Baseball To Host Mitchell In NECC Opener

BASEBALL TO HOST MITCHELL IN NECC OPENER

The Matchup: Mitchell (3-8, 0-0 NECC) at Elms College (5-7, 0-0 NECC)
Date: Saturday, March 28
Times: 12:00 p.m.; 2:30 p.m.
Site: MacKenzie Stadium (Holyoke, MA)
Click here for directions to MacKenzie Stadium
All-Time Series: Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

Setting The Scene: Elms College has won five of seven as it hosts Mitchell in the inaugural New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) doubleheader for both teams. The Blazers are coming off a hard-fought 9-7 non-conference win at Johnson & Wales University on Thursday afternoon. In the victory, freshman third baseman Nicolino Iavicoli (Hampden, MA) set two school-records, as he became the first player in program-history to record five hits in a game and to go a perfect 5 for 5 at the plate. Iaviocoli, who is batting a torrid .467 in 10 starts, broke sophomore second baseman Brendan Cordeiro's (Berkley, MA) previous record of four hits set against Becker last April. In Thursday's win over Johnson & Wales, Cordeiro went 4 for 5 with a pair of runs scored, and junior middle reliever James Kosiorek (Springfield, MA) picked up his first win of the year, as he allowed just two earned runs and scattered six hits over 3.1 innings. Senior closer Joe Esile (Milford, CT) recorded the final two outs in the ninth to post his first save of the season.   

Scouting The Opposition: Mitchell has lost four of five and is coming off a 14-11 setback in Thursday's slugfest with Albertus Magnus. Sophomore shortstop Jeff Perillo (Newington, CT) went 5 for 5 with three runs scored and junior designated hitter Jared Bishop (Moodus, CT) went 3 for 3 and also scored three runs for the Mariners, who lost despite outhitting the Falcons 15-11. As a team, Mitchell is currently batting .246 and its pitchers have posted a combined 6.84 ERA.  
 
Two Under Two: The Blazers have received outstanding early-season pitching from
sophomore Matt Wood (Feeding Hills, MA) and freshman Craig Hippert (South Barre, MA). Wood, who was named NECC Pitcher of the Week on March 16, has posted a team-leading 1.50 ERA and allowed just three earned runs and recorded a team-leading 18 strikeouts over 18.0 innings. Hippert, meanwhile, has recorded a 1.80 ERA in his 5.0 innings of work.

In Memory Of Chris Burnham: A moment of silence will be held just prior to each Elms College home game this season in honor of Chris Burnham, who passed away tragically on January 9. Chris, a sophomore accounting major, was a first baseman for the Blazers. As a freshman last season, he appeared in 23 of the team's 32 games. At the time of his passing, Chris was just 20 years old. 

Keeping Track of Blazers' Athletics: For the latest news, notes and statistics on all 15
intercollegiate teams at Elms College, visit our athletics website at http://athletics.elms.edu/landing/index or call the Sports Information Hotline at 413-265-2414.