Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

TOWSON, Md. – The University of Delaware baseball team will kick off its Colonial Athletic Association schedule this week when the Blue Hens travel to Schuerholz Park to take on the Towson Tigers.

The three-game series begins on Friday at 3 p.m. Both weekend contests are slated to start at 1 p.m.

The match-up will pit the top-two offensive teams in the conference against one another. Entering the series, Delaware (10-6) ranks first in the CAA with a .352 batting average, while Towson (11-8) is second at .323. The Tigers also stand at the top with 34 home runs, while the Hens are just behind with 29.

Carlos Alonso guides the Blue Hens into action with a conference-leading .470 batting average. Through 16 games, the junior third baseman has ripped 31 hits, including eight doubles, and scored 22 runs. He also ranks first on the team with four stolen bases in five attempts.

Ryan Reed has also had a great start to his senior campaign. He currently stands fourth in the CAA with a .444 batting average and second, behind only Alonso, with a .524 on-base percentage.

Seniors Bill Merkler and Jared Olson (at right) anchor the middle of the Blue Hen lineup. Olson stands fourth in the CAA with six home runs, while Merkler is sixth with five. Merkler also leads a host of Hens that rank in the top-10 in RBI. His 23 stand third, while Ryan Cuneo and Scott Shockley are both tied for fifth with 20.

Delaware’s weekend rotation has also started to improve in the recent weeks. The Blue Hens are 4-0 in Brian Rorick’s starts this season, and freshman Rich O’Donald is the reigning CAA Pitcher of the Week after shutting down Marist for eight innings last Sunday.

Towson is led into action by Gary Helmick and Kevin Collins, who rank first and second in the conference in slugging percentage. Helmick also stands at the top of the CAA in hits, runs, triples, and total bases.

Nate Curd leads the Tigers on the mound after posting a 4-1 record in the early going. The junior also stands fourth with nine appearances, while Wes Stifflett is sixth in the league with 22 strikeouts.

Following the trek to Towson, the Blue Hens will return home for a make-up game with Saint Joseph's on Wednesday at 3 p.m.