Baseball | 3/25/2019 3:59:00 PM

 
GAME COVERAGE
• LIVE STATS

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg: Schedule • Roster • Statistics
• St. Thomas Aquinas: Schedule • Roster • Statistics

THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University baseball team returns home on Tuesday afternoon to take on St. Thomas Aquinas in a single, nine-inning game at Danny Litwhiler Field. The Huskies will be looking to bounce back from three losses in four games against nationally-ranked Millersville in their conference-opening weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Bloomsburg is 10-6 overall and ranked fifth in the Atlantic Region according to the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll. The Spartans, after an 0-6 start, have gone 9-4 in their last 13 games entering its conference contest against Bridgeport on Monday afternoon.

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD
• On Tuesday, the Huskies will be playing for Spread The Word - a global engagement campaign to increase inclusion among people with and without and developmental disabilities through grassroots action. In schools, workplaces, and communities around the world, local leaders are taking a pledge to create socially inclusive places to learn, work, and live. Please join the Huskies to pledge to end the R-word. The R-word hurt is exclusive, offensive, and derogatory. By taking the pledge to stop saying the R-word you can help create a more accepting and inclusive world for all people.  Language affects attitudes and attitudes affect actions.  Take a moment today to commit to using respectful, people-first language. Visit www.R-word.org to make your pledge today!

SERIES HISTORY
• The teams have met eight times in the all-time series with each team winning four games. All eight contests have come in the last three years including three earlier this season in Colonial Heights, Virginia. The Spartans took two-of-three from the Huskies on March 15 and 16 with all three games decided by one run. St. Thomas Aquinas won a slugfest, 13-12, in the opener on March 15, and then took the first game of a doubleheader on March 16 by a 4-3 final. Bloomsburg salvaged one game in the series after winning the second game of the twinbill, 5-4.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Bloomsburg started the year with eight victories in its first nine games but has since gone 2-5 in its last seven to bring a 10-6 overall record into Tuesday's contest. The Huskies are coming off of a 1-3 record against Millersville to open conference action this past weekend. Bloomsburg and Millersville split a pair in Millersville on Saturday afternoon before the Marauders spoiled the Huskies' home opener with a couple of victories on Sunday afternoon at Danny Litwhiler Field.

• Offensively, the Huskies are hoping to get the bats going as they enter ranked 13th out of 16 teams in the conference with a .254 batting average. Despite the average, Bloomsburg is averaging more than six runs per game thanks to a .385 on-base percentage which is tied for eighth in the PSAC. Sophomore Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) sports the highest average on the team at .364 (12-of-33). He has scored seven runs and has also driven in seven. Four of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases - all doubles. Sophomore Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) is hitting .318 (7-of-22) and has six RBI to his credit. He has also drawn nine walks and been hit by a pitch twice for a team-high .529 on-base percentage. Junior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) is the only other player above .300 as he brings a .305 average into Tuesday's game. Swiger leads the team in runs (16), hits (18), runs batted in (17), total bases (33), and slugging percentage (.559), while tying for the team-high in stolen bases with eight. Swiger is also second on the team in home runs with four, trailing only sophomore Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) who has belted five round-trippers. The Huskies are 30-of-33 in stolen bases this season - sixth-best in the conference.

• Bloomsburg dropped to fifth in the league in team earned run average over the weekend as the staff has an ERA of 4.06 on the season. The Huskies are limiting opponents to a .217 batting average - second only to Mercyhurst's .199 opponent average. Bloomsburg pitchers have also struck out 150 batters in 122 innings of work. Among the starters, senior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) leads the way with a 3.54 ERA in four starts. He has struck out 20 batters in 20.1 innings and is holding opponents to a .213 average. Junior Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA and has struck out a team-high 26 batters in 20 innings while holding opponents to a .169 average. Junior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) is 1-1 with a 3.80 ERA and has 21 strikeouts in 21.1 innings, and sophomore Nick Stoner (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) is 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. Freshman Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and has recorded 11 strikeouts while giving up only four hits in nine innings (.121 opponent average). Out of the bullpen, seniors Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) have been sensational. Hinkle has not allowed an earned run in 6.2 innings while striking out seven. Newmyer, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 0.79 ERA and a team-high two saves. He has struck out 18 batters in 11.1 innings of work.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
• After starting the year 0-6, the Spartans have gone 9-4 in their last 13 games and are 9-10 overall. St. Thomas Aquinas does play the University of Bridgeport on Monday afternoon before making the trip to Bloomsburg on Tuesday.

• The Spartans are hitting just .244 on the season, but Michael Morgan is a player to watch. He is hitting .351 (20-of-57) with team-highs in runs scored (22), stolen bases (20), triples (2), and on-base percentage (.573). Brian Donnelly is batting .356 (16-of-45) with five doubles, two home runs, and 15 runs batted in. He leads the team with a .600 slugging percentage. Angelo Baez is batting .338 (23-of-68) with five doubles and seven stolen bases while Andrew Jemison is also above .300 as he is hitting .333 (20-of-60) with a team-high eight doubles. Tyler Patane leads the squad with 16 runs batted in.

• On the mound, the Spartans have a team ERA of 6.07 on the season. Among the starters, Chris Cepeda leads the way with a 3-2 record and a 3.44 ERA in five starts. He has walked six and struck out a team-high 42 batters in 36.2 innings. Out of the bullpen, Thomas Gregory is 1-0 with one save and a minuscule 0.77 ERA in six appearances. Reyan Mustafoski has seen action in a team-high ten games and is 1-0 with two saves and a 3.38 ERA. He has 13 strikeouts in 13.1 innings of work.

LOOKING AHEAD
• Bloomsburg returns to conference action on Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, for a four-game series against Kutztown University. The teams will open the series in Kutztown on Friday before heading to Danny Litwhiler Field on Saturday. First pitch of both doubleheaders is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.