Manhattan Heads To Rider

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Lawrenceville, NJ - Manhattan (18-27; 10-5 MAAC) looks to continue its winning ways this weekend at Rider (13-31; 4-11 MAAC) at Sonny Pittaro Field.
  
Schedule:
Game 1 - Friday, May 3 - 12:30 pm
Manhattan GS LHP John Cain (6-3; 4.37 ERA; 70.0 IP; 68 K; 33 BB; .277 opp. BA)
Game 2 - Friday, May 3 - 3:30 pm
Manhattan Jr. RHP T.J. Stuart (5-4; 3.90 ERA; 60.0 IP; 60 K; 25 BB; .236 opp. BA)
Game 3 - Saturday, May 4 - 12:00 pm 
TBA

Monmouth Series Notes
* The Jaspers took two-of-three from the Hawks in winning their third MAAC series of the year.
* Freshman Nick Cimillo continued his torrid play, going 7-for-11 (.636) with three multi-hit performances, six RBI and two runs.
* Classmate Jonathan Barditch was 5-for-11 (.455) with four runs and a double.
* Cain struck out a career-high 12 over 6.0 innings of one-run ball on the bump in the opener.
* Stuart fired his fifth complete game in game two, fanning six over 7.0 innings of two-run ball.
* The bullpen posted a 1.22 ERA with six strikeouts while yielding just five hits over 7.1 frames.

Cimillo Crushing
* Despite seeing his hitting streak snapped at 15 games in the midweek win over Stony Brook, the rookie standout is hitting a team-best .357 (61-for-171) with 29 runs, eight doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI, a .509 slugging percentage and a team-best 22 multi-hit games.
* During MAAC play, he has batted safely in 14-of-15 games, including 11 with multiple-hits, and is hitting a blistering .491 (28-of-57) with 14 runs, four doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI.

Midweek Fun
* The Jaspers defeated America East-leading Stony Brook by a 2-1 count on Wednesday at the 'Dutch' thanks to a solid pitching performance from senior RHP Jacob Knight.
* Knight struck out six over 6.0 innings of one-run ball.
* Freshman David Moffett collected a pair of hits while senior Alex Cerda reached base safely in all four trips to the plate (3 HBP, BB).

Marist Series Notes
* Manhattan set a season high with 14 runs in a series-opening 14-4 win.
* The Jaspers batted a blistering .361 with seven doubles, two triples and a .449 OBP.
* Graduate student Shawn Blake hit .545 (6-for-11) with five runs, two doubles, one triple and four RBI while Barditch also hit .545 (6-for-11) with a .615 OBP.
* Cimillo batted .500 (7-for-14) while Alex Cerda hit .455 (5-for-11) and Jake Knop .417 (5-for-12).
* Cain struck out six over 8.0 innings of three-run ball in improving to 5-3.
* Takacs yielded just one earned run with six strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA over 5.0 innings.

Teddy Turning Heads
* Sophomore RHP Teddy Sabato has fanned 36 over just 27.2 innings with a win, two saves and a 4.23 ERA.
* He has been unscored on in 12 of his 16 appearances while limiting opposing hitters to a scant .239 average.

Back-To-Back-To-Back Blake
* Blake belted home runs at Army West Point and in a pair of wins over Iona. On the year, he is hitting .269 (43-for-160) with 13 multi-hit games, 27 runs, 15 doubles, three home runs, 20 RBI and 26 walks.
* The Elon transfer crushed a home run to help cement Manhattan's doubleheader sweep of Iona before also homering in the finale.
* He was 3-for-3 with two walks in the finale, before delivering a two-run homer at Army West Point.

Cerda Breaking Out
* To say Cerda is having a breakout season would be a tremendous understatement, as the Miami native is hitting .287 (47-for-164) with 12 doubles, one home run and a team-leading 27 RBI.
* Cerda also has eight multi-RBI and 12 multi-hit games.

