JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Niagara returns to conference play this weekend when it heads to New Jersey to face the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Saturday and Sunday.
 
The Purple Eagles (10-21, 5-4 MAAC) have won five of their last six MAAC games.  Heading into the weekend, freshman righty Kyle Olver  who is scheduled to pitch the series opener, leads the conference with 23 strikeouts against MAAC opponents.  He is second with seven batters struck out looking. 
 
Joel Klock and Ryan McCauley are third and fourth in walks with eight and seven, respectively.  Catcher Evan Wexler s pair of homeruns leads the conference.
 
Last season Niagara played Saint Peter’s (10-16, 4-2 MAAC) at home and took both games of the doubleheader.  NU outlasted the Peacocks in the opener 4-3 in a game where McCauley turned in a pair of RBIs and Geoff Soja pitched two innings for the save.  The second game was a 7-0 blowout by the Purple Eagles with Jim Fort pitching the complete game shutout, McCauley turning in another two RBIs and Klock going 3-for-3.  The third game went back and forth, but SPU came out with a 6-8 win.
 
The Peacocks are 4-2 in their last six MAAC matchups after taking 2-of-3 games against Fairfield and Canisius.  Senior outfielder Matt Mancini leads the team with a .323 batting average.  Junior James Smith has a team-high 10 doubles.  Zack Hopf leads the pitching staff.  Though he has a 1-5 record through seven starts, his 3.83 leads the team.
 
This weekend’s series gets underway with a doubleheader on Saturday that is scheduled to start at noon.  Sunday’s third game will also begin at noon.