Weekly Notes

Fairfield closes out the 2012 regular season by hosting Marist College, May 17-18. The Stags need to take one game from the Red Foxes to secure a spot in the 2012 MAAC Tournament. The two teams will play a single game on Thursday at 1pm with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at noon.

Senior Sendoff: The Stags will honor its senior class of Larry Cornelia, Gavin McCullough, Nick Piccirillo, Mark Skrapits, Scott Warwick, Brett Shulick, and Tyler Wosleger prior to first pitch on Friday, May 18. The Stags seniors have helped Fairfield to 85 victories over the last four years.

On The Web: Live Stats will be available for all three games of the series.

Fairfield (25-25; 12-9 MAAC) vs. Marist (24-23; 10-10 MAAC): The Stags pulled out a 3-2 victory against Marist in 11 innings last season, snapping a seven-game losing streak. In the second game of the doubleheader which doubled as a pitcher's duel, Kyle Capaldo went 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out three batters for the win. Mark Bordonaro started the game, but received the no-decision after going 7.0 innings and holding Marist to two runs on one hit with three strikeouts. Marist's Chad Gallagher received the no decision after 8.0 innings of work in which he allowed two runs on eight hits. The Red Foxes have taken eight of the last nine meetings including a pair of games last season to improve to 34-9 over Fairfield.

 A Look at Marist: At 10-10 in the MAAC, Marist would need to sweep the Stags in order to gain a berth in the MAAC Tournament. The Red Foxes (24-23) are led offensively by Zach Shank and Mike Orefice, both of whom are batting .331 on the year. Shank, who has struck out just 10 times in 178 at-bats, has tallied 22 RBI and 35 runs scored while Orefice has driven in 27 runs and crossed the play 34 times. As a team, Marist is batting a collective .275 this season. The pitching staff yields a 4.50 ERA on the year. Junior Brett Houseal was named the MAAC Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday and has won each of his last four starts, and stands at 4-5 with a 4.18 ERA. He has 40 strikeouts against just 14 walks in 66.2 innings.

If They Clinch…: If the Stags win at least one game against Marist, Fairfield will clinch a berth in the 2012 MAAC Tournament which is set for May 24-27 at Joseph Bruno Stadium in Troy, N.Y. Manhattan, Canisius, and Rider have all secured berths entering the final weekend of play. It would be the first MAAC Tournament appearance since 2000.

Last Time Out: The Stags unleashed their offense on NJIT downing the Highlanders, 19-4, Monday evening at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. Every Stag in the starting line-up had at least one hit on the day and all but one scored at least one run for their highest offensive output of the season. Sophomore Rob LoPinto went 4-for-6 on the day with two doubles, four RBI, and four runs scored while junior Anthony Hajjar went 4-for-5 with a triple, two doubles, five RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Ryan Plourde went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. Rookie Dean Sadik went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI while Mike Bennett went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Larry Cornelia also had a multi-hit day, finishing 2-for-5 with three runs scored, two batted in, and a stolen base, his 25th of the season.
 
MAAC Player of the Week – 5/14:  Junior Jack Giannini was named the MAAC Player of the Week after powering the Stags to a crucial three-game sweep of Siena College. Giannini hit .417 (5-for-12) and slugged .667 with seven RBI and two runs scored. He was also strong defensively, recording eight putouts and a crucial outfield assist. In the opening game against the Saints, Giannini drove in a run, but more importantly, gunned down the potential tying run at the plate with a perfect throw from left field; the Stags went on to win 7-4. In game two of the doubleheader, Giannini scored the Stags' first run of the contest and later drove in the game-winning runs with a two-RBI single with two outs in the top of the seventh for the 5-3 victory. In the final game of the series, Giannini blasted his first collegiate home run, a three-run shot in the third inning.

Fairfield Among the MAAC leaders (Thru games 5/13): The Stags pitching staff leads the MAAC with a 4.16 ERA with opponents hitting just .278. Fairfield is also third in the MAAC in strikeouts with 284, and leads the league in pickoffs (14). Individually, senior Scott Warwick leads the league with a 2.80 ERA while classmate Brett Shulick is fifth with a 3.33 ERA. Offensively, Fairfield is fourth in runs scored (244), second in walks (184), third in triples (10), fifth in RBI (209) and on-base percentage (.353).  Sophomore Ryan Plourde is third in the league in on-base percentage (.447) and walks (29) and fifth in batting average (.343) and total bases (80). Senior Larry Cornelia is third in stolen bases (24). Defensively, the Stags lead the MAAC with 48 double plays and stand fourth in fielding percentage (.964).

National Notice: In the NCAA Division I national rankings released on May 14, senior Larry Cornelia was ranked 31st in the country in stolen bases with 24. His average of 0.49/g per game ranks him 36th nationally. As a team, Fairfield is ranked 31st in double plays per game (0.98) and 33rd in double plays (48).

Hot Hitters: As a team, Fairfield has recorded at least 10 hits in five of the last seven games.

Let's Turn Two: The Fairfield defense has turned 49 double plays so far this season which is the highest singles season total in program history. Fairfield broke the record at Siena on May 12 by turning two double plays against the Saints. Last year, the Stags tied the single season record with 46 double plays. Fairfield has turned three double plays in a game on four different occasions this season, most recently against Canisius on April 29.

Moving On Up: With a pair of hits on May 5, junior Anthony Hajjar cracked the top-10 on Fairfield's career hits chart. The first baseman currently has 167 career hits which is good for ninth all-time. Tucker Nathans holds the career record with 263 hits during his four seasons as a Stag.

Keeping Up Appearances: Junior Mark Bordonaro has made 64 career appearances which places him second all-time Fairfield. Dan Gallagher holds the record for appearances in a career with 67. The righty has made 21 appearances this season, tying the total from last season. As a freshman, Bordonaro made 22 appearances. The single season record for appearances is 24 which was set by Rick Piccirillo in 2010.