ST. BONAVENTURE (3-15, 0-0 A-10) at VCU (13-12, 0-0 A-10)
Friday, March 31 – Sunday, April 2
Richmond, Va. – The Diamond
 
The St. Bonaventure University baseball team will open Atlantic 10 conference play with a three-game series at VCU beginning on Friday, March 31. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Friday and Sunday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+, while Saturday's contest will be available on ESPN3.
 
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Game 1: RHP Jonny Lintell (SBU) v. LHP Christian Gordon (VCU)
Game 2: LHP Gabe Watts (SBU) v. RHP Zach Peters (VCU)
Game 3: RHP Tripp Breen (SBU) v. RHP Mason Delane (VCU)
 
LAST TIME OUT

• The Bonnies made their home debut this past weekend with a three-game series against Merrimack.
• St. Bonaventure was victorious, 2-1, in game one of Sunday's doubleheader to claim its third win of the year.
• Right-hander Tripp Breen set the tone, striking out a career-high eight batters in his five-plus innings of work.
• Breen earned his first win of the year on the mound by scattering seven hits and allowing one run without walking a single batter and throwing 48 of his 68 pitches for strikes.
• At the plate, Adam Rankie and Jackson DeJohn drove in the Bonnies two runs of the game.
• Graduate student Liam Devine recorded his third save of the season, pitching two innings out of the bullpen and only allowing a hit along with two strikeouts.
• In Saturday's single game, freshman reliever Andrew Ayers had his strongest outing of the season, tossing a career-high 4.2 scoreless innings in relief while allowing just three hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
• DeJohn went 3-for-5 with an RBI in last Saturday's contest.

 
TEAM LEADERS

• Mark Darakjy (.323 average), Jackson DeJohn (.305 average), and Christian Szablewski (.302 average) are the top three leaders in batting average so far this season.
• Off the bench, freshman Evan Dieter has notched a .333 batting average with five hits in 15 plate appearances.
• DeJohn and Danny Manion are tied with nine runs batted in, while Szablewski and Manion both have hit a team-high three home runs.
• On the mound this season, Devine has team-low 3.79 ERA and is tied with freshman Nathan Klodowski for most appearances (six).
• Left-handed sophomore Gabe Watts has struck out 22 batters, while senior Tripp Breen is right behind Watts with 21 punch outs so far this year.

ABOUT VCU

• The Rams have begun the season with an overall record of 13-12, winning their last game against Norfolk State by a score of 13-4.
• Brandon Eike leads the team at the plate with a .364 batting average, six home runs, 10 doubles, and 34 RBIs. Will Carlone, who was a second team all-conference selection from a season ago, is second on the team with a .319 batting average, four home runs, and 27 runs batted in.
• On the mound, Christian Gordon (six starts/3.86 ERA/27 strikeouts) and Zachary Peters (five starts/27 innings pitched/17 strikeouts) have been very effective to start games for the Rams. In relief, James Gladden has made seven appearances, recording 2.74 ERA in 23 innings pitched with 19 strikeouts.
• VCU was tabbed to finish second in the 2023 A-10 Baseball Preseason Poll, finishing with 125 points and four first-place votes.

 
UP NEXT
The Bonnies will play a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 4 at Binghamton. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
 
 
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