Baseball
Friday-Sunday, March 24-26, 2023
Rider Broncs (13-7, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-11, 0-0 MAAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ (Sonny Pittaro Field)
First Pitch: 2:00 p.m./1:00 p.m./12:00 p.m.
Broadcast: ESPN+ (Friday)/ESPN3 (Saturday)/ESPN+ (Sunday)
Live Stats: GoBroncs.com
Twitter: @RiderUBaseball
 
What You Need To Know
- Friday's game time has been moved from 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to ensure the game is completed due to darkness concerns.
 
- The Broncs entered the 2021 MAAC Tournament as the five-seed before advancing to the MAAC Championship Game for a second consecutive year.
 
- Rider was picked to finish third in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
- The Broncs are 13-7 and have won four of five weekend series this season. The Broncs took two of three from Villanova last weekend before falling, 4-2, to in-state rival Rutgers on Tuesday. In the second game of the series against the Wildcats, John Volpe (Sea Girt, NJ/Wall) recorded his 100^th career hit with a leadoff double.
 
- Rider returns eight offensive starters from a season ago, led by Brendan O'Donnell (Malvern, PA/Great Valley), a Second-Team All-MAAC selection and MAAC All-Tournament Team honoree in 2022 and 2023 Preseason All-American. O'Donnell was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team after hitting a Rider-record 20 home runs in 2022. Other Preseason All-MAAC returners are Brian Skettini (Midland Park, NJ/Ridgewood) and Luke Lesch (Gloucester Township, NJ/Gloucester Catholic). 2021 MAAC Tournament MVP Jordan Erbe (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South[UMass]), Socrates Bardatsos (Ridgefield, NJ/St. Joseph's Regional), Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West),Volpe, and Jack Winsett (Voorhees,NJ/Eastern) will also return to help round out the lineup.
 
- Bardatsos led the Broncs with a .294 average last season, and a .432 on base percentage, setting a new Rider mark with 44 walks. Lesch hit .275 with 11 home runs during the 2022 campaign. Volpe hit .281 and scored 41 runs for the Broncs a season ago. Winsett hit .277 with a strong glove at third base. Skettini hit .258, scoring 28 runs and driving in 27. Shaw battled through injuries, but hit .278 and scored 21 runs in 28 games. Erbe led the Broncs with 117 assists from the short stop position.
 
- The Broncs' rotation will be led by Preseason All-MAAC pitcher Frank Doelling (Riverside, NJ/Riverside). Doelling has struck out 143 batters in 145.1 innings in his three seasons with the Broncs and boasts a career ERA of 4.15. In the NCAA Tournament in 2021 against Alabama, Doelling pitched six and a third innings, allowing just three hits and two runs.
 
- Dylan Heine (Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield) pitched to a 4.29 ERA a season ago, and struck out 17 in 21 innings. Brian Young (Neptune, NJ/Communication) struggled late last season, but had a strong showing over the summer in the Cape Cod league and is projected to be in the rotation to start the season.
 
- The bullpen will be led by Danny Kirwin (Lansdale, PA/North Penn), who went 3-2 with a 4.72 ERA and four saves a season ago. Kirwin struck out 54 in just 47.2 innings last season and has stepped up into the closer role.
 
- Alec Sachais (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Holy Spirit) is off to a strong start on the mound, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 11 appearances, including the win in Rider's victory over Oklahoma.
 
- Kirwin has a 2.35 ERA and leads the MAAC with four saves in 15.1 innings so far this season. He is second on the team with 22 strikeouts, including tying a career-high with six against Oklahoma.
 
- Skettini leads the Broncs this season with a .319 average and is third on the team with 16 RBIs. O'Donnell has a team-high seven home runs and 19 RBIs.
 
- Quinnipiac is 6-11 on the season and led offensively by Sebastian Mueller. Mueller is hitting .321 to lead the Bobcats and is second on the team with 10 runs scored. Anthony Donofrio leads Quinnipiac with three home runs and 13 RBIs.
 
- Rider leads the all-time series 11-8. The Broncs last met the Bobcats in 2021, when Rider took three of four from the visiting Bobcats.
 
- Friday's pitching matchup features Heine against Jimmy Hagan. Heine is 1-0 with a 4.39 ERA this season. He has struck out 18 in 26.2 innings pitched. Hagan is 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA. He has 16 strike outs in 23.0 innings this season.
 
- Saturday will see Doelling toe the rubber against Tim Blaisdell. Doelling has been stellar so far in his graduate season, holding a 3-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. He has struck out 23 in 24.0 innings. Blaisdell is 0-4 with a 6.84 ERA. He has 19 punch outs in 25.0 innings.
 
- The series finale will pit Young against Kevin Seitter. Young has struggled early in the season, holding a 1-3 record with an 8.53 ERA, but was stellar last time out, going 5.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win at Villanova. Seitter is 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA this season. He has struck out 18 in 24.0 innings.