Baseball is back in Hamden. Relevant baseball, that is. First-year head coach John Delaney has his Bobcats rolling. Quinnipiac is 5-1 through six games of a 10 game home stand and has risen to the top of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings. It sits alone in first place with a 10-5 conference mark and welcomes Marist this weekend. Sitting at 6-6, the Red Foxes are on the cusp of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Last year, Marist finished 11-14, just one game behind Manhattan for the sixth and final spot. Chris Tracz and Co. hope to reverse that fortune this year. In 2014, its inaugural season in the MAAC, Quinnipiac finished the conference slate going 12-8 good enough for a fourth place finish. But with the arms and bats at Delaney’s disposal this season, his team has a serious chance to play into June. The 2008 Quinnipiac graduate is modest when it comes to his early success. He quickly attributes his players when asked about his accomplishments. “They’re all working toward the end goal, which is to be MAAC regular season champs and then MAAC tournament champs,” Delaney said. “That’s their end goal and that’s what there working towards right now.”
Offense
The Bobcats and Red Foxes enter the weekend atop most offensive statistical categories. They both reside in the top five in the conference in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, runs scored, runs batted in, walks, and sacrifice bunts. Marist is second in the MAAC with a .270 team batting average while Quinnipiac sits in third at .261. It will be interesting to see how cooler temperatures in late April affect the output of these team’s offenses. This season, Marist is just 4-18 when its opposition plates three or more runs. Quinnipiac has done that in four of last six games. One constant between both teams is the power in the middle of their respective lineups. That power comes from left-handed hitting first basemen. Steve Laurino for Marist is hitting .336 and leads his team in a number of categories, but has cooled off quite a bit in the past week. If the Bobcats want to avoid any damage, now is the time to face Laurino. He is just 3-for-14 in his last four games. For Quinnipiac, its stud is on a tear. Vincent Guglietti is 6-for-12 in that same span pushing his average to .338 and now sits in fourth in the MAAC in batting average. To have the talent in the middle of a lineup like these two players is quite the luxury to have.
Pitching
Quinnipiac is second in the conference in team earned-run average at 4.72 while Marist is in fourth at 5.18. Below is a look at the probable starters for Game 1.
Quinnipiac- Thomas Jankins
The sophomore right-hander has pitched well in conference thus far owning a 2.14 earned-run average in MAAC play. Jankins and the rest of the staff need to pitch to contact this weekend for success. Marist has hit into 23 double-plays so far this season, which ranks second most in the conference. This past summer, Jankins won the Robin Roberts Pitcher of the Year in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) posting an unprecedented 0.40 earned-run average in more than 44 innings pitched. Jankins future is bright and the Bobcats pitching staff will go as far as he does over the next few years.
Marist- Chris Napolitano
A veteran pitcher, Napolitano enters the weekend with a 3-2 record and a team high 49 innings pitched. The senior has yielded opponents to just a .222 batting average. He is coming off a mediocre start in which he allowed five earned runs over six and one-third innings. Napolitano is not an overpowering pitcher and does not strike out many hitters (26 strikeouts in 49 innings). He pitches to contact and relies on the stellar defense behind him for support.
Prediction
A lot is riding on these three games. For Quinnipiac, wins are crucial in order to keep pace for its quest for a MAAC regular season title. For Marist, playing consistent baseball on the road is the key. The Red Foxes are 4-10-1 away from Poughkeepsie while Quinnipiac is 14-3 in its last 17 games including a 9-3 mark at home. During this stretch, the Bobcats have found different ways to win. They have scored five or more runs 10 times and have also won six one-run games. With only a few series remaining, the fight for a spot to play on May 20 at Dutchess Stadium for the MAAC Championship tournament continues. Quinnipiac rides its home-field advantage and continues its hot streak. Having already tied the 2006 record of winning the first five series of conference play, the Bobcats will make history by taking their sixth straight MAAC series. Quinnipiac wins both Saturday games and then completes the weekend sweep on Sunday behind Justin Thomas.
