Baseball Heads into Home Stretch, Taking on Baruch and Future Skyline Foe Yeshiva

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team (17-16) opens the month of May as they head towards the end of the regular season with a matchup Saturday against CUNYAC opponent Baruch, and then closes out the weekend with a doubleheader Sunday against future Skyline opponent Yeshiva.

Game Information

Opponent: Baruch College (12-20)
Date: Saturday, May 2nd




Time: 1:00 p.m.



Field: Bellerose, N.Y. | Padavan-Preller Field

Opponent: Yeshiva University (2-17)




Date: Sunday, May 3rd
Time: 2:00 & 5:00 p.m.



Field: Bellerose, N.Y. | Padavan-Preller Field

Team Links

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

| NCAA Ranking Summary
Baruch: Roster | Schedule | Statistics 
Yeshiva: Roster | Schedule | Statistics  

Quick Hits

• St. Joseph's are winners of five of their last six games, and are looking to move to their best record of the season.
• Before they move to the Skyline Conference next season, the Bears are 4-2 against Skyline opponents last defeating Purchase on Wednesday.
• Facing Baruch, St. Joseph's look to even the season series at one game apiece after dropping a 6-2 decision on April 2nd.
• The Bears have won their last eight matchups against the Maccabees, and have an all-time record of 10-1 dating back to 2008.
• The doubleheader against Yeshiva is the first two games of three against the Maccabees, facing them on May 7th in their regular season finale in Teaneck, N.J.
• St. Joseph's is led by senior outfielder Thomas McKenna, who extended his Bears-record hitting streak to 17 games with two hits in their win over Cairn Thursday afternoon.
• The Bearcats are powered on the offensive side by Zachary Uher, who leads the CUNYAC with eight home runs. Angel Tejada is tied for first in the conference with 29 runs batted in and second with seven home runs.
• Yeshiva is aiming for their third and fourth wins on the 2015 season after snapping a 65-game losing streak overall with a doubleheader sweep against Vaughn April 26th .

All-Time Series

vs. Baruch: Against the Bearcats, the Bears are 3-6 overall dating back to 2009, looking to even the season series after losing on April 2nd.

vs. Yeshiva: The Bears own a decisive 10-1 advantage dating back to 2008. They have won the last eight meetings, which includes a doubleheader sweep last season on April 25th, 2014.

Last Meeting

vs. Baruch:  St. Joseph's could not hold on to an early lead as they dropped a 6-2 decision to Baruch College on April 2nd at MCU Park.

The Bears got two hits and a run batted in each from Chris Cutrone and Michael Camerada in a losing effort. Nicholas LoPrinzi and Domenick Camerada for both runs scored.

vs. Yeshiva: In their last matchup against Yeshiva, St. Joseph's erupted for 34 runs and 30 hits as the Bears won their 12th straight game with a doubleheader sweep, 8-1 and 26-0, on April 25, 2014 at Overpeck Park.

Thomas McKenna finished a home run short of the cycle and set a record with five runs scored, batting 4-for-6 from the dish with a stolen base and two walks.

Vinny Rossi and Joe Mendez contributed with three RBI and three runs scored each, while Francis Rapp knocked four hits and scored four runs, both career highs. Chris Cutrone extended his reached base safely streak to a new program-best 28 games.

The Bear Facts

Senior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) leads the Bears with a batting average of .389 along with team-highs 28 runs, 25 RBI and 12 stolen bases. He continues to extend the new Bears record with his 17-game hitting streak, breaking a record that has stood since 2008. The all-time Bears hits leader needs just six hits to become the first Bear to reach the 200-hit mark.

Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) has been on a tear at the plate and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, batting .448 with nine RBI and eight runs scored over the span. Senior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) has tallied 16 runs batted in as well as ranked second on the team with both 22 runs and a .349 batting average.

Sophomore Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) has two home runs and 16 RBI to go with a .309 average, while Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) has a .308 batting average on the season, and has added 12 runs scored and 13 runs batted in.

On the mound, Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) leads the team with a 6-1 record along with a 3.18 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 39.2 innings. He is coming off a scoreless outing in the Bears' last win against Cairn, striking out six batters over five innings pitched.

Cutrone has a team-best 34 strikeouts on the season, and is the team's all-time leader in strikeouts. He is coming off notching his first win on the season, tossing a complete game and allowing just one run in a win over St. Joseph's (L.I.).

Bears Last Time Out vs. Cairn

The Bears got production from the top of their lineup and a strong team pitching performance as they defeated Cairn College, 10-2, Thursday afternoon at Padavan-Preller Field.

Eight different Bears combined for 14 hits and five had multi-hit games. Thomas McKenna scored three times had two hits for St. Joseph's including a leadoff home run in the first inning (fifth of the season) that gave the Bears the lead for good.

Brian Luebcke added two hits and two runs batted in, and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. Senior Chris Cutrone knocked two hits with two RBI, Francis Rapp had two hits with a RBI and run scored and Michael Camerada had three hits. Senior Vinny Rossi chipped in two RBI.

Mitch Brigando tossed five scoreless frames and struck out six batters to improve his team-best record to 7-1.

Bearcats On the Prowl

Two power hitters in their lineup lead Baruch offensively this season. Zachary Uher leads the CUNYAC with eight home runs and has a .301 batting average, while Angel Tejada is hitting .316 and tied for first in the conference with 29 runs batted in and second with seven home runs. Eric Ulino tops the team with a .324 average, five homers and 24 RBI.

On the mound, Cameron Kitt has a team-best three wins and 43 strikeouts in six appearances. Paul Perez leads the team with four complete games and has 32 strikeouts over 44.0 innings pitched.

Baruch Last Time Out vs. Farmingdale State

In their last game played, Baruch were shut out on the road by Farmingdale State, 4-0, on Tuesday afternoon. The Bearcats were held to just two hits, one each from Angel Tejada and Nicholas LaForgia. Adams Pequero took the loss on the mound despite allowing three runs on just three hits over six innings.

The Mac Attack

The Maccabees have won two of their last three games, which snapped a 65-game losing streak overall dating back to 2013.

For Yeshiva, Elan Paul has a team-best .310 batting average (18-for-58) with a team-best 16 stolen bases, nine runs and four runs batted in. Shmull Goldis has six runs scored and six runs batted in with a .298 average. Josh Gurin leads the team with nine RBI, while Zachary Peri is second with seven runs batted in.

The pitching staff is led by Jonathan Gardner, who has one win, four complete games and is tied for first on the Maccabees with 18 strikeouts. Benjy Blumenthal has also fanned 18 strikeouts, and a victory. 

Yeshiva Last Time Out vs. Lehman

In their last time out, the Maccabees were defeated by Lehman College, 32-1, on Monday evening.

The Maccabees were led by Shmuli Goldis who was 2-for-4 with a run, while Josh Gurin was 1-for-3 with a double and a run batted in. Yeshiva also got one hit each off the bat of Aryeh Rosenfield and Zachary Perl.

Next Up for the Bears – at Yeshiva

St. Joseph's will close out the 2015 regular season when they face Yeshiva again on May 7th, this time at Votee Park in Teaneck, N.J. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.