After 19 contests including a Spring Break trip to the Sunshine State, the Sacred Heart University baseball team kicks off its Northeast Conference play in a three-game series at Merrimack. The Pioneers face the Warriors on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. matchups on Saturday and Sunday. 

Merrimack is coming off a win at Rhode Island on Wednesday ignited by a two-run home run by outfielder Scott Elliot. The home team's other victories come off a series win over St. Bonaventure and a shutout of Hofstra in the two-game stint.

With several difficult matchups against non-conference teams, the Pioneers are 1-18 overall.

The team leans on its offense to come out on top against the Warriors, who are currently 4-10-1. 

At the plate, Joe Emerson has a team-leading 10 RBIs along with six runs on 17 hits. Dante D'amore leads the first-years with eight RBIs and has seven runs on 11 hits.

Sam Mongelli and Justin Jordan are also offensive standouts as they both have nine runs this season. On 17 hits, Mongelli has 30 total bases, three home runs and seven RBIs. Jordan leads the Pioneers with a .310 batting average, along with a .328 slugging average and nine runs.

Upperclassmen transfers George Sutherland and Ryan Donnelly are making waves for the team. Sutherland has brought in four runs and scored six of his own, while fellow outfielder Donnelly has seven runs and seven RBIs.

As the typical series starters, Chase Jeter opens on the bump in the first game, with Ryan LaMay on Saturday and Jake Babuschak to close out the stint.

In his second season with the Pioneers, Jeter has opened for 20 innings with 14 strikeouts in his belt. 

LaMay enters his fifth season for the Red & White. The graduate has struck out 10 batters and had two straight 1, 2, 3 innings at Florida Atlantic on March 12.

Second-year man Babuschak takes the mound to round out the series on Sunday. This season the right-hander has put in 17.1 innings of work with nine strikeouts.