April 20, 2010

Fordham-Iona Game Notes

Bronx, N.Y. - After taking two of three from Saint Louis this weekend, the Fordham baseball team has another crucial week, as they get closer to the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament at the end of May.

This week's games begin with the first night home game of the season against local rival, Iona College. Fordham holds a 43-24-1 series advantage in 68 meetings, and have won the last three match-ups. Prior to those three games, Iona had won five of six contests.

PROBABLE STARTERS/MEDIA LINKS:
Tuesday: RHP John Flanagan (0-4) vs. RHP Pete Ladis (0-2) | Watch | GameTracker | Listen on WFUV.org

SCOUTING IONA: Iona is 6-25 overall this season, 0-9 in MAAC play.

The Gaels are batting .273 on the season with three batters at .300 or better this season, while averaging 5.7 runs a contest. Nick Rossetti is the Gaels' leading hitter at .351, posting five doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBI, while Andrew Passerelle is hitting .317 with nine doubles, six home runs, and 26 RBI.

On the hill, the Gaels boast an 8.46 ERA and a .355 opponent batting average. Iona's probable starter for Tuesday's game is Pete Ladis, who is 0-2 this season with a save and 9.19 ERA.

WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Angelo Ponte is batting .524 (11-21) with a home run and seven RBI in his last six games... Michael Taddei is batting .500 (5-10) in his last four games, which included the game-winning three-run double against Saint Louis on April 17th... Mike Mobbs is hitting .394 (13-33) over his last eight games with eight runs scored and three stolen bases... Ryan McCrann is batting .355 (11-31) with seven runs scored, five RBI, and five stolen bases in his last eight games... Chris Walker has seven RBI in his last eight games to go with a .313 batting average... In three conference starts, Brian Pendergast and Max Krakowiak have been strong, as Pendergast is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, while Krakowiak is also 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

COMING INTO FORM: With four conference weekends gone by, the Fordham Rams have had a big turnaround from their non-conference games.

The Rams are hitting .304 as a team in conference play, which is good for fourth in the Atlantic 10, while hitting .262 in non-conference play. Fordham is also averaging over two runs more per game in conference play at 6.8, compared to 4.5 in non-league games

Individually, there are six players that were happy to see Atlantic 10 play start back on March 27th, including Angelo Ponte, Brian Kownacki, P.J. Como, Michael Taddei, Ryan Lee and Ryan Maghini.

Ponte has been on fire in league play, hitting .387, which is 12th in the A-10, compared to a respectable .291 in out of conference play. Como has seen his average skyrocket to .350 in conference games only, compared to a .224 clip in non-conference games.

While, Kownacki (.309 compared to .234 - 75 pts), Taddei (.316 compared to .270 - 46 pts.), and Lee (.308 compared to .222 - 86 pts.) also have improved offensive numbers, Maghini has given Fordham its biggest boost. Hitting just .077 in non-league play, Maghini has improved 179 points on his average to .256 in league play, recording seven RBI to just three in non-league play.

WHAT ABOUT US?: Fordham's play since Atlantic 10 games started has also seen the pitching staff round into one of the league leaders. Overall, Fordham ranks third in the Atlantic 10 with a 5.73 ERA, which has been helped by a 3.78 mark in conference games only.

The Rams' starting rotation of J.P. Mack, Max Krakowiak, and Brian Pendergast have all settled in performed well through the first 12 games of league play. Mack was 0-3 with a 9.72 ERA in non-conference games, but is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four Atlantic 10 starts. Pendergast was Fordham's best starter in non-league play with a 1-1 record and a 4.91 ERA, but has pitched even better in conference play, posting a 2-0 record and a 3.42 ERA.

Krakowiak though has been a true difference maker, after starting the season 0-3 with an ERA near six. He is 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play with a 3.26 ERA, two complete games, and a .222 opponent batting average.

HEART OF THE ORDER: After mix and matching a number of combinations, the Fordham line-up has been stablized with the production of the Rams' 3-4-5 hitters: Ryan McCrann, Chris Walker, and Mike Mobbs, who are all tied for the team lead with 45 hits.

After a slow start, McCrann is hitting .338 out of the three spot to go with five doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI. He has also found the ability to be a force on the basepaths, going 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts.

Walker has been the Rams' most consistent hitter throughout the season, leading the conference with 18 doubles, while having a team-bets 29 RBI to go with a .338 batting average.

Mobbs is the Rams's top run producer this season, leading the team in batting average (.344), runs scored (34), on-base percentage (.420), and slugging percentage (.519)

NOT THE WHO... THE HOU!: After a major reconstruction project that lasted close to a year, the Fordham baseball team has called Houlihan Park home for the last four seasons.

Houlihan Park has been very friendly to the Rams, winning over 60% of the games at 59-38 over that span. Fordham has continued that winning in 2010, opening with a 5-4 record at home.

UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams' next game is back on the road, as the team heads to St. John's on Wednesday, April 21st for a 6:00 PM game. Fordham then travels to Dayton to meet the Flyers for a three-game series, April 23-25. The team then ends a six-game road swing with a doubleheader at Columbia on April 28th.