April 20, 2012

Bronx, N.Y. - The Fordham Rams get back to conference play on Friday, as the team hosts the La Salle Explorers for a three-game series at Houlihan Park.

Both squads are right in the thick of the playoff race, as Fordham currently sits tied for fifth, while La Salle is just a couple of games back. The teams will look to get back on track this weekend as both have had a rough stretches in the wins column lately.

Fordham has won just once in its last seven games, while La Salle is 1-10 in its last 11 games.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday - Fordham - RHP Daniel Munday (2-3) vs. La Salle - LHP Eric Van Wyk (3-4) | | WFUV Audio
Saturday - Game 1 - Fordham - RHP Chris Pike (3-1) vs. La Salle - LHP Ryan Donahue (1-1) | | WFUV Audio
Saturday - Game 2 - Fordham - RHP Joseph Charest (3-6) vs. La Salle - RHP Kevin Christy (1-2) | | Live Video | WFUV Audio

FORDHAM BASEBALL RAISING FUNDS TO BENEFIT THE WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT: In coordination with the Atlantic 10 and La Salle, the Fordham baseball team will be taking pledges and selling camouflage t-shirts during their conference series against the Explorers, April 20th-22nd, at Houlihan Park in order to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

"The Wounded Warrior Project is a great organization that we are proud to support. We are so fortunate to have men and women that risk everything to keep our country safe, and it is the least we can do to show our appreciation to these heroes. Our players are excited about this initiative and we hope that everyone can help us support the Wounded Warrior Project," said head coach Kevin Leighton.

Set up to honor and empower U.S. service members, who have been wounded in the line of duty, the Wounded Warrior Project's vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history.

The Project raises awareness and enlists the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, and helps injured service members aid and assist each other by providing unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

SCOUTING LA SALLE: The Explorers are 16-20 this season with a 3-6 mark in the Atlantic 10.

The team is batting .265 with a 4.24 team ERA. At the plate, Jeff Flax is the top hitter, batting .326 with 12 runs scored and 15 RBI, while George Smith, Jr. is batting .298 with eight doubles and 16 RBI. Dan Klem leads the squad with 22 RBI to go with a .295 batting average, while Brendan Norton is the team leader in runs scored (27) and stolen bases (7).

On the hill, La Salle will send the trio of LHP Eric Van Wyk, LHP Ryan Donahue, and RHP Kevin Christy. Van Wyk has been La Salle's top gun all season, making nine starts with a 3.45 ERA to go with a 3-4 record and 40 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched. Donahue has just recently joined the rotation, making four starts in 19 appearances. He is 1-1 with a team-best 2.62 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 34.1 inning pitched. Christy is 1-2 with a 2.77 ERA and a team-high 58 strikeouts in 55.1 innings.

In the bullpen, the Explorers boast one of the best in Pat Christensen, who leads the squad with eight saves in 19 appearances. He has a record of 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA and 41 strikeouts in just 28.2 inning pitched.

WE'RE GOING STREAKIN': Tim Swatek is batting .405 over his last nine games (15-37), scoring 10 runs to go with two doubles, six RBI, and three stolen bases...Stephen McSherry has a career-high nine-game hitting streak entering this weekend's action. He is hitting .387 (12-31) over that stretch with two doubles, a home run and eight RBI... Mike Mauri is batting .353 (12-34) over his last nine games, scoring six runs with eight RBI... Ryan Maghini is batting .342 (13-38) over his last nine games with seven runs scored, two home runs, and four RBI... Matthew Cianci is batting .333 in his last nine games, posting eight runs scored... Jeremy Adel has two wins, three saves, and a 1.29 ERA in his last 10 appearances.

THE "A" TEAM: When the game has been on the line, Fordham has gone to the "A-Team" duo of Jeremy Adel and Rich Anastasi to shut the door in the closing innings.

In games won by the Rams, Adel is 3-0 with five saves, a 0.68 ERA, and a .200 opponent batting average, while Anastasi is 2-0 with two saves, a 0.90 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and .243 opponent batting average.

CLOSING IN: Two of the Fordham seniors are slowly closing in on some career milestones over the coming weeks.

Senior Brian Kownacki is creeping up on 200 games played and 200 career hits. He currently stands at 194 games played, which is 7th all-time at Fordham, while collecting 199 hits, which is 12th all-time. He is also among the career leaders in triples with 10, which is tied for eighth on the career list.

Senior Ryan Maghini had a milestone of his own during the Temple series, as he surpassed 100 consecutive starts.

UPCOMING GAMES: The Rams hit the road for the next five games, beginning with a doubleheader at Columbia on April 25th at 2:00 PM. Fordham then makes its way to Xavier for a three-game Atlantic 10 series, April 27th-29th. The Rams return home on May 1st for a night game against Manhattan.