STAFF REPORTS
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The Canisius baseball team continues its 2017 slate this weekend, as the squad heads to Kennesaw, Ga., to take on Kennesaw on March 24-26. The four game set begins with a Friday match up at 3 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. On Sunday the two teams clash for one final time, beginning at 12 p.m.
It will be the final non-conference weekend series, as the squad will head home following the series, in order to get ready for its MAAC homeopener against Monmouth on April 1-2. The Hawks and Griffs will open with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 1 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., before concluding the series at 12 p.m. on Sunday
The Griffs are coming off a successful non-conference series against the George Mason Patriots last weekend, dropping the opening contest in 10 innings but bouncing back with 4-2 ad 7-1 wins. Liam Wilson’s four hits and three RBI helped erase a 5-0 deficit but the Griffs squandared the tied score, as George Mason plated the winning run in the bottom of th 10th. Canisius bounced back in game two of the doubleheaer, edging the Patriots 4-2, with a Tim Kensinger dinger, which gave Canisius an insurance run. In the finale the offense scored early and often, tallying runs in three of the first four innings, on the way to a 7-1 rout.
The Owls come into the weekend with a 8-12 overall record and having yet to enter its Big South slate. Kennesaw State is coming off a tough four-game stretch having dropped a trio of games to Oklahoma and a single game to Georgia. Offensively the Owls are ledy by Taylor Allum, who is batting .400 for the year, rapping out 26 hits in 65 at bats. Allum also leads the team in RBI (22) and homeruns (8). Austin Upshaw has also been a source of offense for the Owls, having posted a .354 batting average to go along with 29 hits, 20 RBI as well as five home runs. Tony Dibrell has been the team’s ace so far this year, posting a 1.14 ERA in five appearances, to go along with a 1-2 record. Dibrell also paces the team in strikeouts with 41, nearly doubling the next highest pitcher. Mason Ward has also made a trio of starts and is 1-1 with a 3.44 ERA. AJ Moore has started five games for the Owls, and has a 4.85 ERA and is second on the team in strikeouts with 22.
The Griffs have been on quite a run in the early portion of its schedule and a lot of its due to the consistency the team is showing on the field. Here is a look at current streaks on the team:
- Ryan Stekl had a season-high 17 game reached-base streak ended last game, as he went 17-straight getting board.
- Jake Lumley currently has a team-best seven game hitting streak going, with the season-long coming from Liam Wilson who recorded 10-straight games with a hit.
- Coinciding with his seven-game hitting streak, Lumley has the longest current reached-base streak on the team, matching his seven games.
- Next best is Wilson having reached base in four-straight games.
The Griffs have had a number players swinging a strong bat this season, with the senior Jake Lumley leading the way with a .407 batting average and 10 RBI. Also having strong seasons are Liam Wilson and Ryan Stekl. Wilson is second on the team in batting average with a .342 mark, and is second in hits with 26. Stekl ranked third on the team with a .324 batting average and also has 24 hits. Christ Conley is tied for the team lead in RBI with 13, and also has notched 15 hits and one dinger on the year. J.P. Stevenson is back in a groove for the Griffs after having a down sophomore season, plagued by injury, leading the starters with a 1.85 ERA and a 4-1 record. Andrew Sipowicz is next on the list with a 1.763 ERA in a pair of starts and six appearances, while he leads the team in strikeouts with 30. Zachary Sloan has also been a cog in the rotation, appearing in five games, making five starts and is 1-0 with a 6.66 ERA and 22 k’s. Another name to keep an eye on in the rotation is that of Andrew Kneussle who started the year hurt but has now started three games for the Blue and Gold. Kneussle has yet to be touched with an earned run with a 0.00 ERA and has posted eight strikeouts so far in 2017. The Blue and Gold’s bullpen has many interesting options with newcomers Brennan Smith and Will Frank getting thrown into the fire quickly and responding in kind, combining for 21.2 innings between them. Smith boasts a 2.92 ERA in six appearances and 10 strikeouts, while Frank has been a strikeout machine, mowing down 11 batters in 9.2 innings of work. Tyler Smith has had the unenviable task of filling in for the 2016 MAAC Reilever of the Year, Iannick Remillard, who will go down as one of the best to play the game, but the junior reliever has done well in filling the shoes. Smith has appeared in six games, maintains a 1.12 ERA and has three saves so far this season
