3/17/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Back home after their southern swing for Spring Break, the Lackawanna College baseball squad was welcomed home with chilly temperatures and the looming threat of snow. But, the adverse conditions aren't enough to keep the Falcons home, as they get set for a trip out east to the Empire State on Saturday afternoon.
 
It all starts on Saturday March 18^th, when the Falcons travel to New Rochelle, NY to take on the Division I Monroe College Mustangs for a doubleheader, with game one starting at 3:00pm ET. There will be a video livestream of the Monroe doubleheader via the Monroe Mustangs YouTube Channel, HERE.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (7-7) enters the weekend after a few days off. Their last game was a 10-4 loss at Bryant & Stratton in Hampton, VA on Sunday, March 12^th. The Falcons were bottled up on offense in the contest, with just five hits as a group, three coming from Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ), who was 3-for-5 with four RBI, coming on a three-run homerun and an RBI single. Otherwise, the Falcons were wasteful, stranding 29 baserunners over the course of the day. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .320 on the year so far, posting a combined .986 OPS, with a .444 on-base percentage. The Falcons have scored 110 runs, while giving up 103, and have scored ten or more runs in eight games this season, seven of which have been wins. Lackawanna College has 52 extra-base hits, including 28 doubles and 16 homeruns, and the Falcons have been deadly on the base paths, going 45-for-46 on steals this year. The Lackawanna pitching staff holds an 8.55 ERA so far this season, giving up 103 runs, 88 earned, on 101 hits in 92.2 innings. The Falcons have struck out 107 batters and are holding their opponents to a .272 batting average this season.
 
Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) leads the Falcons with a .406 batting average in his 12 games this year. D'Amico has a 1.223 OPS, and has 13 hits, tied for second on the team this year. D'Amico has scored nine runs, tied for fourth on the squad, and has a team-high six doubles to drive in ten runs this year. D'Amico has a .535 on-base percentage, getting hit by a team-high four pitches and drawing six walks this season. D'Amico has four multi-hit games, and was a combined 6-for-9 (.667 BA) with four runs scored, three doubles, a homerun, and three RBI in the three games against Bryant & Stratton last weekend.
 
Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) is a .375 hitter this year, with a 1.243 OPS on the season in 12 games. Murphy leads the Falcons with four homeruns and 21 RBI on the year, posting a .775 slugging percentage this season. He's got 15 hits, tied for first on the team this season, and has ten runs scored, tied for second. He's got eight extra base hits this year, with four doubles in addition to his four homers. Murphy has four multi-hit games this season, and was a sterling 7-for-12 (.583 BA) with ten RBI, three homeruns, six runs scored, and a double.
 
Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) is averaging .353 on the year, with an OPS at .998 on the year. Ludwick has 12 hits on the season, scoring ten runs (tied with Murphy for second on the squad) and driving in nine RBI, fourth on the squad this season. Ludwick has a homerun, two doubles, and a triple this year, and a .439 OBP. Ludwick has four multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 3-for-10 against Bryant & Stratton last weekend, scoring three runs, driving in another, and hitting a double and a triple. 
 
Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) holds a .349 batting average so far this season. Walsh has a 1.160 OPS, and has a team-high 15 hits and 18 runs scored, along with seven RBI, and seven extra base hits. Walsh has drawn eleven walks, tops on the Falcons, and has stolen 18 total bases this year, also first on the team. 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 has three multi-hit games this year, and was 3-for-9 in three games against Bryant & Stratton this past weekend, scoring four runs, driving in four more, and hitting a double and a homerun.   
 
Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) is hitting .684 in his eight games this year, and has an OPS of 1.971. Miller's 13 hits are tied for second on the team, and he's scored eight runs on the year. Of Miller's 13 hits, four have been for extra bases, with three homeruns and a double on the year. He's driven in five RBI this year, and has a slugging percentage at 1.211, with a .760 on-base percentage. Miller has four multi-hit games, with three of them being perfect outings. Miller was 7-for-9 (.778 BA) this weekend in three games against Bryant & Stratton, driving in three runs on two homeruns, and scoring four runs of his own.   
 
Spencer Butz (York, PA) is hitting .379 on the year in his ten games, with five starts this season. Butz has a 1.319 OPS, and has a .526 on-base percentage this season. Butz is second on the Falcons in RBI (12), and has six extra base hits, including two doubles, triples, and homeruns, each, this year. Butz has eleven total hits, and has scored eight runs this season. He's also drawn seven walks, fourth on the team. Butz was 1-for-8 in two games against Bryant & Stratton this past weekend, scoring a run for the Falcons.  
 
