BOSTON – Conference play is in full force with just one month left in the regular season for men’s and women’s lacrosse, while baseball and softball programs are starting to assert themselves.
Men’s Lacrosse
UAlbany (2-0) at UMBC (2-0) – 12 PM
UMass Lowell (0-2) at Binghamton (1-1) – 12 PM
NJIT (0-2) at Bryant (1-1) – 12 PM
Merrimack (1-1) at Vermont (1-1) - 2:30 PM
First place is on the line this weekend as UAlbany battles UMBC in Baltimore and neither has lost a conference game this year. UMBC already took down defending champ Bryant to start conference play while the Great Danes beat 2023 regular season champion Vermont last weekend to set up this matchup. Elsewhere, Vermont looks to rebound from last week’s loss when they host a tough Merrimack squad while NJIT and UMass Lowell look for their first #AEMLAX wins on the road.
In the latest national rankings, Bryant’s Nathan LaLiberte is 1st in the nation in face-off win percentage (69.2%) and fourth in ground balls per game (9.5), while NJIT’s Billy Kroeger is 8th (62.1%) and 3rd (9.6) respectively. UAlbany’s Jake Piseno is 2nd in caused turnovers per game (2.9) while teammate Silas Richmond is 8th in goals per game (3.1). NJIT’s Hank Bethel is 7th in caused turnovers per game (2.1).
Women’s Lacrosse
Binghamton (1-1) at Vermont (1-1) – 11 AM
Bryant (1-0) at UAlbany (2-0) – 1 PM
UMBC (1-1) at UMass Lowell (0-1) – 4 PM
It’s a battle for first place as UAlbany hosts Bryant, looking to move to 3-0 in league play while the Bulldogs seek their first-ever win over the Great Danes. Bryant’s Kenna Kaut ranks fourth in the nation with 4.4 goals per game, while UAlbany’s Pascale is ninth with 5.3 points per game. Vermont welcomes Binghamton in a rematch of last year’s #AEWLAX Semifinals, in which the Bearcats stunned the Catamounts with a late barrage of goals. UMass Lowell tries to earn its first conference win, against UMBC.
Currently UMBC ranks first in the nation, winning 68.4% of draw controls, while UMass Lowell is 12th with 10.3 caused turnovers per game. Both programs are also in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense (16th & 19th). UAlbany, meanwhile is just 3-7 overall but has played the 9th toughest schedule in the nation.
Softball
UMBC (3-0) at Binghamton (1-2) – 4/12/2 PM
UMass Lowell (0-0) at Bryant (3-0) – 4/1/3:30 PM
UAlbany (0-0) at Maine (0-3) – 12/2/11 AM
The Retrievers have won seven straight games are looking to stay on top of the conference when they travel to Binghamton. Bryant is also unbeaten in #AESB action and just two wins from matching their victory total from all of last year. The Bulldogs host UMass Lowell who has yet to play any league games. UAlbany also begins conference play, traveling to Maine, who has lost 13 straight games.
This season, Bryant ranks first in the nation with 2.1 doubles per game, while UAlbany is 7th with 0.6 double players per game. Individually, UMass Lowell’s Morgan Fisher has caught 11 runners stealing, 3rd in the nation, while teammate Ryley White is 6th in strikeouts per seven innings (10.4).
Baseball
Maine (1-2) at UAlbany (1-1) – 3/1/12 PM
UMBC (3-0) at Bryant (2-1) – 3/12/3 PM
UMass Lowell (1-1) at NJIT (1-2) – 6:30/2/1 PM
Binghamton at Middle Tennessee – 7/5/2 PM
The Retrievers have won eight straight games to improve to 10-11 overall and 3-0 in league play. They travel to Bryant, who won a pair of walk-offs last weekend, and have a #AEBASE best record of 12-10 overall. Maine looks to rebound from two tough losses to the Bulldogs by traveling to UAlbany for a three-game set. NJIT plays its first conference games at its brand-new ballpark, Yogi Berra Stadium, hosting UMass Lowell.
UMass Lowell’s Carlos Martinez is 8th nationally with 12 doubles, 3rd in doubles per game (0.57). Maine’s Jason Krieger is fourth nationally with seven starts this season, while Bryant’s Zachary Nicholas is 22nd with four saves. Binghamton’s Logan Haskell is the toughest player to strikeout in the nation with just 2K is 65 at bats.
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