FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University baseball team enters the final stretch of its 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule this weekend, hitting the road one last time for a three-game series at Niagara.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers made their first visit to Rider as a member of the MAAC last weekend but left empty-handed, getting swept in the series with losses of 5–3, 12–11, and 10–2.
Gavin Donohue led the offense with six hits on the weekend, including his third game this season with four or more, which is the most on the team.
As the weather warms, so have senior outfielders Alex Ungar and Zack Kovalchik's bats, each launching a home run in game two. Ungar, who leads the team with seven homers, has gone deep in three of his last six games, while Kovalchik has homered in two of his last five.
Joey Trombley delivered his fourth quality start in his last five outings in game one, giving Sacred Heart seven solid innings while allowing three earned runs.
In its midweek matchup against Bryant on Wednesday, Sacred Heart jumped to a 4-0 lead through three innings before a five-run inning gave Bryant the lead and an eventual 7-6 win. Ungar supplied the Pioneers with two doubles and an RBI, while Dave Yorke recorded his first collegiate extra-base hit with a double in the sixth.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
Picked to finish sixth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, Niagara has endured an up-and-down campaign and enters the weekend at 7–11 in conference play, currently eighth in the standings.
The Purple Eagles are coming off a series win over Manhattan, taking two of three behind a blend of power and speed. Niagara launched four home runs and swiped 13 bases, including a MAAC-high nine steals in Friday's matchup, to take the series.
Junior Curtis McKay anchors Niagara's offense with a .317 AVG, .592 SLG, and 1.003 OPS on the season. He recently saw his 16-game hitting streak come to an end in Game 2 against Manhattan, a run that featured eight multi-hit performances.
Junior right-hander Matthew DelVecchio leads Niagara's pitching staff as its Friday starter. He enters the weekend riding his best stretch of the season, stringing together four straight quality starts. DelVecchio leads the Purple Eagles with a 4.19 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 53.2 innings on the campaign.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Sacred Heart and Niagara last met in a three-game series in 2013, with the Pioneers sweeping all three contests. The series capped a 12-game winning streak for SHU, and the finale marked the program's then-record 32nd win, a milestone since surpassed by the 2024 squad, which set a new benchmark with 35 victories.
UP NEXT
Sacred Heart returns to Veterans Park for the remainder of the regular season. The Pioneers welcome Fordham next Tuesday at 3 pm before a three-game series against Iona beginning next Friday.
