The College of Staten Island baseball team will be ushering in the double-elimination portion of the CUNYAC Postseason Championship tonight under the lights at the CSI Baseball Complex at 7pm. Their opponents will be the winner of a 4pm, single-elimination, game between No. 4 University of Maine – Presque Isle and No. 5 Lehman College. The Dolphins last took the field on Sunday, when they wrapped up the Regular Season Championship with a doubleheader split with Baruch College. They come into the tournament as the No. 1 seed and defending champs.
CSI vs. LEHMAN / MAINE-PRESQUE ISLE AT-A-GLANCE
Matchup: CSI (23-13 Overall, 7-1 CUNYAC) vs. Lehman (8-26, 2-6) / Maine – PI (13-25)
Where: CSI Baseball Complex – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
First Pitch: LC vs. UMPI 4:00pm / CSI vs. Winner 7:00pm
Live Video: http://www.csidolphins.com/CSISportsNet (Both games)
All-Time Series: CSI leads Lehman 73-25, CSI leads UMPI 1-0
Last Year’s Result: CSI won 3 out of 5 meetings
Players to Watch (CSI): Nick Delprete continues to lead CSI with a .390 batting average, while fellow seniors Joe Palmeri and George Kantzian are not too far behind. Palmeri sits at .358, leading the way with 38 runs scored and 35 RBI. Kantzian is at .321 and is one double shy of the school’s all-time single season record of 19. Christian Capellan leads the way on the mound with a 5-1 record and a 3.25 ERA. He was 3-0 against the CUNYAC in three starts in April.
Players to Watch (UMPI): The Owls are led by Tommy Collins, who boasts a .330 batting average. The team’s hits leader is Brady Rowe with 36, posting a .283 average. Pitchers may want to steer clear of Matt Cauchon, who bats .287 and leads the team with a pair or triples to go with seven doubles and two homers. Matt Curry leads the team with 10 starts this season, posting a 2-4 mark with a 5.31 ERA.
Players to Watch (LC): Carlo Francisco leads the hot-hitting Lightning with a .379 mark and has posted 6 homeruns this season. Nathaniel Toribio is not too far behind with a .358 average with five doubles. Lehman as a team has 22 homeruns this season so there is power everywhere in the lineup. The team is led on the hill by Francisco Pena, who holds a 2-2 record with a 5.01 ERA.
News and Notes: CSI will be playing the winner of the opening game tonight, with the loser being ousted from the tournament. The University of Maine – Presque Isle is an associate member of the CUNYAC participating for the first time in the conference tournament. In other opening day action today, No. 3 John Jay College is playing against No. 6 CCNY, with the winner immediately playing No. 2 Baruch as part of double-elimination play. The Dolphins today have a chance to play Maine-Presque Isle for the first time since 2010, a 13-2 CSI win. They have a much storied rivalry with Lehman, boasting a 73-25 overall record against them. CSI has won the last 9 in the series and 24 of the last 25 against them, a run that includes a mark of 10-1 here at CSI since 2008. Lehman’s last victory against CSI came in 2013, a 3-1 win. As part of tournament play, CSI is 10-1 against Lehman all-time. The winner of the 7pm game will play at 4pm tomorrow at CSI with the losing side playing in an elimination game at 1pm.
