The sixth
annual Rider University Cranberry and Black World Series will be played on Friday, October 23, at 4:00 pm on the Sonny Pittaro Field.
The
Cranberry and Black Series, a best three out of five series of three-inning
games, brings an official end to the Rider fall baseball season.
The Black
team is led by junior pitcher Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston),
who was 5-3 last season with a 3.88 earned run average. Thomas has compiled 11
wins already in just two seasons at Rider.
Other key
members of the Black team are senior first baseman Matt McCollum (Tabernacle,
N.J./Shawnee)and junior infielder Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R.
Memorial).
McCollum
has compiled 108 hits in his career and was a member of the 2008 MAAC
All-Tournament team. Galella collected
41 hits in 41 starts last year and has 94 career hits in just two seasons.
The
Cranberry squad is led by junior infielder A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area),
who earned second team All-New Jersey honors last year after batting .333 with
61 hits.
Also on the
Cranberry squad will be sophomore outfielder Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco,
Pa./Williams Valley) and junior infielders
John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul
VI) and Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury,
Pa./Susquehannock).
Cotten was
named to the New Jersey All-Rookie team last year after batting .280 with a
.360 slugging percentage in MAAC games. In centerfield Cotten compiled 48 put
outs without an error in 32 games.
Ralston
batted .306 last year with 48 hits in 48 games and enters his junior season
with 96 career hits as a shortstop.
Heyne
compiled a .544 slugging percentage last year with 11 home runs, 13 doubles and
49 runs batted in and in 101 career games has 120 hits, including 17 home runs,
13th highest ever at Rider.
The Black team leads the all-time series 3-2, including a
3-1 series win last year. The Cranberry team won three games to two in 2007
after falling behind two games to zero. The Cranberry squad also won in 2006
three games to two.
Rider
Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management Phil Voorhees and Director
of Facilities Management Mike Maconi will be the umpires.
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