QU Travels To Niagara Falls For Three-Game Set With Niagara

Friday, May 3

Niagara Falls, NY / Bobo Field

3:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Niagara

Photo by: Farrah Chernov

QU Travels To Niagara Falls For Three-Game Set With Niagara

5/2/2024 2:14:00 PM | Baseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats (17-23, 7-8 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (27-12, 13-2 MAAC)
Date: Friday, May 3rd
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara Falls, NY
All-Time Series: Niagara leads the series, 14-12
Last Meeting: W, 13-2 (May 24, 2023 – Pomona, NY)
Watch Here | Live Stats | @TheQBaseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats at Niagara Purple Eagles
Date: Saturday, May 4^th
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara Falls, NY
Watch Here | Live Stats | @TheQBaseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats at Niagara Purple Eagles
Date: Sunday, May 5^th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara Falls, NY
Watch Here | Live Stats | @TheQBaseball

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - The Quinnipiac baseball program will make the trip to Niagara Falls, New York to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles in a three-game set. The opening game from Bobo Field is set for 3 PM and can be seen on ESPN+. The series finale will be played on Sunday, May 5^th at 12 PM and can be seen on ESPN+.

HISTORY VS. NIAGARA

Friday's matchup marks the 27^th time the two programs will be facing off.
Niagara leads the all-time series, 14-12, dating back to April 6^th, 2014.
In their last matchup, Quinnipiac defeated the Purple Eagles in game two of the 2023 MAAC Baseball Championship in Pomona, NY, 13-2.
Sebastian Mueller led the offense with five RBIs, while going 3-for-4 at the plate. Keegan O'Connor added three RBIs as the Bobcats defeated Niagara in seven innings.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES

Niagara enters the weekend series with a 27-12 overall record and a 13-2 conference record, which has them in a tie for first place.
The Purple Eagles are coming off a midweek clash with St. Bonaventure, where Niagara walked away with the 8-1 win. Jason Green led the offense with 4 RBIs in the game and was 2-for-4 at the plate.
Eric Rataczak leads the Niagara offense with a .419 batting average in 39 games played with 37 starts. Rataczak leads the team with 11 home runs and 53 runs batted in, twenty more than the second most on the team.
Maximilian Ramirez IV has made 11 starts for the Niagara pitching staff and holds an ERA of 4.63, which is good for second on the team. Zach Cameron has made 16 appearances out of the bullpen and leads the team with a 3.00 ERA.

LAST TIME OUT

The Bobcats defeated the UMass Minutemen in a non-conference matchup, 11-6, on Wednesday afternoon in Amherst, Mass.
CJ Willis led the offense with four RBIs, while going 2-for-3 from the plate. Willis launched his seventh home run of the season with his solo home run in the fourth inning.
Matt DeRosa was second on the team with three RBIs and picked up three hits in five at-bats.

STAT LEADERS

Batting Average – Jared Zimbardo (.342)
Slugging Percentage – Keegan O'Connor (.563)
On-Base Percentage – Jared Zimbardo (.464)
Runs Scored – Keegan O'Connor (39)
Hits – Keegan O'Connor (53)
Runs Batted In (RBI) – Keegan O'Connor (39)
Home Runs – Christian Smith (9)
Stolen Bases – Gabe Wright (26)
Wins – Sam Favieri (4)
Saves – Matt Alduino (2)
Strike Outs – Mason Ulsh (50)
Fielding Percentage – Keegan O'Connor and Jared Zimbardo (.991)

O' CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

Junior Keegan O'Connor enters his senior season.
O'Connor was named to the All-MAAC First Team and NEIBA All-New England First Team
O'Connor played and started in 55 games a season ago and batted .342.
He blasted 13 home runs and drove in 60 runs and scored 51 runs.
O'Connor drove in a game-high 7 runs in a win over Saint Peter's (5/11).

SE-BASH-TIAN

Sebastian Mueller was named to the 2023 MAAC All-Academic Team
Mueller played in 56 games and made 55 starts as a junior
In 225 at-bats just a season ago, Mueller had a batting average of .311.
He hit 18 homers, to lead the team, and drove in 54 runs.
Mueller went 4-for-7 and drove in a season high 8 runs in a win over Saint Peter's (5/11)

KEY RETURNERS

The Bobcats return 23 players from last season's team.
Sophomore Matt Alduino will be a key returner as he earned 2023 All-Rookie honors for his incredible campaign. Alduino led the team with a 4.50 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
Starting Pitchers, Mason Ulsh and Jimmy Hagan will also play a key role this season. Hagan will return to the mound after being shut down last season. Ulsh will look to play off his solid sophomore season.
Other key returners include Braydon Seaburg, John Heitzman, Sean Swenson, Aaron Zenus, Matt DeRosa, Sam Favieri, Frank Craska, and Andrew Rubayo.

LOTS OF NEW FACES

Quinnipiac welcomes 13 new faces to their campus this season.
The Bobcats used the transfer portal to fill any openings and grabbed Dominick Proctor (Bryant and Stratton), CJ Willis (Western New England), Skyler Manelski (Linfield University), Jack Kabel (Nichols College), Gabe Wright (Indian River State College), Brett Leighton (Gettysburg), and Jack Gannon (Saint Peter's).
Quinnipiac also brought in six first years, Spencer Chard (Newtown, Conn.), Kyle Garbowski (New Fairfield, Conn.), Raymond McNaught (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Andrew Hearn (Westfield, Mass.), James Fahan (Stamford, Conn.), and Sam Ametrano (Guilford, Conn.).

NEXT TIME OUT

The Bobcats will return home for their last home MAAC series of the 2024 season as they welcome the Saint Peter's Peacocks to Hamden. Game one is set for Thursday, May 9^th at 3 PM with game two being slated for May 10^th at 3 PM, which is Senior Day. The series finale is slated for Saturday, May 11^th at 1 PM at the QU Baseball Field.

For more information on the Quinnipiac baseball team, visit gobobcats.com/baseball and follow the team on Twitter, @TheQBaseball, and Instagram, @bobcatsbsb.