Box Score NJIT (11-17) at SAINT PETER'S (10-25)
Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 3 p.m.
Jaroschak Field, Jersey City, N.J.
opening pitch… Saint Peter's will host NJIT on Tuesday to complete a home and home series on the year. The Peacocks defeated the Highlanders 6-3 on Mar. 25 in Newark.
the word on the highlanders… NJIT comes into the contest 11-17 after falling 9-7 to Wagner on Saturday. Mike Rampone leads the team with a .320 batting average, 33 hits, 14 runs scored, 10 doubles, two homers and 18 RBIs. Teddy Bickert is second on the squad with a .308 batting average, 33 hits, 23 runs scored, three doubles, a homer and 10 RBIs while Matt Weckerle is third on the team with a .296 batting average, 29 hits, 26 runs scored, four doubles, four triples, six home runs and 24 RBIs.
last time we met… Michael Wulff and Sean Henry each knocked in two runs to lift Saint Peter's past NJIT 6-3 on Mar. 25, 2014. Wulff recorded two hits, two RBIs and a run scored while Henry added a hit and two RBIs. The duo knocked in all three runs in the seventh for what proved to be the deciding runs. Nick Henriquez added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI for the Peacocks while Rob Moore hit his second homer of the year in the winning effort. Stephan Halibej fueled the Highlanders with a hit and two RBIs while Matt Weckerle added a hit and an RBI in the loss.
last time out… Quinnipiac defeated Saint Peter's 9- on Sunday. Vinny Maietta went 2-for-2 with two walks and an RBI to pace the Peacocks while Jon Kristoffersen added two hits and a run scored and Chris Hugg posted a hit and an RBI in the loss.
next on tap… Saint Peter's heads to Florida International for a four-game series Friday through Sunday. The Peacocks return to Jersey City for their final four home games. The squad will host Seton Hall on Apr. 30 and Iona from May 3-4. After the four-games at Jaroschak Field, Saint Peter's will play its final eight games on the road.
the nolan ryan of saint peter's… Senior Zach Hopf became the program's all-time career leader in strikeouts with his second punch out of the third inning against Rider on Apr. 12 to surpass Chris Innis (217, 2005-08) as the all-time strikeout king and now has 230 strikeouts for his career. The senior had a dominate performance against the Broncs, notching a career-high 13 strikeouts on the day.
statistically speaking… Jon Kristoffersen leads the team with a .351 batting average, 53 hits, 29 runs scored, eight doubles, two triples, a homer and 16 RBIs. Rob Moore ranks second on the team with a .343 batting average, 37 hits, 17 runs scored, six doubles, a triple, four homers and 20 RBIs while Chris Hugg is third on the squad with a .312 batting average, 35 hits, 14 runs scored, 13 doubles, two homers and 30 RBIs.
covering all the bases… Rob Moore leads the team with four homers while Chris Hugg and Nick Henriquez have gone yard twice and Jon Kristoffersen, Ariel Ramirez, Jim Smith have each gone deep once this year. Hugg also has a team-high 13 doubles while Kristoffersen is second on the squad with eight two baggers.
garden state of mind… Saint Peter's is 7-2 against teams from New Jersey. The Peacocks defeated Seton Hall 9-8 on Mar. 19 and NJIT 6-3 on Mar. 25. Saint Peter's suffered its first loss this season against a team from New Jersey with an 11-3 setback on Mar. 27. In conference play, the Peacocks went 2-1 against Monmouth and 3-0 against Rider to go 5-1 in the Hourglass Rivalry. Saint Peter's is 5-3 in Jersey City this season, including 5-1 at Jaroschak Field.
smith honored… Senior catcher Jim Smith was named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Preseason team. Smith, who was named to the All-MAAC second team last season, was second on the team with a .285 batting average, 37 hits, 21 runs scored, 10 doubles, a homer and 25 RBIs in his junior campaign. Smith was the team's top hitter in league play, boasting a .318 batting average with 21 hits, 12 runs scored, three doubles, a homer and 13 RBIs. Behind the plate, the junior threw out 33 of the 49 runners attempting to steal to boast a 40.2 percentage.
preseason poll… The Peacocks baseball team was tabbed ninth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Canisius, the defending MAAC Tournament champions, were tabbed as the preseason favorite, edging newcomer Monmouth by 14 points in the poll. Rider and Siena, who both made the MAAC Tournament last season were selected 3-4 in the poll while Marist, Fairfield, Manhattan, Niagara, Saint Peter's, Iona and Quinnipiac round out the 11-team poll. Monmouth and Quinnipiac both joined the league this season after playing in the Northeast Conference last season.
league changed for 2014… Monmouth and Quinnipiac both joined the MAAC in 2014 after playing in the Northeast Conference last season. In addition, the league has expanded the playoffs from four teams to six squads due to the unbalanced circuit schedule. The MAAC Tournament will be held at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, N.J., on May 21-25. The Top-6 teams will advance to the tournament.
keep the light alive… Sophomore John Leiter comes from a great a great baseball family. Both of his uncles (Al and Mark) pitched in Major League Baseball.
new to the flock… Freshmen AJ Celentano, DJ Nozza, Steven Price, Brennan Rowe, Paul Schifilliti, Kevin Soriano, junior Chris Hugg and graduate student Frank Morris each joined the team in 2014. Morris comes to Saint Peter's from Seton Hall.
