After a busy weekend the College of Staten Island baseball squad got a much-needed day off, and now return to action today and on the road to take on William Paterson University for a single, nine-inning, affair in Wayne, NJ. The Pioneers are flying in with an 11-4 record, while CSI is trying to crawl their way back to .500, sitting with a record of 5-8.
CSI vs. WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Matchup: College of Staten Island (5-8) vs. William Paterson University (11-4)
Where: Jess Albies Field – 300 Pompton Road, Wayne, NJ
Live Stats: https://www.wpupioneers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
All-Time Series: WPU leads, 21-5-1
Last Meeting: March 25, 2018 – Game Tied 4-4
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins have a number of players swinging the bat well of late. Domenick Castiglione was recently named the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week, and he lifted his average up to .464. He leads the team with six doubles and is second on the team with six RBI. Jett Nouvertne has a team-best five triples this season and is batting .429 with a team-best 18 hits overall. In limited at-bats, Nick Falcone is batting .333 this season (7-21) and he sits tied for the team lead with four stolen bases in five attempts. Sean Becker has missed six games due to injury but the Dolphins are hoping for his return soon. He is hitting .389 through seven games. On the hill, look for Joseph Decelie to get innings today. Decelie has only pitched in three-plus innings so far, and has a 0-1 record with a 9.82 ERA
Players to Watch (WPU): The Pioneers have some big bats in their lineup looking to stay red-hot. Steve Yelin is hitting .452, scattering a team-best 28 hits, including nine doubles, a pair of triples and two homers. Matt Ferrara is at .414 with five extra bases (all doubles). Steven DiGirolamo is also over .400 this season, batting .410, and has four doubles and two triples. Carson Weis is batting .370 and has 15 RBI this season after 15 games. WPU has also gotten some huge at-bats from Dan Abate, who has a team-best 18 RBI in just 42 at-bats, batting .349 overall. Look for Jack DeFouw or Doug Olcese to get a start today. DeFouw is 0-1 with a 3.37 ERA through 10.2 innings, while Olcese is 1-0 with a 7.11 ERA through 12.2 innings in his two previous starts.
News & Notes: Ties are rare in baseball, but these two teams played to one two years ago when they met in Wayne in 2017. After a 4-4 stalemate, darkness set in forcing the tie, the fourth in CSI program history and the first since the 1988 season. Before the tie, WPU had taken three straight in the series. CSI’s last win over the Pioneers came in 2013, a 12-6 victory in Wayne. Overall, WPU has had the better of the series, taking 21 of the 27 all-time meetings and boasting a 12-3-1 overall against CSI at home. The Dolphins have only had one true road game this season and that was a rough, 11-0, loss to Kean last week. As for WPU, they come in 11-4 overall and are a perfect 3-0 at home. WPU recently had a three-game win streak erased when they fell to Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, 5-3. But they turned around in the second game of that doubleheader and won, 9-1.
