ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball team is set to play NJIT in its first game of the 2021 America East Championships on Thursday, May 27. The Great Danes are the A#1 seed, while the Highlanders are the B#2 seed. 
 
Game Info
Thursday, May 27 vs. NJIT – 2:30 p.m. (Joe Nathan Field in Stony Brook, N.Y.)
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Championship Central

Probable Starting Pitchers
UAlbany – Ray Weber (7-1, 3.48 ERA)
NJIT – Tyler Stafflinger (5-5, 4.18 ERA)
 
Leading the Pack

• Johnny Marti leads the America East in hits (58), RBIs (41), total bases (98) and sacrifice flies (five). He is second in batting average (.360), runs scored (39) and slugging percentage (.609). 
• Brad Malm leads the America East in doubles (21) and hits (58). His total at-bats (169), RBIs (36) and total bases (93) both rank top-five.
• Jason Bottari ranks 11th in NCAA Division I with 0.59 stolen bases per game. He is 26-for-27 inb stolen base attempts this season.
• Ray Weber posted a team-leading 7-1 record, 3.48 ERA and 75.0 innings pitched during the regular season. 
• Anthony Germinerio had a 3.97 ERA and whiffed a team-leading 54 batters, including a career-high 14 strikeouts against Hartford on April 23. 
• Head coach Jon Mueller earned his third-career America East Coach of the Year award, his last coming in 2019 and his first in 2004.
• UAlbany earned a Division A #1 seed with a 20-18 record. 
• The Great Danes scored a season-high 23 runs against Maine on May 2. They also scored 18 runs against UMass Lowell on April 17. Both games were only seven inning games.

Scouting NJIT
NJIT earned a 24-22 overall and 23-17 conference record in its first season as a member of the America East. The Highlanders enter the postseason riding a seven-game winning streak in which they have outscored opponents 50-16. NJIT also holds a 5-3 season series advantage over top-seeded Stony Brook. The five losses for the Seawolves accounts for half of their conference losses for the season. The Highlanders are led by Rookie of the Year Albert Choi and All-Conference First Team Julio Marcano. Choi is second in the America East with 27 steals and 40 runs scored. Marcano has a .338 batting average with nine home runs and 40 RBIs – both second best in the America East. All-Conference Second Team starting pitcher Ryan Fischer leads NJIT with a 2.94 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. Jake Rappaport was the All-Conference First Team relief pitcher selection for his 2.22 ERA, 7-2 record and nine saves in 23 appearances. 
 
Last Time vs. NJIT
UAlbany visit NJIT for the Highlanders' first conference series as a member of the America East on March 20 and 21. The Great Danes came away with a 3-1 series win, but all-three UAlbany's wins were one-run victories and NJIT's was a two-run win. In UAlbany's March 21 doubleheader sweep, Joe Kruszka earned wins in both games and Brad Malm hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 10th inning of game two that stood as a game-winner. Overall, UAlbany has a 7-5 all-time record against NJIT and this season's matchups were the first between the programs since 2015.
 
Last Time Out
The Great Danes took a series split at Maine to conclude the 2021 regular season. UAlbany swept a Friday doubleheader on May 21 against the Black Bears to clinch a spot in the America East Championships and #1 seed in Division A. After they clinched on Friday, head coach Jon Mueller put starter Cregg Scherrer on a limited pitch count ahead of the postseason. Although UAlbany's position was locked up, Maine earned a playoff spot after they swept Saturday's doubleheader, combined with a Hartford doubleheader sweep of UMass Lowell. In the series, Johnny Marti went 8-for-13 (.615) with three home runs, seven RBIs and a 1:3 strikeouts-to-walks ration. Ray Weber earned his seventh win of the season with seven shutout innings in game one on Friday. 
 
Around the America East
Stony Brook was the first team to qualify for the America East Championships and earned its second-straight Regular Season Title in the process. UAlbany and NJIT both qualified on Friday, while Maine qualified on Saturday with help from Hartford. After Maine swept Sunday's doubleheader against UAlbany, Hartford completed a doubleheader sweep of UMass Lowell that propelled the Black Bears into the final postseason spot. Stony Brook earned B#1 with a 25-10 record while UAlbany earned A#1 with a 20-18 record. NJIT earned B#2 with a 23-17 record and Maine earned A#2 with a 16-17 record.
 
America East Championships Schedule

• Game 1 – B#1 Stony Brook vs. A#2 Maine, 11:00 a.m. Thursday, May 27. 
• Game 2 – A#1 UAlbany vs. B#2 NJIT, 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 27.
• Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 11:00 a.m. Friday May 28.
• Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 2:30 p.m. Friday May 28.
• Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 11:00 a.m. Saturday May 29.
• Game 6 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5, 2:30 p.m. Saturday May 29.
• Game 7 – Only necessary if winner of game 5 also wins game 6, 12:00 p.m. Sunday, May 30. 

Mueller Named Coach of the Year
In his 22nd season as UAlbany's head coach, Jon Mueller was named America East Coach of the Year. He led UAlbany to a 20-18 overall record and an America East Baseball Division A first-place finish. Under Mueller's guidance, the UAlbany defense had an America East-leading .974 fielding percentage and drew a conference-high 193 walks. The award is Mueller's third of his coaching tenure, his last in 2019 and first in 2004.
 
Five Players Earn Seven Total All-Conference Awards
Middle-infield duo Johnny Marti and Brad Malm led the way for UAlbany with All-Conference First Team selections. Malm was also named to the All-Academic Team. Pitcher Ray Weber and designated hitter Josh Gurnack earned All-Conference Second Team honors. Gurnack also earned his third-straight All-Academic Team selection. Pitcher Anthony Germinerio rounded out the Great Danes All-Conference selections with his Rookie Team honor. 
 
