4/1/25
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – After taking on one potential playoff opponent on Sunday, the Lackawanna College baseball squad will turn its collective attention to another possible postseason foe, as the Falcons embark on a road trip to Monroe CC on Tuesday, April 1^st, for a doubleheader in non-region play.
 
The doubleheader gets under way at 1:00pm ET on Tuesday afternoon at the Tribune Baseball Field in Rochester, NY. There will be a video livestream available via the Monroe CC Hudl Fan page, linked HERE.
 
Monroe CC could be a potential District tournament opponent if the Falcons get that far in the postseason. Monroe CC competes out of Region 3, and will play Region 21 opponent UConn Avery Point for a spot in the district playoffs.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (16-10) enter the week on a tear, winning their last nine games. Lackawanna has scored 112 runs in those nine games, averaging 12.4 per contest. The Falcons most recently knocked off another playoff contender, SUNY Rockland CC, this past Sunday in a doubleheader sweep. The Falcons took game one, 9-4, then walked off with a 6-5 win in game two at home. You can read the recap from the twin bill HERE.
 
On the season, the Falcons are hitting a combined .353, compiling a collective 1.049 OPS, which includes a .453 OBP and a .596 slugging percentage, good for fourth in NJCAA Division II. Lackawanna has 124 extra-base hits, eighth in the country, including 81 doubles (4^th) and 39 home runs (11^th). The Falcons have scored 255 runs. Lackawanna has drawn 121 walks and struck out 184 times as a team this year, while stealing 37 bases.
 
On the mound, the Falcons have a 6.64 ERA, giving up 170 runs, 138 earned, on 193 hits through 187 innings pitched. Teams are hitting .259 against the Falcons this season, with eleven home runs and 51 extra-base hits. Lackawanna has struck out 202 batters and walked 141. The Falcons have also plunked 36 batters this year.
 
Defensively, the Falcons have 42 errors and a .947 fielding percentage. The Falcons have caught seven baserunners stealing this year and have forced six double plays.
 
Sophomore shortstop Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) is first on the team with 40 hits and a .426 batting average in his 25 appearances. Henderson has a 1.184 OPS with nine doubles, fourth on the team, and 35 RBIs, first on the squad. He's also got four home runs, tied for fifth this year. He's got a .482 OBP on the year. Brooks has scored 31 runs, tied for first on the team, and has drawn eleven walks on the year. Henderson has eleven multi-hit games, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs in the 13-6 win over Bryant & Stratton on February 9^th. He was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a triple in the game one win against Onondaga on March 9^th. Henderson was 5-for-6 in a 21-1 win against Raritan Valley on March 29^th, hitting a three-run homer, scoring three runs, and driving in five total. He was a combined 11-for-19 in five games this past weekend, scoring ten runs, driving in 12, and helping the Falcons win all five games. Defensively, Henderson has 35 putouts, 61 assists, and five errors on the year from his shortstop position.
 
First-year outfielder Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) leads the Falcons with a .469 batting average and is second on the team with 38 total hits in 26 games. Brown has a 1.374 OPS and a .559 OBP, first and second on the team in both categories, respectively. Brown has scored 26 runs, fourth on the team, and he has posted eleven doubles, five homers, and 28 RBIs, second on the squad. He's drawn 12 walks and has been hit by seven pitches, second on the team. Brown has nine multi-hit games on the year and has a 21-game hitting streak. He was a perfect 3-for-3 in the loss to Bryant & Stratton on February 9^th, hitting a double and driving in another run. Deacon hit a two-run homer in game one against Onondaga on March 9^th, then hit another two-run homer in game two. Deacon was 4-for-4 with four RBIs, a run scored, and a homer against Delaware County on March 26^th. He had three hits and five runs against Raritan in three games. He had three hits and three RBIs against Rockland on Sunday. Deacon has been busy in the field, with 40 putouts, three assists, and one error this year.
 
Sophomore Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) is a .413 hitter this season through 23 appearances, collecting 33 total hits. Kegerreis has 31 runs scored this season, tied with Henderson for first on the Falcons, and he has a team-high 13 doubles and 24 RBIs. Kegerreis has a 1.220 OPS this year, with a .495 OBP. He has drawn nine walks and been hit by six pitches on the season. Kegerreis has nine multi-hit games this season, and he currently has a 13-game hitting streak. Kegerreis was 3-for-5 against Cumberland on March 12^th, hitting a two-run homer in the first, a double, scoring two runs, and driving in three more. He was a combined 6-for-6 with seven runs, a homer, and six RBIs in three contests against Raritan Valley CC this past weekend. He was 4-for-6 with three runs and two RBIs in two games against Rockland on Sunday. He has 31 putouts and 25 assists this season in the field.
 
