Baseball visits Stony Brook on Tuesday

NATIONALLY-RANKED BULLDOGS VISIT STONY BROOK ON TUESDAY

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Ranked nationally for the first time in Division I program history, the No. 30 Bryant University baseball team travels to Long Island to face 2012 Cinderella Stony Brook on Tuesday, April 16 at Joe Nathan Field.

The Bulldogs (23-9-1), winners of 18-straight games, enter the week ranked second in New England after receiving one first-place vote and 37 points. Bryant also received its first-ever national ranking on Monday, coming in at No. 30 on the Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll.

Bryant, though, will have its hands full when it travels to face the Seawolves on Tuesday. Despite a 12-23 record, Stony Brook is coming off one of the greatest storybook runs in NCAA history. Coming out of the America East, the Seawolves won their NCAA Regional as a four seed and then went on to defeat LSU in Baton Rouge, La., to advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Stony Brook's run ended with a pair of losses at the national tournament.

This season, the loss of seven members of that team has been evident. Stony Brook has won just three of its last seven games, including back-to-back wins over Hartford last weekend. The Seawolves are hitting just .236 as a team and have posted a 4.46 team ERA. Jack Parenty is the key to the offense, hitting .339 with nine RBI and 18 runs scored. Tanner Nivins leads the team with 17 RBI and Kevin Courtney has provided some pop with six doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI. On the mound, the Bulldogs will most likely see freshman righty Chad Lee (1-0, 3.12). He's worked 17.1 innings, allowing 16 hits and striking out just nine.

For the Bulldogs, the senior leadership of Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) and Dan Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) has been evident. Brown was named the Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday and is hitting .491 (27-55) with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 24 RBI and 22 runs scored over Bryant's current 18-game winning streak. He's walked 22 times, struck out just three times and stolen 13 bases, posting an ungodly .622 OBP. Muscatello is hitting .435 over the same stretch with six doubles, 18 RBI, 10 walks and a .514 OBP. The Black and Gold have also received key contributions from sophomore Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.). He's hitting .360 during the streak with three doubles, nine RBI and eight runs scored. Even more important, St. George is 3-for-5 as a late-inning pinch-hitting during the streak.

On the mound, the Black and Gold will once again turn to senior Joseph Michaud (Milford, Conn.). A Saturday starter as a junior, Michaud has made the move to mid-week seamlessly this year. He's won his last three starts and has allowed more than two runs on just one occasion this season. Michaud is coming off a dominant outing against Rhode Island  in which he allowed just one run on four hits and struck out eight over six innings. In his last three starts, Michaud has struck out 23 and walked just six.

First pitch for Tuesday is schedule for 4:00 p.m.