Baseball | 4/8/2019 7:35:00 PM

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

THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University baseball team, winners of seven of its last nine games, heads to St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday evening for a single, nine-inning, non-conference game against the Spartans. It will mark the fifth meeting between the two teams this season with each team winning twice. The Huskies are still ranked sixth in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Regional poll which was released on Monday afternoon.

SERIES HISTORY
• The teams have met nine times in the all-time series with the Huskies leading the all-time series, 5-4. All nine contests have come in the last three years including four matchups earlier this season. The Spartans took two-of-three from the Huskies on March 15 and 16 in Colonial Heights, Virginia, with all three games decided by one run. Bloomsburg then exploded for a season-high 16 runs in a 16-4 victory at Danny Litwhiler Field on March 26.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Bloomsburg has won seven of its last nine games and enters Tuesday's matchup with a 17-8 overall record. The Huskies are fourth in the PSAC Eastern Division with a 7-5 mark and hold a two-game lead over Lock Haven for the final postseason spot in the division. Bloomsburg has gone 3-1 in the last two weekends against Kutztown and Shippensburg.

• Bloomsburg is 11th in the conference with a .268 team batting average. The Huskies are averaging 6.4 runs per game, aided by their .388 on-base percentage which ranks sixth in the conference. Sophomore Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) continues to lead the team in hitting as he sports a .381 average (24-of-63) which puts him seventh in the conference. He also leads the team with a .474 on-base percentage and ranks second with 24 hits on the year. He has also committed only two errors while manning the hot corner. Junior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) is the only other player hitting better than .300 as he enters with a .302 average (19-of-63). Holmes has three home runs and 16 runs batted in while ranking second on the team with a .465 on-base percentage. Junior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) is hitting .289 (26-of-90) and leads the team in runs (21), hits (26), runs batted in (27), total bases (48), stolen bases (13), and slugging percentage (.533). He is also tied for the team lead, with sophomore Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), in home runs with six on the season. Swiger and OFier are tied for fifth in the PSAC in long balls. Senior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) brought his average up to .273 (18-of-66) with a 4-of-6 weekend at the plate against the Raiders over the weekend. Shiffer is tied with sophomore Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) (12-of-44) with a .273 batting average on the year. OFier and junior Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Home School) are tied for second on the team with 19 RBI.

• Bloomsburg is second in the league in team earned run average at 3.80, trailing only Mercyhurst (3.02) in that department. The Huskies are limiting opponents to a .232 batting average - again second only to Mercyhurst's .192 opponent average. Bloomsburg pitchers have also struck out 218 batters in 187 innings of work. Junior Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) is the reigning PSAC East Pitcher of the Week after tossing a two-hit shutout at Shippensburg on Sunday. He lowered his season ERA to 2.45 and is limiting opponents to a .164 batting average. He has punched out 42 batters in 33 innings of work. Senior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and has 29 strikeouts in 33 innings. Junior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) is also 3-1 and has a 4.02 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Freshman Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) has been the weekday starter for the Huskies and is 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA. The righthander is limiting opponents to a .196 average and has 18 strikeouts in 15 innings. Out of the bullpen, seniors Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) have been sensational. Hinkle is 2-0 with one save and has not allowed an earned run in eight innings while striking out nine. Newmyer, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 0.56 ERA and is tied for the PSAC lead with four saves. He has 27 strikeouts in 16 innings of work.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
• The Spartans have been a streaky team this season. After starting the year with six consecutive losses, St. Thomas Aquinas went 9-4 over its next 13 games but is now just 2-8 in its last ten contests.

• The Spartans are hitting just .247 on the season, but Michael Morgan is a player to watch. He is hitting .304 (28-of-92) with team-highs in runs scored (27), doubles (9), triples (2), stolen bases (23), slugging percentage (.478), and on-base percentage (.511). Angelo Baez is batting .324 (35-of-108) with a team-high 35 hits. Andrew Jemison leads the team with a .340 average (34-of-100) with team-bests in doubles (9) and runs batted in (21).

• On the mound, the Spartans have a team ERA of 6.99 on the season. Among the starters, Chris Cepeda leads the way with a 4-3 record and a 3.88 ERA in seven starts. He has walked only eight batters and has struck out a team-high 54 in 48.2 innings. Out of the bullpen, Thomas Gregory is 1-2 with one save and a team-best 2.32 ERA in nine appearances. Chris Allegretti has seen action in a team-high 14 appearances and is 1-1 with a 7.16 ERA out of the bullpen. Reyan Mustafoski has pitched in 13 games and is 1-0 with a team-high two saves and a 4.91 ERA.

LOOKING AHEAD
• Bloomsburg returns to conference action on Friday, April 12, and Sunday, April 14, for a four-game series against East Stroudsburg University. The teams will open the series at Danny Litwhiler Field on Friday before heading to East Stroudsburg on Sunday. First pitch of both doubleheaders is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.