Sophomore first baseman John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) is a .391 hitter with 25 hits in 22 games this year. Hughes has a 1.373 OPS, with 23 runs scored and 22 RBIs. He has ten doubles, a triple, and five home runs this season. Hughes has drawn 18 walks, first on the squad, and he has been hit by eight pitches. Hughes has a .560 OBP this year, first on the team, and he's slugging at .813. Hughes has seven multi-hit games this season, and he was 3-for-5 with three doubles and three RBIs in the win against Cumberland on March 12^th. Against Raritan, he had three hits, a homer, and four RBIs. He had a run scored on a solo homer against Rockland on Sunday.
 
Sophomore catcher and DH Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) is a .373 hitter through 22 games this season, compiling a 1.141 OPS on the year. Kelleher has scored 27 runs, third on the team, and collected 25 total hits, posting eight doubles, four home runs, and 14 RBIs. Kelleher has drawn nine walks and he has two stolen bases. Kelleher has four multi-hit games this season, including going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, and two RBIs in the game one win against Allegany on March 15^th. He was a combined 6-for-10 with seven runs, two RBIs, two doubles, and one home run against Raritan Valley in three games this past weekend. Kelleher was 1-for-3 with two runs in the 6-5 win against Rockland on Sunday. Kelleher has caught two runners stealing this season as a catcher and has seven assists behind the plate this season.
 
Sophomore outfielder Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) is a .316 hitter this season through 25 games, collecting 25 hits and driving in 22 runs. Matson has scored 15 runs and has put up seven doubles on the year and has three home runs. He has drawn eight walks and has stolen eight bases, tied with Henderson for first on the team. Matson has nine multi-hit games this season, and he was 3-for-6 in the opener against Bryant & Stratton, driving in six runs and posting two doubles. Matson was 2-for-3 with two homers and seven RBIs I the 21-1 win against Raritan on Saturday. He hit a three-run home run, then a grand slam. Matson was 0-for-3 in the 6-5 win against Rockland on Sunday. He also pitched two scoreless innings in the 9-4 win against the Hawks in game one. Matson has 37 putouts on the season.
 
Sophomore utility player Jason Prudente (Bear Creek Twp., PA) is a .429 hitter so far this season, putting up 21 hits so far this season in 20 games. Prudente has a 1.356 OPS and 16 runs scored. He has seven doubles and four homers, driving in 21 runs on the season. Prudente has a .816 slugging percentage, first on the team this season, and his .540 OBP is third on the team. Prudente has ten walks on the year and he has been hit by three pitches. Prudente has four multi-hit games on the season. He was 2-for-5 with a grand slam homer in the win against Delaware Tech on March 21^st. he hit another homer the next day against DTCC in the first game of a doubleheader. He was 3-for-3 with a homer, a double, and three RBIs in the 20-18 loss to Gloucester on March 18^th. He was a combined 8-for-12 with seven runs, three doubles, and four RBIs in three games against Raritan. He had a double, an RBI, and a run scored in two games against Rockland on Sunday.
 
Sophomore catcher Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY) is a .368 hitter this season in his 20 appearances, collecting 21 total hits and driving in 15 runs. Hirschfeld has five doubles and two homers, and he has scored 17 runs. Hirschfeld had two hits in each of his first two games and has six multi-hit games on the season. Hirschfeld came into the game against Gloucester as a pinch runner and finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI. He played in one game against Raritan Valley, going 3-for-5 with a double, a homer, three runs, and three RBIs. He was a combined 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in two games against Rockland. He was the pinch hit hero in game two, singling home the game-winning run for the Falcons.
 
Sophomore infielder Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) is a .476 hitter with a 1.421 OPS through 15 appearances this season. Lepage has five homers, tied with Brown, Henderson, and Hughes for first on the team, and has 13 RBIs. He has a .881 slugging percentage in his 15 games. Lepage has 14 runs scored on the year and carries a .540 OBP. Lepage has drawn five walks and been hit by a pair of pitches. Lepage has seven multi-hit games this season. He was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, two homers, and three RBI in a 15-7 loss to Patrick & Henry on February 23^rd. He went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, four RBI, and two homers in a win against Bryant & Stratton back on February 9^th. Lepage missed four games, but returned to the lineup two weeks ago against RCSJ Cumberland. However, he left the March 28^th game against Raritan Valley early last Friday with an injury. He was 1-for-1 with an RBI double. Lepage has six putouts and eight assists this season.
 
