3/24/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College baseball now turns its attention to its first Region XIX Division II contest of the 2023 season, as the Falcons host the Titans of County College of Morris in the first of a scheduled three-game series, starting with a home contest for the Falcons on Friday, March 24^th, then a pair of games in a doubleheader in Randolph, NJ on Saturday, March 25^th.
 
The home game for the Falcons starts on Friday at 10:00am ET, emanating from the University of Scranton's Volpe Field on Luzerne Street in south Scranton. It'll be a nine-inning affair, and there will be a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE. The doubleheader on the road is set for a 12:00pm ET start on Saturday March 25^th at the County College of Morris baseball field in Randolph.
 
About The Falcons
Lackawanna College (8-9) comes into the morning clash after knocking off SUNY Sullivan with a 14-4 victory on Tuesday afternoon in eight innings, snapping a three-game losing streak for the Falcons. Lackawanna College piled up 17 hits and had nine extra base knocks, including three homeruns in the fifth inning that opened the game up and gave the Falcons a margin that Sullivan couldn't close. Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA), Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA), and Mitchell Jolikko (Middletown, NY) each had homers in the decisive fifth inning, turning a 5-4 game into a 9-4 Falcon lead. Jolikko went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI on a double and his inside-the-park homerun, while Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) was 4-for-6 with three RBI and a double, and Michael Miller (Drexel Hill, PA) went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) came in for two innings of relief to pick up the win, allowing no hits and walking one while striking out three.
 
The Falcons are hitting .307 on the year so far, posting a combined .956 OPS, with a .428 on-base percentage. The Falcons have scored 127 runs, while giving up 120, and have scored ten or more runs in nine games this season, eight of which have been wins. Lackawanna College has 63 extra-base hits, including 34 doubles and 19 homeruns, and the Falcons have been deadly on the base paths, going 46-for-48 on steals this year. Lackawnana has drawn 94 walks and been hit by 15 pitches, but the Falcons have also struck out 130 times this year. The Lackawanna pitching staff holds an 8.15 ERA so far this season, giving up 120 runs, 102 earned, on 124 hits in 112.2 innings. The Falcons have struck out 128 batters and are holding their opponents to a .275 batting average this season, with 91 walks.  
 
Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) leads the Falcons with a .429 batting average in his 15 games this year. D'Amico has a 1.212 OPS, and has 18 hits, tied for first on the team this season. D'Amico has scored ten runs runs, fifth on the squad, and has a team-high seven doubles to drive in 14 runs this year, second on the team. D'Amico has a .545 on-base percentage, getting hit by a team-high four pitches and drawing eight walks this season. D'Amico has five multi-hit games, and was 4-for-6 with a run scored, a double, and three RBI against Sullivan on Tuesday.
 
Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp, PA) holds a .340 batting average so far this season, tied with D'Amico for first on the team with 18 hits this season. Walsh has a 1.160 OPS, and has scored a team-high 19 runs, this year. Walsh has nine RBI, and nine extra base hits this season, with four doubles and a pair of triples. He has drawn a team-best 14 walks, and has stolen 18 total bases this year, also first on the team. Walsh has a .500 on-base percentage, but has struck out 17 times, second on the team 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 has four multi-hit games this year, and 2-for-5 with a run scored, a triple, and two RBI against Sullivan on Tuesday.  
 
Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) is a .320 hitter this year, with a 1.074 OPS on the season in 15 games. Murphy leads the Falcons with four homeruns and 21 RBI on the year, posting a .660 slugging percentage this season. He's got 16 hits, third on the team this season, and has 12 runs scored, tied for second on the squad. He's got nine extra base hits this year, with five doubles in addition to his four homers. Murphy has also drawn seven walks this season. Murphy has four multi-hit games this season, and was 0-for-5 on Tuesday against SUNY Sullivan.   
 
Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) is averaging .310 on the year, with an OPS at .928 on the year. Ludwick has 13 hits on the season, scoring 12 runs, tied for second on the squad with Murphy, and driving in eleven RBI, fourth on the team this season. Ludwick has a pair of homeruns, two doubles, and a triple this year, and a .380 OBP. Ludwick has four multi-hit games on the year, and was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the fifth inning in the win over SUNY Sullivan on Tuesday.
 
Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) is hitting .600 in his eleven games this year, and has an OPS of 1.688. Miller's 15 hits are tied for fourth on the team, and he's scored nine runs on the year. Of Miller's 15 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 1.000, with a .688 on-base percentage. He's drawn five walks and has been hit by a pair of pitches so far this season. Miller has five multi-hit games, with three of them being perfect outings. Miller was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the win over SUNY Sullivan earlier this week.   
 
