Baseball Readies For Four Against NYIT

ALBANY, N.Y. – After three straight southern trips, the University at Albany baseball team will brave the northern elements this weekend, traveling to face the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) for a four game series. Due to NYIT’s field being under construction, the games will be played at Adelphi University’s Bonomo Memorial Field in Garden City, N.J. The pair of 7/9 inning twin bills are slated to start at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. SCOUTING NYIT (0-5, 0-0 Great West) The Bears are in search of their first win of the season this weekend after going 0-3 in last weekend’s series at Cincinnati (12-0, 17-3, 8-3) and 0-2 in a seven-inning doubleheader at Coppin State (4-1, 10-7) Tuesday. As a team, NYIT is batting .214 overall, led by Ali Rodriguez (.333) and Don Lackner (.308). Defensively, the Bears own a .925 fielding percentage, committing at least two errors per game, including a season-high four in the series finale against the Bearcats. Against the Great Danes, the Bear pitching staff will look to lower its 9.50 earned run average this weekend, as well as slim down its .348 opposing batting average. In the 2013 Great West Conference Preseason Poll, NYIT was predicted to place seventh out of the eight-team league (1. Utah Valley (7) 63 pts. 2. Houston Baptist (1) 46 pts. 3. NJIT 45 pts. 4. Texas-Pan American 40 pts. 5. Northern Colorado 34 pts. 6. North Dakota 31 pts. 7. NYIT 16 pts. 8. Chicago State 13 pts). THE COACH: Bob Malvagna (1st season, St. Johns ’79) Bob Malvagna is in his first season at NYIT. Upon his hire, he became the fifth head coach in the 42-year-old NYIT baseball program’s history, replacing Bob Hirschfield, who retired in October 2011 after 33 years at the helm. Malvagna’s 20 years of coaching experience includes serving as associate head coach at Adelphi University, helping the Panthers to two NCAA Division II Regional bids and five winning seasons. In 2011, Malvagna left Adelphi to assist Nassau Community College to the NCAA Division III Region XV Tournament. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach at Queensborough Community College, where he helped guide the team to the 2012 CUNY Championship. A member of the St. John’s University baseball team from 1975 to 1979, Malvagna played in the 1978 College World Series. Former teammates include Major Leaguers John Franco and Frank Viola. SCOUTING UALBANY (1-7, 0-0 America East) The Great Danes come off a 1-2 series at UNC Greensboro. UAlbany captured its first win of the season in the series-opener with an 8-5 victory, as the Danes exploded for seven runs in the top of the third inning and never looked back. The Spartans retorted the next day, shutting out UAlbany, 9-0, and then stole the rubber match, 9-8, in 10 innings. On the season, UAlbany is batting .223 collectively, led by freshman Evan Harasta (.385), sophomore Adam Mund (.348), and junior Brian Bullard (.320). Defensively, UAlbany owns a .954 fielding percentage, while the pitching staff has lowered its ERA to 7.58 after an early spike from series against Canisius and No. 5 South Carolina. THE COACH: Jon Mueller (14th season, Eckerd College, ‘92) Jon Mueller is in his 14th season as the head coach of the University at Albany baseball program. The Stillwater, N.Y. native has had proven success as both a player and coach throughout his career. Mueller ranks first among UAlbany’s career leaders with 280 coaching victories, and was named the America East Coach of the Year in 2004. He also led the Danes to the program’s first America East Conference tournament championship title and NCAA appearance in 2007. Mueller has produced dozens of all-conference standouts and has had six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft under his direction, including one in each of the past two seasons. LAST TIME OUT – AT UNCG GAME 1 - Exploding for seven runs in the top of the third inning, UAlbany never looked back as the Great Danes notched their first win of the season, overcoming UNC Greensboro, 8-5, Friday evening. The pitching duo of senior Kasceim Graham (1-1) and freshman Ryan Stinar held UNCG to just five hits in the contest, while combining for nine strikeouts. Graham earned the victory, tossing six frames, allowing three runs, three hits, two walks, while striking out five. Stinar, the right-handed rookie, earned the save, allowing two runs, two hits, while striking out four in the final three innings. Offensively, junior Josh Nethaway logged a game-high three runs batted in, going 1-for-5 with a double, while senior Nolan Gaige recorded two RBIs, also with a double. Junior Brian Bullard (2-for-3) and senior Greg Muller (2-for-4) recorded multi-hit games, leading the squad’s nine-hit