Sophomore pitcher Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) leads the team with 39.1 innings pitched, making seven appearances, six of which have been starts. O'Leary has a 4-2 record with a 4.81 ERA. He has given up 26 runs, 21 earned, on 40 hits, while striking out a team-high 49 batters and walking 15. The opposition is hitting .252 against him this year, and he has hit a team-high eight batters. O'Leary's best outing happened against Monroe on March 8^th, where he went six innings, striking out a season-best nine batters, and allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits. O'Leary has recorded at least four strikeouts in all seven of his appearances this season. He went seven innings in his last outing, picking up the 21-1 win against Raritan Valley CC, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out eight for the win. It's the second straight start where he struck out eight or more batters.
 
Sophomore pitcher Ryan Novakowski (Forty Fort, PA) is second on the team in innings pitched, throwing 37.1 innings on the year. Novakowski is 3-2 with a 5.79 ERA in his seven appearances, all starts. Novakowski has given up 26 runs, 24 earned, on 38 hits, with 43 strikeouts and 13 walks. Batters are hitting .252 against Novakowski this year. His best outing came against Allegany on March 15^th in game one of the doubleheader, striking out nine in a complete game shutout in seven innings. He scattered four hits and walked three in the 14-0 win. He pitched seven innings in a win against Delaware Tech March 21^st, striking out a season-best eleven, while giving up six runs, four earned. Against Raritan Valley on March 28^th, he gave up just one run, coming in the seventh inning, while striking out eight and only allowing two hits in a 14-1 win.
 
Sophomore Trey Sajeski (Holland, PA) is third on the team, pitching 25 innings in seven appearances this season. He's 3-1 with a 7.56 ERA. Sajeski has given up 26 runs, 21 earned, on 29 hits, striking out 25 and walking 15 batters. The opposition is hitting .271 against him this season. Sajeski threw his best game on March 9^th against Onondaga, striking out a season-high seven in a season-long six innings. He gave up just one run on five hits for the win in the 11-1 victory for Lackawanna. In his last outing, Sajeski went five innings for the win against Raritan Valley, giving up seven runs, five earned, on five hits in the 18-10 win. He struck out four batters.
 
The head coach for the Falcons is Mike McCarry, now in his seventh season with Lackawanna College. McCarry has had loads of success in his time with the Falcons, making the NJCAA Division II World Series in three of his previous six seasons. In 2019, his first year, the Falcons went 32-17, won the Region XIX championship, and then the Northeast District championship on their way to the national showcase. The Falcons duplicated that result in 2021, going 30-16, winning another region and district title, and then appearing in Enid, Oklahoma for the NJCAA DII World Series. McCarry's 2023 team went 40-17, tied for second all-time in program history in wins, and the Falcons won region and district gold, while also winning two games at the NJCAA DII World Series. McCarry is a southeastern Pennsylvania native, and he has ties to Northeast PA dating back to his time playing at Keystone College in 2003. McCarry started his collegiate coaching career at LaSalle University, where he served as the head assistant. He moved on the Stephen F. Austin as a pitching coach, before joining the Lackawanna staff. He is 182-110 in his career at Lackawanna.
 
About Monroe CC
The Tribunes (8-6) got off to a rough start, dropping their first five games of the season out in Arizona. Monroe CC rattled off six straight games to get back above .500 and enters Tuesday on a three-game winning streak. The Tribunes are fresh off a doubleheader victory against Tompkins Cortland CC on March 27^th, winning both games in five innings by scores of 13-0 and 17-3.
 
The Tribunes are hitting .303 as a team this season, posting a combined .936 OPS. The Tribunes average 8.9 runs per game this season, posting 44 extra-base hits this season, which includes 26 doubles and eleven triples on the year. The Tribunes have drawn 84 walks and struck out 102 times, while stealing 52 bases on the year.
 
As a pitching staff, Monroe CC has a 6.25 ERA. Through 93.2 innings, the Tribunes have given up 84 runs, 65 earned, on 112 hits, striking out 126 batters and giving up 65 walks. Opponents are hitting .288 against Monroe on the season. The Tribunes have hit 16 batters this season.
 
Defensively, Monroe has a .916 fielding percentage with 29 errors this season. Monroe CC has four double plays and has caught five runners stealing this season.
 
