The late, great singer Tom Petty once sang: "The waiting is the hardest part." The Keystone College baseball team can certainly appreciate that sentiment.
After picking up momentum by winning four straight and six of eight games during a Spring Break trip to Port Charlotte, Florida, the Giants were itching to get back on the diamond this week, except Mother Nature had different plans, forcing Keystone to postpone games with The University of Scranton and Moravian College.
Keystone will finally (fingers crossed!) return to action this Saturday, March 24, when the Giants hosts perennial NCAA powerhouse Kean University at 1:00 p.m. at Christy Mathewson Field in La Plume. Just this morning, head coach
Jamie Shevchik announced that the Giants have added a home game against Arcadia University on Sunday starting at 1:00 p.m.
Kean news & notes:
- The Cougars lost all six games they played at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida, before pulling out a 7-5 win over Alvernia University in Reading on March 19. Kean is 7-10 overall.
- Five players with at least 25 at-bats are hitting better than .300, led by Anthony Laureano (.360) and followed by Nick Polizzano and Jim Fitzgerald (.333 each) and John Carello (.320)
- Junior Christopher Rossi leads the pitching staff with a 3.50 earned run average among Cougar pitchers have thrown at least 10 innings
- Kean has been picked fourth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) preseason coaches' poll (The College of New Jersey was picked first, followed by Rowan University and Ramapo University).
- Four of Kean's losses have decided by one run
- Neil Ioviero is in his 21st season as head coach, leading the Cougars to six NCAA World Series appearances, including an NCAA title in 2007.
Keystone news & notes
- After an 0-3 start, the Giants have won seven of their last nine games
- Ten of Keystone's 12 games have been held at neutral sites
- Senior Troy Terzi (Wallingford, Conn./Notre Dame) leads the pitching staff in innings pitched (31.0), strikeouts (30) and games started (4). His earned run average is now 1.81.
- Seven players have started at least 10 games
- Junior Mohammed Hussein (Queens, NY/William C. Bryant) leads the team in hitting with a .341 batting average. He's also belted three doubles.
- Giants have out-scored their opponents, 33-19, over the final three innings
- Giants are 2-1 in game decided by one run
- Junior shortstop Chris Panzarella (Hazle Township, Pa./Hazleton Area) has 75 hits in 60 career games
- Giants will play Immaculata University in a CSAC doubleheader as part of the sixth annual Bill Howerton Strikeout Cancer Weekend; Howerton, former head coach of the baseball program at The University of Scranton, passed away from cancer in August 2012. He was widely respected and admired in the community.
