CU Baseball Preview - vs. St. John Fisher (3/9)

By: March 8, 2021

Men's Baseball | 3/8/2021 1:00:00 PM

With no trip to Florida in 2021, the Clarkson University Baseball team will be playing a few extra games in colder conditions, but thanks to some creative scheduling the Golden Knights will be opening up against St. John Fisher College on Tuesday when the two teams play a doubleheader at Falcon Park in Auburn, NY.

Live Stats

The Series: Monday's tilt will occur at a neutral site just like the last time the two teams met. Clarkson and St. John Fisher used to have regular matchups, but the expansion of the conference schedule in 2006 somewhat halted the series. Clarkson's last game against the Cardinals occurred in 2005 when the two teams played at what was then called Alliance Bank Stadium, the home of the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, ending in an 8-7 victory for the Golden Knights.

Key Stats for Clarkson (3-6 in 2020): The shortened campaign of 2020 didn't allow for numbers to truly shake out with a large sample size, but several Clarkson players picked up right where they left off from the previous campaign. Junior catcher Mike Nee led the team in hitting with a .429 average (12-for-28) with a home run and eight runs driven in, proving that his first year was no fluke when he hit .373 in 75 at bats. Senior Michael Mieczkowski also broke out in 2019 with an impressive run over the final half of the season, and he hit .357 in 19 plate appearances in 2020. In his last 99 plate appearances, Mieczkowski has drawn 20 walks and hit .416, reaching base in more than half of those chances. Senior Michael Tito also was off to a solid start, hitting .368 in 22 plate appearances while first-year collegians Joe Pagano and Jonathan Irons hit .429 and .348, respectively, in abbreviated action. On the mound, Clarkson has some question marks as most of the starting staff graduated. Senior Glenn Stever ranked second in the team in innings pitched (9.1) and struck out seven in his time on the mound.

Key Stats for St. John Fisher (7-4 in 2020): The Cardinals lost a handful of players to graduation, but were fortunate enough to get a jolt with the return of graduate students Justin Graham and Anthony Brophy. Graham hit .364/.429/.614 in 11 contests, going 16-for-44 with a team-best eight extra-base hits while also ranking second in runs scored (12). Brophy was one of two pitchers to reach double figures in innings (18) for the Cardinals and is one of their top arms in recent memory. Brophy struck out 13 and posted a 1.17 WHIP. Sophomores Brian Norsen and Noah Campanelli showed well in their first collegiate action a year ago. Norsen was a revelation in the infield for the Cardinals, hitting .455/.510/.886 with five home runs and 17 runs batted in, while Campanelli struck for a home run and drove in five in 22 at bats a season ago.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Michael Mieczkowski: IF; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#26 Mike Nee: C; 6' 0"; Sophomore; R/R

#33 Glenn Stever: RHP; 6' 3"; Junior; R/R

#2 Michael Tito: IF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#18 Joe Pagano: IF; 5' 9"; Freshman

#34 Jonathan Irons: OF; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Michael Mieczkowski
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#26 Mike Nee
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; R/R
: C

#33 Glenn Stever
: 6' 3"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#2 Michael Tito
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#18 Joe Pagano
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: IF

#34 Jonathan Irons
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: OF