Baseball Heads to Wheaton, Rhode Island This Weekend

BOSTON – The Suffolk baseball team returns to action this weekend as it stops by Wheaton Friday, March 25, before visiting Rhode Island College for a doubleheader the following day. 

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LAST TIME OUT
The Suffolk baseball team defeated Keen State, 6-4, Saturday afternoon as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. With the victory, Suffolk wraps up the annual spring trip with victories in eight of 10 contests. 

MORE READING: Baseball Defeats Keene State, 6-4, on Saturday

RUN DOWN ON THE RAMS
Sitting at 8-3 after its Florida trip, the Rams are prepped for play in New England. Suffolk has managed to keep things close late in ballgames, with its biggest defeat coming by three runs. 

A trio of Rams have started in the field in all 11 games this season, each of whom bring a fair amount of production at the plate as well. Jon Lapolla (.444/.600/.449) at first and catcher, Brady Chant (.396/.646/.444) in center and Drew Carter (.375/.500/.457) at third have all seen every game for Suffolk. Lapolla's bat has plated a team-high 16 RBI off a team-best 20 hits and scored 12 times himself. Chant has brought home 12 runs on 19 hits, four of which were triples, with Carter tallying 11 RBIs. In five appearances, Zach Grogan paces the Rams with his .667 batting average, with Kevin Belskie putting together a .462 clip in eight appearances.

On the bump, the Rams feature a deadly handful of starters in sophomore Worth Walrod (2-0, 0.00 ERA), junior Chuck Gibson (1-0, 2.08 ERA), freshman Kevin Sinatra (2-0, 3.60 ERA), senior Kyle Turner (1-1, 4.82 ERA), sophomore Ryan Pordes (0-2, 6.75 ERA) and junior Tim Conroy (1-0, 7.50 ERA). In two appearances and starts, Sinatra and Walrod each have earned 2.0 records. Turner and Walrod are one-twin in strikeouts this season for the Rams hurlers, punching out 18 and 17, respectively. 

WALKIN' OFF
Senior co-captain Jon Lapolla's two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted Suffolk past Montclair State, 4-3, in a walk-off win. The Rams had two walk-off victory in 2015, with the most important coming in the 13th inning over the GNAC Championship game.

IMPROVING THIEVES
Last season Suffolk stole 54 bases all year, but in just its first 11 games, the Rams have successfully stolen 30 bags and have been caught in the act just three times. On the flip side, Suffolk opponents have just 11 steals in 13 attempts. 

THE .300 CLUB
It's early yet in the season, just 11 games into the new campaign, but 10 Rams batters are swinging the bat well, hitting .375 or better: Kevin Belskie (.462), Drew Carter (.375), Brady Chant (.396), Seth Coiley (.406), Jake Frasca (.375), Zach Grogan (.667), Jon Lapolla (.444), Rob Marks (.417), BJ Neil (.444) and Julien Plana (.444). 

WEEKLY HONORS
Suffolk players have picked up a third of the conference's six weekly awards just two weeks into the season with Worth Walrod picking up back-to-back pitcher of the week nods and Jon Lapolla earning player of the week recognition March 21. 

MORE READING: Walrod Takes Home GNAC Corvias Pitcher of the Week After Opening Week of Play | Lapolla Named GNAC Corvias Player of the Week, Walrod Tabbed Pitcher

LOOK AT THE LYONS
Similar to Suffolk, Wheaton got its season going at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational last week where the Lyons went 7-3. Matt Lavanchy leads the way for Wheaton, hitting .439 with 18 hits, including five doubles and two triples, with a team-best eight RBI. Justin Silvestro (.372) and Joshua LaJoie (.25) have also brought in eight runs each. 

ALL ABOUT THE ANCHORMAN
Rhode Island opened its slate at the Winter Haven Invitational and has since played three games in New England to bring its season mark to 6-7-1 overall. Brad Douglas leads the Anchorman, producing a .447 average at the plate with team-best in hits (21) and RBI (16). Austin Barry is the only other RIC player producing a .300 batting number with .306 to go along with six RBI. 

COMING UP
A busy week is in store for the Rams, who have six games on the schedule. First Suffolk will open the home portion of its schedule Monday afternoon against MIT at 4 p.m.