NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Seniors Chris Cerchie (Lasalle, Ont.) and Reed Eastley (Brandon, Man.) play their final home series of their collegiate careers this weekend, as the Niagara University baseball team (18-24, 11-8) hosts Rider University (16-27, 10-11) at Sal Maglie Stadium, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Sunday and Monday.
Both four-year members of the Purple Eagles, Cerchie and Eastley will be honored prior to Sunday’s doubleheader, which is scheduled for a noon start.
Cerchie has pitched in more than 45 games at Niagara, credited with an 8-4 record and 63 strikeouts. This season, he made his first collegiate start, helping Niagara capture a 4-3 win over the University at Buffalo April 12.
Eastley, the 2005 Niagara University Male Athlete of the Year and Preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, has a career batting average of .297 with 105 RBI. A three-time member of the Academic All-MAAC Team, Eastley was a 2004 Verizon Academic All-American and has been named academic all-district the past two seasons.
Entering this weekend’s three-game series, Niagara has three players -- Mike Alati (Woodbridge, Ont.), Andrew MacNevin (St. Catharines, P.E.I.) and Andrew MacDonald (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) -- batting over .300.
Alati leads the team with a .338 batting average and .520 slugging percentage this season. His 25 runs scored ranks among the MAAC leaders, adding 22 RBI and a team-high 13 doubles.
MacNevin, batting .305 with a .396 on-base percentage, leads the team with five home runs. In 40 games, he has 21 RBI with 21 runs scored.
MacDonald, a freshman infielder, is second on the team with 23 RBI, batting .301 with a team-leading nine stolen bases.
Junior Mike Medici (Latham, N.Y.) leads the Purple Eagles with 26 RBI.
Starting on the mound this weekend for Niagara is junior James Avery (Moose Jaw, Sask.) and sophomore Dan Griffin (Schenectady, N.Y.) in Sunday’s doubleheader.
Both Avery and Griffin are among the MAAC leaders in strikeouts with 66 and 89, respectively. Avery leads the team with a 3.62 ERA. He has a 3-4 record in 12 appearances this season.
Griffin, the reigning MAAC Pitcher of the Week, is also 3-4 in 12 appearances with a 4.42 ERA. He leads the nation with 14.1 strikeout per nine inning average.
Sophomore Josh Sawatzky (Altona, Man.) starts Monday’s single game. He leads the team with four wins to his credit with a 5.58 ERA in 14 appearances.
Rider enters this weekend having won two-of-three in its last two conference series, played against Fairfield and Le Moyne.
Standing tied for sixth in the conference standings with a 10-11 record, the Broncs are led at the plate by junior Tom Letizia and sophomore Scott Knazek through 43 games.
Letizia is batting .338 with 25 RBI. The junior infielder leads Rider with a .435 on-base percentage, scoring 33 runs.
Knazek, a sophomore catcher, has a .316 batting average with 29 RBI.
Will O’Connor, Joe Moronese and Derek Caldwell are the probable starting pitchers for the Broncs this weekend.
O’Connor, a freshman left-hander, has a 2-5 record with a 7.01 ERA in 11 appearances this season. Moronese leads the team with four wins in nine appearances, credited with five complete games and a 5.07 ERA. The duo are slated to start in Sunday’s doubleheader.
Caldwell has started nine games this season, with a 2-6 record and a 6.59 ERA.
Niagara lost two of three games against the Broncs last season, played May 1-2, 2004 at Pittaro Field, in Lawrenceville, N.J. The last time the Purple Eagles faced Rider at home, Niagara won two of three games, played at Bobo Field, April 26-27, 2003.
Sunday’s doubleheader can be heard live on www.PurpleEagles.com, with proceeds from the broadcast benefitting the Niagara baseball team.
Niagara coaches and players will be on hand following Sunday’s doubleheader for the 2005 Purple Eagles Youth Baseball Clinic.
