Baseball Aims to Get Back Towards .500 Mark with Matchup Against Merchant Marine

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) baseball team (13-15) will head to Great Neck for a meeting with the Merchant Marine Academy Thursday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. start time.

Game Information

Opponent: Merchant Marine Academy (12-15)

Date: Thursday, April 23rd

Time: 4:15 p.m.
Field: Kings Point, N.Y. | Lower Roosevelt Field

Team Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics 

| NCAA Ranking Summary
Merchant Marine Academy: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Quick Hits

• St. Joseph's is seeking their first win in school history against Merchant Marine, dropping the first six decisions.
• Thomas McKenna leads the Bears with a batting average of .400 along with 18 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He is currently on a 12-game hitting streak, tying the longest of the season.
• McKenna hit .500 last week with three RBI and three runs scored, he secured the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Week.
• The Mariners are looking to build a winning streak after snapping a six-game losing streak Sunday.
• Bryson Campbell paces Merchant Marine with a .372 batting average along with a team-best 19 RBI.

All-Time Series

The Bears are looking for their first win against Merchant Marine in school history, compiling a 0-6 record dating back to 2009.

Last Meeting vs. Merchant Marine

The Bears fell behind early and could not get back into it as they lost to the Merchant Marine Academy, 10-4 on April 23, 2013 at Lower Roosevelt Field.

Joe Mendez added to his team-leading RBI total with a two-run double and finished 2-for-4 on the game. Sophomore Thomas McKenna reached base safely for the 18th straight game, finishing 1-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. 

The Bear Facts

Senior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) leads the Bears with a batting average of .400 along with team-highs 20 runs, 18 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He is currently on a 12-game hitting streak, tying the longest of the season. The outfielder hit .500 last week with three runs batted in and three runs scored, earning himself the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Week.

Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) is hitting .315 on the season, and has 10 runs scored and is tied for second with 13 RBI. Senior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) is second with 19 runs to go with an outstanding batting average of .330 (29-for-88).

Shortstop Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) has a batting average of .315, 15 runs, and is tied with LoPrinzi for second on the team with 13 runs batted in. Catcher Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) has 12 RBI and a team-best 16 walks.

On the mound, Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) leads the team with a 5-1 record with 24 strikeouts over 30.2 innings. Cutrone has a team-best 28 strikeouts, and is the team's all-time leader in strikeouts with 139. Brian Luebcke () has three wins on three complete games and an earned run average of 2.67.

McKenna Earns AD3I Player of the Week

For his outstanding performance at the plate this past week, Thomas McKenna was awarded the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) baseball Player of the Week.

The senior had a .500 batting average, going 5-for-10 with three RBI and three runs scored to go along with two stolen bases in three games as the Bears went 2-1 this week. He plated two runs batted in and a run scored in a victory over Maritime (N.Y.) on April 15th.

McKenna then finished 4-for-8 with two runs and an RBI in a doubleheader split with Briarcliffe on April 19th to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, matching a team high set by both himself earlier this season and Chris Cutrone. This is first time this season he has won the AD3I Player of the Week accolade, and the third time in his career.

Bears Last Time Out vs. Briarcliffe

In their last outing, the Bears earned a doubleheader split with United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) rival Briarcliffe College dropping game one, 3-1, before convincingly taking game two, 9-2, on Sunday afternoon at the PAL Complex.

Thomas McKenna finished 4-for-8 over the twin bill to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, matching a team high set by himself earlier this season and Chris Cutrone. McKenna also scored two runs and drove in a run.

Francis Rapp would finish 3-for-4 in game two, scoring three runs with two RBI and a double. Cutrone knocked a pair of doubles in game two as Anthony DeFillippo and Nicholas LoPrinzi also finished with a pair of hits and scored a run.

Mitch Brigando worked 6 1/3 innings in relief allowing just one earned run on five hits, while striking out two and walking three to improve to 5-1 on the season.

Mariners Watch

Merchant Marine is led by Bryson Campbell, who has a team-best .372 (35-for-94) with 19 RBI and 16 runs scored. Michael Barnes is second on the team with 16 runs batted in and 29 hits, including team-best nine extra-base hits. Jacob Sithong leads the Mariners with 25 runs scored with three home runs and 14 runs batted in.

On the pitcher's mound, Josh Ellington has a 3-1 record, allowing six earned runs over 17.0 innings and a 3.18 ERA. Patrick Morgan has added two wins along with a team-high 26 strikeouts and four complete games on the season.

Merchant Marine Last Time Out vs. Catholic

In their last time out, the Mariners snapped a six-game losing skid as they topped Catholic, 2-1, Sunday afternoon. Both of the runs came in the top of the second inning for Merchant Marine with an RBI fielder's choice by Francis Grzymkowski and a Joseph Policastro run-scoring groundout.

Jeff Wright earned the win after giving up one run on four hits over six strong innings, striking out four batters.

Next Up for the Bears – at St. Joseph's (L.I.)

Following these two matchups, the Bears will have a doubleheader showdown against sibling school St. Joseph's (L.I.) at the SJC Outdoor Complex in Patchogue. First pitch of game one starts at 12:00 p.m. Live stats will be available at SJCBears.com.