Break Out The Brooms ... Again
* Manhattan collected its second-straight sweep against Siena, thanks to hitting .326 as a team while posting a solid 3.96 ERA.
* Sophomore Matt Padre crushed a grand slam and drove in five to lead the way in the finale.
* Knight was the recipient of Padre's big game, earning his first win with five strikeouts over 4.0 innings of one-run ball. 
* Stuart and Cain each went 7.0 innings to lead the Jaspers to a sweep on Saturday.

Manhattan Sweeps Iona
* Manhattan swept a three-game series from Iona, thanks to hitting .326 with six doubles and two home runs while posting a .398 OBP.
* The Jasper pitching unit posted a 1.44 ERA with 16 strikeouts while limiting Gael hitters to a .211 average. 
* Cain opened the weekend with 8.1 innings of two-run ball while yielding just six hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
* Takacs picked up his first career win in the finale, striking out two over 5.0 inning.
* DiTorrice and  Sabato collected their first career saves.

Scouting Rider
* Riley Mihalik paces the Bronc offense, batting .323 with seven doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 33 RBI.
* Rider, like Manhattan, holds a .262 team batting average.
* Sebastian Williamson is hitting a team-best .325 with 11 doubles, two home runs and 11 stolen bases.

Franco Named MAAC Rookie Of The Week
* Freshman Sam Franco was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week for his performance over games at LIU Brooklyn, Columbia and Canisius.
* He hit a team-leading .350 (7-for-20) over five games, including posting a .462 ledger at Canisius, with a double, triple, six RBI and two walks.
* Against Columbia, Franco had a single, RBI and two walks, before going 3-for-5 with a double, run and RBI in the opener against the Golden Griffins.
* In game one at Canisius, Franco singled and drove in one of the two Manhattan runs. He then capped his big week by going 2-for-4 with a game-tying, three-run triple in the finale.
* On the year, he is hitting .297 (38-for-128) with 16 runs, six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 21 RBI.

Manhattan Rallies For 3-2 Win At George Mason
* The Jaspers took the series finale against the Patriots thanks to Padre's game-winning, two-run single in the ninth inning.
* DiTorrice picked up his second career win with 3.0 perfect innings of work, fueled by four strikeouts.
* DiTorrice relieved Stuart, who yielded two runs on just three hits over 6.0 innings.

Cimillo Named MAAC Player & Rookie Of The Week
* Cimillo hit safely in all three games at GW, while batting a blistering .636 (7-of-11) with a double, home run, four runs and three RBI en route to being named MAAC Player and Rookie of the Week.
* The Long Island native also drew four walks in posting a .733 OBP with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
* In the opener, Cimillo reached base safely in all five of his trips to the plate, finishing up 4-for-4 with a double, walk, run and a RBI. He then crushed a solo home run with a walk in game two, before going 2-for-4 with two walks, two runs and a RBI in the finale.

Crabbe Goes Yard
* Graduate student Cam Crabbe's two-run homer in the 11th inning lifted Manhattan to a 12-8 win in the series finale against GW.

Homer Happy
* The Jaspers have 19 home runs as 10 different student-athletes have gone yard.

Cain Named MAAC Pitcher Of The Week ... Again
* For the second time in as many weeks, Cain was slated as the MAAC Pitcher of the Week, after leading Manhattan to a 5-4 win over Appalachian State.
 
* Cain collected his second win of the year, striking out eight while yielding just one unearned run on four hits and three walks over 6.2 innings.
* The Lafayette transfer struck out at least one batter in six innings and set down 10 in a row at one point.

Cain Collects First MAAC Pitcher Of The Week Honor 
* Cain made his Jasper debut one to remember as he was named the MAAC Pitcher of the Week following his dominating season-opening performance in Manhattan's 5-2 win at Stetson.
* Cain struck out eight on 98 pitches over 7.0 innings of one-run ball. The Lafayette transfer also scattered just two hits and three walks against a Hatter team that was returning eight of its top 10 hitters from last year's Super Regional team.
* The 6-10 Cain got stronger as the game went on, retiring the final eight batters he faced, and limited Stetson to a miniscule .091 average on the day.

