Bryant wraps up home slate against QU

GAME INFORMATION
Bryant University (23-22, 12-11 Northeast) vs. Quinnipiac University (14-29, 10-18)
Friday, May 6 – 3:00 p.m. / Saturday, May 7 – 1/3/p.m. / Sunday, May 8 – 1:00p.m.
Bryant Baseball Complex – Smithfield, R.I.
Live Stats (www.bryantbulldogs.com) / Webcast / Twitter (@BryantAthletics)

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team (23-22, 12-11) enters this weekend's series against Quinnipiac University just two games in the loss column out of a third-place tie in the latest Northeast Conference standings. This four-game stand will be the final home games for eight Bulldog seniors, as the team will play four more in Teaneck, N.J. against Fairleigh Dickinson, May 14-16 to wrap up their third goaround at the Division I level.

Scouting Bryant

At the plate, David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) continues to lead the lineup with a .338 batting average. The Connecticut native has posted a team-best 25 RBIs through 45 games while boasting a remarkable 12 doubles. His .451 on-base percentage leads the squad and is currently 7-for-9 on stolen bases. Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) has come on strong as of late, now batting .275 with 19 RBIs and 18 runs. Brown, who leads the team with 74 total bases, has recorded a .433 on-base clip and has generated 19 extra-base knocks.

On the hill, the Bulldogs have received strong performance form a handful of players, but in particular Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.), the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Week. Kelich notched a win and a save while pitching to a 0.00 ERA, coming out of the bullpen in Bryant's mid-week non-conference clash with Ocean State rival Brown, the right-hander threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to save a 5-4 win for the Bulldogs. 

Three days later, he took the ball in Game 2 of Bryant's four-game NEC series at Sacred Heart.  Kelich cruised through 7.0 scoreless innings on the way to a 3-0 complete-game victory over the NEC's top-hitting team.  He scattered five hits, walked two batters, and struck out three over the 7-inning shutout.  Sacred Heart, which is batting a league-high .302 for the season, hit for a .200 average against Kelich. 

Logging 8.0 innings on the hill against Brown and Sacred Heart, Kelich allowed no runs and only five hits while fanning four batters.

Scouting the Quinnipiac

The Bobcats are 10-18 in league play and currently the No. 9 spot in the latest conference polls. QU has lost nine straight and is 1-16 in their last 17 outings. The club is 9-13 on the road in 2011 and 14-29 overall.

Quinnipiac is currently led by Kyle Nisson who is hitting a team-high .341 (45-132) with 19 RBI and 15 runs scored. Mickey Amanti has been pacing the Bobcats for most of the season with 53 hits in 40 games played while leading the team with 29 stolen bases. Junior captain Chris Migani (Orange, Conn.) has been the power source in the middle of the line-up, blasting five home runs and driving in 29 runs - both team highs, while also slugging a gaudy .486.

Ben Farina sits third among all Bobcat hitters at .313 (51-163) and is currently chasing the Quinnipiac career hits record. Farina is currently at 232 career hits and trails Ryan Rizzo '07 (238)for second place and current assistant coach Tim Binkoski '07 (245) for the program record with six games to play.

The Series

Quinnipiac and Bryant will be meeting for the second time on the Division I level, as the Bulldogs took all four in the 2010 series in Hamden. Conn. The Bulldogs outscored the home side by a combined, 26-15 margin in the weekend slate.