POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 6, 2016) – The Vassar College baseball team will conclude its regular season this weekend, taking on Union College in four huge Liberty League games over both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The two squads will each host a doubleheader, with the Dutchmen welcoming in Vassar Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., before Union comes down I-87 to battled Vassar on Prentiss Field Sunday at noon for Senior Day. Vassar (18-17, 12-8 Liberty) will honor its seven seniors prior to the game for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the Brewer baseball program.

Game Details
Opponent:
vs. Union College (19-12, 11-7 Liberty)
Links:
(Vassar's Baseball Home Page)(Roster)(Statistics)(Schedule)
(Union's Baseball Home Page)(Roster)(Statistics)(Schedule)
Site: Amsterdam, NY & Poughkeepsie, NY
Facility: Shuttlesworth Park & Prentiss Field
Date: May 7-May 8, 2016
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday (DH), 12 p.m. Sunday (DH)
Coverage: 
Saturday: (Live Stats) (Live Video)
Sunday: (Live Stats) (Live Video)

A Look At The Brewers (18-17, 12-8 Liberty)
After falling in three of the four games against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Vassar was given a reprieve for Sunday's game one loss, as a game protest by VC ended up turning the game into a 7-0 forfeit win for the Brewers. Vassar still can finish anywhere from first to sixth in the conference standings, depending on outcomes around the conference this weekend. VC is fifth in the conference in overall batting average, posting a .284 clip for the season, while only striking out 171 times this year. The strikeout number is the third-fewest of any team in the conference, bested only by Clarkson University and Union College. One thing of concern for Vassar has been its defense of late, as VC has committed 13 miscues over its last six games. VC has been best when it has put pressure on opposing defenses, as the Brewers are 10-4 when opposition has made two or more errors in a game. This season, Vassar is 8-2 when leading after the fourth and 10-1 when taking a lead into the seventh.

Senior Nick Johnson continues to increase his doubles record at Vassar, now with 54 for his tenure, but he could become only the third VC player ever to post 100 RBI in a career with three more this season. Johnson leads the Brewers with a .374 average, while junior Mike Koscielniak and sophomore Bobby Kinne each are posting averages above .300. Denis Shanagher leads the team with 24 runs and 10 stolen bases, and Eric Strickland has a team-best four triples. On the mound, Vassar has seen some standout performances of late, especially from reliever Robert Winkelmann and freshman Joe Conti. Winkelmann has allowed just one earned run over his last seven appearances, dating back to April 1. Conti earned a win over RPI last weekend, pitching six strong innings while allowing just one earned run. Adam Erkis still leads the Brewers with a 3.24 ERA, while Jonathan Hong, Johnny Mrlik and Connor Cucalon all have three wins to pace VC.

A Look At The Dutchmen (19-12, 11-7 Liberty)
Union College, the preseason pick to win the Liberty League, comes into the weekend winners in four of its last five games including wins this week over Middlebury College (5-2) and Trinity College (7-6). The Dutchmen have gone 9-2 at home this year, where they normally play very well historically. Union is hitting .296 as a team, fourth-best in the conference, but it's been the pitching and defense that have propelled Union. The Dutchmen have a 3.73 team ERA, which is by far the best in the conference while its .268 batting average against also paces the Liberty League. Union has also committed the second-fewest errors this season with 48. That is useful for a team that doesn't hit for much power, coming in with the fewest total bases in the conference.

Union is lucky to boast one of the best players in all of collegiate baseball in tall lefty Jake Fishman. A Golden Spikes finalist, the only Division III player on the list, Fishman comes into the weekend with an ERA of 0.43, which leads the Liberty League and all of college baseball. His strikeout to walk ratio of 7.00 is 18^th best in Division III, and his 12 strikeouts per nine innings is seventh-highest in the country. So far this season, Fishman has allowed two earned run in 42 innings of work. Teammate Jake Vesling has been impressive as well, striking out 35 in 36.1 innings over five starts, and Matt Yonta and Jamie Faber have been strong out of the bullpen as well. Offensively, Fishman leads the team with a .384 batting average, while Faber is hitting .377. Kent Curran has a team-best 10 doubles with a .357 batting clup, and Eric Egan has a team-high stolen bases to go with eight doubles while starting all 31 games.

Against Union All-Time
Vassar is 15-43 all-time against Union College, having not played the Dutchmen since the 2014 season. That year, VC and Union tussled four times in the regular season, splitting those games, while Union took both games in the Liberty League Tournament. VC took both games in Poughkeepsie in 2014.

Other Brewer Notes
- Wednesday afternoon's non-conference game against Manhattanville was VC's first cancelled game of the 2016 season, a nice change from the 2015 season that saw Vassar only play 28 games due to weather.
- Head coach Jon Martin has continued to add to his all-time wins record for coaches at Vassar this year, as he has a 127 for his tenure at VC.
- Vassar has 12 Liberty League wins coming into the weekend, one behind the record of 13 set back in 2014. VC has finished above .500 in the League just once, that same 2014 season (13-7).
- Seniors Nick Johnson and Cory Wuenschell each are in the top 25 in the conference in RBI, as Johnson is seventh with 29 and Wuenschell is 21^st with 21 runs driven in.
- Junior starters Adam Erkis and Trent Berg are 5-6 in the conference in strikeouts, respectively, with 39 and 38 on the season.
- Vassar College catchers have done a great job at shooting down attempted base stealers, as Dakota Sagnelli leads the Liberty League with 12 attempted stolen base attempts thwarted.
- Senior Brooks English has played every inning at first base this season for the Brewers.
- Vassar is done well against pinch hitters this year, holding opposition to two hits in 15 pinch-hit at-bats.
- When Vassar College scores six or more runs this year, they are a cool 13-1 this season.
- Vassar will be watching other Liberty League action this weekend, as RPI is at St. Lawrence, Bard is at RIT, and the top two teams in the conference, Clarkson and Rochester, battle in Potsdam.

Up Next
The Liberty League Tournament will be held this Thursday-Sunday at the highest seed going into the Tournament.