May 14, 2010

Fordham-George Washington Game Notes

Arlington, Va. - With two weeks remaining on the conference schedule, this weekend's Fordham-George Washington series could not be more important with only one game separating the two squads from being in or out of A-10 playoff contention. Both clubs are a part of a seven-team race for second place in the Atlantic 10 standings with all seven squads separated by only two games.

Saint Joseph's and Rhode Island are tied for second at 13-8, while George Washington, Xavier, and Saint Louis are 12-9 in the standings. Fordham and Massachusetts are on the outside looking in at 11-10 in the standings.

For the Rams and Colonials, they have played each other 20 times previously with George Washington holding a 14-6 lead. Fordham has however won four of the last five meetings.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday: RHP Max Krakowiak (5-3) vs. RHP Ryan LaPointe (6-2) | GameTracker
Saturday: LHP J.P. Mack (1-6) vs. RHP Eric Cantrell (8-2) | GameTracker
Sunday: RHP John Flanagan (0-4) vs. LHP Brian Derner (2-1) | GameTracker

SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON: George Washington is 24-24 overall, 12-9 in the Atlantic 10 conference.

The Colonials are having another solid season at the plate, batting .308 as a team and averaging 7.7 runs per game. Tom Zebroski, one of the leading candidates for Player of the Year honors, leads the Colonials' attack with a .417 batting average 64 runs scored, 15 doubles, 13 home runs, and 50 RBI. Brendon Kelliher is also having an excellent campaign, hitting .387 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs, and 48 RBI.

On the hill, George Washington will send RHP Ryan LaPointe (6-5, 6.17 ERA) to the mound on Friday and RHP Eric Cantrell (8-2, 3.16 ERA) on Saturday. Sunday's starter will be LHP Brian Derner (2-1, 7.02 ERA). George Washington relies on a bullpen by committee as six different pitchers have recorded at least one save this season.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Fordham junior Chris Walker is closing in on an extremely exclusive mark, as he connected for his 19th double of the season on April 28th at Columbia.

He is one double shy of becoming only the fourth Ram to reach 20 doubles in a single season. The only other players to accomplish that feat were Mike Marchiano (21 - 1997), Mike D'Auria (21 - 1997), and Bobby Kingsbury (20 - 2002).

COMING INTO FORM: With seven conference weekends in the books, the Fordham Rams have had a big turnaround from their non-conference games.

The Rams are hitting .300 as a team in conference play, while hitting .261 in non-conference play. Fordham is also averaging over two runs more per game in conference play at 6.7, compared to 4.7 in non-league games

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

Como has seen his average get boosted to .310 in conference games only, compared to a .226 clip in non-conference games.

While, Kownacki (.326 compared to .245 - 81 pts), Taddei (.333 compared to .267 - 66 pts.), Martinez (.301 compared to .278 - 23 pts.), and Lee (.284 compared to .256 - 28 pts.) also have improved offensive numbers, Maghini has given Fordham its biggest boost. Hitting just .067 in non-league play, Maghini has improved 193 points on his average to .260 in league play, recording nine RBI to just four in non-league play.

WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': Brian Kownacki is hitting .378 (14-37) over his last nine games with six runs scored and 10 RBI... Stephen McSherry has made the most of his spot time in the outfield, hitting .389 (7-18) with two home runs and six RBI in his last eight appearances... Ryan McCrann is batting .353 (12-34) with six runs scored, three doubles, six RBI in his last nine games... Chris Walker is batting .344 (11-32) with six runs scored, three home runs, and 10 RBI.. In six conference starts, Max Krakowiak has been strong as the Rams' top pitcher, going 5-0 with three complete games and a 2.83 ERA in 54.0 innings pitched. He also has 41 strikeouts compared to 16 walks.

FORDHAM BASEBALL HONORED BY NCAA FOR HIGH ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Eleven Fordham University athletic teams were among more than 800 Division I squads to be publicly recognized by the NCAA for their latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. This is an increase from six teams that were honored in each of the past two years.

The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

Being honored for the Rams are Baseball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Men's Swimming, Men's Indoor Track and Field, Men's Outdoor Track and Field, Women's Indoor Track, Women's Outdoor Track, Men's Tennis and Women's Tennis. Baseball, Men's Tennis, Women's Indoor Track and Women's Outdoor Track have all been honored in each of the four years the NCAA has released scores, while women's tennis is recognized for the third time and women's soccer the second.

"It is a great achievement for the eleven teams that have been recognized by the NCAA, especially the four programs that have been acknowledged in each of the past four years," said Executive Director of Athletics, Frank McLaughlin. "The individuals from these teams are great examples of how Fordham student-athletes successfully balance their academic and athletic pursuits and we are extremely proud of these teams for their excellence."

UPCOMING GAMES: Following this weekend series, the Rams wrap up their road schedule with their final non-conference game of the season at Seton Hall on May 18th. Fordham then ends the regular season with a three-game home series against the Duquesne Dukes from May 20-22.