DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 19, 2024) – The Mercy University baseball team plays at #9 UNC Pembroke on Tuesday, February 20th at 3 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 20th 3 p.m.
Records: Mercy (1-3), #9 UNC Pembroke (10-0)
Location: Pembroke, North Carolina
Last Meeting vs. UNC Pembroke
Mercy earned a 15-11 win over UNC Pembroke on February 21, 2023.
Scouting the Mavericks
The Mavericks are coming off a 15-8 loss to Saint Rose on Sunday for their third straight loss. Mercy enters the 2024 season picked fifth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 16-33 overall and 10-14 in ECC play last season, qualifying for the ECC Tournament for the third straight season. The Mavericks won their first ECC Tournament game since 2010 last season and look to qualify for the ECC Tournament for the fourth straight season under Head Coach Chris Schoen.
Leading the returners for the Maverick is graduate student Nolan Giblin who was named First Team All-ECC last season after hitting .326 with 33 RBI, 62 hits, 32 runs and nine stolen bases in 190 at bats. Junior Jaden Caballero was tabbed Second Team All-ECC last season and returns after hitting .322 with 23 RBI, 64 hits, 44 runs, 10 doubles and 23 stolen bases. Sophomore Zach Ashline comes back after a strong freshman campaign in which he was named Second Team All-ECC after hitting a team-high .385 with 24 RBI, 35 hits and 23 runs in 91 at bats.
Also returning is sophomore Sean McAdams who hit .324 with 44 hits, 31 runs, three home runs and 23 RBI in his rookie campaign last season. Senior Gabe Sanders returns after hitting .283 a year ago with 47 hits, 23 runs, three home runs and 27 RBI. Junior Joseph Gonzalez hit .266 in 2023 and returns after recording 28 RBI, 47 hits and 33 runs. Graduate student Justin Glennerster returns behind the dish after hitting .312 with 21 RBI, 39 hits and 16 runs scored a year ago.
Senior Janiel Ramirez recorded 16 RBI in 2023 and juniors Connor Ruland, Frankie Asaro and Alfred Hoti and sophomores John Nisco, Liam Padden and Kolongi Goins will also look to contribute for the Mavericks.
Leading the returners on the mound is junior Scott Scheppy who led the team with 74.1 innings pitched last season with a team-high-tying three wins. Scheppy made 12 starts in 2023 with 34 strikeouts and one save. Graduate student Ryan Dieguez is back after going 2-1 in 2023 with 14 strikeouts and a 4.37 ERA in 22.2 innings out of the bullpen. Sophomore Diego Wirz had a team-high-tying three wins in his freshman season and recorded 22 strikeouts in 29.0 innings.
Senior Ryan Rozinski was named Second Team All-ECC in 2021 and was named to the ECC Honor Roll twice last season after pitching 32.1 innings with 23 strikeouts. Senior Joshua Alvarado pitched 11.1 innings in 2023 with four strikeouts in eight appearances and graduate student John Gillespie is back for a final season after tossing 11.2 innings with seven strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched.
Sophomores Riley Williams, Brian Zbytniewski and Ryan Ehret, juniors Matthew Manzoeillo and Denis Garcia and seniors Gabriel Soto, Gaetano Pennisi and Nelson Perez Jr. also return and will look to contribute in 2024.
Schoen will also lean on freshmen Peyton Jemison, Nevin Scaperotti, Jack Esposito, Joey Bodin and Kyle Engmann to help get the Mavericks back to the ECC Tournament. The Mavericks will also rely upon transfers Brandon Nolasco, Jack Sullivan, Amaury Soto, Lucas Prokosch, Will Sullo, Vonzell Rivera, and Camren Patterson.
Scaperotti pitched 57 innings with a 1.80 ERA during his senior year at Carmel High School, Esposito was named All-League and All-Section Honorable Mention at Yorktown High School and Engmann was tabbed All-County and All-League at Shoreham-Wading River High School.
Nolasco is a transfer from Division III Mount Saint Mary College and hit .300 with two home runs during the 2021 season. Sullivan is a transfer from Allegany College of Maryland, Soto is a transfer from Phoenix College and Prokosch is a transfer from Division I Fairleigh Dickinson University where he appeared in four games and pitched seven innings last season. Sullo is a transfer from Rockland Community College where he pitched 9.2 innings in seven appearances in 2023. Rivera is a transfer from Salem Community College where he pitched 81.2 innings in two seasons with 40 strikeouts and six wins. Patterson is a transfer from Bryant & Stratton College in Virginia.
The Mavericks went 1-3 in their first four games this season this past weekend. Mercy earned a split against regionally-ranked Goldey-Beacom on Friday before falling to Saint Rose on Saturday and Sunday. The Mavericks were led by graduate student Justin Glennerster who hit a team-high-tying .467 with a team-high six RBI and a team-high-tying five runs scored. The catcher recorded his 100th career hit in the win over Goldey-Beacom on Friday. Freshman Peyton Jemison started his collegiate career hitting a team-high-tying .467 with five RBI and a team-high-tying five runs scored. Jemison hit his first collegiate home run against Saint Rose on Sunday. Sophomore Sean McAdams hit .444 with two doubles and four runs scored and junior Joseph Gonzalez hit .353 with five RBI and three runs scored. Junior Jaden Caballero had four RBI and two stolen bases.
The pitching staff was led by graduate student John Gillespie who pitched five shutout innings to earn his first collegiate win in the Mavericks season-opening win over Goldey-Beacom on Friday. Senior Joshua Alvarado has made two appearances out of the bullpen and has tossed 2.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Junior Jack Sullivan has tossed two scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.
Scouting the Braves
UNC Pembroke is coming off a 10-5 win over Indiana (Pa.) in their last game on Saturday. The Braves have opened their 2024 season with 10 straight wins and are currently ranked No. 9 nationally in the latest NCBWA Top 25 Poll. UNC Pembroke is also ranked second in the NCBWA Southeast Region Top 10 poll and were picked second in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll after going 39-17 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Braves are led by Blake Hinson who is hitting a team-high .538 with a team-high 20 runs and nine stolen bases to go with 10 RBI and 14 hits. Chase Hudson has a team-high 20 RBI and Kody O'Connor is hitting .424 with 14 RBI and five doubles. Spencer Faulkner is hitting .429 with eight RBI and Will Harris leads the pitching staff with a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings with a 1-0 record and 11 strikeouts. Jake Inman has pitched a team-high 14.2 innings and has a 2-0 record with a 3.07 ERA and 17 strikeouts. Luke Barrow is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14.0 innings. Chase Jernigan has a 2.35 ERA and a team-high three saves in 7.2 innings.
Next Game
Mercy faces Felician in Myrtle Beach on Friday, February 23rd at 12 p.m.
