By: Ryan Chichester
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The Quinnipiac baseball team won its second series of the young season this weekend when it took two out of three games from Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Bobcats now sit at 6-6 as they prepare to play six road games in the next week.
The Bobcats were in a position to sweep the series before the Monarchs thwarted their chances with an 11-0 win in the series finale on Saturday. Despite the blowout loss, there were plenty of positives to take away from the weekend set.
Here are some observations from the three-game series:
Lutz settling in
After the first series of the season, it looked like the Bobcats might miss former shortstop Matthew Batten in the worst way. Sophomore Dylan Lutz, Batten’s current replacement, has eased some of the Bobcats’ concerns with his improved performance at the plate.
In the season’s opening series, Lutz went hitless in nine at-bats with four strikeouts. He has since put together an eight-game hitting streak that was kept alive by a 2-for-4 performance in Saturday’s game three. Lutz has lifted his batting average to .302 and has provided the Bobcats with another source of offense to set the table for the big bats like Liam Scafariello in the middle of the order.
While Lutz’s offense has steadily improved, his defense needs some work. The shortstop has committed six errors already this season, with three of them coming against Old Dominion. At a defensively-demanding position like shortstop, that won’t cut it. Freshman Ian Ostberg has been taking reps at short as well, but he has committed six errors of his own on the young season. Lutz will have to improve defensively in the Bobcats’ middle infield, because with the way he has come along at the plate, head coach John Delaney can’t afford to take him out of the lineup.
Moskey on a tear
Brian Moskey went hitless in the series finale this weekend, but he still heads into the new week with a trail of smoke behind him. The junior is officially on fire, batting .370 with a pair of home runs and 12 RBI. Moskey managed just three home runs all of last season, to put his hot start in perspective.
After taking home MAAC Player of the Week honors last Monday, Moskey followed it up with two-straight multi-hit games against Old Dominion, including a home run and two runs scored. Easily the Bobcats’ best hitter so far this season, Moskey has helped the team generate offense while Liam Scafariello continues to shake off his cold start to the season. If they can both get going simultaneously, watch out.
Vulgamore raking
Moskey stole the show last week with his six RBI performance against Gardner-Webb, but Evan Vulgamore has quietly been the Bobcats’ most consistent hitter so far this season. The sophomore has played in 11 of the Bobcats’ 12 games so far, and has recorded at least one hit in all of them. It was Vulgamore who led the Bobcats to victory in the series opener against Old Dominion, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. He drove in another run in Saturday’s win, which proved to be the game-winner.
Vulgamore presents a valuable asset to Delaney and the Bobcats thanks to his defensive versatility. He has been manning the hot corner this season for the most part, but can also play catcher and almost anywhere else in the infield. On days like Saturday when the Bobcats have a double header but need quality bats in the lineup, Vulgamore could be a huge savior.
Shileikis searching for consistency
It has been an up-and-down start to the season for Brandon Shileikis, but the graduate student twirled his best game of the season on the mound Saturday against the Monarchs in the first game of the double header.
The righty tossed seven innings of two-run ball, picking up his second win of the season. However, in his last start against Gardner-Webb, he allowed six runs (three earned) on nine hits over 5 2/3 innings. That was after a seven strikeout performance against William and Mary. It’s very early in the season, but some consistency would be huge for Shileikis and the Bobcats.
If Shileikis can find a way to maintain the effectiveness he had on Saturday, he could become one of the better number two starters in the MAAC when the conference schedule begins.
