CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- After a four-game series sweep last weekend, University of Maine's senior catcher Joe Mercurio (Brewster, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) and freshman hurler Stephen Perakslis (Abington, Mass./Abington) have been tabbed the league's baseball player and pitcher of the week. Stony Brook rookie outfielder Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario/St. Mary's) also picked up the America East rookie award for the week ending April 4.
Mercurio led Maine with a .538 batting average for the week, in addition to a .625 on-base percentage and an .846 slugging mark. The senior catcher recorded two hits in three of the four weekend games at NJIT, a Black Bear sweep. Mercurio also finished with seven RBI, seven hits, three runs, a double and a four-bagger. He went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the 7-1 win over NJIT, and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Maine’s 11-4 victory over the Highlanders. In Saturday’s first game, Mercurio finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI. He belted both his double and homer in that game. Finally, he drove in a pair of runs in the final game of the series, an 8-2 Maine victory. He’s batting .349 and slugging .605 on the season.
Perakslis, a rookie righty, picked up a win in Maine’s 7-1 victory over NJIT in Friday’s series-opener. He went six innings and scattered six hits, allowing just one run. The freshman finished with a 1.50 ERA, seven strikeouts and one walk in his only appearance of the week on the mound. Perakslis, who ranks fourth in America East with an ERA of 4.84, earned the same honor on March 15. He also ranks third with 33 strikeouts.
Nivins batted .409, while recording seven RBI, nine hits and five runs in 22 at-bats last week. He also had an on-base percentage of .458 and a slugging percentage of .773 with two doubles and two homers. Nivins went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the Seawolves’ 18-14, 14-inning win over San Diego State on Tuesday. He then went 3-for-5, including a home run, in Stony Brook’s 10-4 win over Le Moyne on Saturday. The rookie’s other homer came in the 8-7 win over Le Moyne in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Nivins finished the week with 17 total bases after having entered the week with 22 on the season.
Conference play will get underway this weekend. To get the action started, Hartford will host UMBC in a two-day, four-game series on Saturday and Sunday. Binghamton will welcome Stony Brook and Albany will host Maine in three-game series beginning with doubleheaders on Saturday.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (1-19, 0-0 AE) wrapped up a seven-game California trip with losses to Cal State Northridge, Santa Clara and Sacramento State last week… Sophomore outfielder Pete DiResta (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) led the team with a .417 average over the three games… DiResta recorded five hits, including a home run, for a .667 slugging percentage… Junior second baseman Kyle Crean (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) hit .333 with four hits and two runs scored… On the mound, hurlers Ryan White (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) and Terry McFadden (Syracuse, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) each recorded three strikeouts… White, a sophomore left hander, took the loss at Cal State Northridge after throwing five and two thirds innings… McFadden, a junior righty, made two appearances out of the bullpen, holding opponents to a .294 average over four innings of work… The Great Danes will return to action with a non-conference game at Manhattan on Wednesday before kicking off America East Conference play with Maine over the weekend.
Binghamton (6-14, 0-0 AE) dropped the final four games of its spring break trip in Louisiana, falling short at #4 LSU before losing all three games to University of Louisiana at Monroe… The team hit just .220 in the four games and had a pitching ERA of 9.28… Offensively, the primary bright spot was junior outfielder Corey Taylor (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal), who had a career night against the reigning NCAA champions and drove in 10 runs in the four games. Taylor nearly lifted Binghamton over #4 LSU single-handedly with two home runs and career-high six RBI, giving Bearcats a lead they held until the eighth inning. He belted a two-run home run and then hit a grand slam off a two-out, 3-2 pitch to give Binghamton the lead. He had a slugging percentage of .941 for the week and now has team highs of seven home runs and 25 RBI in 20 games… Junior reliever Zach Juliano (Overland Park, Kan./Olathe East/Fort Scott CC) was effective in two appearances. Juliano didn’t allow a run in 3.2 innings and gave up two hits with two strikeouts… Binghamton hosts Stony Brook in its America East opening series this weekend. It will be the first of a home-and-home three-game set between the two schools. The Bearcats took three of four games against the Seawolves last season but Stony Brook leads the Division I series, 19-12.
