, four earned, on eight hits, while striking out 13 batters and walking five. Scott has held his opponents to .211 on the season. In his last start, the first game of the weekend at Florence-Darlington, Scott gave up five runs, three earned, on five hits in four innings of work of what turned out to be a 12-2 loss for the Falcons.
 
Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) is second on the team with 8.2 innings pitched so far this season. Burkholder is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in his four appearances, giving up four runs on seven hits, with eight strikeouts so far this season. Opponents are hitting .219 against Burkholder on the year. Burkholder got the win in the game against Florence-Darlington last weekend, pitching three innings and allowing two runs on just one hit and two strikeouts. He pitched .2 innings of relief against Patrick & Henry for the Falcons on Thursday, giving up a hit and posting a strikeout.
 
Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) has pitched 7.2 innings so far this season, and has a 2-1 record with an inflated 12.91 ERA this year. He's allowed 14 runs, eleven earned, on 12 hits, with 12 strikeouts this year. Starn got battered in the second game on Saturday against Florence-Darlington in his last start, giving up nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits in 2.2 innings. 
 
Owen Arndt (Lewisburg, PA) has thrown four innings this season, going 0-1 in his two starts with a 6.75 ERA. Arndt has given up four runs, three earned, on four hits in his appearances so far this year. Arndt lasted two innings against Florence Darlington on Sunday afternoon, giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits, while walking two batters. Arndt is a transfer from Wallace State College in Alabama, where last season he pitched 21 innings, giving up ten earned runs and striking out 21 batters, going 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA.
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) has thrown 5.1 innings of work so far this season, making three appearances, all in relief, posting a 1.69 ERA and giving up one run on two hits. Russell's opponents are averaging .111 at the dish against him this year. Russell had a scoreless inning of relief in his last appearance, against Wake Tech, with one strikeout.  
 
The Falcons are coached by Mike McCarry, entering his fifth season at the helm for the Falcons. McCarry has taken the Falcons to the NJCAA DII World Series twice in the last four years, taking the Falcons to Region 19 crowns in 2019 and 2021, on their way to the World Series tournament in Enid, OK. McCarry, who played under Jamie Shevchik at nearby Keystone College in the early 2000's, has been coaching baseball since 2006, having spent time at Central Bucks West HS, then moved onto the collegiate ranks a few years later when he arrived at LaSalle University, where he was the Head Assistant – Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. While at LaSalle, McCarry helped the Explorers develop a relationship with NJCAA schools, bringing in four NJCAA All-Americans in his time. After LaSalle, McCarry moved on to be the pitching coach at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX. McCarry is 99-63 in his 4+ seasons with the Falcons, winning a pair of Region 19 championships and coaching three NJCAA All-Americans, as well as several All-Region selections in his time at Lackawanna.
 
About The Opponents
Bryant & Stratton (12-9) is out of Region 10, and have won seven of its last eight games coming into the weekend. The Bobcats won their last game, a 12-8 win on Wednesday over Virginia Peninsula CC. The Bobcats put ten hits on the board, including a pair of doubles and a homerun, and scored four runs in the fourth and sixth innings to build a 10-5 lead, coasting to victory from there. Four Bobcats had multiple hits on the day, led by Devin Hicks going 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs scored, and three walks drawn. Hicks hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning to give B&S a boost. Raphael Beltre was 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored, while Ryland Brown went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs on the day. The Bobcats had six stolen bases on the day, and the defense did just enough against the Gators, striking out 16 batters as a pitching staff and stranding 16 base runners on the day.
 
As a team on the year, Bryant & Stratton has a collective .264 batting average, with a .835 OPS on the year. The Bobcats have been dynamite at the plate, hitting 56 extra base hits, including 29 doubles and 25 homeruns on the year. Through 21 games, Bryant & Stratton averages 7.4 runs per game, and has 46 stolen bases this season. The Bobcats have struck out 159 times on the year, and have drawn 99 walks.
 
On the mound, the Bobcats have a collective ERA at 6.18, giving up 135 runs, 114 earned, on 168 hits in 166 innings pitched, striking out 191 batters and walking 128 on the year. The Bobcats average 10.4 strikeouts per game this year.
 
Carlos Negron leads the Bobcats with 23 total hits this year and 23 runs scored, both team-highs, while average .411 at the plate, also best on the team. Negron, in 20 games, has six doubles and seven homeruns for a team-best 26 RBI this year. he's also got 5 stolen bases, and holds a 1.500 OPS, including a .929 slugging percentage this season. Negron has six multi-hit games this season, and his best game may have been a 2-for-4 performance against Southeastern CC-Whiteville, where he scored three runs, drove in three, and both of his hits were homeruns. He had a game earlier this season where he was 3-for-5 with five runs scored, a double, a homer, and three RBI, in 21-4 win over Virginia Peninsula CC. Against the Gators on Wednesday, he was 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a double on the day.
 
