Baseball Opens Northeast Conference Play Against Fairleigh Dickinson At Bergen Community College

Northeast Conference Opener
Quinnipiac (4-4) will play their first Northeast Conference opponent of the 2011 season when they head to Paramus, N.J. to face Fairleigh Dickinson in a four-game series at Bergen Community College. The Bobcats and Knights will play a pair of doubleheaders on Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20 at 12 p.m.

The Slump Is Stopping For Someone
Quinnipiac enters the weekend having lost three straight games, while Fairleigh Dickinson has lost its last five games heading into the weekend set. The Bobcats are one of three teams in the NEC at .500.

Making History
Quinnipiac jumped out their best start in the program's Division I history with a 2-1 showing against Richmond in a three-game series last weekend. The Bobcats are currently 4-4 through their first eight games, and also posted a three-game win streak against non-conference opponents for the first time in program history.

Weekend Rotation
Quinnipiac will likely run-out Kyle Birdsall (1-0, 4.09 ERA) in the first game of the series against Fairleigh Dickinson, followed by Anthony Cinelli (1-0, 1.12) in game 2. The second doubleheader will likely feature Derek Lamacchia (1-1, 1.64) in the first game with George Dummar (1-1, 11.42) closing out the series.

The Countdown Is On
Ben Farina (Waterford, Conn.) edged closer to becoming the seventh player in Quinnipiac's Division I history to reach the 200-hit mark this weekend. The senior outfielder currently sits at 193 for his career. Farina is hitting .316 (12-38) while leading the team in stolen bases (4).

Chasing Farina
On Wednesday, in the Bobcats' loss to Rider, Joe Poletsky became the 23rd player in Quinnipiac history and the 17th since the Bobcats joined the Division I ranks to collect 150 hits for his career.

Keep It Going Joe
Joe Poletsky hit a team-best .429 in their first two games this week - both losses to Delaware and Rider. Poletsky had the only hit of Quinnipiac's 16 total over two games to go for extra-bases while he also drove in a team-high three runs.

The Trio
Ben Farina, Mickey Amanti and Mike Bartlett have each recorded a hit in each of Quinnipiac's first eight games of the season. It is the first time in Quinnipiac's Division I history that three players have complete the feat.

Longest Active Streak
Counting last season, Mike Bartlett has the longest active hitting streak in the Bobcats line-up. The senior outfielder/designated hitter has recorded a hit in 12 consecutive games.

Always On Base
Quinnipiac currently boasts six players (Farina, Amanti, Bartlett, PoletskyChris Migani and Kyle Nisson) who have all reached base safely in five straight games. Of the six players, four (Farina, Amanti, Migani and Bartlett) have all reached base safely in each of Quinnipiac's eight games this year.

Scouting The Knights
Fairleigh Dickinson hosts Quinnipiac for an NEC season-opening match-up with an overall record of 3-7 on the young season. FDU won two of their first three games of the season, all against University of Maryland Baltimore County, but have lost six of their last seven games including five straight. The last win came against St. Peter's on March 5. Senior first baseman DJ Robinson leads the Knights with a .429 (18-42) average with a homerun and 14 RBI, also a team-high. Ryan Kresky leads the team in runs scored (12), while also collecting five doubles and hitting .375 (15-40) for the year. On the hill, Nick Melchiorre is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA.