Baseball
Tuesday-Wednesday, April 18-19, 2023
Rider Broncs (24-11, 9-3 MAAC) vs. Delaware Blue Hens (20-16, 9-6 CAA)/Princeton Tigers (14-17, 7-5 IVY)
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Citizens Bank Park)/Lawrenceville, NJ (Sonny Pittaro Field)
First Pitch: 7:00 PM/3:00 PM
Broadcast: BroncVision (Wednesday)
Live Stats: BlueHens.com/GoBroncs.com
Twitter: @RiderUBaseball
 
 
What You Need To Know
- Tuesday's game is the championship of the Liberty Bell Classic, taking place at Citizens Bank Park. Parking is free in the Phillies P Lot and tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the home plate entrance.
 
- Wednesday's game is back in the friendly confines of Sonny Pittaro Field and will be broadcast on BroncVision.
 
- The Broncs entered the 2022 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 2023 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
- The Broncs are 24-11 and have won eight of nine weekend series this season. The Broncs took two of three from Canisius in a battle at the top of the MAAC standings. Scott Shaw (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) became the sixth Bronc this season to reach the 100-hit milestone with a single in the opening contest of the series.
 
- 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), Shaw, John Volpe (Sea Girt, NJ/Wall), and Winsett 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.
 
- Doelling has led the rotation this season with a 5-1 record, pitching to a 3.15 ERA and team-high 41 strike outs in 45.2 innings. Heine is 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA.
 
- 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) has been key on the mound out of the pen, posting a 3-2 record with a 2.84 ERA in 14 appearances, including the win in Rider's victory over Oklahoma.
 
- Kirwin has a 1.50 ERA and leads the MAAC, ranking fifth nationally, with eight saves in 30.0 innings so far this season. He is second the team with 40 strikeouts, including tying a career-high with six against Oklahoma. Kirwin also has five wins this season.
 
- Skettini leads the Broncs this season with a .298 average and is third on the team with 29 RBIs. O'Donnell is second in the MAAC with a team-high 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. Winsett is second on the team with a .295 average and 30 RBIs.
 
- The Broncs' defense has been among the country's best this season, ranking third in the country in double plays turned. The Broncs' 4.13 ERA is 27^th nationally.
 
- The Broncs faced Delaware in a three-game weekend series earlier this season with the Broncs taking two of three from the Blue Hens. Rider and Delaware have competed for a championship twice before. Rider defeated the Blue Hens in the 1985 and 1986 ECC Championship Games. Rider has played Delaware more times than any other opponent, going back to the 1970s and '80s when they were conference foes in the MAC University Division which became the East Coast Conference. Rider won ECC Titles in 1984, '85, '86, '87, '89 and '92. Delaware won ECC Titles in '78, '79, '80, '82 and '83.
 
- Rider is seeking its second Liberty Bell Classic Championship after defeating Villanova, 6-2, in the championship game in 2015. Delaware has won a record eight Liberty Bell Classic Championships, but the Blue Hens are seeking their first title since 2013.
 
- Tuesday's pitching matchup will feature PJ Craig (Barnegat, NJ/Barnegat) against Carter Welch. Craig is 1-0 on the season with a 6.48 ERA. The freshman has 15 strikeouts in 25.0 innings this season. Welch is 2-3 with a 7.49 ERA. The sophomore has totaled 23 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
 
- Delaware is led offensively by Joey Loynd. Loynd is hitting .372 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs this season. In the three games against Rider earlier this year, he went 3-for-10 with two doubles, an RBI, and four runs scored.
 
- Wednesday's game against Princeton will be the first of two games against Ivy League competition for the Broncs as Penn is scheduled to come to Lawrenceville next week. The Broncs and Tigers are meeting for the first time since 2019. Kirwin, then a freshman, tossed a scoreless inning in relief in that game.
 
- The pitching matchup for Wednesday is Chris Montone (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) against Will Sword. Montone will be making his second career start. In his first start, his collegiate debut against Gardner-Webb, Montone went 3.2 innings giving up two runs on one hit and struck out two. Sword is 1-0 with a 12.08 ERA this season.
 
- Scott Bandura leads the Tigers offense, hitting .411 with seven home runs and a team-high 33 RBIs. Kyle Vinci has 13 home runs this season to pace Princeton.