Richmond, VA - Manhattan returns to action with three games at VCU starting on Friday, March 2 with first pitch at the Diamond slated for 3:00 pm.
TROCHIANO NAMED MAAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Will Trochiano continued his torrid start last weekend at CSUN, batting .385 (5-of-13) with a home run, three RBI and two runs en route to earning MAAC Rookie of the Week honors. The Garden State native has reached base in all six of his collegiate starts and is hitting a team-best .364 (8-of-22) with a double, home run, four runs and three RBI.
BARRELLA BREAKS OUT
After going hitless in the first weekend of the season, junior Richie Barrella bounced back to the tune of a team-best .545 average (6-of-11) with three RBI and two runs. Barrella had two hits and three RBI in the opener before registering three hits and two runs in game two and finished his big weekend by reaching base safely in the finale.
PENA GOES YARD
Two-time All-MAAC selection Fabian Pena smashed his first home run of the year at CSUN en route to recording three RBI. On the year, he has a double, home run and a team-leading six RBI.
BIANCHI ALSO GOES YARD
Sophomore Ashton Bianchi made his first collegiate hit one to remember, crushing a home run in game two at CSUN.
MULTI-HIT FUN
Graduate student Matt Forlow, senior Brendan Bisset and classmate Adam Genners all notched their first multi-hit games of the year last week against the Matadors.
RACE TO 100
Forlow is just three hits short of 100 for his career.
SIMONETTI STEPS UP
Senior RHP Matt Simonetti struck out a career-high five while yielding just one run on three hits over 4.1 strong innings in game three at CSUN.
COLE COMES HOME
This year marks the beginning of the Mike Cole era of Manhattan Baseball. Cole served as an assistant for the Jaspers from 2005-2008 and was most recently an assistant at Fairfield where he helped the Stags to back-to-back MAAC Regular Season Championships and the 2016 MAAC Title.
THE RETURNERS
The Jaspers return 25 letterwinners, including seven starting position players, for the second-straight season. Click HERE for the entire prospectus.
PENA GARNERS PRESEASON HONORS
Pena was tabbed as the top MAAC pro prospect by both Baseball America (BA) and D1Baseball.Com.
PENA PACES THE OFFENSE
One of the top players in the Northeast since he set foot on campus as a freshman, Pena has hit .335 (146-of-436) with 47 doubles, 13 home runs and 92 RBI while starting all 112 Manhattan games during his time in Riverdale.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF Joe Jacques
This season, graduate student LHP Joe Jacques has struck out 14, against just two walks, over 7.2 innings with a 1.17 ERA. The Garden State native was tabbed as the No. 10 prospect in the MAAC by BA and No. 11 by D1.Baseball.Com.
BISSET BREAKS OUT
The unquestioned breakout star of last season was Bisset. After missing the bulk of his sophomore year due to injury, Bisset hit a team-leading .335 with 11 doubles, one triple, one home run and 29 RBI.
TOP TWO IN 2019 ...
Sophomore RHP T.J. Stuart was lauded as the No. 5 pro prospect from the MAAC in 2019 while sophomore Nick Massa was tabbed as No. 9. Both players made an immediate impact as rookies a year ago and will figure prominently this season.
ROAD WARRIORS
Manhattan will play its first 33 games on the road after playing its first 17 away from home a year ago.
FROM THE BRONX TO THE PROS
Tom Cosgrove decided to forgo his final year of eligibility after being drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft while Jose Carrera inked a professional deal with the New York Yankees. Additionally, signee Tai Tiedemann was selected by the Texas Rangers in the eighth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
DUTCHESS STADIUM
Manhattan will call Duchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, NY home for the fourth-straight season, playing 14 games there.
MAAC PRESEASON POLL
The Jaspers were tabbed to finish 10th out of 11 teams.
THE STAFF
Former Manhattan great and 2017 Athletic Hall of Famer Chris Cody and Vince Redmond complete Cole's first staff.
MAAC MAGIC
The Jaspers will be attempting to qualify for their third-straight MAAC Tournament and the fourth in five years after earning the sixth spot on the final day of the 2017 season.
SUNDAYS ARE FOR THE JASPERS
Manhattan went 7-2 in MAAC action on Sundays a year ago.
SEE YOU IN STATEN ISLAND
The 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship will be held at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in Staten Island, NY from May 23-26. The 2019 and 2020 championships will also be held at the home of the Single-A Staten Island Yankees.
WHAT'S A JASPER?
The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach. Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when the college was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy with the team coming to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890's at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the "seventh inning stretch" spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.
NEXT WEEKEND
Manhattan will play at Stony Brook on Tuesday, March 6 at 3:00 pm.