George Castro (Philadelphia, PA), a third-year player for the Falcons, and is hitting .235 on the year. Castro has a .775 OPS, and has drawn ten walks, second on the team, for a .422 OBP this year. Castro, in 12 games, has eight hits on 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. Castro has hit a rough patch, going 2-for-17 in his last five games. He was 2-for-11 against Bryant & Stratton, with two runs scored and an RBI in three games.  
 
Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) has the most at-bats (56) and holds a .214 batting average through 14 games on the year. Rush has a .661 OPS, with two triples, two homeruns, and six RBI to his name this year. His nine runs scored and 12 hits are both tied for fourth on the team this season. 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 has three multi-hit games this year, and struggled against Bryant & Stratton this past weekend, going 2-for-15 in three games, hitting a double and a homerun, driving in a run and scoring two of his own.  
 
On the mound, the Falcons are led by Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD), who is 2-1 on the year in four 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 3.21 ERA in 14 innings pitched, giving up seven runs, five earned, on ten hits, while striking out 23 batters and walking seven. Scott has held his opponents to .192 on the season. In his last start, Scott went four innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out ten, in a 16-1 Falcon win in five innings.
 
Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) has pitched 14.2 innings so far this season, and has a 3-1 record with a 7.98 ERA this year. He's allowed 16 runs, 13 earned, on 18 hits, with 16 strikeouts this year. Starn tossed a gem in his last game, going seven innings and giving up just two runs on six hits, while striking out four, to help the Falcons to a 13-3 nine-inning win.  
 
Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) has thrown 12.2 innings so far this season. Burkholder is 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA in his five appearances, giving up nine runs on 13 hits, with eleven strikeouts so far this season. Opponents are hitting .277 against Burkholder on the year. Burkholder got the win in the game against Florence-Darlington two weekends ago, pitching three innings and allowing two runs on just one hit and two strikeouts. In his last outing, Burkholder got tagged with the loss on Sunday against Bryant & Stratton, throwing four innings in a starting role, giving up five runs on six hits and striking out three, but walking four.  
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) has thrown 7.2 innings of work so far this season, making four appearances, all in relief, posting a 4.70 ERA and giving up four runs on five hits. Russell's opponents are averaging .185 at the dish against him this year. Russell threw 2.1 innings of relief on Sunday in the loss to Bryant & Stratton, giving up three runs on three hits, striking out two and walking three batters. 
 
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 101-64 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
Monroe College (9-9) had about as bad a start to the season as you could imagine, losing its first four games and going 2-8 through its first ten, but the Mustangs have rallied to go 7-1 since then, winning their last six games heading into the weekend. Monroe, competing at the Division I level, has a doubleheader sweep over a Region XIX DII team this year, the defending champion Mercer County CC Vikings in a pair of impressive wins (13-5 and 8-1). In its last game, Monroe knocked off fellow NJCAA Division I program Harford CC with a pair of one-run victories on Sunday, March 12^th, 2-1 and 3-2. In the game one victory, a pair of RBI singles, on in the first and one in the fifth, made the difference, as the Mustangs outlasted the Fighting Owls in a pitchers' duel between the two teams. Harford had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the game and gave the Mustangs the victory. In the 3-2 game two win, the Mustangs overcame a late 2-1 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, coming courtesy of a wild pitch that turned the game on its head, allowing two Mustangs to score and swing it to Monroe's favor. Monroe then struck out the side in the top of the seventh to close things out.
 
As a team this year, the Mustangs are hitting .272 on the year, with a .741 OPS. They have 76 runs on 137 hits, with 39 extra base hits, including 29 doubles this season. The Mustangs have 20 stolen bases on 25 attempts, and have drawn 61 walks while striking out 133 times this year. The pitching staff has a collective 8.22 ERA, giving up 134 runs, 112 earned, in 122.2 innings pitched, with 133 strikeouts and 96 walks on the year. Opponents are hitting .275 against the Mustangs this year.
 
Jeremy De La Mota leads the Mustangs with a .400 batting average, with 18 total hits, second on the squad. De La Mota has a 1.004 OPS, and has scored ten runs, third on the team. De La Mota has four doubles and a triple for eight RBI, drawing four walks and posting a .471 on-base percentage. De La Mota has recorded a hit in six straight games, with four multi-hit games so far this season. De La Mota was a combined 3-for-7 against Harford, driving in three runs and scoring one himself in two games.
 