Bottari Chasing History
Redshirt sophomore Jason Bottari has an NCAA Division I 11th ranked 0.59 stolen bases per game. His 26 stolen bases through the regular season rank second in program history for stolen bases in a single season. He is two behind program leader Mike Grasso, who set the record in 2001, and would need three stolen bases to set a new record. 
 
Seeing Double(s)
Shortstop Bram Malm continues to climb the program rankings this season with 21 doubles in 45 games. His 0.47 doubles per game ranks fourth in the NCAA Division I and is just 0.04 per game behind the top-ranked player heading into the postseason. His 40-career doubles are tied-fourth in program history, but he is still 15 doubles shy of first place with the 2021 postseason and one year of eligibility remaining. 
 
Malm Makes it Two
Brad Malm earned his second America East Player of the Week honor this season on May 17. The redshirt junior went 10-for-13 (.769) with one home run, six doubles, 19 total bases, three runs scored, seven RBIs and four walks in the Great Danes' series split with UMass Lowell. On May 15, Malm completed a perfect 6-for-6 day with three walks in both doubleheader games combined. The award was Malm's second Player of the Week honor this season and his fifth career weekly honor - he earned three Rookie of the Week nominations in 2018.
 
Wangenstein Climbs Career Leaderboards
UAlbany redshirt senior Marc Wangenstein hit five home runs in the regular season, but his fourth, hit against Maine on May 2, was his 24th career home run. With his 24th, Wangenstein moved to sole possession of second place in program history for career home runs. He climbed from tied-fourth to sole possession of second during the 2021 regular season. With three triples this season, He also moved to second in program history with 13 career triples.  
 
Germinerio Adds to UAlbany Weekly Awards
Starting pitcher Anthony Germinerio was named America East Pitcher of the Week on April 27. The redshirt freshman went 8.0 innings and allowed one run on four hits with no walks and career-high 14 strikeouts in a 10-1 win over Hartford on April 25. The win led the Great Danes to a doubleheader split in the first day of the series and the award was the first of his career. 
 
Marti Joins the Party
UAlbany second baseman Johnny Marti was named America East Player of the Week on April 20. The redshirt junior hit .583 with seven runs, six RBIs, two walks and was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts across 12 at-bats against UMass Lowell. The performance led the Great Danes to a 3-1 series win and Marti played a major role in an 18-4 win, as he went 3-for-3 with four runs and three RBIs.
 
Wangenstein Named a Candidate for 2021 Senior CLASS Award
Redshirt senior outfielder Marc Wangenstein was named a candidate for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award on April 8. The CLASS Award is eligible for student-athletes that classify as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements of excellence in community, character, classroom and competition. 30 total candidates were selected and Wangenstein was the only America East representative. 
 
Malm's First Career Player of the Week
Redshirt junior Brad Malm earned his first-career Player of the Week award on April 5. He went 10-for-16 (.625) with three doubles, one home run, seven runs scored and six RBIs in a series split with UMBC. The redshirt junior hit a home run in his first at-bat of the series and led the Great Danes to a doubleheader sweep on April 3. He was consistent the entire series, as he recorded at least two hits, one RBI and one run in all-four games. 
 
Now That's a Debut, Rook!
Freshman pitcher Connor Eisenmann was named the America East's first Rookie of the Week of the season on March 8. The Blasdell, N.Y. native, pitched 1.2 innings in relief and earned his first career save in his first collegiate appearance at Seton Hall in UAlbany's first game and win of the season. Eisenmann's first career save marked UAlbany's first win of the season and first over a BIG EAST opponent since 2013.

Offensive Power Returning in 2021
Leading the charge for UAlbany bats are Marc Wangenstein, Dolan Ocasal, Brad Malm and Jason Bottari. Wangenstein has 20 career homeruns for the Great Danes, a number that ranks him fourth in program history. Ocasal had a .317 batting average and a team-high 10 runs and eight walks last season. Malm had a team-leading 10 runs, four doubles and one triple. Bottari earned the chance to start and had a team-leading 10 runs and seven stolen bases. His stolen bases ranked third in the conference. 
 
The Staff's All Back!
UAlbany returns Cregg Scherrer, Ray Weber and Anthony Germinerio who each started four games last season. Scherrer led the charge with 23 innings pitched, second in the conference, a 2-1 record, 15 strikeouts, 4.30 ERA and two America East weekly awards. Weber finished with 20.1 innings, conference fourth-best .230 batting average against and one complete-game shutout. Germinerio pitched 15 innings and had a 5.40 ERA and seven strikeouts.
 
Leading the bullpen, 2020 team captain Kenny McLean had a team-high three wins, 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP across 10.2 innings pitched. 2020 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American Joe Kruszka recorded one save in four appearances.
 
Big Departures After 2020
UAlbany lost two-of-five players that started all-12 games in the shortened 2020 season. Nick Kondo and Alex Thul departed as well as relief pitcher Hunter Torres. Kondo was a team captain and had seven runs, five RBIs and six walks. Thul was named the first America East Player of the Week last season and had a team-leading .325 batting average, 13 hits and nine RBIs. His nine RBIs were fifth in the conference. Torres pitched 7.2 innings in relief across four appearances for the Great Danes. 
 
Picked Fourth
UAlbany was picked to finish fourth in the 2021 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 27 points and no first-place votes. Stony Brook, 2019 conference and regular-season champion, was selected first with 46 points and six-of-seven possible first-place votes. Binghamton and Hartford followed closely behind, tied for second, with 41 points and one first-place vote each. Following UAlbany was UMass Lowell (24), NJIT (20), UMBC (13) and Maine (12). 

Next: UAlbany will face either Maine or Stony Brook in either the winner's or loser's game on Friday depending on the Thursday results.