ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team is set to embark on a busy weekend with four Empire 8 Conference games at Dunn Field on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23. The action begins at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday with a twin bill against SUNY Canton, followed by a non-traditional doubleheader on Sunday. EC will wrap up the three-game series against the Kangaroos at 12:00 p.m., before hosting No. 18 St. John Fisher College at 4:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles posted a season-high 21 runs on the Pioneers of Alfred State in a 21-14 victory on April 18 in Alfred, New York. EC needed the high output from the offense, as erratic pitching and defense allowed the Pioneers to score 14 runs of their own on just seven hits. The wild non-conference affair saw both sides combine for 25 walks and eight errors. Despite the rough outing from the young pitching staff Head Coach Corey Paluga employed against the Pioneers, the Purple and Gold were clicking at the plate. Eleven different players had at least one hit, 11 drove in at least one run, and 10 Soaring Eagles scored a run. Harrison Zambarano '19 and Eddie O'Donnell IV '18 were among the team leaders at the dish with three hits apiece. Zambarano finished the night 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while O'Donnell went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. Cameron Heggie '18 ended his night just 1-for-2, but tied a program record for walks in a game with four, which allowed the junior outfielder to score a career-high four runs. Blake Phelps '19 was the winning pitcher, as the second-year righty threw a team-high 3.2 innings in relief with three strikeouts.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: This weekend's three-game Empire 8 series against SUNY Canton is an important for the Soaring Eagles, who are looking to secure a berth in the conference tournament after missing out in 2016. Elmira is third in the standings with a 6-5 conference record, tied with Stevens Institute of Technology (14-16-1, 6-5 E8) and one win ahead of Utica College (12-11, 5-4 E8). The Soaring Eagles already won both series against the Ducks and the Pioneers, but a series win over Canton, or better yet a sweep, would go a long way towards locking up a top-four seed.

POWERAGE: On display Sunday at historic Dunn Field could very well be a show of strength between three of the New York Region's finest first basemen. The Soaring Eagles have relied heavily upon the RBI-producing swing of Elmira, New York, native Dylan Bellinger '17 in the program's first three varsity seasons. Entering the weekend, the 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound slugger ranks fourth among Empire 8 Conference qualifiers with a .389 batting average and a .611 slugging percentage, and is tied for fifth in the league with three home runs. Anchoring the Fisher lineup is the 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound Scott Eisenmenger. The junior first baseman paces the Empire 8 in runs batted in (35) and homers (7), sits second in slugging percentage (.649), and is just a few percentage points behind EC's Bellinger with a .383 batting average. But don't forget SUNY Canton's Seth Douglas, a 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound senior who claimed American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-New York Region First Team honors over both of the aforementioned hitters in 2016 - Bellinger was named to the Second Team and Eisenmenger was added to the Third Team. Douglas, who transferred to SUNY Canton from Division II Bemidji State prior to his sophomore season, is tied for second in the circuit with five long balls and ranks third in slugging percentage (.626), one place below Eisenmenger and one above Bellinger. 

SCOUTING SUNY CANTON: The Roos enter the weekend with a 5-20 overall record and a 1-9 mark inside the Empire 8. Before facing the Soaring Eagles, Canton will make up an E8 game against Stevens at Dunn Field on Friday, April 21. While the team ranks second-to-last in the E8 in batting average (.262), a couple of Roos possess impressive bats. Travis Schindler is having a breakout season and leads the squad with a .398 batting average. After finishing among league leaders with eight homers and 51 RBIs a year ago, Seth Douglas has belted a team-high five dingers, and is tied with fellow 2016 E8 All-Conference First Teamer, Wilson Matos, for the team lead in RBIs (24). Matos and Douglas are hitting at rates of .337 and .330, respectively, ranking second and third on the team. Douglas is also the go-to guy on the mound, although he's just 1-5 with a 7.13 ERA in a team-leading 41.2 innings. His 33 strikeouts are also a team high.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ROOS: Elmira is 2-3 all-time against SUNY Canton after splitting four bouts with the Roos in 2016. The Soaring Eagles leveled last year's series by winning a pair on April 8, 2016, by scores of 11-2 and 7-3, although the latter did not count towards the conference standings. This year marks the first time that the series will be played at Dunn Field.

SCOUTING ST. JOHN FISHER: The Cardinals are looking to continue a historic run that began in 2016 with the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The World Series appearance vaulted St. John Fisher into the national spotlight, and with a 19-6 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark inside Empire 8 play, the Cards moved up seven spots to No. 18 in the latest edition of the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25. At the dish, first baseman Scott Eisenmenger is one of the most feared hitters in the conference, as the 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound junior paces the circuit in home runs (7) and RBIs (35). Freshman sensation Anthony Brophy has quickly established himself as the E8's top arm; through his first seven collegiate starts, the 6-foot-4-inch righty is 6-0 with a 1.26 ERA and 30 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY VS. CARDINALS: In the first two seasons of this feathered rivalry, the Cardinals have been in the driver's seat, winning six of their seven meetings with Elmira. EC's lone win was on April 19, 2015, when Conor Bawiec '18 twirled a complete-game three-hitter and led the Purple and Gold to a 1-0 shutout victory at Dugan Yard.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Purple and Gold will conclude their conference series against the nationally-ranked Cardinals with a doubleheader in Rochester, New York, on Wednesday, April 26. First pitch from Dugan Yard on the campus of St. John Fisher is slated for 1:00 p.m.