After struggling in the first month of the season, Quinnipiac baseball and softball will head back to Hamden in the upcoming days and begin Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action.
The softball team has struggled to begin the 2015 season, as the Bobcats currently hold a 4-18 record.
After losing to Ohio to begin the season, Quinnipiac earned its first win of the year on Feb. 13th against Army. The Bobcats won 7-5 and never trailed in the game.
Quinnipiac would go on to lose six-straight games against out-of-conference foes Charlotte, Ohio, Pittsburgh, LIU Brooklyn, Boston University and Florida Gulf Coast before defeating Boston University 2-1 in Fort Myers, FL.
The Bobcats have struggled in scoring runs this season, having only scored 57 runs in 22 games. Quinnipiac also has a team batting average of just .243 overall.
Despite struggling at the plate, Quinnipiac showed promise that it could score runs on any given day.
The Bobcats most recent loss came against N.C. Central in Lychburg, Va. In that game, Quinnipiac scored 10 runs on a season-high 20 hits. Even though the team lost, the sudden boost of offense could give them confidence going forward.
Senior infielder, Nikki Barba leads the team in total hits (25), on-base-percentage (.507), slugging percentage (.661) and is second on the team in runs batted in (nine) and home runs (three).
Middle-of-the-order hitter Dani Edmands is batting .288 with a home run and five RBI’s on the season, as well.
Senior pitcher and utility player Hannah Lindsley leads the team with four home runs and 12 RBI’s, and is second on the team with a .634 slugging percentage. Lindsley has also recorded 45 IP on the mound, striking out 28 batters in the process.
The Bobcats return to Hamden for a nine-game home stretch, which begins Thursday when they host UMass Lowell in back-to-back games. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
The baseball team has shared similar struggles as the softball team so far this season. The Bobcats currently own a 4-13 record.
Quinnipiac started its season in a four-game series against James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. The Bobcats lost the first game by a final score of 7-2, but went on to win the next two contests by a final score of 6-5 and 8-4.
Quinnipiac lost its next 11 games against out-of-conference opponents such as Belmont, Bradley, Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and Rhode Island before earning two wins in three games against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Saint Peter’s in Jersey City, NJ.
Quinnipiac has struggled at the plate, posting a .215 batting average so far. Their pitching, meanwhile, has posted a 5.72 team ERA.
Senior infielder, Vincent Guglietti leads the team in slugging percentage (.377), runs scored (14) and has hit the only home run this year for the team. Guglietti is also tied for second on the team in RBI’s with seven.
Senior infielder, Scott Donaghue is tied for first on the team with hits (18), is tied for second on the team for runs batted in (7) and is the only player on the team that has at least a .300 batting with at least 20 at-bats on the season.
Shortstop Matthew Batten leads the team in stolen bases with eight.
Sophomore pitcher Thomas Jankins leads the team with 26 IP, and is tied for first with two wins. He’s the only Quinnipiac pitcher to throw a complete game so far.
Justin Thomas is the other arm with two wins in 16.2 IP. The lefty has pitched in four games for Quinnipiac, three of which were starts.
The Bobcats play two away games against Central Connecticut State and Yale before returning for their home opener on Saturday against conference foe Siena. It will be a double-header with the first pitch of the first game scheduled for noon at the QU Baseball Field.
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