Bulldogs and Blue Devils open NEC play with weekend series starting Friday

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team will open Northeast Conference play this weekend as it visits Central Connecticut for a four-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Friday, March 18 at 1:00 p.m. at the CCSU Baseball Field.

This weekend's series has been adjusted due the impending weather forecast for Sunday. The Bulldogs (10-4) and Blue Devils (5-7) will two games on both Friday and Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Friday will feature a nine-inning game followed by a seven-inning game, while Saturday will be a seven and a nine.

Bryant and CCSU will be meeting for the seventh-straight season and this will be the first of two series between the teams this year. With the NEC shifting back to a 32-game schedule, every team will play two additional series. The Bulldogs will welcome the Blue Devils to Smithfield from May 13-15. Bryant leads the all-time series 18-7 after splitting with CCSU last season. The Bulldogs are just 7-5 in New Britain.

The Black and Gold are the four-time defending NEC Regular-Season champions and have enjoyed incredible success since joining the league in 2010. They have won five of the last six regular season titles, are 115-37 (.757) against league opponents and have not lost a series since April 19-21, 2013.

Bryant will have its hands full this weekend with the Blue Devils. CCSU started the season 4-2 but enters the weekend having lost five of its last six. They have featured a balanced offense that includes eight players that have four RBI or more on the season. Connor Fitzsimons leads the team in hitting (.400), Ryan Costello is hitting .364 with four doubles and nine runs scored and JUCO transfer Andrew Hinckley has a home run and four RBI.

On the mound, the Blue Devils have pitched to a 4.19 ERA in the first 13 games. Three of their four weekend starters all have sub-2.00 ERAs, including game one starter Casey Brown. The senior lefty is 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 11 strikeouts and just four walks in 16.1 innings. Hinckley is also a pitcher and is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings. Brett Susi, who beat the Bulldogs last season, is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA and Brandon Fox (1-2, 4.32) is the projected fourth starter.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend coming off their best offensive performance of the season against Delaware on Wednesday. Bryant posted single-season highs with 16 runs on 19 hits and scored in every inning but the ninth against the Blue Hens. Junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) continued his torrid stretch with three hits and two RBI and is now hitting .435 with six doubles, seven RBI and six runs scored over his last five games. Six other Bulldogs also finished with multiple hits and Bryant posted eight extra-base hits in the game.

Bryant will throw sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) and junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) on Friday and senior James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) and freshman Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) on Saturday. Karinchak went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA, five complete games and two shutouts in six league starts last season, while Bingel was 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA in four starts. Davitt also posted good numbers, going 3-1 with two saves and a 2.57 ERA in nine relief appearances.