May 26, 2010

Atlantic 10 Championship Central | Watch ($7.95) | GameTracker | Game Notes

Probable Starters: RHP Max Krakowiak (7-3) vs. LHP Alex Alemann or RHP Bryant Cotton

Camden, N.J. - Courtesy of a 15-12 mark in conference play, the Fordham baseball team will make their seventh overall trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship, and fifth time in the last seven seasons. Fordham won six of nine Atlantic 10 series this season, earning the fourth seed at the Championship. The Rams will open play on Wednesday, May 26th at noon against the fifth seed, Saint Louis Billikens.

The other opening round game features sixth seed La Salle against third seeded Rhode Island. The double elimination championship also features the top seeded Charlotte 49ers and the second seed, Xavier Musketeers.

This season, Fordham played three of the other five competing teams, earning series wins over Saint Louis (2-1) and LaSalle (2-1), while taking one of three games against Rhode Island. The Rams did not play Charlotte or Xavier in 2010.

2010 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE: Play commences at Campbell's Field in Camden, New Jersey on Wednesday, May 26, with No. 4 Fordham facing fifth-seeded Saint Louis at 12:00pm., while third-seeded Rhode Island squares off against No. 6 La Salle at 3:30pm. The two losers will square off at 7:00 PM in the first elimination game.

On Thursday, May 27, No. 1 Charlotte takes on the Fordham-Saint Louis winner at 12:00pm, followed by second-seeded Xavier versus the Rhode Island-La Salle winner at 3:30pm. The lowest seeded loser from these two games will take on Wednesday night's elimination game winner at 7:00 PM. Friday will see three more games at 12:00 PM, 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM with two teams remaining for Saturday's 12:00pm and 3:30pm (if necessary) games on May 29.

Single-game tickets start as low as $8 for adults and $4 for students, senior citizens and children under 18, while four-day packages are $24 for adults and $12 for students, senior citizens and children under 18. Live audio and video streaming of the Championship will be available for pay-per-view at a cost of $7.95 per game. For complete coverage of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship, log on to www.atlantic10.org.

FORDHAM AT A-10'S: Fordham is 5-10 all-time at the Atlantic 10 Championship, winning the title in 1998.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: Here is a short breakdown of the Rams' competition at the Atlantic 10 Championship:

Charlotte: The 49ers enter as the top seed in the championship after a 37-15 season, and 20-7 record in the Atlantic 10. Coached by Loren Hibbs, Charlotte led the A-10 in batting (.329) and team ERA (4.44) this season. The 49ers are led by junior first baseman Ryan Rivers, who is batting .360 with 51 runs scored, 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 59 RBI. On the hill, freshman righthander Corey Roberts was 6-2 with a league-best 3.39 ERA as the 49ers' top starting pitcher.

Xavier: The defending A-10 Champion Musketeers qualified as the #2 seed at the championship, following a 25-30 overall season and 18-9 A-10 campaign. Coached by Scott Googins, Xavier rated eighth in the A-10 in batting (.296) and seventh in team ERA (6.24). The Musketeers are led by junior first baseman Ben Thomas, who is hitting .362 with 12 home runs and 65 RBI. On the hill, freshman lefthander Jon Richard has been the top arm, posting a 7-3 record in 13 starts with a 4.58 ERA.

Rhode Island: The Rams are the #3 seed in the championship after a 29-24 campaign and a 17-10 Atlantic 10 mark. Coached by Jim Foster, Rhode Island was fourth in the A-10 in batting (.302) and second in team ERA (5.38). The Rams are led by junior infielder Tom Coloumbe, who is batting .409 with 55 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, 15 doubles, three home runs, and 39 RBI. On the rubber, senior righthander Tim Boyce was 5-3 this season with a 3.63 ERA and three shutouts in 94.1 innings pitched.

Saint Louis: The Billikens are the fifth seed, following a 29-27 season and 15-12 mark in the A-10. Coached by Darin Hendrickson, Saint Louis ranked seventh in the A-10 in batting (.297) and eighth in team ERA (6.50). Saint Louis is led by the two-man duo of junior infielder Jon Myers and senior Danny Brock. Both players have combined for over a .360 batting average, 31 doubles, 32 home runs, and 133 RBI. Like the offense, the pitching looks to the duo of senior righthander Bryant Cotton and freshman Alex Alemann. Cotton is 8-4 with a 4.14 ERA, five complete games, and 89 strikeouts, while Alemann is 8-5 with a 4.46 ERA, six complete games, and 66 strikeouts.

La Salle: The Explorers are the sixth seed, following a 21-30 season and 14-13 A-10 record. Coached by Mike Lake, La Salle is ninth in the A-10 in batting (.294) and 12th in team ERA (7.62). The Explorers are led by sophomore Brendan Norton, who is hitting .397, with 50 runs scored, 11 doubles, 31 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. On the hill, sophomore lefthander Eric Van Wyk is 7-1 this season with a 5.45 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 76.0 innings pitched.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Fordham junior Chris Walker reached an extremely exclusive mark, during the Rams' series at George Washington, May 14-16. He registered three doubles in the series to give him 22 for the season, breaking Mike Marchiano's 1997 single season record of 21 at Fordham, while becoming only the fourth Ram to reach 20 doubles in a single season. The only other players to accomplish that feat were Mike D'Auria (21 - 1997) and Bobby Kingsbury (20 - 2002). He also joined Marchiano in another exclusive group, as only the second Ram to have 20 doubles and 50 RBI in the same season.

LENDING A HAND: Having a strong arm in the outfield can be a big asset for a pitching staff, and the Rams have gotten that from senior outfielder P.J. Como. Como is one of the national leaders in outfield assists, posting nine this season, which is tied for fourth in the country. Only Wagner's Kevin McDonnell (12), Texas State's Laurn Randell (10), and Morehead State's J.D. Ashbrook (10), have more than Como.

WE'RE GOIN' STREAKIN': With just one home run over his first 43 games, Chris Walker has had a power explosion in his last 10 games. He has knocked out five home runs to go with 18 RBI and five doubles, hitting .500 (22-44) with 13 runs scored... Ryan McCrann had his 10-game hit streak snapped on Friday, but he's batting .439 (18-41) in his last ten games with 13 runs scored two home runs, and nine RBI... Nick Martinez is batting .326 (14-43) in his last ten games to go with 10 runs scored, two triples, and seven RBI... Brian Kownacki and Mike Mobbs both have eight RBI in their last ten games... Jordan Grangard has a 1.98 ERA in his last six appearances to go with two wins and a save, while holding opponents to a .140 batting average... Max Krakowiak is 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his last three starts, allowing just six earned runs and a .260 opponent batting average over 21.1 innings... Rich Anastasi has a 3.75 ERA in his last four relief appearances, striking out 14 batters to go with a save.