FORT MYERS, Fla – After a hot and humid day off in Fort Myers, Florida for Eastern Connecticut State University Baseball, the Warriors (7-0) prepare for action against a familiar opponent for the second time this week in University of Wisconsin-Stout on Friday morning at 9:00 AM at Terry Park Sports Complex.

Eastern opened up their Florida trip against the Blue Devils (4-4) with a 20-3 win after scoring 17 unanswered runs which were highlighted by senior catcher Matt Malcom's (East Lyme) three-run home run and seven of the final 10 Warrior runs being scored through hit batters, walks, and wild pitches. However, UW-Stout has seemed to get into the Florida groove since losing to Eastern on Monday and following it up with a narrow 13-12 loss against Skidmore College in the same afternoon.

The Blue Devils had the opportunity to regroup with an off-day Tuesday and have gone on a three-game winning streak with a 14-8 win against Saint Michael's College on Wednesday and a doubleheader sweep of Lasell University on Thursday morning by final scores of 12-6 and 11-0. UW-Stout has scored 10-plus runs in their four games since losing to the Warriors and outscored their opponents 37-14 during their three-game winning streak.

Senior infielder Charlie Szykowny has started to emerge as an offensive threat for the Blue Devils during the last four games. Since going 2-for-4 with two RBIs against Eastern, Syzkowny has hit .555 (10-for-18) while hitting a home run in each of the last four games, doubling four times, and driving in 12 RBIs in that span. The right-handed hitter has reached base safely in all eight games UW-Stout has played this season and currently holds a seven-game hitting streak entering Friday.

Following a 1-for-3 performance against the Warriors, senior third baseman Joel Thimsen has continued to swing a hot bat for the Blue Devils as well. Starting the season on an eight-game hitting streak, Thimsen has driven in eight runs for UW-Stout in their last four games while hitting .500 (6-for-12) and recording four doubles.

Since the beginning of the Florida trip, junior outfielder Jack Schirpke is beginning to emerge as an offensive weapon over the last three games. After going 1-for-3 on Monday, Schirpke exploded with a 3-for-5 game against Saint Michael's with a grand slam as part of a six-RBI day on Wednesday. In the Lasell doubleheader, the junior went 1-for-4 in game one with two RBIs before a perfect 4-for-4 game two in which he drove in a run and scored three times.
 

Graduate first baseman Josh Tower (Auburn, MA) and senior first baseman Dean Slavin (Tappan, NY) continues to hold down the corner right side of the field for the Warrior defense. Tower and Slavin both hold a 1.000 fielding percentage while combining for 56 total putouts.

The duo is making a strong case for head coach Brian Hamm to place both of them in the starting lineup for their bats as well. Slavin has started the year with a .400 batting average in six games (five starts) and four RBIs while Tower is hitting .235 so far this year in five games (four starts) with two RBIs.

Sophomore first baseman Alejandro Soriano (Hartford) has started to break into the Warrior lineup as well since the team has come to Fort Myers for spring break. Soriano is hitting .500 in six at-bats in Florida, earning his first collegiate hit and RBI against UW-Stout before a 2-for-4 performance against Skidmore in which the left-handed hitter had a single and a double while driving in a run and scoring once.

On Wednesday afternoon, Soriano came up big in another pinch-hit situation with the bases loaded, rocketing a ball to center field to score the game-tying run against U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. While credited with a fielder's choice as a runner was thrown out advancing to third, the Hartford native is showing his importance at the plate in critical situations.

Despite having only a .222 batting average to start the season, graduate outfielder John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) has provided the Warriors with run support in other ways en route to a team-leading seven runs batted in during the Florida trip. In his 1-for-5 performances against UW-Stout and Skidmore College, Mesagno drove home three runs in each game and added another to his total against USMMA with a big seventh-inning double in Eastern's come from behind victory on Wednesday.

Graduate right-handed reliever Jack Wallace (Winthrop, MA) saw his first action on the mound during the trip against Merchant Marine on Wednesday. Wallace threw two pivotal innings in the late stages of the Warrior comeback, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out two and walking one. The righty has struck out three batters, walked two, allowed one hit, and no runs in his last two appearances which spanned three total innings.

First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM at Terry Park Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida. To follow all the action live, click on the link below to view the real-time statistics for the game or follow @ecsuathletics on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for game updates.

Live Stats: https://gowarriorathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary