ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – With a high of 45 degrees expected on Tuesday and snow in the foreground of Fred Handler Park, the St. Bonaventure baseball team will begin its home schedule, as they open against Big 4 rival Niagara on March 24 with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m. in the doubleheader.
The Bonnies are coming off their best start in the last ten years, as they are 9-2 and currently on a seven-game winning streak that dates back to March 8. In its second spring trip of the season, St. Bonaventure went a stellar 7-1, with a three-game sweep of Lehigh and taking two from both Coppin St. and Mount St. Mary's. The Bonnies lone loss came against Villanova.
Leading the way at the plate so far this season has been four members of the Bonnies, who all are hitting .300 or higher. Junior Thad Johnson leads the way for the Bonnies with a .396 batting average and a team high 19 hits and 10 RBIs. Following his lead is the center outfielder Tyler Bell, who is batting .350 with 14 hits and eight RBIs. Freshman shortstop Cole Peterson leads the team with 14 runs, while batting .333 in the lead-off spot and has only struck out three times in 42 plate appearances. Rounding out the four members is Danny Urban, who is hitting exactly .300 with six hits and six RBIs. Johnson, Bell and Peterson have started all 11 games, while Urban has appeared in 10 games and started five.
What has led the Bonnies to their impressive start is their starting pitchers and their depth in the bullpen, which has led to the 11th best team ERA in the nation at 2.18. Junior Drew Teller leads the Brown and White on the rubber with a 0.98 ERA over 18.1 innings pitched. Teller's 0.98 ERA places him 33rd in the nation in ERA. Also, starting for St. Bonaventure is Steven Klimek and Connor Grey, who have combined for 21 strikeouts. Klimek has an ERA of 3.72, while Grey holds a 2.20. Coming out of the bullpen for the Bonnies has been primarily Aaron Phillips, Nate Grant and Thad Johnson. Phillips has thrown 8.2 innings with 12 strikeouts, while Grant has eight innings thrown with eight strikeouts. Johnson has a team high four saves.
The Niagara Purple Eagles will enter Tuesday's matchup with a record of 3-12. The Purple Eagles' three wins have come against La Salle, Villanova and NJIT. Niagara is led by junior infielder Michael Fuhrman, who has a team high .362 batting average with 17 hits.
After their doubleheader with the Purple Eagles, the Bonnies will hit the road for a three-game series against Atlantic 10 foe George Washington. The series will occur from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, March 29. SBU will return home on Tuesday, March 31 to face Big 4 rival Buffalo in a mid-afternoon doubleheader.
