Two Non-Conference Games Prep Baseball for GNAC Filled Weekend

BOSTON – The Suffolk baseball team will be in action over the next four days as the Rams use back-to-back non-conference contests to prep for two GNAC doubleheaders this weekend. Action gets underway at home Thursday against MIT, before Suffolk travels to Curry Friday afternoon. A twinbill under the lights in Eastie Saturday versus Johnson &Wales prefaces a trip to Anna Maria Sunday. 

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LAST TIME OUT
First-year Connor Gill and sophomore Mark Webber rached home on a dropped pop up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Babson rallied for five runs over the final two innings to complete an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Suffolk in non-conference baseball action Monday afternoon at Govoni Field.

Junior Kevin Belskie went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the Rams. First-year Jake Frasca was 2-for-3 with a homer and three runs scored, while senior Jon Lapolla had two hits, including a double and scored twice.

MORE READING: Late Rally Helps Babson Stun Baseball, 8-7

RUNDOWN ON THE RAMS
Suffolk, who is 22-7 overall, is tied for first place in the GNAC standings with Saint Joseph's (Maine) at 6-2 against conference competition. The Rams, who are receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 and are ranked sixth in NEIBA, have produced league leading numbers in nearly every major statistical category; runs (231), hits (321), doubles (56), home runs (15), RBI (202), extra base hits (81), total bases (442), walks (114), stolen bases (74), batting average (.336), on-base percentage (.421), slugging percentage (.462) and batting average against (.245).

Drew Carter's team-best .400 batting average is third in the league with the senior third baseman bringing in 21 runs and scoring 20 himself. Jon Lapolla is second on the team and fourth in the conference, hitting .391 with the senior captain pacing the Rams' and GNAC in hits (45) to go along with 27 RBI and 29 runs. Jake Frasca's 29 RBI sits atop the team and conference with the freshman producing 38 hits, 15 for5 extra bases including 11 doubles. Brady Chant, meanwhile, has had a knack at triples, with seven of the junior's 42 hits good for three bases. The center fielder also contributes 33 runs and 22 RBI.

Kevin Sinatra's 5-0 record is atop the GNAC for pitchers with the freshman southpaw owning wins in each of his starts this season. He has thrown 31.0 innings, three complete games, two shutouts with 19 strikeouts to his credit and a conference best 1.45 ERA. Worth Walrod, also a leftie, is 4-1 on the year with a 1.95 ERA, while Chuck Gibson, who is 3-1 on the year, boasts a 2.03 ERA. Walrod's and Gibson's ERAs are two-three in the league, respectively. Kyle Turner leads the league with strikeouts, fanning 43 in seven appearances, 45-1 innings. Cal Carroll, who set Suffolk's single season save record earlier this season, paces the conference is ninth in the nation with seven saves to his credit.

IMPROVING THIEVES
In 29 games this season the Rams have surpassed their total of 54 stolen bases from a year ago, successfully stealing 74 bags, a number good for the most in the GNAC and 45th across DIII baseball. On the flip side, Suffolk opponents have 31 steals in 38 attempts.

Individually, Brady Chant and Jon Lapolla have swiped 15 and 13 bags, respectively, numbers that are good for second and fourth in the GNAC.   

THE .300 CLUB
Seven Suffolk batters are swinging the bat well, hitting .300 or better in 2.5 dish appearances per game: Drew Carter (.400), Jon Lapolla (.395), Brady Chant (.359), Jake Frasca (.355), Rob Marks (.348), Sean Cameron (.313) and Seth Coiley (.301). 

As a team, the Rams are hitting .338, the best average in the league, and the 12th highest amongst all Division III programs.   

The three top hitters for Suffolk – Drew Carter, Jon Lapolla and Brady Chant - rank amongst the GNAC's best bats. Carter is third (.400), Lapolla is fourth (.395) and Chant is ninth (.395).  

TEN HITS AND COUNTING
The Rams have put together double-digit hits in 65.5 percent (19-29) of their games this season, including seven straight contests with double figure hits from March 16 through March 26. Suffolk is averaging 11.1 hits per game, the most in the GNAC, this season. Suffolk produced a season-best 23 hits in an 18-4 win against Clarkson March 13, the most by the blue-and-gold since it tallied 26 over Norwich three years ago (April 24, 2013). 

WEEKLY HONORS
Every week that Suffolk has been in action (five) a Ram student-athlete has been recognized for their efforts by the GNAC with the blue-and-gold earning 38 percent (7-for-18) of the conference's weekly awards. Worth Walrod's two pitcher of the week accolades lead the way with Jon Lapolla and Drew Carter each being named player of the week March 21 and April 4, respectively. Jake Frasca and Kevin Sinatra each picked up their first weekly awards of their collegiate careers with Frasca being tabbed the best rookie over a seven day stretch and Sinatra earning the best hurler nod March 28. Frasca tacked on his second rookie weekly award on April 11 to bring Suffolk's total to seven. 

