MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-0) vs. ST. BONAVENTURE (0-0)
February 21-22, 2020
Emmitsburg, Md. | E.T. Straw Family Stadium
NEC FRONT ROW | LIVE STATS
Mount St. Mary's baseball begins the 2020 baseball season with the first of two homestands. The Bonnies of St. Bonaventure come to Emmitsburg for a Friday opener and a doubleheader Saturday.
SCHEDULE
Friday, February 21 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, February 22 (DH) – 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
ABOUT THE MOUNT
Mount are looking to bounce back from a 15-35 record and an 8-16 mark in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Emmitsburgers were second in the conference in batting with a .293 average, complimented by 335 runs scored, 98 doubles, 89 steals and 48 home runs. However, they struggled in the pitching and fielding departments, finishing seventh in the NEC with a 6.93 ERA and eighth with a .954 fielding percentage.
Top returners for position players include Myles Nicholson, who already owns the school record for stolen bases with 59 entering his junior year. The Falling Waters, W. Va. product swiped 37 bags in 41 attempts, and was productive in many ways including a .365 average, 44 runs, 23 RBI's and three home runs. Thomas Bramley is expected to make an impact at catcher after hitting .324 and earning a .457 on-base percentage as a freshman. When working behind the plate, he makes it tough for opponents to run, throwing out eight of 15 would-be base stealers last year.
One area where the Mount would have to regroup is the middle infield. NEC Player of the Year Patrick Causa and second baseman Alex Kriss both left after graduating. Possible replacements include two local players - Thurmont's Ryan Fisher and Hagerstown's Bryant Shives. In their freshman seasons, Fisher batted .306 with 19 RBI's and Shives showed patience with 14 walks drawn in 68 plate appareances.
A bright spot is the return of Vaughn Parker II from injury. The redshirt senior and Thomas Johnson product returns for a fifth season in the Blue & Gold, boasting a career .265 average with nine home runs and 72 RBI's. Thomas Savastio is also back, and will start opposite Parker at the first base bag.
Alongside Nicholson, Mount carries a deep outfield, with Owen Wosleger, Jared Urban, A.J. Narcise, and CJ Kozorosky returning. They are joined by newcomers Brady Drawbaugh and Matt McTighe.
On the mound, Michael Kuypers and Jordan Geber will look to anchor the rotation again. They are joined by Michael Yetter, who returns from injury. Kupyers, Geber and Brenden Kennedy accounted for almost half the team's wins from a year ago. Ryan Florio comes back as a sophomore after posting a 5.81 ERA working out of the pen.
Yetter and Kennedy aim to fill the void left by Trey McGough, who was drafted in the 24th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2019 MLB draft. Also gone is Noah Smith, the team's leader in ERA.
Five new arms are on the team looking to challenge the returners for time on the bump. Paramount among them is Patrick Burke, a junior transfer with experience at Roanoke College, where he went 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA as a freshman.
Overall, the Mount's roster features 35 players - 25 returners and 10 newcomers. Scott Thomson is back at the helm for his 23rd season, and Jeff Gergic is back as an assistant coach. Dan Gerjets signed on as an assistant last August.
ABOUT ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies had a similar result to their 2019 season, compiling a record of 13-32 with a 6-18 showing in the Atlantic 10.
Outfielder Tyler Kiedler is their top returning batsman, with a .293 average and 33 RBI's last season. Senior left-handed pitcher Donovan Moffat baffled batters from the mound in 2019, earning a 2.58 ERA and 53 strikeouts across 59 1/3 innings of work.
St. Bonaventure will be seeking offense after batting .243 as a team and losing two of the five hitters at the end of the campaign. The squad did slightly better than Mount on the mound, finishing with a 6.23 ERA.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH THE BONNIES
St. Bonaventure holds the lead in the all-time series, 14-7. Contested since 2000, all 21 meetings have been conducted on neutral sites. The sides faced each other last season in Port Charlotte, Fla., resulting in a split. The Bonnies won the first game on March 4th, 6-2, and Mount triumphed in the second game on March 7th, 5-4. Causa whacked a double in the 10th inning for the go-ahead run in the win, and Kuypers pitched five innings of scoreless relief to secure the victory.
ON DECK
The Mount will play three more games at home next weekend with Maryland Eastern Shore. Plans are for a doubleheader Friday (Feb. 28) and a single contest Saturday (Feb. 29) morning.