Ronald Almanzar is averaging .370 on the year, with a 1.129 OPS and a team-high 20 hits this season. Almanzar also leads the Mustangs with 15 runs this year, and has ten RBI and ten extra base hits, with a team-high six doubles and three homeruns, and leads the team in slugging percentage at .685 on the year. Almanzar has four multi-hit games on the year, with a perfect 4-for-4 performance in a win over SUNY Rockland as the standout game for him this year. In two games against Harford CC, Almanzar was a combined 1-for-6, with one run scored.
 
Diego Urreta is hitting .347 on the year, with 17 total hits and 14 runs scored this year, second on the team. Urreta has a .982 OPS, with a team-high .492 on-base percentage. Urreta has six extra base hits, with five doubles and a triple, and has driven in eight runs this season. Urreta has also drawn a team-high 14 walks this year. He's got four multi-hit games this year, and was both runs in the game one win over Harford last Sunday. In two games against the Fighting Owls, Urretta was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.
 
Andres Castro is hitting .304 on the year, with a .791 OPS in 15 games this season. Castro has 14 hits, fourth on the team, with nine runs scored and seven RBI on three doubles this year. He's tied with Almanzar for the team lead in hit by pitches at three, and has six stolen bases, a team best this season. Castro has four multi-hit games this season, and was 2-for-7 in two games against Harford CC on Sunday.
 
Pedro Vasquez is hitting .250 on the year, and leads the Mustangs with eleven RBI on the season. Vasquez has ten hits and six runs scored, and has a pair of homers on the season. He's drawn four walks and struck out 15 times this year. Vasquez has three multi-hit games on the year, and was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored in a win over SUNY Rockland last week. He was 0-for-2 in one game against Harford CC this past weekend.
 
On the bump, Andrelis Payamos leads the Mustangs with 22.2 innings pitched this year, going 2-3 in his five appearances with a 5.96 ERA. Payamos has allowed 22 runs, 15 earned, on 19 hits, while striking out a team-high 30 batters and walking 17 opponents on the year. Batters are hitting .209 against Payamos this year. He's won his last two games, going five innings in each of his last two starts and surrendering a combined three runs on three hits, while striking out 16 batters. Against Harford, Payamos gave up one unearned run on one hit, while striking out eight batters to knock off Harford on Sunday.
 
Je-andrick Lourens has gone 21 innings on the year, allowing 13 runs, ten earned, on 22 hits, while striking out 21 batters this season. He's 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA in four appearances, all starts. Lourens has walked nine batters, and his opponents are hitting .278 against him on the year. He had a season-high nine strikeouts in a win over San Jacinto earlier this season. He won his last start, a seven-inning shutout where he gave up five hits and struck out seven against SUNY Rockland.
 
Carlos Peguero has made six appearances, three of them starts, and is 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA this year. In 16.1 innings, he's given up three runs, one earned, on seven hits, while striking out 12 and walking 12 so far this year. Peguero's opponents have hit .123 against him this year. He's also got two saves this year, most on the team. Peguero's last appearance came against Harford CC, where he went three innings and gave up one hit while walking four and not striking anybody out.
 
Samuel Herrera has made five appearances, one start, going 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA. Herrera, in 15 innings pitched, has given up eleven runs, ten earned, on 14 hits, while striking out 19 and walking eight, with his opponents hitting .255 against him this year. Herrera last appeared against Harford CC, giving up three hits and a walk in two innings against the Fighting Owls.
 
The Mustangs are led by head coach Elliott Ayala, now in his eighth season with the Monroe program, and his fourth as the head coach. Ayala joined Monroe in January 2013 as the assistant coach for the softball team, before joining the baseball staff in 2014. Ayala, a Bronx native, played a season for Northeast Texas CC before becoming a 23^rd round draft pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1998. He spent six seasons with the Brewers organization, then went to the independent ranks, playing in the Northern, Frontier, and Can-Am Leagues before joining the Somerset Patriots in 2006, where he played for six seasons and won back-to-back Atlantic League titles.
 
Game Details
It's all set to start on Saturday March 18^th, when Lackawanna and Monroe start their doubleheader at 3:00pm ET in New Rochelle, NY. There will be a video livestream of the Monroe doubleheader via the Monroe Mustangs YouTube Channel, HERE.
 
The Falcons were scheduled to play at Dutchess CC on Sunday, but that game has been postponed. As of right now, the Falcons are scheduled to be home on Tuesday, March 21^st, against SUNY Sullivan, but that game may be delayed, depending on field conditions. Pay attention to lackawannafalcons.com for the latest information.