Baseball Starts CCC Play at Nichols Friday

SUFFOLK vs. NICHOLS
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series Last Meeting   Last Suffolk Win Streak	Friday, March 22 12:30 PM - DH Nichols Baseball Field Dudley, Mass. CCC Sports Network NicholsAthletics.com 20-20 March 26, 2023, W, 4-3 Same W2

BOSTON – Suffolk baseball heads to Dudley, Massachusetts Friday, March 22 to get its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) calendar started at Nichols. Game one of the league double feature is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. 

SOCIAL SAYINGS
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LAST TIME OUT
Suffolk baseball used four homers off three different bats to take down Worcester Polytechnic Institution in a see-saw non-conference contest Wednesday at the New England Baseball Complex (NEBC).   

MORE READING: Baseball Wins Wild One at WPI, 15-13

RAMS RUNDOWN
Suffolk is off to its best start since 2016 at 9-4 overall. 

The Rams 125-run offense has come behind 132 hits. Both Harry Painter and Garret Roberts are leading the charge at the dish with 21 hits each. Painter is hitting just under .400 at .396. He has brought in 17 runs and scored 16 himself. Roberts, meanwhile, is hitting .438 and slugging .729. He has recorded 12 RBI to go with 17 runs scored. Jonny Gilbride rounds out the top three threats at the plate with 17 hits, a team-best 20 RBI and 16 runs scored.    

Roberts (15.0 IP, 10.80 ERA, 13 Ks) and Pierce Salbego (18.2 IP, 4.82 ERA, 21 Ks) will likely earn the nods in the doubleheader this weekend.  Jack Raimo (8.0 IP, 1.13 ERA, 3 Ks), Ian Maude (3. IP, 3.00 ERA, 4 Ks), Patrick Desmond (10.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 15 Ks) and John McDevitt (10.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 8 Ks) have been productive out of the pen for the blue-and-gold. 

BISON BREAKDOWN
Nichols rides a seven-game win streak into Friday's twinbill with victories over Austin College (16-7), Whittier (9-7), Southwestern (12-4), WPI (12-11, 10 innings), Rivier (7-5) and two seven-inning triumphs against Vermont State Lyndon (13-0 & 9-0) and Rivier (7-5). That stretch put the Bison at 9-3 on the year.  

Johnny Knox is powerful at the plate with 26 hits on a .456 connection rate with 16 RBI and 14 runs scored. Jim Marasco has brought in a team-best 19 runs on 13 hits on a .310 batting average. Will Kleinhenz and Brennan Hyde have supplied 17 hits to the offense each. Kleinhenz has 13 RBI and 16 runs to his credit, while Hyde has added 12 RBI and 14 runs scored.  

Nichols has cycled through 11 arms in three games this week leading up to Friday. Patrick Sawyer, who has started all four games he has appeared in this season, is well rested and will likely earn the nod in one of the two conference clashes. He owns a 6.46 ERA in 15.1 innings of work with 13 strikeouts. Other starters that may appear for NC are Braqndon Metivier (8.1 IP, 8.64 ERA, 9 Ks), Clark Churchill (17.2 IP, 1.53 ERA, 16 Ks) or Aidan Whitten (6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA, 2 Ks).  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk is 20-20 all-time against Nichols. 
• The Rams swept the Bison in the regular-season double feature last season via 3-2, 4-3 decisions, respectively. 
• Suffolk is 3-2 versus Nichols in the Anthony Del Prete era. 

EYES ON THE GAME

CONFERENCE OPENERS

• The Rams started their CCC calendar in the win column for the first time a year ago.
• Suffolk moved to 1-2 in CCC debuts all-time. 
• Suffolk will begin CCC play on the road for the third time, first since 2022.  
• The Rams last league opening win away from home came in a 7-0 victory against Norwich, March 24, 2019
• Suffolk is now 6-2 in its first league outing in the Anthony Del Prete era. 
• Overall, Suffolk is 19-4 in its first conference contest of the year (18-2 GNAC / 1-2 CCC). 
• Suffolk is unbeaten when beginning its CCC campaign against Nichols, 1-0. 
• Suffolk has shutout conference competition in game one seven times. 
• The last time Suffolk blanked a league foe in its first conference contest of a campaign was a 7-0 shutout over Norwich March 24, 2019. 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams have a hectic week ahead with five games over five days. Suffolk stops by Endicott (April 26), Babson (April 27) and Brandeis (April 29) before hosting Roger Williams in a CCC twinbill Saturday, April 30.