The Staten Island baseball team opens their 2017 season today against Southern Virginia University in Myrtle Beach, SC for the Cal Ripken Experience.  The Dolphins will play six games over a three day span before returning home to start their season back in New York. 
 
CSI vs SOUTHERN VIRGINIA AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (0-0 Overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) vs. Southern Virginia (5-9 overall, 0-0 CAC)
Where: Cal Ripken Experience – Myrtle Beach, SC
First Pitch: 3:00 PM // 5:00 PM
All-Time Series:  First Meeting
Players To Watch (CSI):  The Dolphins have a good mixture of returners and newcomers this season, all of which expect to make a big impact with the team.  Starting pitcher Christian Capellan will look to start his season off of the right foot with a win down in South Carolina. Glenn Glennerster finished last season batting .336, one of the best averages on the team and finished fourth on the team with 26 RBIs.
Players To Watch (SVU):  Cole Critchfield leads the charge for Southern Virginia, batting .439 so far this season with a team-high six doubles. Critchfield is also atop the list when it comes to RBIs as he has collected 10 so far this season which is tied with Zach McNally.  Tayler Peterson has pitched 23.2 innings this season and is 2-1 on the year with a team-high 3.80 ERA.   
News & Notes:  This will be the first meeting between these two squads, but Southern Virginia may have the upper hand as they have already played 14 games so far whereas the Dolphins have not seen real action yet this season.  Southern Virginia, however, does not play well away from home as they boast a 3-0 record at home but just a 2-9 record on the road this season.  Last season the Dolphins finished 10-8 on the road so look for this neutral site to not affect the outcome of the game.  Just a season ago, the Dolphins came home from the Cal Ripken Experience a strong 5-1 and will want to have that same success this season to kick off their title defense season on the right foot.