Baseball Kicks Off 2021 Campaign This Weekend

Bronx, N.Y. – (March 5, 2021) – It's been 360 days since the Fordham baseball team took the field at Houlihan Park, but the day has finally arrived as the Rams open the 2021 season this weekend, when they host the NJIT Highlanders for a three-game series.
 
It's been a wild ride since the Rams last took the field against Wagner on March 11, 2020.  There have been plenty changes to the Fordham roster, but still at the helm is head coach Kevin Leighton, who starts his tenth season at Rose Hill.
 
The 2019 Atlantic 10 Champions, Fordham was picked second in the conference in the 2021 preseason poll, just two points behind VCU as favorite.  This weekend's opponent, NJIT, has already opened their season, going 1-2 against VMI back on February 25^th and 26^th.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/GAME COVERAGE:
Saturday: Fordham – LHP Matt Mikulski vs. NJIT – RHP Ryan Fischer (0-0, 1.80) // Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Sunday (Game 1): Fordham - RHP Brooks Ey vs. NJIT - RHP Jared Kacso (0-0, 9.00) // Live Video (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
Sunday (Game 2 – 7 innings): Fordham - LHP Garrett Crowley vs. NJIT - RHP Tyler Stafflinger (0-0, 4.50) // Live Stats | Twitter - @FordhamBaseball
 
SERIES HISTORY: Fordham and NJIT have met 10 times previously since the first meeting in 2007.  The Rams are 9-1 against the Highlanders with NJIT's lone win coming in 2016.  The two teams did meet last season before the pause on March 4^th, when the Rams took home a 3-1 victory, as five Fordham pitchers limited a high-powered NJJIT offense to just one run and six hits in the game.  Alvin Melendez had two hits and two RBI in the game for the Rams.  He also earned the save with two scoreless innings of relief.
 
FORDHAM PICKED SECOND IN A-10 PRESEASON COACHES POLL (2/18): The Atlantic 10 Conference released its preseason baseball coaches poll this afternoon with Fordham being picked second out of 13 teams in a vote of the league's head coaches.
 
Fordham, the 2019 Atlantic 10 champions, was one of four teams to receive a first place vote in the poll with four, along with VCU (4), Dayton (4), and Saint Louis (1).  VCU was narrowly selected as the preseason favorite, with 151, followed by Fordham at 149 ad Dayton at 146.
 
Davidson was picked fourth, followed by Saint Louis, Richmond, Rhode Island, George Washington, Saint Joseph's, George Mason, La Salle, St. Bonaventure, and Massachusetts.  All 13 teams will vie for a spot in the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship, which will be a four-team championship, held at the campus of the highest seeded team.

MELENDEZ NAMED TO NCBWA PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM (2/17): After a season shortened by COVID‐19 and no NCAA Championship activity in 2020, the 21st annual NCBWA Division I preseason All‐America teams bring hope to student‐athletes, coaches and fans awaiting the beginning of 2021 DI play.

 

Among the preseason honorees is Fordham outfielder/pitcher Alvin Melendez (Whitestone, N.Y./Cardozo), who was selected to the preseason All-American Third Team.
 
All told, there are 18 different conferences represented, along with players with 11 conference championship teams from the completed 2019 campaign. There are 21 schools represented in 2019 NCAA Regionals and numerous preseason conference players and pitchers of the year on all three NCBWA teams.
 
Melendez returns to Rose Hill in 2021 as a fifth-year senior, after putting together an excellent start in 2020.  At the plate before the season shutdown, he was batting .392 with eight runs scored, six doubles, 15 RBI, and six stolen bases.  Additionally on the mound, he made five relief appearances, posting a win and a save to go with a 0.90 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 10 innings of work.
 
For his career, Melendez has worked his way into the record books as both a hitter and a pitcher.  He currently stands eighth all-time in stolen bases with 73, while his 2.34 career ERA and 13 saves are both sixth all-time.
 
COULES NAMED TO BRAGAN COLLEGIATE SLUGGER AWARD WATCH LIST (2/15): The Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award (BBCSA) presented by SR Bats announced the initial group of players on its watch list for the 2021 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 48 players representing 17 conferences around the country, and among them was Fordham outfielder Jason Coules (Bellmore, N.Y./Bellmore JFK).
 
In his third season at Fordham, Coules has a phenomenal start to the 2020 season before the pandemic halted the year.  He batted .453 with 15 runs scored, five doubles, two home runs, 18 RBI, and six stolen bases.  He posted a 13-game hitting streak, earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors once, as well as the team MVP award. 
 
As a freshman in 2019, Coules was a key player in the Rams' Atlantic 10 Championship run, scoring the game-winning run in the title game.  During the season, he hit .271 with 20 runs scored, 10 doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI, and 15 stolen bases and was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
 
WHO'S NEXT: The Rams will next be in action with a pair of mid-week contests.  First, Fordham will travel to Stony Brook on Tuesday, March 9^th for a 2:00 PM game, while hosting Sacred Heart on Wednesday, March 10^th at 3:00 PM.  The Rams will then take on Fairleigh Dickinson for a three-game series at Houlihan Park, March 12-14.