Five Things to Know: Baseball Continues MAAC Play at Quinnipiac

Canisius (11-16, 5-1 MAAC) at Quinnipiac (11-14, 6-0 MAAC)
Date: Saturday, April 6
Time: 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Live Video: Quinnipiac All-Access
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Date: Sunday, April 7
Time: 12 p.m.
Live Video: Quinnipiac All-Access
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats

Location: QU Baseball Field | Hamden, Conn.

Twitter: @GriffsBaseball l #Griffs |#MAACBaseball

Five Things to Know Before Canisius Visits Quinnipiac for its First Conference Road Series:

1) On The Road Again
• The Golden Griffins go back on the road after seven-straight games in Western New York that included six conference home games and a non-conference contest at rival Niagara.
• The Griffs opened the 2019 season with a 20-game road stretch that saw them travel to North Carolina twice, as well as West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Kansas. That ranks as the 13th longest road stretch in the NCAA this season, tied with Niagara and Gonzaga.
• The Griffs are 6-15 on the road this season, but are 2-1 in their last three road contests.
• Junior Jake Burlingame leads the team with a .277 batting average in road games, and nine of the centerfielder's 10 stolen bases have come away from the Demske Sports Complex.
• Senior Nolan Hunt leads the pitching staff with a 1.50 road ERA, as the lefty made four appearances and two starts during the opening 20-game stretch.

2) Triples, Triples and More Triples
• Through 27 games, the Blue and Gold are tied for second among Division I schools with 16 triples on the season. New Mexico State paces the NCAA with 17 three-baggers.
• Canisius is also the only MAAC school to reach double-digits in triples so far.
• Burlingame and fellow junior Stephen Bennett are both tied for 12th nationally with four triples apiece. Central Michigan's Jacob Crum leads the country with seven triples.
• Bennett and Burlingame rank second in the conference, trailing Jack Gethings' five triples for Fairfield.
• 2019 is only the 10th time the Golden Griffins have recorded 16-or-more triples in a season.

3) Krull On Buster Posey Award Watch List
• Redshirt-junior William Krull was announced as one of 79 catchers on the watch list for the 2019 Buster Posey Award, given to the country's top collegiate backstop.
• The award, previously known as the Johnny Bench Award for the past 19 years, saw former Griffs catcher Christ Conley named the initial watch list last season.
• Krull enters the weekend hitting .298 and having tallied seven doubles, leading the Blue and Gold in both categories, while making 17 starts at catcher and seven at designated hitter.
• The 2019 season has been kind to Krull, as he has set new career highs with four hits against Siena on March 23 and five RBI at Kansas State on March 19.

4) Bobcats-Griffs Series History
• Canisius and Manhattan have met on the diamond 16 times, as the Griffs hold a 10-6 edge in the all-time series.
• Over the last 10 meetings, the two teams are split at 5-5.
• Last season, the Bobcats took two of three from the Griffs at the Demske, but Canisius got revenge when they knocked off Quinnipiac, 11-3, during the MAAC Championship.
• In the 11-3 Canisius victory, then-sophomore Will Frank pitched 4.2 shutout innings in relief to earn the win, striking out four and only allowing two hits. Then-junior Mark McKenna collected four hits in the contest to lead the Griffs, driving in the three RBI and scoring twice.

5) Scouting Quinnipiac
• Quinnipiac is led at the plate by Andre Marrero's .333 batting average, five homers, 21 RBI, 10 steals and a .419 on-base clip. Preseason All-MAAC selection Evan Vulgamore is second with a .324 average to go with 14 RBI. Ian Ostberg and Kyle Maves both have 10 stolen bases as well.
• On the mound, Tyler Poulin (3.68 ERA, team-best seven starts) leads the way with a MAAC-high four wins and ranks fourth in the conference at 44 innings pitched. Andrew Workman has maintained a 2.20 ERA through a team-best 10 appearances, making three saves, while Robert Lewis has two saves in five appearances but sports a 8.53 ERA.
• Nationally, the Bobcats are 12th with 2.16 stolen bases per game, while Vulgamore is 11th in the country by averaging a double every two games.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Christ Conley: C; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

#30 Stephen Bennett: INF; 6' 0"; Junior

#2 Jake Burlingame: OF; 5' 10"; Junior

#26 Will Frank: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior

#19 Nolan Hunt: LHP; 6' 0"; Senior

#28 Billy Krull: C; 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

#25 Mark McKenna: OF; 5' 10"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#13 Christ Conley
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: C

#30 Stephen Bennett
: 6' 0"; Junior
: INF

#2 Jake Burlingame
: 5' 10"; Junior
: OF

#26 Will Frank
: 6' 0"; Junior
: RHP

#19 Nolan Hunt
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LHP

#28 Billy Krull
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior
: C

#25 Mark McKenna
: 5' 10"; Senior
: OF