Hempstead, NY - Following a weekend off, the Hofstra Baseball team resumes Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend when it travels to Williamsburg, VA, for a three-game series with the Tribe of the College of William & Mary. Game one is Friday night at 7 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m., while Sunday's finale begins at 1 p.m.
The Pride (23-21, 8-10 CAA) has won five consecutive contests following a thrilling come-from-behind win over Rutgers this past Tuesday. The Pride battled back from a six-run deficit to tie the game at nine in the seventh and then won it in the bottom of the ninth on a solo home run from Kevin Brantley. The round-tripper was the freshman's second of the game.
Hofstra is currently in a three-way tie for sixth place in the CAA and as of right now would be the No. 6 seed in the CAA Championship in three weeks.
Catcher Matt Reistetter continues to lead the club in hitting with a .366 average, which places him 10th in the league. The junior was also recently added to the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, which is presented to the top catcher in Division I. Chris Nardo ranks second on the team in batting with a .336 average, while Kenny Jackson has a .314 average and leads the squad with seven home runs. Jared Hammer holds a one RBI lead over Reistetter, 35-34, for team-high honors in that category.
William & Mary is 28-17 on the season and is tied for second in the CAA with an 11-7 record. The Tribe boast the CAA's third-best pitching staff in terms of ERA at 3.63. John Farrell, who will start for the Tribe in Friday night's opener, leads the league in wins with 8 (8-1), is second in ERA at 2.18 and third in strikeouts with 66. Michael Katz leads the Tribe offense with a .376 average and 15 doubles. William Shaw is the Tribe's top run producer with three home runs and 31 RBIs. Ryan Brown has a team-best 18 stolen bases.
Hofstra Coach John Russo has shaken up the pitching rotation, moving Bryan Verbitsky from his bullpen role to opening game starter. Verbitsky has been the Pride's most dominant pitcher with a 2-2 record, 1.67 ERA, 36 strikeouts (27 IP), and a opponents batting average of .143. The junior has made two starts in his career, both last season, and does not have a decision as a starter. Verbitsky will be opposed by Farrell.
Joe Burg (3-3, 3.90) will start in game two against Brett Koehler, who is 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA. Burg has pitched well this season, allowing two or fewer earned runs in seven of his 10 starts. The senior will be looking for his first decision since April 6 after consecutive no-decisions in his last two starts.
Sunday's finale will see David D'Errico move from his opening game role as the Pride seek some stability in the Sunday starting role. Hofstra has used five starting pitchers on Sunday's since conference play began with D'Errico becoming the sixth. The junior is 3-2 with a 4.29 ERA. William & Mary will counter with Jason Inghram, who sports a 6-4 record and a 2.70 ERA with 76 strikeouts. The left-hander ranks fourth in the league in wins, second in strikeouts and sixth in ERA.
Live statistics and audio (courtesy of William & Mary) are available for all three games of the series and can be accessed through the links above.
