Games 30, 31 & 32
Sacred Heart vs. Le Moyne
Northeast Conference
Friday, April 12 - 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 13 - 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 14 - Noon
Veterans Memorial Park - Bridgeport, Conn.
LIVE on YouTube Live / Mixlr

The Northeast Conference season hits the halfway point this weekend and the Sacred Heart University baseball team has yet to lose a series in league play. The Pios are coming up on the back end of a nine-game NEC homestand and will look to claim yet another series victory as Le Moyne comes to town. SHU is 8-2 through its first 10 games at Veterans Memorial Park this season, including 7-2 in NEC play.
 
For now, the series remains as scheduled and will open with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday at the Vet. The second game will follow at 1 p.m. on Saturday and the series finale is set for noon on Sunday. Wet weather is expected overnight Thursday into Friday and a decision on Friday's game will be made sometime Friday morning.
 
Live video (YouTube Live), live audio (Mixlr) and live stats will be available for all three games.
 
THE LAST WEEK
SHU made it five straight NEC series victories last weekend, and eight straight dating to lasts year, as it took two out of three at home against Coppin State. The Pios cruised to an 18-9 victory in Friday's opener, but let one get away on Saturday, as the Eagles scored five in the ninth to rally for a 10-8 win to even the series. SHU had a rally of its own on Sunday though, as the Pios tied the game with two in the ninth and then Zack Kovalchik clubbed a walk-off home run to open the bottom of the 10^th inning and lift Sacred Heart to a 9-8 (10 inn.) victory.
 
The Pios chalked up a midweek win this week as well, as they rolled to a 12-6 win at Quinnipiac on Tuesday.
 
A LOOK AT THE PIOS
Sacred Heart (16-13, 12-3 NEC) sits in first place, one game in front of Wagner, as the league season comes up on its midway point. Following this weekend against Le Moyne, the Pios have back-to-back weekends against teams which are not currently in the postseason picture. In fact, of the final five weekends of NEC play, SHU has only one series (Wagner) against a team currently in the league's top six.
 
Kovalchik was named the NEC Player of the Week following his first career walk-off hit. The center fielder posted a gaudy 2.011 OPS across the three game against Coppin State.
 
SHU is the only team in the NEC with a winning overall record this spring. Sacred Heart has made its way up to seventh in the league in on-base percentage (.359) and continues to lead the NEC in ERA (5.28).
 
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Le Moyne (12-15, 8-6 NEC) has won its last two NEC series and is 6-2 in its last eight league games. In their first year in the NEC, the Dolphins are currently in the sixth and final postseason spot, but are just one-half game behind Merrimack for fifth and one-half game in front of Delaware State in seventh. Le Moyne was the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference champion at the Division II level and qualified for the NCAA Championship each of the last two seasons.
 
Dewey Roden leads the way for Le Moyne with an .879 OPS across the first 27 games, thanks to a .299/.419/.480 slash line over 87 at-bats (26-for-87).
 
The Dolphins are sixth in the NEC in on-base percentage (.363) and second behind the Pios in ERA (5.74).
 
ON THE MOUND
Sacred Heart projected starters:
Friday: Jake Babuschak (RHP)
            2024 stats: 48.2 IP, 49 H, 25 R (24 ER), 15 BB, 37 K, 4.44 ERA, 1.32 WHIP
            Last start: 4/5 vs. CSU (W), 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Saturday: Joe Trombley (RHP)
            2024 stats: 26.2 IP, 25 H, 13 R (12 ER), 8 BB, 16 K, 4.05 ERA, 1.24 WHIP
            Last start: 4/6 vs. CSU (ND), 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Sunday: Elijah Foster (RHP)
            2024 stats: 26.2 IP, 17 H, 16 R (15 ER), 31 BB, 40 K, 5.06 ERA, 1.80 WHIP
            Last start: 4/7 vs. CSU (ND), 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 7 BB, 6 K
 
Le Moyne projected starters:
Friday: Max Parker (LHP)
            2024 stats: 50.2 IP, 58 H, 35 R (24 ER), 17 BB, 35 K, 4.26 ERA, 1.48 WHIP
            Last start: 4/6 vs. STO (L), 4.2 IP, 10 H, 10 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 2 K
Saturday: Jacob Crystal (LHP)
            2024 stats: 47.0 IP, 44 H, 31 R (20 ER), 17 BB, 42 K, 3.83 ERA, 1.30 WHIP
            Last start: 4/7 vs. STO (ND), 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Sunday: Jordan Goldmann (RHP)
            2024 stats: 40.1 IP, 45 H, 29 R (24 ER), 23 BB, 30 K, 5.36 ERA, 1.69 WHIP
            Last start: 4/7 vs. STO (W), 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 7 BB, 3 K
 
NICE TO MEET YOU
This weekend marks the first ever meetings on the baseball diamond between the two schools.
 
NEXT UP
SHU has double-barrel A10 midweek action on the docket for next week, with a Tuesday trip to Fordham and a Wednesday excursion to UMass. The Pios have their first road NEC series in a month next weekend, as they travel to Delaware State for three games April 19-21.