Baseball Gameday: Bears vs. William Paterson

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (19-8) looks to set a new single-season record with their ninth straight win, hosting William Paterson University (11-16-1) at MCU Park beginning at 4 p.m.

Game Information

William Paterson University (11-16-1, 5-8-1 NJAC) vs. St. Joseph's College (Bklyn) (19-8)
Monday, April 21st • 4 p.m.
MCU Park • Brooklyn, N.Y.

Live Stats | Game Program
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Storylines

• St. Joseph's looks to extend winning streak to a school record nine games and tie the school record for wins in a season with a victory over the Pioneers.
• The Bears try to continue their steady play at home, compiling a 9-3 mark in home contests.
• After going 8-2 in the month of March, St. Joseph's looks to improve to 11-2 in April with a victory.
• The Bears meet the Pioneers in the schools' first ever meeting, looking to snap William Paterson's two-game winning streak.
• The Pioneers try to move to .500 in true road games, coming in 3-4 on the year in games away from Jeff Albies Field.
• William Paterson tries to win their first nine-inning game since defeating The College of New Jersey on April 10th after dropping three nine-inning affairs in a row.

Series History

First Meeting

The Bear Facts

Last Time Out: Senior Joe Mendez became the Bears all-time leader in career hits and senior Chris Vargas tossed a three-hitter as St. Joseph's put 40 runs on the board to complete a doubleheader sweep of HVIAC foe Vaughn College, defeating the Warriors 25-0 in the opener and 15-0 in game two on Friday at MCU Park.

St. Joseph's is hitting on all cylinders winning their last eight games as they look to solidify a spot in the USCAA Small College World Series at the end of the season. The Bears are currently in a tie for seventh in the latest coaches' poll and have won 13 of their last 15 games to put themselves in a good position to make their second consecutive appearance in the postseason.

Mendez continues to have a strong season for St. Joseph's, breaking multiple records along the way and garnering many accolades. The outfielder is hitting .365 on the year and leads the team with a single-season record eight jacks and has driven in a team-high 38 RBI on the year. The senior also has 27 runs scored and carries an impressive .765 slugging percentage into today's game.

Junior Thomas McKenna has been put back in the leadoff spot and has thrived as he now leads the team with a .382 average, 30 runs scored, four triples and is the Bears leading threat on the basepaths with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts. The outfielder also is second on the team with 23 RBI and is on a six-game hitting streak.

Adding more bulk to the St. Joseph's lineup is another senior in Mike Cundari, who is batting .371 with 21 RBI and 24 runs scored. Freshman Nicholas LoPrinzi has been a nice addition for the Bears as the rookie has a .370 batting average and has driven in 16 runs.

The ace of the St. Joseph's staff this year has been junior Chris Cutrone who sports a 5-1 record and 3.09 ERA in a team-high 43 2/3 innings. The second baseman/pitcher has held opponents to a.241 batting average and is a threat at the dish as well, hitting .338 with 21 runs scored and 12 RBI.

Scouting the Pioneers

Last Time Out: The Pioneers swept NJAC foe New Jersey City University on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak. William Paterson took the opener 4-2 before earning a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.

The Pioneers enter today's matchup on a down year after finishing the 2013 campaign 27-13 for their third straight season with at least 20 wins. William Paterson is a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, who have two teams currently ranked in the D3baseball.com national poll in Kean and Rowan.

Leading the Pioneers offense is senior first baseman Trevor Haughney who was an NJAC All-Conference honorable mention selection a year ago. Haughney paces the team with a .408 batting average in 103 at bats and has a team-high 22 RBI. Also contributing at the plate is K.C. Abel who chips in with a .297 average and 17 RBI in 101 at bats. Mike Abate has a team-high 22 runs scored and is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts.

Anchoring the William Paterson staff is Anthony DeEsposito who has been untouchable this season bringing in a miniscule 1.57 ERA and 3-0 record in 28 2/3 innings on the year. Opponents hit only .221 off the senior and he has gone at least seven innings in each of his last three starts. Josh Jensen leads the team with six starts on the mound and has a 2.95 ERA and 1-2 line in a team-high 39 2/3 innings.

TEAM COMPARISON

Bears	Nickname	Pioneers
19-8	Record	11-16-1 (5-8-1)
HVIAC	Conference	NJAC
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Thomas McKenna (.382)	Top Avg.	Trevor Haughney (.408)
Joe Mendez (38)	Top RBI	Trevor Haughney (22)
Chris Cutrone (27)	Top K	Josh Jensen (29)
.321	Bat. Avg.	.261
.423	Slugging	.308
.415	OBP	.338
229	Runs	121
259	Hits	241
193	RBI	103
71	SB	31
4.02	ERA	3.80
.265	Opp. Avg.	.280
132/104	K/BB	143/84
.972	Field %	.947