Baseball
Friday, February 18, 2022 at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Rider Broncs (0-0) vs. Georgetown Hoyas (0-0), VCU Rams (0-0), and Lafayette Leopards (0-0)
Location: Winston-Salem, NC (David F. Couch Ballpark)
First Pitch: 10:00 am / 2:00 pm / 2:00 pm
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast – Georgetown / VCU / Lafayette
Twitter: @RiderUBaseball
 
 
What You Need To Know
 
- The Broncs entered the 2021 MAAC Tournament as the three-seed before going 5-0 in the MAAC Tournament to earn the program's third MAAC Championship.
 
- Rider advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time under head coach Dr. Barry Davis, a feat also accomplished in 2008 and 2010. Davis has accumulated 962 career victories between his time at Gloucester County College (Rowan College of South Jersey), Georgia Southwestern University, and Rider.
 
- Rider was picked to finish fifth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
- Rider returns six offensive starters from a season ago. Among the returners are Jake Barbiere (Randolph, NJ/Randolph), who led the team with a .314 average a season ago, MAAC All-Rookie Catcher Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood), and MAAC Tournament MVP Jordan Erbe (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South).
 
- The Broncs' rotation will be led by Frank Doelling (Riverside, NJ/Riverside). Doelling has struck out 80 batters in 78.2 innings in his two seasons with the Broncs and boasts a career ERA of 3.09. In the NCAA Tournament last season against Alabama, Doelling pitched six and a third innings, allowing just three hits and two runs.
 
- Other key pitchers include starters Joe Papeo (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) and Kenny Quijano (Teaneck, NJ/St. Mary's), along with closer Cal Stalzer (West Des Moines, IA/Valley). Papeo went 4-2 with a 4.67 ERA last season. Papeo came out of the pen to earn the win against Canisius in the MAAC Tournament, then turned around and started the very next game against Fairfield, tossing five innings to earn the victory. Quijano made eight starts a season ago, striking out 29 batters in 31.1 innings. A member of the MAAC All-Tournament team, Stalzer threw the final four innings in relief of the clinching victory over Fairfield.
 
- The Broncs will face Georgetown for the first time since a double header in 2019. In the opening game, the Hoyas exploded for seven runs in the second, and despite late hitting from the Broncs, Rider fell 12-7. In the nightcap, the Broncs led 9-5 entering the bottom of the bottom of the seventh, but after errors extended the inning, a three-run homer and another fielding error allowed five unearned to cross the plate and Georgetown hung on for a 10-9 victory.
- Friday's projected pitching matchup features Doelling against Collin Garner. Garner, a graduate transfer from Brown University, had 74 strikeouts in 140.2 innings with the Bears.
 
- The Broncs and Rams have played just once, a three-game set in 1991. VCU took all three matchups by a combined six runs.
 
- The projected pitching matchup for Friday's second game is Papeo against Campbell Ellis. Ellis, a sophomore, went 6-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 15 appearances out of the pen last year.
 
- Rider last met Lafayette in the 2020 season. Holding a 4-1 lead in the seventh, Rider exploded for six runs and went on to a 10-1 victory.
 
- Saturday's starters are projected to be Quijano against Kyle Subers. Subers, a senior, went 3-0 with a 5.40 ERA a season ago. He struck out 33 batters in 33.1 innings.