Spencer Butz (York, PA) is hitting .324 on the year in his 12 games, with six starts this season. Butz has a 1.153 OPS, and has a .477 on-base percentage this season. Butz is third 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 nine runs this season. He's also drawn eight walks, tied for fourth on the team. Butz has three multi-hit games this season, but was 0-for-1 with a run scored on Tuesday against Sullivan.
 
Giovanni Lopez (Olyphant, PA) is hitting .244 on the year in 14 games, compiling ten hits and scoring nine runs for the Falcons this year. Lopez has a double and eight RBI, and has a pair of stolen bases on the year. Lopez has three multi-hit games on the year, and was 0-for-0 with a hit by pitch and a run scored against Sullivan.
 
Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) has the most at-bats (66) and holds a .227 batting average through 17 games on the year. Rush has a .723 OPS, with two doubles, two triples, and three homeruns, driving in nine RBI. His eleven runs scored is third on the Falcons, and his 15 hits are 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 four multi-hit games this year, and went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored in the win over Sullivan.    
 
On the mound, the Falcons are led by Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD), who is 2-2 on the year in five 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 4.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched, giving up ten runs, eight earned, on 15 hits, while striking out a team-best 28 batters and walking nine. Scott has held his opponents to .224 on the season. In his last start, Scott went four innings, giving up three runs on five hits and striking out five batters, but picking up the loss against Monroe in game one last weekend.  
 
Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) has pitched 17.2 innings so far this season, and has a 3-2 record with an 8.66 ERA this year. He's allowed 20 runs, 17 earned, on 24 hits, with 19 strikeouts this year. Starn went three innings in his last start, coming in game two against Monroe, where he gave up four runs on six hits and struck out three in what became an 8-1 loss for the Falcons.   
 
Keon Burkholder (Williamsport, PA) has thrown 14.2 innings so far this season. Burkholder is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in his six appearances, giving up nine runs on 13 hits, with 13 strikeouts so far this season. Opponents are hitting .245 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 came on in relief on Tuesday afternoon, going two innings and striking out a pair, while not surrendering a hit, nor a run, to pick up the win.  
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) has thrown 8.2 innings of work so far this season, making five appearances, all in relief, posting a 7.27 ERA and giving up seven runs on seven hits. Russell's opponents are averaging .226 at the dish against him this year. Russell threw an inning of relief against Monroe last Saturday, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks.
 
Matthew McElligott (Columbus, OH) has thrown eight innings of work this year in six appearances, all in relief. He's got a 5.63 ERA, giving up six runs, five earned, on five hits, while striking out 13 batters. McElligott was undone by an error in his last appearance, giving up an unearned run on a hit, while striking out a batter, in one inning of work against Monroe.   
 
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 102-66 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
The County College of Morris Titans (7-8, 1-3) come into the weekend on a two-game slide, having dropped their most recent game, a Region XIX Division II contest with Delaware Tech, by a 3-1 score on Wednesday afternoon. The Terry Hawks held the Titans to just one hit in nine innings, as Kyle Coffey tossed a complete game one-hitter, with the only run coming on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, striking out 12 Morris batters. The Titans committed six errors, and were undone by giving up three runs in the first two innings.
 
On the year, the Titans are hitting .280 as a squad, with a .841 OPS on the year. Morris has scored 85 runs on 115 hits, with 26 doubles, three triples, and eight homers on the year. They've drawn 60 walks, and struck out 112 times so far this season, while stealing 27 bases as a squad. The Titans have a collective 4.33 ERA, giving up 83 runs, 50 earned, on 93 hits in 104 innings of work. Morris has struck out 111 batters this year, while walking 69 on the season.
 
Chris Giacalone leads the Titans with 16 hits so far this season, posting a .314 batting average on the year. Giacalone has a .896 OPS, boosted by a .510 slugging percentage. He has nine runs scored this year, good for second on the team, and leads Morris with three homeruns and 13 RBI on the year. He's drawn six walks, but has struck out a team-high 20 times this year. Giacalone has five multi-hit games on the year, with his best coming against SUNY Sullivan back on March 15^th, going 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in the 18-5 win. Against Del Tech on March 22^nd, he went 1-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
 
Ryan Vollmer is second on the team with 14 hits this year, averaging .304 at the dish. Vollmer has scored six runs, and has four doubles on the year for eleven RBI. Vollmer has a .775 OPS, and has drawn three walks on the year, while striking out eleven times. Vollmer has two multi-hit games this season, but was held without a hit against Del Tech, going 0-for-3 with the sac fly and RBI on Wednesday.
 