Hartford (5-12, 0-0 AE) dropped a home-and-home two-game set with Bryant over the weekend to go 0-2 on the week… A home game with Connecticut was rained out on Tuesday and will be replayed this Monday… Hartford managed just four hits, including a home run from Matt Walker, in a 14-1 loss at Bryant on Friday afternoon… The Hawks rebounded a bit on Saturday, touching the Bulldogs for four runs on eight hits, but it was not enough to overcome the Bulldogs in a 7-4 loss… Reigning America East Pitcher of the Week Steve Sobocinski once again had a good outing on Saturday, going eight innings and allowing just six earned runs… Sobocinski’s line could have been better, but a fly ball got lost in the sun and ended up costing the Hawks two runs … The Hawks were powered by the bottom of their order on Saturday… Rodger Wilmot scored two runs on a 2-for-4 day … Jon Ricco lined his third hit of the season to left field to drive in a run, and later drove in a run with an RBI groundout … Walker’s home run on Friday marked the only time a Hartford base runner advanced beyond first base… Hartford will play six games this week, including the make-up date with UConn and its America East opener, a four-game, two-day set with UMBC starting Saturday at noon at Fiondella Field.
The University of Maine baseball team (14-13, 0-0 AE) extended its winning streak to seven games with a weekend sweep at New Jersey Institute of Technology… Maine stole 23 bases in the four-game series… In the first game of the series, Maine stole a school-record 10 bases… The previous record of nine was set in 2006 against Colby… The Black Bears stole six bases in the second game of the doubleheader to finish the day with 16 stolen bases… Maine allowed just one stolen base in the four games… Sophomore center fielder Taylor Lewis (Montville, Conn./Montville) was a perfect eight-for-eight in stolen bases attempts… He has stolen 15 bases in 15 attempts this season… Lewis belted his seventh triple of the season in Maine’s 11-4 win on Friday… He is one triple shy of tying the school record for triples in a season of eight… Maine scored 13 runs in the third inning of the first game on Saturday… The 13 runs were one shy of tying the school record for runs in an inning of 14 set in 1965 against Maryland State… Maine had 17 extra base hits in the four games against NJIT… Senior shortstop Tony Patane (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) drove in eight runs in the four games this past weekend… Maine returns home to host Thomas College on Wednesday afternoon, before starting America East Conference play next weekend at Albany.
UMBC (4-15, 0-0 AE) lost its three games played this week, one at George Mason and two at Longwood... Sophomore Curtis Schickner (East Windor, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep) continues to lead the Retriever bats, pacing the team with a .429 batting average, four doubles and four stolen bases and is second on the team with 12 runs batted in... Fellow sophomore Brian Klukowicz (Clifton, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep) is having a solid year, hitting .354 with 17 hits on the year... Saturday night was a special night for the program as head coach John Jancuska was inducted into the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame. Jancuska, now in his 33rd season, has the most victories of any coach in any sport in the history of UMBC Athletics... The Retrievers play at Georgetown on Tuesday afternoon before opening America East play at Hartford with a four-game series Saturday and Sunday.
The Seawolves went 3-4 on the week… SBU opened the week by splitting a two-game set at San Diego State… The Seawolves lost the opening game to San Diego State, 11-10 … Trailing 11-3, Stony Brook scored seven runs in the ninth … SBU then won an 18-14, 14-inning marathon over San Diego State on Tuesday… The game lasted five hours, 57 minutes… Freshman William Carmona pitched the last 6.2 innings to earn the win… He did not allow a run and allowed just two hits… Stony Brook tied a season-high with 24 hits… Stony Brook opened its series at Le Moyne with a 10-4 win on Saturday… Stony Brook hit six home runs in the game… Senior Michael Barbot picked up the win in relief, allowing just one run on four hits in 7.1 innings… The Seawolves then rallied for an 8-7 win over Le Moyne in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader… Trailing 3-0 early, senior Michael Stephan hit a grand slam in the fourth to give SBU the lead … The Seawolves trailed 7-6 entering the seventh and final inning but scored two runs and then held the Dolphins scoreless in the bottom of the frame to earn the victory… Stony Brook opens conference play this weekend with a four-game series at Binghamton… It will conclude an opening stretch in which the Seawolves played 27 of their first 28 games away from home.