Tobey Wright leads the Tribunes with 19 total hits, posting a .388 batting average through 14 games this season. Wright has a team-high 22 runs and has 13 RBIs, third on the team this year. He has a .985 OPS, boosted by his .516 OBP. He has drawn 12 walks, second on the team this season, and he leads the squad with 16 stolen bags. He's got five multi-hit games on the season and was a combined 4-for-6 with three RBIs against Tomkins Cortland CC in two games.
 
Braedon Reina is second on the team with 16 hits in 14 games this season, posting a .381 batting average. Reina is second on the team with 20 runs scored and he has five extra-base hits, including three triples. Reina has seven RBIs and leads the team with 16 walks on the season. His .587 OBP is tops on the squad, and he has a 1.151 OPS on the season. Reina has 13 stolen bases, second on the team behind Wright. He has five multi-hit games on the year, and he was 3-for-5 with two RBIs in game two against Tomkins Cortland on Thursday night.
 
Miguel Matos has a .371 batting average and 13 hits so far this season, third on the team. His five doubles lead the Tribunes, and he is second on the team with 15 RBIs. Matos has scored 14 runs this season, and he has drawn nine walks and been hit by four pitches. Matos has a 1.081 OPS on the year, helped by his .510 OBP. Matos has three multi-hit games on the season, collecting a season-high three hits in a 7-6 win against Mohawk Valley CC on March 14^th. He was a combined 1-for-4 with an RBI and three walks in the doubleheader against Tompkins Cortland on Thursday.
 
Evan Brock has eleven hits and a .355 batting average in eleven games, leading the Tribunes with 16 RBIs this season and a 1.242 OPS, boosted by his team-best .742 slugging percentage. Brock has eight runs, three triples, and a pair of home runs on the year, drawing nine walks on the season. He's got two multi-hit games during the season. He missed three games through mid-March, but came back in a big way last week, compiling four hits and seven RBIS in two games against Tompkins Cortland CC.
 
Pitcher Jackson Hubbard leads the Tribunes with 13.1 innings pitched in five appearances. Hubbard has given up 15 runs, 12 earned, on 18 hits, posting an 8.10 ERA. Hubbard has struck out 15 batters and walked nine on the season, and opponents are hitting .327 against him this season. Hubbard has struck out his season-best four batters in two separate games. His last appearance was two innings against Tomkins Cortland CC, striking out four in two innings, while giving up two runs on four hits.
 
Pitcher Charles Sobaszek is second on the team with 13 innings pitched, posting a 10.38 ERA in five appearances on the year. Sobaszek is 1-2 this season, giving up 15 runs, all earned, on 27 hits. He has struck out 16 and walked just two, but opponents are hitting .429 on the year against him. He was hit hard in his last outing, giving up seven runs on seven hits in the 11-7 loss to Onondaga back on March 18^th.
 
David Brust is the head coach for the Tribunes, now in his 12^th season in charge at Monroe CC. Brust took over ahead of the 2014 season. Brust has won three district championships and made three NJCAA DII World Series appearances in his time at Monroe CC., last making it to Enid, OK in 2019. Brust is a Monroe CC graduate from the late 1980's, posting a .423 batting average and eleven homers and 49 RBIs in 1987. He went on to Ball State, where he was the captain and team MVP in 1988 and 1989. He played professionally in the Atlanta Braves organization from 1989 to 1992. He started coaching in 2004 in the NY Collegiate Baseball League, and in 2005 he joined MCC as an assistant coach, which he did until the 2012 season. He left to spend a year as the assistant at the University of Rochester in 2013, before rejoining the Tribunes as the head ball coach. Brust holds a 243-175-1 overall record in his time at Monroe CC.
 
The Match-Ups
Lackawanna College is 7-1 in the eight games the two teams have played since 2019. The squads split a doubleheader last season, with Lackawanna winning 11-8 in game one, then Monroe CC winning 10-0 in game two. The doubleheader happened in Rochester on April 16^th last year.
 
The doubleheader between the two gets under way at 1:00pm ET on Tuesday, April 1^st, at the Tribune Baseball Field in Rochester, NY. There will be a video livestream available via the Monroe CC Hudl Fan page, linked HERE.
 
The Falcons are back to conference play with a three-game series against Sussex County CC this coming weekend. The first pair of games in the three-game series are set for Friday, April 4^th, in a doubleheader scheduled for 2:00pm ET at the University of Scranton's Volpe Field. The third game will be on Sunday, April 6^th, at 12:00pm ET at the Our Field of Dreams baseball complex at Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ.