Two Northeast powers collide as Bryant welcomes Stony Brook for three-game series

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Two of the top programs in the Northeast get together this weekend as the Bryant University baseball team welcomes Stony Brook University to Conaty Park for a three-game series beginning on Friday with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.

The Bulldogs (25-7) and Seawolves (17-15) will be meeting for the fourth time in program history this weekend, with the Black and Gold holding a 2-1 lead in the all-time series. Bryant and SBU split a pair of games in the Dodd Stadium College Baseball Classic in their last meeting in 2014.

Entering the weekend, Stony Brook and Bryant are the two winningest programs in the Northeast over the last five-plus seasons. Since the beginning of 2011, the Seawolves have won 206 games, while the Bulldogs are right behind with 204 victories. No other team in the region has won over 200 games and St. John's is next on the list with 194 wins over that span.

Two the top mid-major programs, Stony Brook made it somewhere were few ever thought was possible in 2012, the College World Series. The Seawolves won the Miami Regional, took 2-of-3 from LSU to win the Super Regional and advanced to the College World Series for the first time in program history. SBU won 52 games in 2012 but didn't make the NCAA Tournament again until last spring.

This year, the Seawolves are 17-15 overall and come into Friday's opener with a team average of .275 and a team ERA of 4.20. Andruw Gazzola leads the team with a .347 average, eight doubles and 26 runs scored, while Jack Parenty is hitting .333 with 23 RBI and six stolen bases. He also leads the team with a 22 walks and a .438 OBP.

Stony Brook's rotation this weekend will feature Connor Doyle on Friday, Bret Clarke on Saturday and Tyler Honahan on Sunday. Doyle has made eight appearances and six starts this year, going 2-1 with a 7.52 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. He has struck out 16 and walked nine. Clarke is the reigning America East Rookie of the Week and is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 29 1/3 innings. Tyler Honahan is 3-3 with a 6.63 ERA in 36 2/3 innings.

Bryant, on the other hand, has quickly taken over as the top offensive team in the Northeast Conference. The Bulldogs battered Northeastern pitching to the tune of 19 runs on 16 hits on Tuesday and come into Friday's first game with a .300 team batting average. They average 7.1 runs per game on the year and lead the NEC in home runs (27) and runs scored (226). Junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) and seniors Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) and Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) have been three of the best hitters in the region since March 5. Cellucci is hitting .397 (31-78) with 18 runs scored, Rinn is hitting .393 (35-89) with 22 RBI and 21 runs scored and Albanese is batting .391 (34-87) with 11 doubles, eight home runs, 36 RBI and 28 runs scored in the 22 games since.

Sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.), senior James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) and freshman Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) will make up Bryant's rotation this weekend. Karinchak, named to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List on Wednesday, is 7-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 61 strikeouts 51 1/3 innings. He is third nationally in wins and ranks in the top 35 in ERA. Davitt and Theetge both posted strong starts last weekend, allowing just one run on three hits in each of their two starts. The duo also has combined to induce 11 double plays on the year, with Theetge leading the team with six.

All three games between the Bulldogs and the Seawolves will be broadcast live and free of charge on NECFrontRow.com.