Spiders Host Saint Peter's this Weekend at Pitt Field

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond Spiders baseball team will host the Saint Peter's Peacocks for a three-game series this weekend at Pitt Field. On Saturday, the teams will play a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. On Sunday, the teams will conclude the series with a game starting a 1 p.m. Live stats and live video for all three games can be found at RichmondSpiders.com.

Scouting the Spiders
The Richmond Spiders come in to the weekend riding a three-game winning streak, pushing their overall record to 3-3 on the season. This past Tuesday, the Spiders traveled to Norfolk and defeated the Old Dominion Monarchs, 8-2. Last weekend, Richmond took two of three from Niagara at Pitt Field.

Leading the high-powered Richmond offense so far this season has been senior Phil Ruzbarsky and junior Jacob Mayers. Ruzbarsky leads the team with a .429 batting average, while Mayers has hit a team-high four home runs and totaled nine RBIs. On the mound, Mayers has also been effective, striking out 10 batters in 10 innings pitched while posting a 1-1 record. Freshman Ryan Cook (1-0) leads the Spiders with a 1.50 ERA.

Scouting the Peacocks
The Saint Peter's College Peacocks come to Richmond with an overall record of 1-6 on the season. The Peacocks started the year losing all three games at Charlotte before winning one of four contests this past week at UNC Asheville. The Peacocks - from Jersey City, New Jersey - have yet to play at home this season.

Offense has been hard to come by through seven games this season for Saint Peter's, as the team is hitting just .151 on the year and is averaging less than two runs a game. Sophomore catcher James Smith leads the team with a .300 batting average, while senior Russell Stupienski has knocked in a team-best three runs. Pitching has been better for the Peacocks, as SPC has posted an ERA of just 4.41 through its seven contests, led by senior Matthew Yuhas (1-1, 3.97 ERA).

The Series
The three-game set this weekend at Pitt Field between the Richmond Spiders and the Saint Peter's Peacocks will mark the first time these two teams have met on the diamond.

Playing Long Ball
After just six games this season, the Spiders have been using the long ball and using it often. Heading in to this weekend's series with Saint Peter's, Richmond has hit 11 home runs - the most in the Atlantic 10. Junior Jacob Mayers leads the conference with four, while senior Chris Cowell is second in the league with three.

Strong Collegiate Debuts
On February 25-26, a pair of freshman pitchers made strong debuts on the mound for Richmond. Zak Sterling tossed 4.2 strong innings on the 25th, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out five. Then on the 26th, Ryan Cook got the start for the Spiders, throwing six innings, striking out five while surrendering just one earned run on five hits.

Close to the Top-10
With his three home runs this season, senior Chris Cowell has inched closer to making it on the school's all-time top-10 list for career home runs. With his 28 career bombs, Cowell sits just four behind Joe Mahoney in 10th place and five long-balls shy of eighth place.

No Place Like Home
After starting the season on the road, the Spiders have now begun a stretch where they will play 19 of their next 22 games at Pitt Field. Home has been kind to UR over the last three seasons, as the Spiders have posted a record of 51-36-1 (.585) since 2009, averaging over 16 wins a season at Pitt Field. Richmond is scheduled to play 32 games at home in 2012 and have posted a record of 2-1 so far this season at Pitt Field.

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