Baseball | 2/22/2019 12:26:00 PM

 
SERIES COVERAGE
• Game 1 Live Stats • Game 2 Live Stats • Game 3 Live Stats • Game 4 Live Stats

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg Huskies: Schedule • Roster • Preseason PSAC Outlook
• University of the Sciences Devils: Schedule • Roster • Preseason CACC Outlook

SCHEDULE UPDATE
• Due to impending inclement weather in the area, the start time of Game 1 in Saturday's doubleheader has been moved up to 11:00 a.m. Sunday's Game 1 is still scheduled for a noon start.

THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University baseball team kicks off the 2019 campaign with a four-game series against the University of the Sciences this week. The Huskies were originally slated to take part in the Builder Invitational at Newports News, Virginia, but due to inclement weather, Bloomsburg has altered its schedule and will now take on the Devils. All four games will be played at Father Judge High School in Philadelphia.

THE HISTORY: BLOOMSBURG vs. UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES
• Bloomsburg has faced the Devils just once before, a 14-6 Huskies win back on March 23, 2016. Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the win.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Bloomsburg will start the 2019 campaign ranked 25th in the country according to Perfect Game and seventh in the Atlantic Region according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). The Huskies posted a 31-20 overall record and advanced to the NCAA regional playoffs for just the second time in program history last season. The 31 wins were also the second-most in program history, and the most in a single season under head coach Mike Collins.

• Collins earned the PSAC East and the NCBWA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors last season. It marked the first time in his career that he was named Regional Coach of the Year while his selection as PSAC East Coach of the Year was the third time he garnered that accolade after claiming the honor in both 2011 and 2014.

• Bloomsburg returns three players who earned All-PSAC East accolades last season – senior righthander Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven), junior outfielder Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin), and junior third baseman/righthander Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury). Raines earned First Team honors after going 7-3 with a 4.78 earned run average in 2018. He tied for the team lead with 61 punchouts in a team-high 75.2 innings of work. Both Swiger and Cooperman were named to the Second Team last season and will be looking to build off their momentum from a season ago. Swiger batted .339 with four home runs and 32 runs driven in while leading the team in doubles (18) and runs scored (47) and ranking second in hits (62), total bases (94), and stolen bases (13). Swiger also tied for the team lead in walks with 30 and was hit by a pitch a team-high 14 times, giving him an on-base percentage of .461 out of the leadoff spot. Cooperman batted .318 with one homer and 22 runs batted in while manning the hot corner then posted a 2-4 record with a 4.26 earned run average on the mound. He tied Raines for the team lead in strikeouts with 61 while tossing 57 innings of work.

• Additionally, Swiger and senior righthander Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) were named preseason NCBWA All-Region selections with Swiger on the First Team and Hinkle earning a spot on the Second Team. Hinkle went 6-1 with a team-best 2.65 ERA and a team-high five saves as he served as the Huskies' closer in 2018.

SCOUTING THE DEVILS
• The Devils enter the 2019 season with hopes of qualifying for their first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament since the 2011 Season. The University of the Sciences was 8-35 overall, and 5-27 in the CACC a season ago. New Devils head coach Kyle Davis was a two-time All-CACC Selection as a player at the University of the Sciences, and has the most career hits in program history with 170.

• The team features a veteran bullpen that includes nine pitchers with at least 15 innings of work a season ago. Sophomore Hiro Mizutani led University of the Sciences in innings pitched (49.0), strikeouts (48), and wins (2) as a freshman in 2018. John McCrane led the Devils in appearances (11) and saves (2), while junior Ryan Johnson posted a team-best 4.64 ERA in eight games in 2018. Team team also returns junior Kris Morgenwek, who was named CACC Rookie of the Year in 2017, but was sidelined with an injury for much of last season.

• The Devils lineup is anchored by senior Nick Amicon, who notched a .329 Batting average and 46 Hits a season ago, and sophomore Jordan Stennett, whose .321 batting average was good for second on the team. Stennett also led the University of the Sciences in runs (25), 10 doubles (10), and triples (three). 

LOOKING AHEAD
• Following this weekend's series, the Huskies will travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 2, for a three-game series with Winston-Salem State. Bloomburg will be on display at Danny Litwhiler Field for the first time on Friday, March 22, for a doubleheader with Millersville.