Hamden, CT - Fresh off a three-game sweep, Manhattan (24-28; 15-6 MAAC) heads to the Nutmeg State for an important series with Quinnipiac (23-27; 14-7 MAAC) at the QU Baseball Field.
Projected Starters
Game 1 - Thursday, May 16 - 12:00 pm
Manhattan GS LHP John Cain (8-3; 4.18 ERA; 84.0 IP; 81 K; 34 BB; .283 opp. BA)
Game 2 - Thursday, May 16 - 3:00 pm
Manhattan Jr. RHP T.J. Stuart (7-4; 3.89 ERA; 74.0 IP; 74 K; 30 BB; .230 opp. BA)
Game 3 - Friday, May 17 - 3:30 pm
TBA
Clinched
* The Jaspers clinched their first MAAC Tournament berth since the 2017 season with a three-game sweep of Saint Peter's, and enter the final weekend of the year in a tie for first place.
Regular Season Rundown
* Manhattan can finish as high as first or as low as fifth.
2019 MAAC Championship Information
* The four-day 2019 MAAC Championship will begin on Wednesday, May 22 and run until Saturday, May 25 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island.
* Click HERE for more information on the MAAC Tournament.
Garden State Bliss
* Manhattan hit a blistering .401 in going 4-0 last week in New Jersey as four regulars hit over .500.
The 36-Hour Game
* The Jaspers' series finale against SPU was suspended at 10:47 am on Sunday, May 12. Exactly 36 hours later at 10:47 pm on Monday, May 13, Manhattan completed its third MAAC series sweep with a 15-2 victory.
Padre, Franco Earn MAAC Weekly Honors
MAAC Player of the Week: Matt Padre
* Hit a blistering .769 (10-for-13) last week, including .889 (8-for-9) in the series sweep of Saint Peter's, with three doubles, two home runs, eight runs and nine RBI. Additionally, the Garden State native posted a 1.489 slugging percentage and a .789 OBP, and began the week by doubling, homering and driving in three RBI in win at FDU. In the Jaspers' doubleheader sweep of Saint Peter's, Padre went 6-for-7 with two doubles, four runs, two RBI and two walks. He then capped his big week by going 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI while scoring three times in the series finale against the Peacocks.
* Padre is now batting .276 (47-for-170), including .394 during MAAC play, with 10 doubles, four home runs and a team-best matching 31 RBI.
MAAC Rookie of the Week: Sam Franco
* Hit .600 (6-for-10) in the series sweep of Saint Peter's with two doubles, two home runs, eight runs, five RBI and four stolen bases. He also walked four times in posting a .688 OBP with a 1.400 slugging percentage. Franco opened the series with a solo home run, before walking twice and stealing a base. The Jaspers' center fielder then went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, a RBI and a stolen base in cementing the doubleheader sweep over the Peacocks. Franco then delivered his second leadoff home run of the series while setting the tone for Manhattan's 15-2 win in the finale, and finished up 2-for-2 with four runs, three RBI, two walks and two steals.
Twice Is Nice
* Franco has now earned two weekly MAAC Rookie honors on the year and is hitting .313 (46-for-147) with 26 runs, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 27 RBI and 12 stolen bases with a .463 slugging percentage and a .390 OBP.
Dynamic Duo
* Cain and Stuart have combined for 15 wins, including 11 during MAAC play, with a 4.04 ERA and 155 strikeouts over 158.0 innings.
SPU Series Notes
* Padre and Franco combined to hit .737 (14-for-19) with 15 runs, four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, seven walks, four stolen bases and were plunked three times.
* The Jaspers plated a season-high 15 runs in the opener and the finale, both of which coincided with Franco leadoff homers.
* Freshman Jonathan Barditch hit the biggest home run of the weekend, a two-run shot in the sixth inning of game two that tied the score.
Padre, Palma Voted To Google Cloud Academic All-District Team
* Junior Dominic Palma and Padre were named to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Baseball Team.
* Palma holds a 3.62 GPA in exercise science while Padre has a 3.87 GPA in accounting.
Rider Series Notes
* Manhattan posted its fifth doubleheader sweep of the year at Rider.
* Cain yielded just three earned runs over 8.0 solid frames while Stuart fanned five over 7.0 innings in a complete-game effort.
* In large part to the duo, the Jaspers posted a 2.62 ERA on the weekend.
* Graduate student Cam Crabbe hit safely in all three games, en route to batting .571 (4-for-7) with four runs, four walks, a double and a RBI.
* Barditch and sophomore Jake Knop each went yard for the first time in their careers while Padre also went deep.
MAAC Notes
* In game ones, Manhattan is an impressive 6-1 while outscoring the opposition by a 62-33 count.
