Delaware Baseball Welcomes William & Mary to Bob Hannah Stadium for a Three Game CAA Set
March 24, 2011
File Photos Courtesy of Chris Mlynarczyk (top) and Chris Permar
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• Updated CAA Stats - pdf
• Steve Ulaky on KYW Newsradio
NEWARK, Del. - - Off to its best start since joining the Colonial Athletic Association in the spring of 2002, the University of Delaware baseball team welcomes William & Mary to Bob Hannah Stadium for a three-game set starting on Friday at 3 p.m.
Last Time Out:
The Blue Hens return home after a four-game road trip and are looking to remain hot, as they are winners of eight of their last nine games. The Hens pulled a game above .500 with a 12-9 come-from-behind victory in the Route 1 Rivalry over Delaware State on Tuesday.
Senior Steve Ulkay (above right) had a career day against the Hornets, hitting three homeruns, and tying an NCAA record by hitting two of them in the one inning. He hit his first one in the third inning to give the Hens a 3-0 lead, but the Hornets scored nine unanswered runs to take a 9-3 lead into the eighth inning.
Delaware scored nine runs of their own in the top half of the eighth, aided by Ulaky’s two run shot to start the scoring, and his three-run homerun to center for the final three runs of the inning.
Ulaky was the lone Blue Hen to record multiple hits on the afternoon, finishing the game 4-for-5 with a career high seven RBI’s. He also scored each time he reached base, adding a double in the first inning.
Stephen Richter came in and finished off the Route 1 rivals, pitching the final two innings without giving up a hit or a run. With two outs and the bases empty, Richter brought the tying run to the plate while walking two straight batters, but got DJ Miller to strikeout looking to end the contest for his fourth save of the season.
This Weekend’s Tentative Rotation:
The Blue Hens will change things up this weekend, as the normal Saturday starter Devon Pearson has come up little limp with a sore left elbow. Instead head coach Jim Sherman will send Eric Young, Danny Gatto, and Chad Kuhl to the mound to start.
Young will be countered against fellow right-handed pitcher Matt Davenport of the Tribe in Friday’s opening game. Young dropped to 1-2 on the season after last Friday’s loss, and has a 4.94 ERA in five starts this season. Davenport is a tall right-hander, standing at six foot eight on the mound. The junior is 2-2 in six appearances (five starts) with a 4.05 ERA. He has thrown 33.1 innings, striking out 27 batters along the way. He has been known to get wild, hitting 10 batters on the season, while throwing five wild pitches, both team highs.
Saturday will also feature a pair of right-handers, young against old, as the freshman Gatto pairs up against Tribe senior Logan Billbrough. Gatto is 1-1 on the season in four appearances and boasts a team low 1.29 ERA for starters. Billbrough is 1-1 in five starts this season with a 4.40 ERA. He is averaging just under a strikeout per inning pitched, as he has tallied 28 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.
Sunday’s matchup with feature the CAA Rookie of the Week in his first start since being named with the award. Chad Kuhl will go up against left-handed pitcher Cole Shain in the final game of the series. Kuhl is is 1-1 with a 3.54 ERA, striking out a team high 17 batters on the year. Shain is 1-3 on the season, but has the lowest ERA of all the starters on William & Mary with a 3.07 ERA in five starts. He has 22 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
Scouting William & Mary:
The Tribe come into Newark with a 11-13 overall record but sit in fifth in the CAA standings with a 5-4 record. They currently hold a five game winning streak starting with a win over George Washington. They went on to sweep George Mason last weekend, and defeated Norfolk State during their midweek game this week.
Junior catcher Chris Forsten leads the team in batting with a .339 average in 62 at-bats. Derrick Osteen is batting .329 with 12 RBI’s and 14 runs scored. Ryan Williams leads the team with two homeruns on the year, and has knocked in a team best 16 RBI’s.
This week’s Co-Pitcher of Week Brett Koehler leads their pitching staff. He didn’t allow a run in his eight innings of work in three appearances last week. He surrendered just two hits while striking out 10 batters. On the season he is 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 11 appearances. He has struck out a team high 33 batters in 31.1 innings of work. He also leads the team with four saves.
Reid Killen has the best ERA on the staff, making 11 appearances with a 2.81 earned run average. He is 1-1 in 16 innings of work, striking out 17 batters, recording two saves for the Tribe.
Out of Left Field:
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• Although the team got off to a slow start with the new bat regulations mandated by the NCAA, Steve Ulaky powered through with an NCAA record tying performance against Delaware State on Tuesday. His two homeruns in the same inning ties an NCAA record, held by numerous players. His three homeruns in one game also tied a Delaware program record, as he became the 19th player in Blue Hen history to hit three jacks in a single contest. Ryan Cuneo and classmate Pat Dameron most recently did it in the same game last season, a 25-10 decision over Hofstra on May 8.
• Pat Dameron’s (below right) double with one out in the sixth on March 16 against Delaware State in the Route 1 Rivalry not only set up two crucial runs for the Hens, but it was also his 200th career hit. Dameron became the 34th player to join the 200 Hit Club, and currently has 206 career hits, placing him in 30th with over half a season to play. Scott Waibel holds the record with 303 hits during his time as a Blue Hen in 1977-80. Other notable names in the Club are head coach Jim Sherman and associate head coach Dan Hammer. Sherman stands in fifth with 261 career hits from 1979-82 while Hammer is right behind in sixth with 258 career hits during his time from 1993-96.
• The Blue Hens made the most of their trip to the west coast in February, knocking off the then ranked no. 9 Arizona State Sun Devils in the first game of the four-game series. The Blue Hens’ last win against a ranked team was in 2001 against no. 18 East Carolina. The victory over the Sun Devils marks the highest ranked opponent the Blue Hens have defeated since beating no. 8 North Carolina in the 1983 NCAA East Regional Baseball Tournament.
• The 5-1 CAA record through the first two series is the best start for the Blue Hens since joining the CAA in 2002. They jumped out to a 4-2 start in 2009. This is the best start to a conference schedule since 2001, when they were a part of America East and started 6-2 through the first two series.
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