University of Delaware Athletics
Blue Hens Head to William & Mary for Key CAA Weekend Set
4/29/2016 9:51:00 AM | Baseball
Delaware (25-16, 4-8 CAA) vs. William & Mary (20-21, 9-5 CAA)
DATES & TIMES:
Friday, April 29, 2016 - 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 11 a.m. - Game 1
Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 4 p.m. - Game 2
LOCATION: Plumeri Park • Williamsburg, Va.
WATCH 🎥
William & Mary will live webstream all three games this weekend. Click HERE to watch the broadcast.
Live stat links for each game will be available HERE
ONLINE 
Follow Delaware baseball online at facebook.com/DelawareBaseball on Twitter at @DelawareBase and on Instagram at DelawareBase.
STORY LINE
Delaware (25-16, 4-8 CAA) returns to conference play this weekend as the Blue Hens travel south to Williamsburg, Va. to take on a Tribe team that is currently second in the Colonial Athletic Association standings.
The Hens, who have won four of their last five games, find themselves at No. 8 in the CAA standings with a 4-8 mark after playing a non-league slate last weekend. However, the Hens are only two games out of fourth place in a jumped middle of the pack. A big weekend could vault the Hens right back into the thick of the race.
Delaware will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak in league play as the Hens followed a sweep at Hofstra on Apr. 8-10 by losing all three at home to Northeastern on Apr. 15-17 at Bob Hannah Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
DOVER, Del. -- University of Delaware bats exploded for 19 runs and 16 hits and UD took advantage of five errors as the Blue Hens overwhelmed in-state foe Delaware State in a 19-8 baseball victory Apr. 26 at Soldier Field.
Three different Blue Hens banged out three hits, five players had two or more RBI, seven scored two or more runs, and UD collected seven extra base hits in the blowout victory, Delaware's third of the season over Delaware State. The Hens (25-16), who have now won four of their last five games, defeated the Hornets (10-29) 4-2 back on Mar. 6. Delaware State has now lost three of its last five games.
Delaware redshirt freshman centerfielder Kevin Mohollen had the biggest bat for the Blue Hens as he went 3 for 6, scored four runs, knocked in four runs, hit his third home run of the season, and collected two doubles.
Leftfielder Jordan Glover went 2 for 4 with three RBI, second baseman Jeremy Ake was 2 for 5 with three RBI, rightfielder Kyle Baker went 2 for 5 with two RBI and two runs, shortstop James Meeker was 3 for 5 and scored three runs, and designated hitter Doug Trimble was 3 for 6 with two RBI and two runs scored.
PROBABLE WEEKEND PITCHERS
Friday: Delaware - #30 Ron Marinaccio (So., RHP, 7-2, 3.77 ERA) vs. William & Mary - #2 Nick Brown (Jr., RHP, 3-5, 6.10 ERA)
Saturday (G1) Delaware - #32 Brandon Walter (Fr., LHP, 4-3, 3.23 ERA) vs. William & Mary - #34 Bodie Sheehan (Fr., LHP, 3-3, 5.47 ERA)
Sunday (G2): Delaware - TBA; vs. William & Mary - #22 Daniel Powers (Jr., RHP, 6-2, 5.10 ERA)
HEN SCRATCHINGS
• Blue Hen catcher/infielder Nick Tierno went 0 for 3 vs. Delaware State on Tuesday but scored twice and extended his on-base streak to 24 straight games, the longest streak for UD player since Jimmy Yezzo's 32-game streak in 2013. He is 24 of his last 56 (.428) with 21 runs scored over the last 15 games. He leads all CAA players with a .500 batting average (23-46) in league play this season
• Delaware reached the 25-win mark for the eighth straight season and joins UNCW (27-9) as the only CAA teams with 25 victories this season
• The seven-run second inning by Delaware vs. Delaware State Tuesday was the Hens' most productive inning since scoring nine runs in the sixth inning in a 13-2 win over Binghamton on Mar. 11. The Hens have scored five or more runs in an inning 17 times this season, including nine runs once, seven runs once, six runs eight times, and five runs seven times.
• Delaware has finished the season with a 15-4 record at home vs. non-league opponents
• Hens are hitting .306 and averaging 7.3 runs per game this season but in CAA play are hitting .290 and averaging 6.0 runs per game
• Delaware ranks among the NCAA Division I Top 40 in batting average (.306/27th/No. 2 in CAA), runs (7.3 per game/29th/No. 2 in CAA), doubles (2.07/38th), and slugging pct. (.459/37th)
• Freshman RF Kyle Baker leads the team with a .397 average, a mark that ranks No. 3 in the CAA and No. 3 among all NCAA I freshmen. He trails only Clemson's Seth Beer (.413) and UNC Greensboro's Andrew Moritz (.400)
• LF Jordan Glover leads the Hens in both RBI (45/2nd in CAA) and stolen bases (16/5th in CAA) and leads the CAA in doubles (19). He could become the first Delaware player to record 50 RBI and 20 stolen bases in the same season since Brandon Menchaca (64-28) in 2006
• Delaware has allowed the fewest stolen bases among all CAA teams this year (33 of 52) and William & Mary has stolen the fewest bases in the league (28)
• Delaware's Saturday Game 1 starter Brandon Walter leads the CAA in opponent batting average (.224), ranks No. 5 in ERA (3.23), No. 3 in strikeouts (63) and No. 4 in innings pitched (61.1). He leads all CAA freshmen in each of those categories
• Blue Hen Friday starter Ron Marinaccio ranks No. 2 in the CAA in wins (7-2) and is No. 8 in ERA (3.77). His 6-0 start was the best for a UD starter since 2006
SERIES INFORMATION
• William & Mary leads the series by a slim 26-25 margin since the first game in 1908. The teams have met every season since 2002 except 2009
• William & Mary had won five straight before the Hens came back and won all four meetings in 2015, sweeping a series in Newark, Del. by scores of 8-4, 17-14, and 16-8 and winning 3-1 during the CAA Tournament
• Delaware has lost two straight at William & Mary since winning the final two games of a three-game series in April, 2012 in Williamsburg
• Delaware also swept a three-game series in 2007 in Newark. William & Mary has swept three-game series in 2002 in 2004
• William & Mary: Brian Murphy (Merrimack '03) is 76-73 in his third season at William & Mary. He was the 2014 CAA Coach of the Year in his rookie season at the helm.
WILLIAM & MARY NOTES
• The Tribe enters the game No. 2 in the CAA standings with a 9-5 mark and five straight league wins. William & Mary posted a three-game sweep over Northeastern in Boston last weekend
• William & Mary is 9-6 at home this season and is coming off a 10-7 loss vs. Liberty on Wednesday
• Tribe is led by Ryan Hall (.354), Cullen Large (33 RBI), and Josh Smith (7 HR)
Players Mentioned
