LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell baseball team (1-5) is headed to the west coast for a week-long trip, beginning with a four-game series against San Francisco (6-5) from March 6-9 before stopping at Sacramento State (3-9) for a midweek game on Tuesday, March 10.

LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter the fourth week of the season with a 1-5 record after their series against LIU was canceled the previous week. During the last set of games, UMass Lowell competed at the Snowbird Baseball Classic from February 20-22. The River Hawks matched up against Illinois State, dropping their first contest 12-1. Freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) posted one hit and one RBI, while junior Alfred Mucciarone (Franklin, Mass.) got the start on the mound, pitching 5.0 innings with three strikeouts. Freshman Christopher Klueber (Bourne, Mass.) appeared in 2.0 innings, registering a season-high three strikeouts. UMass Lowell posted a season-high with 12 runs scored against Miami (Ohio) in its second game of the Snowbird Classic, but fell 14-12 in a back-and-forth battle. Four River Hawks collected a pair of hits in the contest, with junior Ryan Strand (Goffstown, N.H.) and graduate student Jorge Burgos (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) leading the way, as Strand drove in two runs on two hits and Burgos added two hits, including a triple, with two runs and one RBI. Senior Joseph DeLanzo (Nutley, N.J.) and freshman Cal Chance (Wolcott, Conn.) each recorded two hits with one RBI and one run in the contest as well. Getting the starting nod, senior Brian Foley (Milton, Mass.) pitched 4.0 innings, tossing five strikeouts and allowing just one earned run. The final game of the Snowbird Baseball Classic was a competitive standoff against Indiana State, but the Sycamores came out on top 10-2. Both redshirt-sophomore Sean O'Leary (Foxboro, Mass.) and Chance recorded a hit and an RBI, while senior Jacob Jette (Franklin, Mass.) opened the game on the mound, going 4.2 innings with two strikeouts and zero earned runs.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Entering the fourth week of the season, Chance currently leads the team in batting average (.353) and is tied with O'Leary for most hits on the team with six. Junior Rowan Masse (Manchester, Conn.) and Burgos are both tied for first on the team in runs scored with seven. Burgos ranks first in triples (1) and on-base percentage (.775), while also sitting tied with senior Carlos Martinez (Coamo, Puerto Rico) and O'Leary in home runs with one. Martinez also ranks first on the team in RBI with seven and doubles with three, and Masse has stolen the most bases (1) on the team.

Foley leads the team in earned run average (2.25) and the most strikeouts with 13. Mucciarone has pitched in the most innings at 10.2, while freshman Colin Ducie (Plymouth, Mass.) paces the team overall in WHIP at 0.33. Sophomore Jake LeFrancois (Worcester, Mass.) leads the way with one save, and graduate student Frankie DeMaro (Newburgh, N.Y.) sits first with one win.

STORMING THE RANKINGS
Foley's play has been stellar on the mound throughout the first few weeks of the season, currently sitting on the Division I leaderboard for strikeouts per nine innings. The senior captain averages 14.62 strikeouts per nine innings, recording 13 strikeouts after pitching 8.0 innings, so far.

AE OVERALL PLAYER STATISTICAL RANKS
Heading into the month of March, Chance is ranked fifth in the America East in batting average (.353). Both Burgos and Masse are tied for sixth in the conference in runs scored at seven, while Martinez is currently tied for seventh in RBI with seven, and tied for third in doubles with three. Burgos is also tied for third in triples with one,and tied for ninth in home runs (1) along with Martinez and O'Leary. Masse sits tied for third in the America East in walks (6), while senior Zachary Scott (Lunenburg, Mass.) is right behind him with five.

Foley's 2.25 ERA ranks him third in the conference, while Jette is close behind in fifth at 2.45, and Mucciarone is sitting in eighth at a 4.22 ERA. Foley is also tied for first in strikeouts in the America East at 13, while Mucciarone is ranked eighth in innings pitched with 10.2. DeMaro is tied for first in wins (1), and LeFrancois is tied for second in saves at one.

SCOUTING SAN FRANCISCO
In the Dons' most recent contest, San Francisco went head-to-head against California Baptist on Sunday, falling in a 2-1 outcome, to now sit at a 6-5 overall record. Sophomore Brendan Burke leads San Francisco in batting average at .308 and hits with 12, while also tallying six runs batted in, two runs, a double, and a home run. Graduate student TJ Rogers currently ranks first on the team in slugging percentage at .561, runs scored with nine, doubles with four, home runs with three, and runs batted in with seven. The infielder has also recorded 10 hits for a .244 batting average. The key pitcher for San Francisco is senior Gabriel Barrett, as the right-hander leads the team in earned run average (2.81), innings pitched (16.0), and strikeouts (16). Junior Adrian Valdez has been effective on the mound, striking out 14 batters faced in 13.0 innings pitched to own a 3.46 earned run average. Graduate student Kai Yovanovich leads the team in wins with two, and graduate student Nick Bacura ranks first on the team in saves with three.

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE
The Hornets concluded a midweek game at Fresno State on Tuesday, March 3, before taking on #2 LSU this weekend. In their midweek contest, Sacramento State fell short 0-2 against Fresno State, falling to a 3-9 record on the year. Senior Luis Pimentel-Guerrero leads the team overall in batting average (.326) and hits (14), while also registering seven runs batted in, four runs scored, a home run, and a double. Another piece to the Hornets' offense, junior Erick Dessens has tallied a team-high 10 runs batted in, as well as 12 hits, six runs, two home runs, and one double so far in the season. Out of the bullpen, senior Ethan Lay has appeared in the most innings at 19.2, while also striking out the most batters at 24. The pitcher has also registered a team-high 2.29 earned run average and a 0.81 WHIP. Junior Kurt Marton is another big piece to the pitching core for the Hornets, posting a 2.30 earned run average and 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched. The right-hander also owns a 1-1 record and a .89 WHIP on the season.

MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell previously matched up with San Francisco one time in the Division I era, with the Dons earning the victory in that contest. This will be the first time in Division I history that the UMass Lowell baseball team will be going head-to-head against Sacramento State.