No. 18 Bulldogs wrap up home schedule as they welcome CCSU to Conaty Park

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The No. 18 Bryant University baseball team welcomes Central Connecticut to Conaty Park this weekend for the final home series of the 2016 regular season. The series is scheduled to begin on Friday with a first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.

**Due to impending rain, Friday's series opener has been moved up to 1:00 p.m.**

The Bulldogs (36-9, 19-3 NEC) enter the weekend with a 2.5 game lead over Sacred Heart for first place and have already secured a spot in the NEC Tournament for the fourth-straight year. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils (19-27, 11-13) hold a two game lead over LIU Brooklyn for the fourth and final playoff spot.

This weekend will be the second meeting between Bryant and Central Connecticut due to the unbalanced schedule this year in the NEC. The Bulldogs swept the Blue Devils in the middle of March, winning a pair doubleheaders 6-1, 8-1, 7-0 and 5-4. Bryant is now 22-7 all-time against the Blue Devils.

Bryant is coming off a series victory over LIU Brooklyn last weekend and is currently No. 32 in the most recent RPI. The Bulldogs are hitting .314 as a team and are averaging 7.8 runs per game. Bryant also leads the league in home runs with 43 after hitting 11 last weekend, including a program-record nine in third game of the series. Junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) leads the team with 10, while classmate Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) and senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) both have six.

Albanese and senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) both also made history last weekend at LIU. Albanese became the first player in Bryant's DI history to record 50+ RBI and 50+ runs scored in the same season. He is just the second player in the NEC to do so since 2011 (BBCOR era) and his 50 RBI and 54 runs scored are both career highs. Rinn, on the other hand, broke the DI program record for RBI with a first-inning home run on Sunday. He now has 154 career RBIs, surpassing Kevin Brown and John Mullen.

The Bulldogs also lead the NEC with an ERA of 3.45 and will trot out their usual four starters this weekend. Sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) has been shaky the last several weeks and suffered just his second loss of the season last week, walking five batters in 5 1/3 innings. He has walked 15 batters over his last 25 innings and saw his ERA jump to 2.47.

Bingel, freshman Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) and senior James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) give the Bulldogs three more quality arms the rest of the weekend. Bingel has won a career-high seven games this season, posting a 3.61 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings. Theetge improved to 6-0 last weekend but allowed more than six hits in a game for the first time this season. Davitt has also posted a career-high, going 5-2 with 45 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 54 2/3 innings.

In the first series between these two teams, Bryant's pitching staff dominated, posting a 1.69 ERA, 29 strikeouts and just 11 walks. Davitt tossed a complete-game shutout, Karinchak struck out eight over seven innings of one-run ball and Bingel allowed just one run in six innings.

Bingel also got it done at the plate, going 5-13 with two home runs and five RBI. Rinn went 7-for-15, Albanese went 6-for-13 and both drove in four runs.

Central Connecticut enters the weekend looking to stay in the playoff picture. The Blue Devils are just 3-13 in four trips to Smithfield. CCSU is hitting .270 as a team and boasts a team ERA of 4.05. Dean Lockery has been the Blue Devils' most consistent player, hitting .365 with 62 hits, 20 RBI and 27 runs scored. He ranks fourth in the NEC in average and hits. Connor Fitzsimons leads the team with 25 RBI and is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. Lockery led the Blue Devils the first time these two teams met, going 4-for-12 with four walks and a .500 OBP.

On the mound, the Blue Devils have made it a habit to not walk batters. Ranked among the best in the country in fewest walks per nine historically, CCSU has issued a league-low 141 walks in over 373 innings. Casey Brown (2-6, 3.63), Andrew Hinckley (6-3, 3.34), Mike Appel (1-3, 2.32) and Brett Susi (3-6, 4.30) are the four weekend starters.

The Bulldogs will honor their 12-member senior class prior to Sunday's series finale. Festivities will be approximately at 12:45.