Baseball Opens A-10 Championship Against VCU

Bronx, N.Y. – (May 23, 2018) – The 2018 Atlantic 10 Championship gets started on Wednesday at George Washington's Tucker Field at Barcroft Park, and game one will feature the third-seeded Fordham Rams against the sixth-seeded VCU Rams.
 
Fordham (34-17-1, 16-8) finished the regular season tied for second in the Atlantic 10, which matches Fordham's best ever finish in the league in the single division format in 2007.  Fordham also finished second in the two division format in the East Division in 1997, 1998, and 2005.
 
VCU (34-21, 14-10) tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10 this season, after winning the regular season title a year ago.  VCU enters the championship having won five of their last six and at one point this season won 14 consecutive games in the month of March.  Much like Fordham, VCU has one of the top pitching staffs in the Atlantic 10, posting a 3.63 ERA this season, while holding opponents to a .230 batting average.
 
Probable Starters/Game Coverage
Fordham – RHP Reiss Knehr (5-3, 2.57) vs. VCU – RHP Connor Gillispie (7-3, 2.58) // Game Notes | Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
A-10 Championship History
Fordham has appeared in nine previous Atlantic 10 Championship tournaments.  The Rams have won the title once in 1998, and appeared in the championship game twice in 1998 and 2007.  Overall, Fordham is 7-18 in the Atlantic 10 Championship.
 
Series History
Fordham and VCU have met 16 times with VCU holding an 11-5 edge in the Battle of the Rams.  VCU has won each of the last seven meetings, but in all but one of those games, the score has been decided by three runs or less, which includes a pair of one-run games at Houlihan Park last season.
 
A-10 Awards
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its baseball major awards and All-Conference teams on Tuesday.  Among those honored was freshman infielder Jake MacKenzie, who was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Atlantic 10.  MacKenzie was also selected to the All-Rookie Team with fellow freshmen C.J. Vazquez and Joseph Quintal, while sophomore outfielder Billy Godrick was named to the Academic All-Conference Team.
 
MacKenzie is the third Ram to receive Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors, joining Tom Stein (1996) and Cory Riordan (2005).  A two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, he registered a team-best 15 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI contests.  He also finished the regular season as the Rams' team leader in runs scored (45), hits (54), triples (6), home runs (8), RBI (42), slugging percentage (.527), and stolen bases (34), while being third in batting average (.287).  He was the Atlantic 10 leader in stolen bases and ranked third in the NCAA.  In league action, he batted .287 with 22 runs scored, five home runs, 18 RBI, and 16 stolen bases.
 
Along with MacKenzie on the All-Rookie Team are Vazquez and Quintal, who both earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors once this season.  With their selection, Fordham has had at least one All-Rookie Team award winner in each of the past eight seasons.

 
Vazquez served as the Rams' primary third baseman this season, appearing in 48 games.  He hit .269 overall, with 20 runs scored, seven doubles, 19 RBI, a team-high 26 walks, and six stolen bases.  In league action, he was third on the team with a .291 batting average to go with 11 runs, five extra-base hits, and nine RBI.  He also finished with a team-best .430 on-base percentage in Atlantic 10 play.
 
Quintal became one of the Rams' top relievers by season's end, helping Fordham set a new team strikeout record with over 500.  He wrapped up his inaugural campaign with a 1-0 record and one save to go with a 3.14 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.  In league play, he had a 2.92 ERA in 12.1 innings with 14 strikeouts.
 
Godrick, a Public Accounting major with a 3.87 GPA, give the Rams a member on the All-Academic Team for the fifth consecutive season.  A member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, he served as the Rams' starting centerfielder this season, ranking among the NCAA leaders in stolen bases and hit by pitch.  He tied the Fordham single season record for hit by pitch at 21, which is eighth in the nation, while ending the regular season with 27 stolen bases which rates 20^th in the country.  Overall this season, he hit .263 with 37 runs scored, 11 doubles, five home runs, and 25 RBI.   
 
Rams on a Roll
At the end of the regular season, the Fordham Rams finished strong, playing some of their best baseball of the season.  Fordham is 11-3 in its last 14 games, which included two five-game win streaks.  The Rams also ended the year with eight consecutive road conference wins, which is their longest streak as an A-10 member.  Over the last 14 games, Fordham has a .274 team batting average, outscoring opponents, 72-38, while on the hill, the Rams have a 2.47 team ERA, 134 Ks, and an opponent batting average of .236.
 
We're Goin' Streakin'
Here's a quick look at who's hot at the plate over the last 14 games for Fordham:
- Brian Goulard - .415, 7 R, 2 2B, 10 RBI, .475 OB%
- Justin Bardwell - .357, 7 R, 9 2B, 12 RBI, .413 OB%
- Alvin Melendez - .333, 8 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 5 RBI, 8 SB, .443 OB%
- Jake MacKenzie - .313, 13 R, HR, 5 RBI, 13 SB, .443 OB%
 
 On the hill, here's the pitchers that have led Fordham to a 11-3 mark in the last 14:
- Anthony DiMeglio (4 app) – 3-1, 1.99 ERA, 22.2 IP, 21 K
- Reiss Knehr (4 starts) – 3-1, 1.59 ERA, 28.1 IP, 24 K, .177
- Matt Mikulski (5 app) – 3-1, 1 SV, 2.14 ERA, 21 IP, 14 K, .205
- Joseph Quintal (5 app) – 1.59 ERA, 1 SV, 11.1 IP, 2 BB, 14 K
- Mike Cowell (5 app) - 0.00 ERA, 2 SV, 8.0 IP, 2 BB, 14 K
 
K is for Knehr
With the Rams reaching the 500-strikeout plateau, it is no surprise that junior Reiss Knehr is once again among Fordham's leader.  He has tied his career-high with 86 strikeouts this season, giving him 211 in his career, which rates fifth all-time at Fordham.  He is within seven strikeouts of reaching second place, which is held by Brett Kennedy at 218 (2013-15), while being one behind Donny Tracey (212 - 1978-81) and two back of Pete Harnisch (213 - 1985-87).

 
Gotcha!
With the final out of the Rams' win over Saint Joseph's on April 29th being a strikeout, Fordham set the single team record for strikeouts with 415, breaking the mark of 414 set last season.  It is the fourth consecutive season that the Rams have broken that record.  In the team's next game against Hofstra, Fordham struck out 21 batters over 11 innings, tying the single game team record, which was originally set on March 31, 1909 by the duo of Chris Mahoney and Dick Egan, as they struck out 21 in a no-hitter over Bowdoin College.  Currently, the Rams are at 514 strikeouts as a pitching staff, marking the first time Fordham has ever cracked 500 team strikeouts.
 
He's Going, He's Going
A popular phrase heard at Fordham's Houlihan Park at any Rams' home game is "He's going, he's going!"  That phrase has certainly been true throughout the 2018 season.  This year, the Rams have 164 stolen bases, which marks the 11th time that Fordham has surpassed the 100-stolen base plateau in team history.  The total currently stands as the new record at Fordham surpassing the old mark of the 157 stolen bases in 2008.  The Rams rank first in the Atlantic 10 and first in the country in overall steals, while the team's 3.15 average is also tops in the nation.  Individually, 11 Rams have at least one stolen bases this season and six are in double figures.