Bulldogs welcome Hartford to Conaty Park this weekend

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team returns to Conaty Park this weekend when it hosts Hartford in a three-game non-conference series.     

The Particulars
Opponent: Hartford
Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)
Date and Time: Apr. 12 – 3:00 p.m. | Apr. 13 – 2:00 p.m. | Apr. 14 – 1:00 p.m.
Watch: NECFrontRow
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Game Notes: Bryant
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #TCD | #NECBASE

Pitching Probables
Friday – LHP Steve Theetge (4-1, 1.66) vs. LHP Nicholas Dombkowski (1-3, 4.10)
Saturday – RHP Tyler Mattison (4-1, 4.93) vs. RHP Billy DeVito (2-1, 5.29)
Sunday – LHP Vito Morgese (1-3, 4.76) vs. RHP Sebastian DiMauro (2-0, 3.65)

Bryant will roll out the same weekend rotation for the second-straight week. Senior Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) gets the ball on Friday and will enter the start as the league-leader in strikeouts with 55 in 48 2/3 innings. Sophomore Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, N.Y.) is the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Week after tossing seven scoreless last weekend, while junior Vito Morgese (Warwick, N.Y.) struck out a season-high eight batters to earn his first win last Sunday.

Series History

• Bryant and Hartford will be meeting for the second time this season.
• The Bulldogs own a 7-3 lead in the series thanks to a 23-3 victory on Mar. 20 at Hartford.
• Bryant set a DI program record for runs scored and posted the second-most hits in a game with 24.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Bryant is 21-11 overall entering the weekend after splitting midweek games with UConn and Brown.
• The Bulldogs are hitting .307 as a team and have a 4.01 team ERA.
• Bryant is among the nation's best in several offensive categories, including average (15th, .307), doubles per game (17th, 2.22), hits (11th, 358), home runs per game (10th, 1.31) and scoring (11th, 8.3).
• Junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) in a career-high 21-straight games and is 11th nationally with 42 runs scored. He's also driven in 30 runs and has 10 doubles and six home runs.
• Redshirt junior Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) posted four hits on Wednesday at Brown and now ranks 34th nationally with 1.57 hits per game. He's hitting .364 with 10 doubles, 25 RBI and 29 runs scored.
• Senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) hit his second-career grand slam at Brown and now has six home runs, 27 RBI and 29 runs scored on the year. Over his last 18, Angelini is hitting .405 with four doubles, a triple, six home runs, 22 RBI and 26 runs scored.
• Junior Jack Ipsen (Eatontown, N.J.) has appeared in each of the last three games and has five-straight scoreless outings. He earned his first win at Brown and has walked two and struck out 12 on the year.  

Scouting the Hawks

• Hartford enters the week at 12-16 overall and 6-3 in the America East conference. The Hawks took two-of-three from league-leading Stony Brook last weekend.
• The Hawks are hitting .249 as a team and have a 6.39 team ERA.
• Chris Sullivan leads the team with 27 RBI, while Ashton Bardzell has 10 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 24 RBI.
• The Hawks also have one of the top pitchers in the region in sophomore Nick Dombkowski. He was the 2018 America East Pitcher and Rookie of the Year and is 1-3 with a 4.10 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.

Up Next

Bryant wraps up a mini four-game homestand next Tuesday when it welcomes Rhode Island to Conaty Park. It begins a stretch of five games in five days for the Bulldogs next week. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.