Baseball Heads to Arizona for GCU Classic

Phoenix, Ariz. – (February 20, 2020) – After recording its first win of the season on Wednesday, the Fordham baseball team has a busy weekend ahead, playing four games at the GCU Classic in Phoenix, Arizona.  The Rams have a pair of games against Cal St. Northridge (CSUN) and then two against Grand Canyon (GCU).
 
On Friday and the first game on Saturday, the Rams face CSUN, who jetted out to a 4-0 start to 2020, picking up a series sweep over San Francisco and a single game win over Washington State.  The Matadors pitching staff were dominant, recording a 1.50 ERA over those four games and holding opponents to a .195 batting average.
 
In game two on Saturday and the single game Sunday, Fordham plays host GCU, who is 3-1 this season after taking two of three games from Oklahoma State as well as an extra inning affair with Oregon.  Pitching has also been a big part of GCU's early success, recording a 2.77 ERA with 42 strikeouts to just nine walks.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE:
Friday – Fordham LHP Matt Mikulski (0-1) vs. CSUN RHP Blaine Traxel (1-0) // Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Saturday – Game 1 – Fordham RHP Brian Weissert (0-0) vs. CSUN Gavin Lizik (0-0) // Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Saturday – Game 2 – Fordham RHP John Stankiewicz (0-1) vs. GCU RHP Pierson Ohl (0-1) // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Sunday - Fordham – TBA vs. GCU – TBA // Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: These are the first ever meetings between Fordham and either Cal State Northridge or Grand Canyon University.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In the earliest home opener in team history, eight Fordham pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout, while Jake MacKenzie drove in a pair of runs, as the Rams picked up their first win of the 2020 season with a 3-0 victory over the LIU Sharks at Houlihan Park.
 
Fordham opened the scoring in the fourth inning, as Jake Baker reached on an infield single and stole second.  Jake MacKenzie followed to a double to right center to plate Baker and give the Rams a 1-0 lead.  MacKenzie then stole third and scored on a ground out by Matt Tarabek for a 2-0 edge.
 
The Rams then tacked on an insurance run in the eighth for a 3-0 advantage.  Pinch-hitter Jason Coules led off with an infield single and stole second.  Two-outs later, MacKenzie singled home Coules for the three-run lead.
 
That was enough offense for the Fordham pitching staff, as eight Rams combined for the shutout.  Ben Kovel got the start, pitching two scoreless innings in his collegiate debut.  Brandon Martin (1-0) was credited with the win following his one scoreless inning, while Garrett Crowley recorded his first collegiate save, tossing 1.1 innings of relief with all four outs being strikeouts.  Alex Henderson, Alex Hernandez, Marc Bisogno, and Gabe Karslo each tossed a scoreless inning with Jack Popolizio going two-thirds of an inning in the eighth.
 
At the plate, MacKenzie was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, and a stolen base, while Baker and Coules each had a hit, a run scored, and a stolen base.  Justin Machado recorded the remaining hit for the Rams.

 
MACKENZIE NAMED TO BRAGAN AWARD WATCH LIST (2/20): The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA) presented by SR Bats announced the players on its watch list for the 2020 college baseball season.  The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in the country.  The BBCSA is based on performance at the plate, academics and personal integrity. 
 
This year's watch list consists of 36 players representing 16 conferences around the country, and among those listed is Fordham shortstop Jake MacKenzie.  In his third season at Fordham, MacKenzie is coming off another excellent season where he helped the Rams to the 2019 A-10 Championship.  He led the conference in stolen bases for the second straight year and set career-highs across the board in 2019, batting .305 with 49 runs scored, 15 doubles, three home runs, and 28 RBI.  In the classroom, MacKenzie is a Business Administration major and a two-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.
 
SPEED KILLS: While some teams win with power, the Rams capitalize on their team speed to win ballgames.  Fordham led the NCAA in stolen bases for the second straight season in 2019, racking up a school record 178 bags.  Of that total, current Rams accounted for 173 in that total, led by junior Jake MacKenzie, who led the Atlantic 10 with 43 stolen bases.  He was one of seven players to reach double figures, joining Alvin Melendez (35), Jake Baker (17), C.J. Vazquez (16), Jason Coules (15), Matt Tarabek (14), and Billy Godrick (11).
 
RAC"K" 'EM UP: In what's turned into a year occurrence, Fordham's pitching staff once again set a new mark for strikeouts in a season in 2019.  Breaking the team record for the fifth straight year, the Rams eclipsed 600 punchouts for the first time in team history, finishing with 605.  For Rams that pitched at least 20 innings, 12 Fordham hurlers had at least 20 strikeouts on the season, led by All-American John Stankiewicz with 102 and Matt Mikulski with 89.  The pitching staff ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings, as well as ERA (3.26).
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams will next be in action on February 25^th, when the Rams host Sacred Heart at Houlihan Park, beginning at 3:00 PM.  Fordham is then back on the road February 28 through March 1 for a series at Furman.