Bobcats Travel to Niagara For Weekend Series

Friday, April 4

Lewiston, NY

12:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

Niagara

Sebastian Mueller, Sam Wright, and Kyle Garbowski Stand for National Anthem vs Iona (March 7, 2025)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

4/3/2025 1:33:00 PM | Baseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats (13-13-1, 7-5 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (8-15, 4-5 MAAC)
Date: Friday, April 4^th
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara University, N.Y.
All-Time Series: Niagara leads the series 17-12
Last Matchup: L, 6-5 (May 5^th, 2024 – Niagara University, NY)
Live Stats | Watch | @TheQBaseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats at Niagara Purple Eagles
Date: Friday, April 4^th
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara University, N.Y.
Live Stats | Watch | @TheQBaseball

Quinnipiac Bobcats at Niagara Purple Eagles
Date: Saturday, April 5^th
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Bobo Field | Niagara University, N.Y.
Live Stats | Watch | @TheQBaseball

LEWISTOWN, N.Y. – The Quinnipiac baseball team will travel to Lewiston, New York to take on the Niagara Purple Eagles for a three-game series starting Friday, April 4^th with a doubleheader. The opening game of the series is slated for noon and can be seen on ESPN+.

HISTORY VS. NIAGARA

Friday's matchup will be the 30^th time the two programs are facing off in their Division-I history.
The Purple Eagles lead the all-time series 17-12 and are 16-6 on their home field.
The two teams last faced each other last season and the Purple Eagles swept the three-game set at Niagara (May 3-5, 2024).

SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES

Niagara will enter the matchup on Friday with an 8-15 overall record and a 4-5 record in MAAC play.
The Purple Eagles are coming off a series sweep over the Saint Peter's Peacocks last weekend, March 28^th and 29^th.
Niagara has won four straight games and has outscored their opponents 44-16 in that span.
Vincent Mauro and Matthew Delvecchio were named the MAAC Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday afternoon.
Jacob Brooks has started all 22 games for the Purple Eagles and leads the team with a .321 batting average. Brooks has driven in 12 runs this season and has hit six doubles and two home runs.
Matt DelVecchio has started seven games on the mound for Niagara and leads the team with a 4.91 ERA. DelVecchio has pitched 33.0 innings and has struck out 14 batters while allowing 28 runs this season.

LAST TIME OUT

The Bobcats dropped their non-conference matchup against the UConn Huskies, 9-3, on Tuesday afternoon in Storrs.
Three different Bobcats drove in runs in the loss and Kyle Garbowski, Johnny Knox, and Christian Smith all recorded multiple hits.
UConn scored seven runs in the first three innings, before taking a 9-1 lead after five innings of play.
The Bobcats scored two runs in the sixth to inch closer, but the Huskies shut them down to earn the win.

BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS

20 – Quinnipiac steals the 20^th most bases in the NCAA with 69, good for second in the MAAC.
26 – Christian Smith is 26^th in the NCAA with 39 RBIs, which is also the most RBIs in the conference.
42 – As a team, the Bobcats have the 42^nd-best batting average in Division I (.308) and are one of three MAAC teams with a team batting average of .300 or higher.
45 – The Bobcats are 45^th in the NCAA with 293 total hits so far this season, which is second in the MAAC.
53 – Quinnipiac is 53^rd in Division I with an on-base percentage of .417.
57 – QU also ranks 57^th in the NCAA with 232 total runs scored, leading the MAAC.
105 – Quinnipiac ranks 105^th in Division I with 31 total home runs, which also leads the conference.

LEADING THE CLUB

Batting Average (BA): Sebastian Mueller - .377
Hits (H): Sebastian Mueller, Christian Smith – 40
Runs Batted In (RBIs): Christian Smith - 39
Runs Scored (R): Sebastian Mueller – 34
Home Runs (HR): Christian Smith, Sebastian Mueller - 8
Doubles (2B): Alex Irizarry - 9
Stolen Bases (SB): Sean McCulloch - 15
Walks (BB): Sean McCulloch - 25
Earned Run Average (ERA): Matt Alduino – 8.36* (Minimum requirement of 1IP/G)
Strikeouts (K): Mike Poncini - 24
Innings Pitched (IP): Matt Alduino – 28.0
Wins (W): Matt Alduino, Mike Poncini, Jack Kabel, J.C. Franconere, Samuel Wright – 2
Saves (S): Samuel Wright, Ryan Hutchinson, Johnny Knox, Ryan O'Connell, Griffin Seibel - 1

PRESEASON ACCOLADES

The Quinnipiac Baseball team was picked to finish 4^th in the MAAC Preseason Poll.
Outfielder CJ Willis was the lone Bobcat representative on the Preseason All-MAAC team.
The senior started 49 games last season and had a batting average of .284.
Willis hit eight home runs, eleven doubles, and three triples while driving in 42 RBIs.
Willis Drove in a season-high four RBIs in the win against UMass (5/1).

KEY RETURNERS

The Bobcats return 15 players from last year's team, with 12 of those players seeing game action.
Gabe Wright, Christian Smith, Kyle Garbowski, CJ Willis, Sebastian Mueller, and James Marino will be key returners on the offensive side of the plate.
Jack Kabel, Ryan Hutchinson, Mike Poncini, Jack Gannon, Matt Alduino, and Andrew Rubayo will look to make an impact when they toe the rubber.
Matt Alduino and Andrew Rubayo were named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist.

LOTS OF NEW FACES

Quinnipiac welcomes 16 new faces to their campus this season.
The Bobcats used the transfer portal to fill the holes in their lineup, grabbing Sean McCulloch (Susquehanna), Johnny Knox (Nichols College), Alex Irizarry (Maryland), Josh Lajoie (Lipscomb), Ryan O'Connell (St. Bonaventure), Griffin Seibel (Xavier), Cole Constable (Maryland), Luke Zeisloft (Maryland), Jack Bryan (Trevecca Nazarene), and Nick Balcom (Finger Lakes Community College).
Quinnipiac also brought in six first years, J.C. Franconere from Sparta, New Jersey, Samuel Wright from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Austin Ludwig from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, Ian Nilsen from Easton, Connecticut, Christian Nilsen from Easton, Connecticut, and Matt Park from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

SEASON OUTLOOK

The Bobcats will open up MAAC play on March 7^th as they start a three-game home series against the Iona Gaels.
Quinnipiac will battle in-state rival Yale on March 19^th at Yale (3 PM) and at home against Yale on April 15^th (3 PM).
On April 1^st, the Bobcats will travel to Storrs to take on the UConn Huskies in a midweek non-conference matchup.
Quinnipiac will play their final home series of the season from May 8-12 as the Siena Saints come to Hamden.
QU will wrap up the regular season at Sacred Heart for a three-game set from May 15-17.

NEXT TIME OUT

The Bobcats will take on the Rhode Island Rams in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, April 9^th at 3 PM in South Kingstown, RI.

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