The aforementioned Devin Hicks has 21 hits on the year, second on the squad, and is a .318 hitter this year. Hicks has seven homeruns, tied with Negron for first on the team, and has driven in 18 runs this year. His 20 runs scored is second on the squad, and he's got a .712 slugging percentage this year, boosting his OPS to 1.163 on the year. Hicks has eight stolen bases on the season, most on the team, and has eleven total extra base hits. Hicks has ten walks, tied for second on the team, but leads the Bobcats in strikeouts at 22 on the year. Hicks has eight multi-hit games, including five of his last six games. Hicks has gone 10-for-21 in his last six games (.476), with nine RBI, three homeruns, and two doubles, as well as nine runs scored. Hicks was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBI, all three coming on a homerun against Virginia Peninsula CC.
 
Ryland Brown has 20 hits on the year, third on the squad, and is a .286 hitter with 15 runs scored this year. Brown has six extra base hits, with four doubles and two homers and 14 RBI, while drawing ten walks on the year. Brown has an .819 OPS this season. Brown has five multi-hit games on the season, his best performance being a 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in an 11-10 win over Southeastern CC back on March 5^th. Brown was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and two RBI in the win over Virginia Peninsula on Wednesday.
 
Juan Mejias has 19 total hits this season, and is averaging .311 on the year. Mejias has scored 13 runs on the year, and has ten RBI for the Bobcats on the season, and has a .752 OPS, with a .408 OBP. Mejias has five multi-hit games, twice collecting three hits last month. He is 0-for-his-last-7, going 0-for-3 with two runs scored in the win over Virginia Peninsula on Wednesday.
 
Witt Scafidi has 18 total hits and a .316 batting average on the year. Scafidi is slugging at .544, and has an OPS at .929 on the year. He's got four doubles and three homeruns on the year, driving in 12 runs on the year. Scafidi has also stolen six bases on the year. Scafidi has five multi-hit games this year, with his best being a 3-for-4 performance against Southeastern CC, scoring three runs, hitting a double and a homer, and driving in a pair of runs. He did not appear against Virginia Peninsula on Wednesday.
 
On the bump, the Bobcats are led by Kevin Caceres, who has thrown a team-high 34 innings, going 1-1 in six appearances, all starts, with a 4.24 ERA. Caceres has given up 17 runs, 16 earned, on 32 hits, while striking out a team-high 38 batters on the year and surrendering 14 walks. Caceres last appeared on March 4^th, where he went six innings and gave up four runs on eight hits in a 6-5 win over Southeastern CC. Caceres will most likely start at some point this weekend against Lackawanna.
 
Darian Fumero has made eight appearances, three starts, and is 1-2 with a 13.50 ERA on the year. Fumero, in 12 innings of work, has given up 18 runs, all earned, on 16 hits, while walking a team-high 16 batters, and striking out 15. Fumero last appeared against Virginia Peninsula on Wednesday, going two innings in relief, and giving up three runs, all earned, on just one hit, while striking out three and walking two.
 
Ryan Cason has made the most appearances, coming in eleven times as a reliever. He's 0-2 with an 8.68 ERA on the year. Cason has pitched 9.1 innings, giving up nine runs, all earned, on 16 hits, and striking out 12, while walking just one on the year. Cason hasn't allowed a run in his last three appearances, and he's come out for 2.2 innings of work combined in the last three games, giving up three hits and striking out five batters. He pitched an inning of relief, giving up a hit and striking out three against Virginia Peninsula CC on Wednesday.  
 
Sebastian Pagan has appeared in nine games this year, a pair of them starts, going 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA and two saves, most on the team. Pagan has pitched 21 innings, second-most on the team, and has given up five runs on 13 hits, while striking out 16 batters on the year. His last appearance was a start against Southeastern CC on March 4^th, pitching five innings and giving up two runs, both earned, on six hits, while striking out three and picking up the win in a 12-2 victory.
 
The head coach for Bryant & Stratton is Paul Bottigliero, the only coach the program has had, now in his seventh season at the helm of the Bobcats. After a 15-29 first year, Bottigliero led Bryant & Stratton to a winning season at 28-24 in year two, a 13-game improvement. Last year, he won 29 games, the most in his time at Bryant & Stratton. Bottigliero joined Bryant & Stratton after spending four years at Old Dominion University as an assistant. While there, Bottigliero served as the third base coach, as well as the hitting and catching instructor. Three position players were selected from ODU to the MLB Draft, and Bottigliero helped bring along two freshmen All-Americans with the Monarchs. Bottigliero spent time with the Somerset Patriots as a player in the Atlantic League before his time at ODU, and is a junior college (Garden City CC) and four-year school (Monmouth University) player in his time. Bottigliero has a career record of 131-150 with the Bobcats.  
 
Game Details
Lackawanna College is set to face off with Bryant & Stratton in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in Hampton, VA, starting with game one at 12:00pm ET, and game two to follow at 3:00pm ET. Then, on Sunday, both teams will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 12:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream available for all three games, via the Bryant & Stratton Live Video page HERE.
 
The Falcons have a bit of a break before they get back in action, with a doubleheader away on Saturday, March 18^th at NJCAA Division I opponent Monroe College. First pitch in New Rochelle, NY is scheduled for 1:00pm ET.