ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany baseball team is set to travel to Union, New Jersey, for a weekend showdown with the New Jersey Institute of Technology. First pitch of game one is scheduled for Friday at 11:00 a.m. from the campus of Kean University. 
 
Fans should note the change to the original weekend schedule. Friday will now consist of a doubleheader. The final game of the series is marked as TBD and will be decided after the conclusion of the second game.  
 
Series Info
Game 1
Friday, March 31
11:00 a.m. ET
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Game 2
Friday, March 31
3:00 p.m. ET (Approx.)
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Game 3
TBD
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Projected Starting Pitchers for UAlbany
Game 1: Cregg Scherrer – R-Jr. | LHP | 6-0 | 175 | 6.20 ERA
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: Connor Eisenmann – Jr. | RHP | 6-0 | 155 | 6.85 ERA
 
Projected Starting Pitchers for NJIT
Game 1: Ryan Fischer– Sr.| LHP | 6-2 | 225 | 5.73 ERA
Game 2: Aidan Kidd – Jr.| RHP | 6-3 | 205 | 5.06 ERA
Game 3: Joe Georgini – Grad. | RHP | 6-2 | 215 | 4.50 ERA
 
Leading the Pack

• Junior Outfielder Dan Tauken continues to rake for the Great Danes. He is batting a team-high .333 with 18 hits, six doubles, and four home runs. He has 16 RBIs and has scored 13 runs. Tauken ranks fifth in slugging percentage (.667) and sixth in OPS (1.086) in the America East.
• Will Binder now leads the team in hits (20) and runs scored (14). He has also brought his batting average up to .282, which has landed him second on the team. 
• Victor Mazzara leads the team in on-base percentage (.466), which also ranks seventh in the America East.
• Jason Bottari has a team-leading nine stolen bases, which third in the America East. He also ranks third on the team in hits (16).
• Cregg Scherrer and Connor Eisenmann are slotted in as UAlbany's 1-2 punch at starting pitcher. Scherrer has a 6.20 ERA over 24.2 innings pitched and leads the team with 27 punch-outs. Eisenmann rocks a 6.85 ERA over 23.2 innings pitched.
• Freshman Ryan Pittz has not allowed a run in 7.0 innings, allowing just five hits. Opposing hitters are only batting .208 against him.
• As a team, the Great Danes sit with a .234 batting average, .701 OPS, and a .348 slugging percentage. The pitching staff sits with a combined 8.75 ERA with opponents' batting .350.

 
Last Time Out
UAlbany lost a midweek matchup against UMass, the final score being 2-8. The Great Danes used nine pitchers to get through the matchup.

• Victor Mazzara moved into the leadoff spot for this matchup. It proved to be a good move for Head Coach Jon Mueller, as Mazzara had a multi-hit day going 2-for-5 and stealing a base.   
• Owen Silliman continues to be hot at the plate, knocking in the Great Danes' only runs on a hit in the fifth inning.  
• Captain Will Feil also had a hit and scored one of the team's two runs.
• Freshman Ryan Pittz continues his streak of no runs allowed. He threw an inning, allowing two hits and two walks.

 
Scouting NJIT
The Highlanders come into the weekend series with an overall record of 5-16. The team has lost nine of their last ten games. Last time out, the Highlanders lost a tough one to Rutgers University, 7-9. The Highlanders came out of the gates swinging, taking a 7-0 lead in the first four innings. However, Rutgers' bats would eventually wake up and they went on to take the win.

• NJIT ranked fifth in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 19 points.
• Albert Choi leads the team in batting average (.377), hits (20), slugging percentage (.623), OPS (1.044), stolen bases (7) and triples (3). He ranks first in triples, fifth in batting average, seventh in slugging and tenth in OPS in the America East.

• Ray Ortiz has played in every game this season for the Highlanders. He leads the team in runs scored (15), doubles (5), and hits (20). Last time out, Ortiz hit his fourth home run of the season, which ranks second on his team.
• Luke Longo also homered in the Highlanders' last game, adding to his team-leading six home runs. His six home runs also rank fifth in the conference.
• Aidan Kidd leads the Highlanders pitching staff in strikeouts (33) and wins (3). He is tied for the America East lead in wins ans is second in strikeouts, opponent batting average (.204), and hits allowed (19).
• The team is batting .234 with a .692 OPS, a .384 sugging percentage, and a .308 on-base percentage.
• The Highlanders pitching staff sits with a 6.31 ERA with opponents' batting .289.

 
2022 America East Preseason Poll
The UAlbany baseball team was picked to finish seventh in the 2023 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning nine points. The Binghamton Bearcats, the league's defending champions, were picked to finish in first place with 31 points, collecting four first place votes. UMass Lowell followed closely behind with 28 points and two first place votes. Bryant (25) placed third, Maine (21) fourth, and NJIT (19) fifth. UMBC (14) and UAlbany rounded out the poll.
 
2023 Captains
Will Feil and Jason Bottari will serve as the Captains of the Great Danes during the 2023 season. Feil, a redshirt senior, enters his fifth year with the program – having joined before the 2019 campaign. He has been a mainstay for the Great Danes, playing in 35+ games the last two years. Bottari, also a redshirt senior, enters his fifth season as well. He currently holds the UAlbany single season stolen base record (44) and has more stolen bases than any other Great Dane in program history.
 
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