Game 2: Matthew Mariano – RHP | R-Fr. | 6-0 | 220 | 6.29 ERA
Game 3: Owen Birkman – RHP | Jr. | 6-0 | 210 | 8.04 ERA

Probable Starters – NJIT
Game 1: Ryan Fischer – RHP | Sr. | 6-2 | 225 | 4.39 ERA
Game 2: Aidan Kidd – LHP | Jr. | 6-3 | 205 | 3.84 ERA
Game 3: Joe Georgini – RHP | Gr. | 6-2 | 215 | 5.65 ERA

The Senior Class
Saturday's Senior Day will celebrate seven different Great Danes – Captains Will Feil and Jason Bottari, Danny Alvarez, Chris Fisher, Carson Dunkel, Josh Salandy, and Devan Kruzinski. Fans are encouraged to arrive to Varsity Field early on Saturday, as the Senior Day ceremony will start approximately 30 minutes before first pitch.
 
Leading the Pack 

• Will Feil continues to lead the Great Danes on the offensive end. The captain is batting .296 and leads the team in OPS (.956), runs (33), home runs (8), RBIs (370, and total bases (78).
• Dan Tauken is currently batting a team-high .322, also leading the team in doubles with 10 so far this season.
• Will Binder leads the team in both at-bats (166) and hits (48). He's batting .289 with a .7768 OPS and a .404 slugging percentage. He sits second on the team with five home runs.
• Jason Bottari ranks top-five in the conference with 25 stolen bases. The speedster has had success getting on base, ranking second on the team with a .439 OBP.
• Redshirt Freshman Matthew Mariano has adjusted seamlessly into his new role as a starter. Two weekends ago, Mariano went seven strong innings while allowing just one run on six hits en route to a win over Binghamton. This past weekend, he gutted out six strong innings on the road against UMBC. He sits with a 6.29 ERA.
• As a team, UAlbany is batting .248 with a .708 OPS and a .351 SLG%. The pitching staff sits with an 8.37 ERA, with opposing teams batting .343.

 
Last Time Against NJIT
UAlbany visited NJIT for a three-game road series in late March, falling in all three contests. NJIT took both games of a Friday doubleheader, 3-2 and 4-1, before completing the series sweep on Sunday with a 7-6 victory.
 
Scouting NJIT
The Highlanders enter the weekend with an overall record of 20-29, having gone 9-12 in conference play thus far. The team has dropped its last two America East series, getting swept by UMass Lowell and dropping two of three against Maine.

• Ray Ortiz leads the team with a .279 average, racking up 53 hits and 35 RBIs.
• Aidan Kidd (3.84 ERA), Ryan Fischer (4.39), and Joe Georgini (5.65) will look to slot in as NJIT's starting rotation.
• As a team, the Highlanders are batting .233 at the plate with the pitching staff sitting at a combined 5.47 ERA.

 
2023 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.
 
Social Central
Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany baseball by following the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by using the hashtag #UAUKNOW.