Zach Roskowsky has eleven hits this year in just eight games, posting a .440 batting average and a 1.241 OPS on the year. Roskowsky has scored eight runs, and has a team-high six extra base hits, with his team-best five doubles fueling his productivity. Roskowsky has four RBI, and a pair of stolen bases this year. Roskowsky has four multi-hit games this season, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored, four RBI, two doubles, and a homerun in the win over Sullivan back on March 15^th. Roskowski was 1-for-3 with a strikeout in the loss to Del Tech, the only hit for the Titans.
 
Ethan Young has ten hits so far this season, and is hitting .238 on the year. Young has eight runs scored, and has a pair of homers and a double for eight RBI so far this season. Young has five walks and a stolen base on the year. He has one multi-hit game this season, a 2-for-3 performance against Garrett on March 17^th, where he hit a homer and drove in a pair of runs in a 4-3 loss. Against Delaware Tech, he was 0-for-2 with a strikeout on Wednesday.
 
Sean Ambrose has nine hits this year and is hitting at .265 so far this season. Ambrose has scored eight runs this year, driving in eight runs and hitting a pair of homeruns on the year. Ambrose has five stolen bases, second on the team, and has drawn three walks, but has struck out eleven times this season. Ambrose has one multi-hit game this season, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in a 5-0 win over Mohawk Valley on March 14^th. Ambrose did not play against Delaware Tech on Wednesday.
 
Aidan Pierre has eight hits on the year and a .421 batting average in nine games this season. Pierre has scored eight runs this season, and has compiled four doubles and a triple on the year, driving in five runs so far this year. Pierre has drawn six walks, and has stolen seven bases, tops on the team. Pierre has two multi-hit games so far this season, including going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored, two doubles, and an RBI in a 13-9 win over CC of Rhode Island on March 17^th. Pierre was 0-for-3 with a run score and a walk against Del Tech.
 
CJ Tomalavage has eight hits this year and a .222 batting average, scoring a team-high 13 runs this year. Tomalavage has drawn a team-best 14 walks, and has a double with three RBI this far this season. He's struck out nine times, and stolen a pair of bases this year. Tomalavage has a pair of multi-hit games this year, but has gone 0-for-7 in his last two games, including an 0-for-4 outing with a strikeout against Delaware Tech on Wednesday.
 
On the mound, the Titans are led by Ryan Devanney, who has pitched team-best 15 innings, going 1-0 wit a 1.20 ERA in three appearances. Devanney has given up three runs, two earned, on four hits, striking out 17 and walking three. Devanney hasn't pitched since his last start against Mohawk Valley on March 14^th, pitching all seven innings and striking out eight batters in the 5-0 win.
 
Briant Bazydlo is second on the team in innings pitched, going for 12 innings so far this year, posting a 1-2 mark in four appearances with a 1.50 ERA. Bazydlo has given up five runs, two earned, on seven hits, with 19 strikeouts, a team-high. Bazydlo was last in action on March 17^th against Garrett, pitching an inning of relief and striking out a pair in the 4-3 loss on March 17^th.
 
Ishaan Patel is third on the team, pitching eleven innings of work so far this season, going 0-1 in five appearances with a 3.27 ERA. Patel has given up six runs, four earned, on eight hits, while striking out five and walking four so far this season. Patel pitched four innings of relief against Delaware Tech, giving up just two hits and striking out three batters.
 
Patrick Tullo has thrown ten innings so far this year, appearing in six games and recording a pair of saves, posting a 3.60 ERA. Tullo has given up six runs, four earned, on 13 hits, striking out seven batters and only walking two. He was last in action against Garrett on March 17^th, pitching 0.2 innings and giving up one run on one hit against the Lakers.
 
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. He led the Titans to a 21-18 record last year. He's 28-26 in his time at Morris.
 
Game Details
The home game for the Falcons starts on Friday at 10:00am ET, emanating from the University of Scranton's Volpe Field on Luzerne Street in south Scranton. It'll be a nine-inning affair, and there will be a video livestream available via the Lackawanna College Athletics Network at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE. The doubleheader on the road is set for a 12:00pm ET start on Saturday March 25^th at the County College of Morris baseball field in Randolph.
 
The Falcons are scheduled, as of right now, to play a home doubleheader on Sunday, March 26^th at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore against the Bucks County CC Centurions, with first pitch of game one scheduled for a 12:00pm ET start.