attack. GAME 2 - So goes the game of baseball, UAlbany suffered its lowest run output of the season a day after producing its largest, falling 9-0 to UNCG Saturday afternoon. UNCG registered 14 hits off the Great Dane pitching staff, while UAlbany’s bats were held to five. Sophomore Gordon Madej led the Danes with his 2-for-4 effort, while senior Nolan Gaige, junior D.J. Hoagboon, and senior Jeff Welsh each had one hit. GAME 3 - With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, a misplayed infield pop fly is what won it for the hosting UNC Greensboro Spartans in Sunday’s rubber match at UNCG Baseball Stadium. UAlbany dropped the extra-inning series finale, 9-8, after taking an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. One out away from a victory, UNCG’s Cambric Moye belted a game-tying three-run home run, sending the contest into extras. In the bottom of the 10th, a leadoff walk for UNCG and a sacrifice bunt moved the winning-run up to second. Reliever Kevin Archbold recorded a strikeout for out number two, but with two strikes on the next batter, a high fly ball just in front of the pitcher’s mound dropped and the winning, unearned, run slid home. Despite the scoring difference, UAlbany outhit the Spartans, 13-7, as seven Great Danes crossed the plate and six recorded hits. Nolan Gaige (3-for-5), Evan Harasta (3-for-5), Matt Hinchy (2-for-4) and Brian Bullard (2-for-4) piloted UAlbany with their multi-hit efforts. LAST WEEK’S TOP DOGS NOLAN GAIGE - Senior Nolan Gaige hit .385 through UAlbany’s three-game series at UNCG, leading the Great Danes with a .692 slugging percentage, including a double, home run, and five runs batted in. KASCEIM GRAHAM - Senior Graham (1-1) earned the victory in UAlbany’s 8-5 win last Friday, tossing six frames, allowing three runs, three hits, two walks, while striking out five. Preserving a five-run lead, Graham did not allow a hit through the remaining three innings of his outing. RYAN STINAR - Ryan Stinar, a right-handed rookie, earned the save in UAlbany’s 8-5 win over UNCG. Stinar held the Spartans to two runs and two hits, as he struck out four in the final three innings of the victory. Stinar and starter Kasceim Graham held UNCG to just five hits total in the win. GOING, GOING, GONE As a team, UAlbany has belted two home runs this season. Josh Nethaway recorded the first of the year in game one against South Carolina (2/23). Nethaway blasted a solo shot over the left field wall with two outs in the fourth off South Carolina starter Jordan Montgomery. The dinger marked the sixth of Nethaway’s career. Nolan Gaige is credited with the other, belting a two-run shot over the right field wall in game three at UNCG, giving UAlbany a 7-3 lead in the eighth. The home run marked the ninth in his career. THE GAIGE GAUGE Nolan Gaige ranks first among UAlbany’s active career leaders in nearly every offensive category. Here are some categories in which he is quickly climbing the ladder… GAMES PLAYED - 167 AT-BATS - 650 (4th all-time) BATTING AVG. - .309 HITS - 201 (5 away from Top-5 all-time) DOUBLES - 28 TRIPLES – 11 (T-1st all-time) HOME RUNS – 9 RUNS SCORED – 134 (8 away from Top-5 all-time) RBI – 81 STOLEN BASES - 32 RACKING UP THE MILES At this point in the season, UAlbany is in prime bus-riding shape after traveling over 10 hours south (one way) for three consecutive series. The Great Danes traveled 1,290 mile roundtrip to Cary, N.C. for the Ron Fraser Classic. UAlbany played two games against Canisius (2/15) before the remaining two days of the tournament were cancelled due to snow. The following weekend, the Great Danes totaled 1,734 miles to and from South Carolina to play a three-games series against the Gamecocks (2/23-24). UAlbany made one last trip below the Mason-Dixon Line to Greensboro, N.C. (1,370 miles), facing UNCG March 1-3. In the first three weekends of the 2013 season, UAlbany totaled nearly 4,400 miles of bus travel. 2013 AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT Announced by the league office Wednesday, the America East Conference will take its 2013 baseball championship to LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., home of Boston Red Sox Single A affiliate Lowell Spinners. The state of the art facility was tabbed to host the entire championship, marking the first time it has been held at a predetermined minor-league facility since 2001. The 2013 America East Championship will begin on Wednesday May 22, and conclude on either May 24 or May 25. ON DECK UAlbany opens the 2013 America East Conference season, traveling to Hartford for a three-game series, March 16-17. A doubleheader Saturday begins at 1:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday, also with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.