Elmira College (5-6, 0-0 Empire 8) vs. St. John Fisher College (8-6, 0-0 Empire 8)
Friday, March 25, 2016 | 3:30 P.M. | Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
Saturday, March 26, 2016 | 1:00 & 3:00 P.M. | Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team is set to open Empire 8 Conference play this weekend when it welcomes St. John Fisher College to Dunn Field for a three-game series. EC begins the set with a single game at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25th. The Soaring Eagles conclude the series with a doubleheader against the Cardinals beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26th.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira made its much anticipated home debut earlier this week, splitting a doubleheader with Medaille College on Tuesday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles' bats remained red-hot in the opener, piling up 14 runs and 18 hits in a runaway 14-2 victory. All nine batters in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit in the lopsided win. Dylan Bellinger '17 led the offensive charge, going 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. Dennis Rudolph '18 got the start on the mound, going six innings and allowing two runs to notch his second win of the season. He also helped his own cause, going 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and one RBI. Unfortunately, Elmira's win streak came to a halt in the nightcap, as Medaille jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first inning en route to an 11-4 final. 
 
Bellinger Bashing the Ball
Elmira's recent offensive surge has been built on the top-to-bottom success of the entire EC lineup; however, none have been swinging a hotter bat than first baseman Dylan Bellinger '17. After going 3-for-21 over his first six games, he has rarely put a ball in play that has not fallen for a hit over his last five contests. He has been an anchor in the middle of the Soaring Eagle lineup, going 14-for-23 (.609) with four doubles and a homer, scoring six runs and collecting nine RBIs over his five-game hitting streak. The recent binge has improved his season average over 200 points, as he ranks sixth in the conference in batting average (.386) and fifth in RBIs (12).
 
Sampogna Surging
Second-year righty Nick Sampogna '18 has been a key piece in Elmira's recent winning streak. After a bit of a rough start in his lone appearance in Florida, he has been quite strong since returning north. Sampogna has allowed just three runs in 12 innings of work over his last two appearances. He notched his second career victory last Friday, firing 6.2 innings with five strikeouts in the 6-3 win over Penn State-Harrisburg.
 
Bawiec Streaking
Several Elmira players have been swinging hot bats of late, but no player has been as consistent throughout the entire season as Conor Bawiec '18. The Lebanon, PA, product has recorded at least one hit in all 11 contests this season, while he has an active 20-game hitting streak dating back to a road contest against Ithaca College on April 27th of last season. Bawiec enters the weekend ranked fourth in the conference in batting average (.436), while his five stolen bases are tied for third and his 10 runs scored are tied for sixth.
 
Offensive Surge
The Elmira offense has been surging over the last three weeks, entering the weekend as one of the hottest lineups in the Empire 8 Conference. The Soaring Eagles have racked up 79 runs over their last seven contests, an average of 11.3 runs per game. EC sits at or near the top of the conference in most offensive categories beginning play on Friday. The Purple and Gold rank first as a team in batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.410), and slugging percentage (.417). Elmira ranks second in the league in doubles (26), runs (90), and RBIs (80). The bats will look to stay hot against the conference's top pitching staff in St. John Fisher this weekend.
 
Rudolph's Strong Starts
Second-year righty Dennis Rudolph '18 has become a strong rotation piece for Elmira as the season has continued. He logged his second consecutive quality start, firing six innings of two-run ball in his latest victory over Medaille on Tuesday. He has relinquished two runs over his last 12.0 innings of work, notching two wins and one save over his last three appearances on the bump for the Soaring Eagles.
 
Not Too Shabby With the Bat Either
While Dennis Rudolph '18 has been making headlines for his work on the mound, he has also been one of Elmira's hottest hitters this season. He is tied for the top batting average in the E8, entering play on Friday with a .472 mark (17-for-36) on the year. The Glen Ellyn, IL, product is third in the league in slugging percentage (.583), while his four doubles are tied for eighth-most in the conference. Rudolph has been as consistent as they come this year, as he carries an eight-game hitting streak into Friday's opener against St. John Fisher. The streak is second-longest on the team behind Conor Bawiec's 20-game mark dating back to last season.
 
Nice Glove Work
One area that has seen great improvement in transitioning from last season to this year has been the team's work in the field. The Soaring Eagles finished last in the Empire 8 in 2015, committing 106 defensive miscues, the only team in the conference to break the century mark. It has been a complete turnaround this year, as EC has been flashing the leather with regularity through the early part of 2016. Elmira enters play on Friday as the conference's top team when it comes to errors, only committing 17 to-date. The strong defense has certainly played an impact on Elmira's fast start. The team is 4-0 when turning in a spotless performance in the field, compared with a 1-6 record when committing one or more errors.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira went 1-3 against the Cardinals during its first varsity season in 2015. The Soaring Eagles took on St. John Fisher College in a pair of doubleheaders in Rochester, NY, on April 18-19th of last season. The Cardinals swept the first day of games by 13-2 and 9-5 scores. EC scored its lone victory in the opener of second day action. Conor Bawiec '18 toed the rubber for the Soaring Eagles in that game, firing the only complete game shutout in Elmira history. He limited the Cardinals to three hits and one walk, striking out three in an utterly dominant performance. Nate Hanner '18 brought home the lone run in the contest, bringing pinch-runner Brandon Davis '17 across with an RBI ground out in the fifth inning. It marked the second Empire 8 Conference win in the program's brief history.
 
Scouting St. John Fisher
The Cardinals have gotten off to a solid start to the season, posting an 8-6 record against some stiff non-conference competition. St. John Fisher has split its last three doubleheaders entering this weekend's set with the Soaring Eagles. The Cardinals begin the weekend as the only Empire 8 Conference program to carry a winning record through the early non-conference slate. St. John Fisher's early success can be directly attributed to its fine work on the mound. The Cardinals lead the E8 by a wide margin with a 2.62 earned-run average as a staff. St. John Fisher is holding opposing hitters to just a .248 batting average on the year, almost 10 points lower than the next closest team (Houghton; .257). Dominick Pisciotto paces the staff with a miniscule 1.62 ERA in four appearances, which includes a 1-1 record in three starts. Marc Iseneker leads the staff with 30 strikeouts in 25.0 innings pitched. Kevin Berge is the team's late inning horse, collecting three saves in nine appearances that have spanned 11.0 innings. Although being a primary option off the bench, Frank Carnevale leads the offense with a .357 batting average with 10 hits in 28 at-bats. Cody Wiktorski and Scott Eisenmenger are the team's thumpers in the middle of the order. Both players are tied for the league lead with three homers apiece.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira baseball returns to action on Thursday, March 31st, when the team takes on Hilbert College in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.