Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team is set to open Skyline Conference play this weekend with doubleheaders at Maritime and Farmingdale State. The Knights and Privateers will get underway at noon on Saturday with two games at Farmingdale State on Sunday also scheduled for noon. Live Stats for all four contests are available for those who cannot attend the games.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary enters the weekend at 2-10 overall and has dropped its last seven outings, including each of its five games in Florida. The Mount returns north to play for the first time since dropping a home doubleheader to New Paltz on March 6.
 
Freshman Nick Rizzo (Smithtown, N.Y.) leads the Knights in at-bats with 38 and paces the team with a .316 batting average in 12 starts to go along with 10 runs scored. He owns a .469 on-base percentage and has swiped 11 bases in 13 chances thus far.
 
Newcomer Christopher Introcaso (Newburgh, N.Y.) has drawn a team-high 12 walks heading into the weekend and leads the Knights with two home runs and eight RBI. He joins Rizzo as the only two players to start all 12 games and is hitting .276 in 29 at-bats.
 
Freshman John Santana (Warwick, N.Y.) and senior Stephan Sookdeao (Carmel, N.Y.) have each earned a win to lead the pitching staff, with Ryan Hayes (Robbinsville, N.J.) saving a pair of games for the Knights. Hayes holds a 1.23 earned run average in 7.1 innings pitched with Santana leading the pitching staff with 15 strikeouts in 16.0 innings pitched.
 
Among the Skyline Conference leaders, Introcaso is tied for the conference lead in home runs and is tied for third in walks. Santana and Jake Stewart (Wallkill, N.Y.) are tied for third in innings pitched, with Santana tied for fourth in strikeouts. Hayes leads the conference in saves.
 
A Look At Maritime: The Privateers, who were picked third in the Skyline Conference Preseason Poll, enter the weekend at 5-6 overall. Maritime has seven regulars hitting better than .300 through the season's first 11 games, led by a .464 mark from Connor Alwan. He also leads the team in hits with 13 and holds an on-base percentage of .500.
 
Stephen Semler and Chris Deddo are tied for the team lead in runs with 11 with Semler ripping five extra base hits and pacing the squad with 13 RBI.
 
The pitching staff is led by a 3-0 mark and a 1.20 earned run average in 15.0 innings from Travis Bruinsma. Tyler Stuart sports a 1.46 earned run average in 12.1 innings pitched and leads the team with 13 strikeouts.
 
Previewing Farmingdale State: The Rams, picked second in the preseason poll, enter a Thursday matchup with Kean at 3-6 overall on the season. Farmingdale State is hitting .247 as a unit and the pitching staff holds a team earned run average of 4.48.
 
The Rams do not have a player who has started all nine games and are led by an even .500 batting average from Christopher Reilly who ranks first in hits with nine and RBI with five. Dalton McCarthy and Reilly have each slugged a home run on the season, with Nick Osburn blasting two round trippers in just 16 at-bats.
 
Matt Seelinger has worked a team-high 9.1 innings on the mound and holds a 0-1 record with a 3.86 earned run average to go along with a team-high 16 strikeouts. David Otero, Jr. has won each of the Rams' three games and has fanned 10 in 7.1 innings of work.
 
What's Next: Mount Saint Mary plays host to New Jersey City University on March 30 before returning to conference action with home dates against the College of Mount Saint Vincent and St. Joseph's-L.I. on April 1 and 2.