Five Things to Know: Baseball to Play Rider in MAAC Championship on Sunday

Game No. 52
No. 5 Rider (28-25) vs. No. 3 Canisius (28-23)
Date: Sunday, May 29
Time: 11 a.m. | 3 p.m. (If necessary)
Location: Pomona, N.Y. | Clover Stadium
Video: ESPN+
Talent: JJ Duke and Mike Ferraro
Live Stats: Through GoBroncs.com
Instagram: @GriffsBaseball | #Griffs | #MAACBaseball
Twitter: @GriffsBaseball | #Griffs | #MAACBaseball

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. First Pitch
Third-seeded Canisius squares off against No. 5 seed Rider on Sunday morning in the Championship Series of the MAAC Baseball Championship at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y.

2. What's at Stake
With a win Sunday, Canisius would claim its fourth MAAC title and its first since winning the 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship over Monmouth in Staten Island, N.Y.

If the Golden Griffins win the MAAC title Sunday, it would be the first time in Canisius and MAAC history that a school had its baseball and softball programs win a conference tournament title in the same season.

Iona (1984 and 1985) and LaSalle (1989) had their baseball and softball programs win MAAC titles in their respective years after being crowned the regular season champion. None of the teams were selected to appear in the NCAA Tournament.

Canisius would be the second program this year to have both its baseball and softball programs earn their conference's automatic qualifying bid. Campbell (Big South) is the only other. Missouri State (Missouri Valley) and Louisiana (Sun Belt) could also accomplish the feat Sunday.

3. Then There Were Two…
Canisius is appearing in the Championship Series for the eighth time in program history and its first since 2018.

The Griffs have won its last three games in the Championship Series, defeating Siena twice in 2015 and beating Monmouth in 2018 en route to its previous two conference titles.

It is the second time Canisius and Rider are meeting in the MAAC Championship Series. The previous instance came back in 2010.

4. Offensive Success in the MAAC Baseball Championship
As a team, Canisius is hitting at a .400 clip (38-of-95) over the three games played so far in the MAAC Baseball Championship. The Griffs currently have five batters with at least .400 batting averages in the tournament (Mike DeStefano - .538, Max Grant - .462, Gibson Krzeminski - .455, Mike Steffan - .417 and Trevor Henneman - .400).

5. Lock Down Pitching
Canisius' pitching has stepped up in May, logging a 3.65 ERA over its 13 games in the month. Golden Griffin pitchers have posted a trio of shutouts and have 112 strikeouts in 116 innings. The 1.45 WHIP and 4.73 walks-per-9-innings in May are the best of any month this season.

For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Mike DeStefano: INF; 6' 0"; Sophomore; L/R

#22 Trevor Henneman: C/1B; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#31 Gibson Krzeminski: OF/3B; 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior; S/R

#7 Mike Steffan: 1B/OF; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior; S/R

#8 Max Grant: C/3B; 6' 0"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

#4 Mike DeStefano
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; L/R
: INF

#22 Trevor Henneman
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: C/1B

#31 Gibson Krzeminski
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior; S/R
: OF/3B

#7 Mike Steffan
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior; S/R
: 1B/OF

#8 Max Grant
: 6' 0"; Freshman; L/R
: C/3B