The Returners
* Manhattan returns 20 letterwinners, including four starting position players and two starting pitchers. Click HERE for the entire prospectus.

Barrella Earns Preseason All-MAAC Honors
* Barrella was named to the Preseason All-MAAC team as a utility player while Manhattan was slated to finish fifth and return to the MAAC Championship.
 
* A year ago, Barrella hit a team-leading .309 a year ago with a team-high 59 hits, 21 runs and 25 runs en route to earning All-MAAC Second Team honors. He also registered a team-best 16 multi-hit games with a 17-game hitting streak and twice earned MAAC Player of the Week honors. 

Stuart Named Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American
* Stuart was slated as 2019 Collegiate Baseball Preseason All-American Third Team, powered by Diamond Sports.
 
* As a sophomore in 2018, Stuart established himself as one of the top pitchers in the MAAC in going 6-2 with a school-record and league-leading 10 saves while also pacing the circuit with 2.57 ERA and 50 strikeouts over 63.0 innings. 
* He is also the first Jasper to earn Collegiate Baseball All-American honors since Fabian Pena and Christian Santisteban each did so in 2016.

Stuart Garners Inclusion On NCBWA Initial Stopper List
* Stuart was also was one of the 75 players to be named to the initial Watch List for the 15th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball.
 
* Stuart was also recently tabbed by Perfect Game as the No. 5 pro prospect for the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft and as a preseason All-MAAC selection by the online publication.
* The Nutmeg State standout also limited opposing hitters to a MAAC-low .178 average as Manhattan went 18-7 in his outings, including winning 14-straight at one point.
* Entering 2019, Stuart needs just five saves to match the Jasper career record of 15 stops.

Trio Earns Perfect Game/D1Baseball.Com Accolades
* Stuart and Padre were slated by Perfect Game as preseason All-MAAC selections with Cain tabbed as the No. 8 pro prospect in the MAAC for the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft by D1 Baseball.
 
Cole Announces 2019 Schedule
* The Jaspers will play 55 games in 2019, consisting of 31 non-conference and 24 MAAC contests. Additionally the Jaspers will host 19 games at Dutchess Stadium and play 37 on the road.
* Manhattan will play nine games against NCAA Regional Teams and 23 games against squads that won at least 30 games.
* The Jaspers will square off against teams from 11 conferences during MAAC play: ACC, America East, Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, Big 10, CAA, Ivy, NEC, Patriot, Southland and Sun Belt.
* Highlighting the non-conference slate is a return to 2018 Super Regional participant Stetson as Manhattan will take part in the season-opening Ryclass Classic in Deland, FL, before playing a four-game series at the University of Michigan.
* During MAAC play, Manhattan will host Iona, Siena, Marist and Saint Peter's while playing Canisius, Monmouth, Rider and Quinnipiac on the road.
* The Jaspers will not square off with Fairfield and Niagara in 2019.

Cole On The Schedule:
 
From The Bronx To The Pros
* Fabian Pena (25th Round - San Franciso Giants) and Joe Jacques (34th Round - Pittsburgh Pirates) were each selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as the Jaspers have now had five players/signees ink contracts with MLB teams since 2016.
* Tom Cosgrove was taken by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft while Jose Carrera inked a professional deal with the New York Yankees. Additionally, signee Tai Tiedemann was selected by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Dutchess Stadium
* Manhattan will call Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, NY home for the fifth-straight season.

See You In Staten Island
* The 2019 MAAC Baseball Championship will be held at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, NY from the second-straight year from May 22-25. The 2020 championship will also be held at the home of the Single-A Staten Island Yankees.

What's A Jasper?
* The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the "seventh inning stretch" spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.