MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-0) at JACKSONVILLE (0-0)
February 27-28, 2016
John Sessions Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla.
The Mount St. Mary's baseball team opens the 2016 season with a trio of games at Jacksonville this weekend. The Mountaineers' season opener is set for Saturday, February 27 at 1 p.m., and is followed by the second game of the doubleheader at 4 p.m. On Sunday, February 28, the Mount wraps up its trip to Florida with a 1 p.m. contest.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, February 27 - Game 1: 1 p.m.; Game 2: 4 p.m.
Sunday, February 28 - 1 p.m.
ABOUT THE MOUNT
The Mountaineers are coming off a 12-win season and a 10-14 mark in Northeast Conference play in 2015. They return a total of 17 letterwinners from last year's squad, including upperclassmen outfielders Zach Hostetter and Ryan Owens, who will look to anchor the team's lineup this season. Hostetter led the team in home runs (5) and finished top-three in both RBI (23) and slugging (.468) last year, while Owens posted the highest batting average (.305) among returning Mountaineers, and also ranked in the top-three on the squad in on-base percentage (.390), walks (20) and stolen bases (6).
TOP RETURNERS
Batting average: Owens (.305), Hostetter (.281), Dabagian (.214)
Home runs: Hostetter (5), Owens (1), Tyler Post (1)
RBI: Hostetter (23), Owens (14), Post (9)
Stolen bases: Owens (6), Tommy Quealy (3), Hostetter (2)
Innings pitched: Jordan Lawson (47.0), Chad Diehl (45.0), Kevin Myers (31.2)
ERA: Myers (3.13), Lawson (3.83), Diehl (5.60)
Strikeouts: Lawson (49), Diehl (22), Ben Smallenbroek (15)
FRESH FACES
Mount St. Mary's bolstered its roster for the 2016 campaign with the addition of 12 freshmen. Pitchers Michael Kuypers (Chalfont, Pa.), Josh Little (Thurmont, Md.), Nathan Seltsam (Calgary, Alberta) and Hunter Shuff (Beaver Springs, Pa.), pitcher/outfielder Pat Daly (Toano, Va.), infielders Patrick Causa (Sinking Spring, Pa.), Dalton Clouser (Lewisberry, Pa.), Alex Kriss (Forest, Hill, Md.), Sarunas Matalavage (Manchester, Md.) and Vaughn Parker II (Frederick, Md.) and outfielders Dennis Stewart (Burlington Township, N.J.) and Chris Wessels (Columbia, Md.) each enter their rookie season with the Mountaineers.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins finished the 2015 campaign at 26-30 overall and 12-9 in league play as they earned a berth in the Atlantic Sun Conference playoffs, where they were bounced after dropping matchups to Stetson and North Florida. Michael Baumann returns for his sophomore season, coming off a 2.24 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 84.1 innings during his rookie campaign. Baumann was named the Atlantic Sun Preseason Pitcher of the Year while also being tabbed First Team All-Conference. Junior outfielder Austin Hays was the fan-voted Preseason Player of the Year after posting a .271/.345/.385 line in 2015.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Mount St. Mary's and Jacksonville faced off last season for the first time in series history. The Dolphins won both contests by finals of 5-2 and 5-3 at the Harford Sports Complex in Bel Air, Md. Ryan Owens went 3-for-8 with a walk and an RBI in the two games, and Zach Call knocked in a pair of runs with an RBI double in the opening contest.
UP NEXT
The Mount heads to Wake Forest for a matchup on Wednesday, March 2 at 4 p.m.
