2019 Russmatt Central Florida Invitational
Saint Peter's (0-3) vs. Butler (2-4)
Date: Friday, March 1
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Probable Starter: RHP
Dawy Lebron
Saint Peter's (0-3) vs. Pittsburgh (3-3)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Probable Starter: LHP
Edwin Feliciano
Saint Peter's (0-3) vs. Hofstra (1-3)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Probable Starter: RHP
Ryan Wappaus
Saint Peter's (0-3) vs. Central Michigan (6-2)
Date: Tuesday, March 5
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Probable Starter: RHP
Blake Gonzalez
Saint Peter's (0-3) vs. Central Michigan (6-2)
Date: Wednesday, March 6
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Probable Starter: RHP
Dawy Lebron
First Pitch
- Saint Peter's will travel south to Kissimmee, FL for the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational from March 1 through 6.
- In the invitational, the Peacocks will battle with Butler, Pittsburgh, Hofstra, and Central Michigan over the course of six days.
- The Peacocks head into the invitational with an 0-3 record after dropping a road series at George Washington last week to open the season.
- The Peacocks were led in the opening weekend by Jared Quintero, Jesse Matos, and Hunter Mason who each hit over .300 in the series.
- Anthony Ramos led the team with two RBIs over the three games.
Peacocks vs. the Field
- Saint Peter's is a combined 2-11 against the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational field.
- The Peacocks and Bulldogs will be meeting for the third time, with the Peacocks trailing the all-time series 0-2 against Butler.
- The Peacocks and Pitt Panthers are meeting for just the second time, with the Peacocks holding an 0-1 record against Pitt.
- Saint Peter's met both Butler and Pitt for the first time ever last season in the same tournament.
- Saint Peter's and Hofstra have met 10 times previously, with the Peacocks holding a 2-8 all-time record against the Pride.
- The teams last met in 2016, with Hofstra earning an 11-4 victory over the Peacocks.
- The Peacocks last defeated Hofstra in 2008 by way of a 14-3 blowout in Jersey City.
- Saint Peter's and Central Michigan will be meeting for the first time ever.
Butler Scout
- The Butler Bulldogs are 2-4 on the season and have dropped three in a row.
- Butler's two wins have come against hOURglass Rival Rider, with Butler defeating Rider 14-3 and 9-2.
- The Bulldogs last faced Indiana on the road Wednesday afternoon, falling to the Hoosiers 9-3.
Pitt Scout
- The Pitt Panthers are an even 3-3 this year.
- Pitt has only competed in tournaments so far this season, participating in the Diamond 9 Sunshine State Classic Series, which was also held at the same location of the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational, and the Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament in South Carolina.
- After going 1-3 in the Diamond 9 Sunshine State Classic Series, the Panthers went a perfect 3-0 in the Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament, defeating USC Upstate 6-3 and Bucknell 8-2.
Hofstra Scout
- The Hofstra Pride enters the weekend 1-3.
- Hofstra opened the season with a four-game series against University Incarnate Word (UIW).
- The Pride won the second game 3-2, but fell in the other contests 9-1, 12-1, and 11-1.
Central Michigan Scout
- Central Michigan is 6-2 heading into the invitational.
- After starting the season 0-2, Central Michigan has rallied off six straight wins.
- The six wins include two victories each over Troy, Prairie View A&M, and Lamar.
On Deck
- The Peacocks return to the northeast for a single game against La Salle on Tuesday, March 12 at 3 p.m. in Philadelphia.
Welcome Back
- The Peacocks return 14 members from last season's squad that closed out the final two season series with two wins.
- Returning to the flock this season are Joe Albunia, Jean Candelaria, Aditya Chandel, Steve Epstein, Peter Ferony, Blake Gonzalez, Chris Marquart, Hunter Mason, Jesse Matos, Chris Pimentel, Jared Quintero, Anthony Ramos, Alex Slawinski, and Brian Turton.
New to the Crew
- Saint Peter's welcomes 15 new players to this year's squad.
- The additions include nine transfers and six freshmen.
- Joining the Peacocks are transfers Stephen Carbonara, Andrew Connor, Edwin Feliciano, John Gavura, Nicholas Gennarelli, Trent Koerner, Dawy Lebron, Ledwin Nunez, and Nicholas Sciubba, while the incoming freshman class features Julian Diaz, Luis Garcia, Bryan Guzman, David Mullen, Jared Paladino, and Ryan Wappaus.
MAAC Preseason Polls
- Canisius and Monmouth were named the preseason favorites in the coaches' poll, followed by Marist, Quinnipiac, Manhattan, Fairfield, Siena, Niagara, Rider, Iona, and the Peacocks.
About the Coach
- Danny Ramirez enters his third season as the baseball head coach at Saint Peter's in 2018-19.
- In year number two, Ramirez led the Peacocks to a win over MAAC playoff qualifier Siena and a 7-1 blowout win over Iona for the program's largest margin of victory in over three years and largest MAAC margin of victory in four years.
- His ace, Willie Krajnik, became the first player under Ramirez to earn all-league honors, being selected to the All-MAAC Second team.
- Over his two seasons as the skipper, Ramirez has guided 15 student-athletes to MAAC All-Academic honors.