SETH SHATTERS IT
At Endicott April 6, Seth Coiley led off the fourth inning in style. The sophomore's second at bat extended his hit streak to two thanks to a long ball over the left field fence to break open a scoreless tie. Coiley's homer is the second of the second, in as many games and of his collegiate career. The Arlington, Massachusetts product is the first Ram to strike back-to-back home runs since the ABCA/Rawlings second-team All-American Mike Cunningham '13 did so three times in his senior campaign in 2013 with the last coming April 21-22 against Johnson & Wales and Albertus Magnus, respectively. 

FOUR HOMERS AND THREE YEARS AGO
Four different Rams combined to hit four balls out of the park at Curry, the most home runs by a Suffolk squad since matching that number in a 14-0 victory over Rivier April 7, 2013. 

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 victories in 2015, with the most important coming in the 13th inning over Johnson & Wales in the GNAC Championship game.  

HERO OF THE WEEK
Jon Lapolla continues to have a superior senior season as the Providence, Rhode Island native won a national poll conducted by HeroSports.com as the National Offensive HERO of the Week in Division III baseball March 29.

Lapolla was nominated for the honor on the heels of a 6-2 second Spring Break leg for the Rams and his first GNAC Corvias Player of the Week accolade of his storied career. The 6-foot-2 infielder beat out his competition, grabbing 87 percent of the votes, more than 130 than the second-place finisher with 146 of the near 200 submitted.

MORE READING: Lapolla Wins Vote, Named HeroSports DIII Offensive HERO of the Week  

CORVIAS ECAC DIII ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
After turning in a five-run, four-RBI performance over the course of Suffolk baseball's three wins last week, the ECAC recognized Jake Frasca as Division III New England Rookie of the Week.

MORE READING: Frasca Recognized as Corvias ECAC DIII Rookie of the Week  

EYES ON THE ENGINEERS
MIT improved to 15-9 with Tuesday's 18-8 win versus WPI. 

Austin Filiere is hitting .412 and leads the Engineers with 21 extra-bases hits (12 doubles, nine homers), 42 RBI and 39 runs scored. Alec Echevarria is batting .395 with 12 extra-base hits, 27 RBI, 32 runs scored and 13 stolen bases and Garrett Greenwood enters the day with a .391 average to go along with 30 runs and 12 RBI. 

David Hesslink is 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA with 45.2 innings of work, while Nick Locascio has gone 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 26.2 innings on the year. 

CATCH UP ON THE COLONELS
Curry (8-18) has split its last two series at Nichols and against Roger Williams with the Colonels grabbing a win in their last game, a 5-1 victory over the Hawks.   

John Arens is batting .312 with seven doubles and a team-high 15 RBI and 22 runs. Alex McLean is hitting .301 with four doubles and 10 runs scored and Nick Crivello checks in at .276 with seven RBI to go along with six runs and 25 walks. 

Matt Fogarty is 3-2 on the mound with a 2.94 ERA in 33.2 innings and 29 strikeouts, while mcLean is 1-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 21.0 innings on the year. 

WE MEET AGAIN
The Suffolk baseball team used a two-run ninth inning to secure an 8-6 victory at Curry March 31. 

MORE READING: Two-Run Ninth Inning Pushes Baseball Past Curry

WILDCATS WAYS
Johnson and Wales (5-3 GNAC) is on a two-game skid after falling in the closer at Rivier (4-3), the Wildcats dropped a 7-4 decision in 10 innings to Salve Regina to move to 18-9 on the year. 

Dave Matthews is batting .426 with four doubles, seven RBI and 10 runs. Ryan Cabral, who is hitting .367, leads the team in RBI with 21 and has produced 17 runs. 

Keith Grant its 5-0 with a 2.53 ERA in 32.0 innings, while Jake Marchesseault has gone 3-0 and owns a 2.89 ERA in seven appearances this spring.

JWU will prep for Saturday's showdown with the Rams' with a battle at Bridgewater Friday afternoon. 

ABOUT THE AMCATS
Anna Maria (6-22, 2-4 GNAC) has picked up a solo win in its last four games, a 3-0 shutout over Albertus Magnus April 17. Prior to hosting Suffolk Sunday, the AMCATs will take on Norwich and Saint Joseph's (Maine). 

Matthew Leahey is batting .384 with 13 extra-bases hits, 24 RRBI and 18 runs. James Marcello is hitting .291 and leads Anna Maria in runs scored, 25, to go along with eight RBI.

Tanner Jakola leads the AMCATs on the hill with a 3-2 ledger, 4.78 ERA in 37.2 innings of work. 

COMING UP
In the final week before the GNAC tournament, Suffolk will take its talents on the road; visiting Salve Regina (Monday, April 25), UMass Dartmouth (Thursday, April 28) and close conference competition at Albertus Magnus (Saturday, April 30).