* In game twos, the Jaspers are 5-2 while limiting the opposition to just 21 runs.
* The Green & White is 8-4 in games decided by three runs or less.
* Manhattan has won five MAAC weekends, including posting five doubleheader sweeps.
Midweek Fun
* The Jaspers blasted four home runs en route to registering a dominating 12-2 win over FDU.
* Graduate student Shawn Blake, Crabbe, freshman David Moffett and Padre each hit home runs to highlight a 15-hit attack.
* Blake and Knop each added two doubles.
* Junior RHP Jacob Knight struck out eight over 6.0 innings of one-run ball.
Two In A Row
* Knight won the last two Manhattan midweek games, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 14 strikeouts while yielding just seven hits over 12.0 innings.
In The Rankings
* Stuart leads the nation with seven complete games.
* Cain paces the MAAC and ranks 20th nationally with eight wins while Stuart is second in the league and 53rd nationally with seven victories.
* Cimillo is second in the MAAC with a .347 average and third with 68 hits.
* Graduate student Shawn Blake is 40th nationally with a MAAC-leading 18 doubles.
Homer Happy
* 12 different Jaspers have combined to hit 31 home runs.
Monmouth Series Notes
* The Jaspers took two-of-three from the Hawks in winning their third MAAC series of the year.
* Cimillo continued his torrid play, going 7-for-11 (.636) with three multi-hit performances, six RBI and two runs.
* 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
* Cimillo is hitting a team-best .347 (68-for-196) with 32 runs, 10 doubles, six home runs, 30 RBI, a .490 slugging percentage and a team-best 24 multi-hit games.
* During MAAC play, he has batted safely in 17-of-21 games, including 13 with multiple-hits, and is hitting a blistering .418 (33-of-79) with 16 runs, five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI.
Marist Series Notes
* The Jaspers batted a blistering .361 with seven doubles, two triples and a .449 OBP.
* 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 junior Alex Cerda hit .455 (5-for-11) and Knop .417 (5-for-12).
* Cain struck out six over 8.0 innings of three-run ball in improving to 5-3.
* Senior RHP Ryan Takacs yielded just one earned run with six strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA over 5.0 innings.
Complete Game TJ
* Stuart has fired complete games in seven of his last eight games.
* During that time, the Nutmeg State native is 6-2 with a 3.23 ERA and 51 strikeouts, against 18 walks, over 53.0 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .228 average.
* Stuart is just two complete games behind assistant coach Chris Cody's single-season record of nine.
DYK???
* Cain has a MAAC-leading eight victories after registering just two over three seasons at Lafayette.
Rolaids Spells Relief
* Senior RHP Joe DiTorrice is 3-1 with two saves, a 3.97 ERA and 28 strikeouts, against 14 walks, over 45.1 innings while limiting opposing batters to a .239 average.
Teddy Turning Heads
* Sophomore RHP Teddy Sabato has fanned 40 over just 31.1 innings with two wins, two saves and a 3.73 ERA.
* He has not yielded an earned run in 14 of his 18 appearances with opposing hitters batting just .218.
Blake Bashing Opposing Pitching
* Blake crushed his fourth home run of the year and two doubles in a win over FDU.
* He is batting .283 (53-for-187) with 16 multi-hit games, 37 runs, 18 doubles, four home runs, 26 RBI and 34 walks.
* The Elon transfer also has crushed home runs at Army West Point in back-to-back wins over Iona.
Cerda Breaking Out
* To say junior Alex Cerda is having a breakout season would be a tremendous understatement, as the Miami native is hitting .283 (54-for-191) with 14 doubles, two home runs and a team-best matching 31 RBI.
* Cerda also has eight multi-RBI and 14 multi-hit games.
Scouting Quinnipiac
* The Bobcats are led by the trio of Ian Ostberg (.335, 15 XBH, 28 RBI, 16 SB), Andre Marrero (.313, 18 XBH, 36 RBI, 17 SB) and Colton Bender (.304, 13 XBH, 29 RBI)
* QU's rotation is paced by RHP Tyler Poulin (5-2, 4.10 ERA, 66 K, 68.0 IP) and LHP Chris Enns (5-5, 3.53 ERA, 62 K, 63.2 IP).
* RHP Andrew Workman has been the top reliever in the MAAC this year, posting a 1.22 ERA with seven saves and 32 strikeouts, while limiting opposing hitters to a .182 average.
* Quinnipiac is second in the MAAC with a .276 average with a league-leading 96 stolen bases.
Break Out The Brooms
* Manhattan collected its second-straight sweep against Siena, thanks to hitting .326 as a team while posting a solid 3.96 ERA.
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.
* 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.
Franco Named MAAC Rookie Of The Week
* Franco was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week on April 2 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.