ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball team is set to play a three-game series with the Iona Gaels this weekend. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader at City Park in New Rochelle, New York, is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

Series Info
Saturday, March 5 (Doubleheader)
12:00 p.m. ET
Live Stats
 
Sunday, March 6
12:00 p.m. ET
Live Stats
 
Projected Starting Pitchers for UAlbany
Game 1: Ray Weber – R-Sr. | RHP | 6-1 | 180
Game 2: Anthony Germinerio – R-So. | RHP | 6-4 | 240
Game 3: Connor Eisenmann – So. | RHP | 6-0 | 155

Projected Starting Pitchers for Iona
Game 1: Blake Helmstetter – So. | LHP | 5-9 | 170
Game 2: Vicente Mendoza – Gr. | RHP | 6-1 | 205
Game 3: TBD
 
Leading the Pack

• The Great Danes currently lead the America East with a batting average of .292. The team has accumulated a total of 81 hits, 56 runs, 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.
• On the mound, UAlbany pitchers sit with a 4.80 ERA, with opponents allowing 6.19 earned runs on average. The Great Danes have struck out 65 while also allowing 63 hits and holding a 1.60 WHIP.
• Redshirt senior Brad Malm leads the team and the America East in home runs and RBIs. The shortstop homered eight times in the first eight games of the year and has collected 17 RBIs so far. He has accumulated 13 total hits and holds a .394 batting average and a 1.152 slugging percentage.
• John Daly ranks second on the team with a .375 batting average, 12 hits, and seven RBIs.
• Will Feil also sits at 12 hits on the season, including two home runs. He's batting .364 and has collected six RBIs so far.
• Sophomore pitcher Connor Eisenmann has a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings pitched, striking out nine. Anthony Germinerio sits with a 1.50 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched. In 6.0 innings of work, freshman Joseph Tobia holds a 1.50 ERA, having allowed just one run so far.
• Ray Weber leads the team in strikeouts with 13 in 9.0 innings pitched, closely followed by Cregg Scherrer who has struck out 11 in 7.2 innings.

Last Time Out
UAlbany won its fifth game in a row this past Wednesday. The Great Danes defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 12-7 in a close game. Redshirt sophomore Cregg Scherrer had a strong performance on the mound against the Knights. In 3.0 innings of relief work, he struck out five and allowed just one hit. Will Feil led the team offensively with two home runs, one in the opening inning and another in the eighth, recording a total of four RBIs. Will Binder was the strongest hitter for the Great Danes that day. He went 4-5 with including two doubles and collected one RBI. John Daly hit a double as well and collected two RBIs for UAlbany. Brad Malm, Carson Dunkel, and Jason Bottari recorded one RBI each.

Scouting Iona
The Gaels enter the weekend with a 0-6 record. Most recently, Iona dropped its three-game series against #15 Tennessee, falling 1-27, 0-29 and 2-12 to the Vols last weekend. Overall, the Gaels have recorded a .126 batting average in their first two series, with opponents batting .404 on average. The team has collected 22 hits, six total runs, and one home run so far.
 
Iona is led by junior outfielder Nick Forney who holds a batting average of .364. He has collected four hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Senior outfielder Jake Field hit the lone home run for the Gaels this season. He bats .300 on average, has collected 10 total bases and holds a .500 slugging percentage. Former MAAC All-Rookie honoree Blake Helmstetter has pitched 11.2 innings for the Gaels this season. He has allowed 7.71 earned runs on average and has struck out 11. Junior pitcher Gavin Bates struck out two in 1.0 inning of work against Tennessee, not allowing any hits or runs.

2022 America East Preseason Poll
The UAlbany baseball team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2022 America East Coaches' Poll. The Great Danes earned 34 points in the annual poll, finishing ahead of Maine (27 points), UMass Lowell (18 points), UMBC (12 points) and Hartford (10 points). Stony Brook, 2021 regular-season champions and tournament finalist, was selected first, receiving 46 points and four first-place votes. Close behind, NJIT earned three first-place votes and a total of 40 points. Binghamton came in third with 37 points and a single first-place vote. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
 
2022 Captains
Leading the Great Danes in 2022 will be Ray Weber, Brad Malm, Will Feil, Johnny Marti, and John Daly. When asked about these selections, Head Coach Jon Mueller stated "These guys all exemplify what we're looking for in captains. They are tremendous in the classroom, they've shown great leadership qualities, and they've had an immediate and profound impact on our younger guys."
 
Social Central
Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany baseball by following the team on Twitter and Instagram and by using the hashtag #BeGreat.