The St. Thomas Aquinas College Baseball team makes its return to the ECC Tournament beginning on Friday at 3:30pm, opening against Queens College at Palisades Credit Union Park in Pomona, NY. Game Two of the best-of-three format will take place at noon on Saturday. If necessary, Game Three will also take place on May 15, beginning at approximately 3pm.
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The Spartans (23-3, 17-3) - Regionally and Nationally-ranked throughout the season, STAC enters the weekend with a 23-3 overall record, including a 17-3 mark and holds the 2021 Regular Season Championship. The offense is sparked by Andrew Jemison, who posted a .383 batting average (3rd in ECC) with 25 RBI and 31 runs scored (5th in ECC) over 24 games played. James Versage enters the weekend hitting .367 and is tied for first in the ECC in Doubles (12) and RBI (34), while being tied for second in the league in home runs with teammate Brian Donnelly at five apiece. ECC Pitcher of the Year Alex Mack (6-0, 1.31 ERA), Angelo Baez (5-0, 4.38 ERA) and Aaron Dona (2-0, 2.20 ERA) rank among the circuit's top pitchers, and James Reilly recorded 4 saves to lead the league.
The Knights (14-11, 12-9) - Queens closed the 2021 regular season strong, winning 7 of their final 12 ECC games including a series win over College of Staten Island and Lincoln University in the season's final three weeks to secure the final playoff berth. Reed Hoskins powered the Knights with a team-high .351 batting average, while Andrew Smith and Colin Diez followed close behind with a .329 batting averages. On the hill, Liam Pulsipher has led Queens' postseason push, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.26 ERA.
Season Series (STAC, 2-1) - The Spartans were playing dominant baseball when the teams squared off for their conference weekend. STAC fell to Queens in a wild 15-14 affair in the opener at Hennekens Stadium on April 30, as James Versage went 2-for-3 with two home runs and 7 RBI, but the Knights walked it off on a bases loaded RBI sacrifice-fly off of Spartan closer James Reilly in the bottom of the ninth inning to pick up the victory. The next day, the Spartans swept a pair, with a 12-0 win in the opener and a 5-4 triumph in the nightcap. In the opener, Mack was dominant for STAC, allowing just one hit and a walk, while fanning 11 in 8.1 innings. Brian Donnelly supplied all of the offense the Spartans would need on a grand slam homer to right field. Donnelly finished game one going 3-for-4 with a home run, 4 RBI and a run scored. The nightcap provided a closer result on the scoreboard, with St. Thomas Aquinas scoring the first four runs of the contest in the first inning, partially thanks to an Andrew Guerra three-run home run to right field. A Sean Lynch RBI single to third base in the fourth inning would prove to be the game-winning run, as Queens would chip away at a 5-1 STAC lead in the later innings. Justin Baeyens would pick up the victory for the Spartans, with Aaron Dona having to leave the game in the second inning, after being hit in the arm by a line drive shot back to the mound. James Reilly would return to the hill for the second consecutive day, looking to close things out. Reilly would work into and out of trouble in the seventh for STAC to pick up his then third save of the year.
In the Post-Season - With their regular-season conference championship, the Spartans have now won the regular-season crown in 2008, '12, '13, '16, '17, '18 and '21, and captured the tourney title in 2013, '14, '15 and '18. STAC is in search of its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and ranked #1 in the most recent East Region rankings. The Spartans have won the East Region Championship in 2014 and '17, and were among the three finalists for the 2017 National Championship.
Queens returns to the postseason, for the second time in two seasons, in search of their first ECC title since 1998, when current Head Coach Chris Reardon was a senior on the squad that defeated Dowling College in the final.
What's Next? - The East Coast Conference Tournament Semifinal and Final are each best-of-three series for 2021, with #1 STAC taking on #4 Queens, and the other semifinal series featuring #2 Molloy facing off with #3 Mercy. The winner of STAC vs. Queens will take on the victor of Molloy vs. Mercy for the ECC Baseball Tournament Championship on May 21 and 22.
All games during the championship will be broadcast LIVE on the ECC Sports Network.
Please Note that both St. Thomas Aquinas and Molloy are currently allowing no more than 200 spectators at their facilities. For more details on the full spectator policy, click here.
2021 ECC Baseball Championship Semifinal (Best-of-Three) Series
Friday, May 14
Game 1 - 3:30 PM - No. 4 Queens vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
Game 1 - 3:00 PM - No. 3 Mercy vs. No. 2 Molloy
Saturday, May 15
Game 2 - 12:00 PM - No. 4 Queens vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Queens will be Home Team)
Game 2 - 12:00 PM - No. 3 Mercy vs. No. 2 Molloy (Mercy will be Home Team)
Game 3 (If Necessary) - 3:00 PM - No. 4 Queens vs. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas
Game 3 (If Necessary) - 3:00 PM - No. 3 Mercy vs. No. 2 Molloy
(Broadcast info and schedule courtesy of the East Coast Conference)