WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Siena Baseball begins its quest for the program's sixth MAAC Championship when the seventh-seeded Saints battle No. 2 seed Monmouth in the best-of-three MAAC Quarterfinals at MU Baseball Field. The series commences Friday with doubleheader action beginning at 11 a.m., with the potential rubber game slated for noon Saturday.
 
The winner of the series will advance to the four-team, double-elimination MAAC Championship Round hosted by top-seeded Fairfield, beginning Wednesday in Fairfield, Connecticut.
 
Game 1 – Friday (11 AM)
Probables: Connor Bovair, Siena (RHP: 3-5, 5.18 ERA) vs. Dan Klepchick, Monmouth (RHP: 4-2, 1.51 ERA)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
 
Game 2 – Friday (Approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1)
Probables: John Lumpinski, Siena (RHP: 4-1, 1.88 ERA) vs. Trey Dombroski, Monmouth (LHP: 4-1, 3.26 ERA)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
 
Game 3 (If Necessary) – Saturday (12 PM)
Probables: Brooks Knapek, Siena (LHP: 2-2, 3.94 ERA) vs. Rob Hensey, Monmouth (LHP: 5-0, 0.96 ERA)
TV: ESPN+  
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
 
Siena in the MAAC Championships (15^th Appearance)
Record: 32-20 (.615)
Championships: 5 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2014)
As #7 seed: 0-0
Vs. #2 seed: 10-6
Vs. Monmouth: 2-1
 
Siena makes the program's 15^th MAAC Championship appearance in search of its sixth MAAC Tournament Championship. The Saints' five MAAC Championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2014) are third most in conference history, trailing only former MAAC member Le Moyne (eight) and Marist (six), while Siena's 10 appearances in the MAAC Championship series are the most in conference history.
 
The Saints return to the MAAC Tournament for the first time in three years, after having qualified six times in the previous eight seasons. Only seniors Brendan Conley and Tim Carroll were a part of Siena's last MAAC Tournament team in 2018.
 
The Saints advanced to the MAAC Championship series in six straight appearances (2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), and have won at least two MAAC Tournament games in each of their past seven appearances overall.
 
Siena owns a stellar 32-20 (.615) MAAC Tournament record, albeit an even 19-19 mark after beginning a remarkable 13-1 in winning championships in each of the program's first four MAAC Tournament appearances.
 
The Saints haven taken two of three previous MAAC Tournament meetings vs. Monmouth. Second-seeded Siena defeated No. 5 Monmouth 6-5 in an elimination game here on the Jersey Shore in 2014 at First Energy Park in Lakewood, while the fourth-seeded Saints trounced the fifth-seeded Hawks 12-0 in the opener of the 2015 MAAC Tournament in Fishkill, New York. Top-seeded Monmouth prevailed over No. 4 Siena 5-4 in a winner's bracket game in 2018 in Staten Island.
 
The Series With Monmouth: (20^th Meeting: Monmouth leads, 11-8)
Siena and Monmouth have met 19 previous times, with the Hawks holding an 11-8 advantage in the all-time series. The programs had never met prior to Monmouth making its MAAC Baseball debut in 2014. The Hawks have captured the past seven matchups between the programs, with the Saints last win coming on May 11, 2018 here in West Long Branch. Prior to this season, the programs had not met in either 2019 (league bye) or 2020 (coronavirus pandemic) after having played four times including a MAAC Tournament contest in 2018.
 
Monmouth swept the four-game regular season series between the squads Easter Weekend Apr. 2-3 here on the Jersey Shore. The Hawks outscored Siena by a 26-1 margin in the series, posting 6-0 (7), 5-0, 2-0 (7), and 13-1 (7 – mercy rule) triumphs. Saints' hitters posted just a .189 average and struck out 36 times in 30 innings, while Monmouth batters hit .324. Junior shortstop Devan Kruzinski paced the Saints at the plate, going 5-9 while reaching base safely seven times.  
 
Scouting Siena (14-22)
Siena enters the MAAC Tournament as the only conference squad to successfully navigate the full 36-game abbreviated league schedule this spring. However, after having a bye the final weekend of the regular season, the Saints will be playing for the first time in nine days when they return to the diamond Friday. Siena is the only team to date to defeat 35-1 Fairfield this season, handing the Stags their lone loss, 6-1 on May 2 in Connecticut.
 
Should Siena advance to the Championship Round, the Saints will need to improve upon a 3-13 road mark. The Saints went 11-9 within the friendly confines of Connors Park this spring, but have averaged just 2.8 runs while hitting only .210 away from home. Meanwhile Siena's opponents have averaged 8.1 runs while hitting .331 at home against the Saints this spring. Monmouth carries a 16-4 record at home into this weekend's series.
 
Offensively, Siena has been propelled by timely running on the base paths. The Saints lead the MAAC with 51 stolen bases in 61 attempts (83.6%), ranking 48^th nationally in stolen bases per game (1.42). A whopping 17 different Siena players have stolen a base so far this year, with junior centerfielder Evan St. Claire leading the way at a perfect 9-9. A perennial defensive standout, St. Claire has enjoyed a breakout year with the bat. After hitting just a combined .129 (17-132) over his first two seasons, St. Claire ranks eighth in the MAAC with a stellar .370 batting average this spring. The Saints have also received a boost from VCU transfer Brett Young who made his debut midway through the season. In 14 games, Young has hit .391 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI over 46 at-bats. Freshman infielder Kobe Stenson was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team after hitting .275 while tying for the team lead in both homers (three) and RBI (17).
 
On the mound, the Saints' have made a vast improvement following a slow start to the season. After posting a 9.44 ERA and a .319 opponents' batting average over the first 22 games, Siena hurlers have achieved a stellar 2.97 ERA and a .191 opponents' batting average over the last 14 games. Additionally, the Saints have a no-hitter, two one-hitters, and a two-hitter over this recent stretch, with junior reliever Arlo Marynczak tossing the program's first no-hitter in 17 years in his first collegiate start on Apr. 24 vs. Saint Peter's.  Freshman ace and MAAC All-Rookie Team selection Connor Bovair has already broken the program's freshman record for strikeouts with a league-high 65, which was 13 more than any other MAAC pitcher through the conclusion of the regular season. Bovair, who is averaging 12.02 strikeouts per-nine innings, tied the NCAA single-game high for a seven-inning game with 17 strikeouts on Apr. 23 vs. Saint Peter's. John Lumpinski was named to the MAAC Second Team after posting a 4-1 record in five starts with a 1.88 ERA and a .196 opponents' batting average during the regular season. Despite going exactly one month between appearances due to injury, the sophomore hurler finished the regular season strong allowing just six hits and one run in 13 innings of work while earning wins over MAAC contenders Fairfield and Rider in his last two starts.
 
Siena is led by legendary head coach Tony Rossi who has been in charge of the program since the Nixon Administration. Now in his 52^nd season as head coach, Rossi is the longest tenured head coach in NCAA Division I Baseball history, and the second longest active tenured college baseball coach at any level, trailing only Division II Bentley's Bob DeFelice who is in his 53^rd season. Rossi is third all-time in NCAA Baseball history in seasons coached, trailing only former Division III coach Gordie Gillespie (59 seasons) and DeFelice. Rossi, who has won 922 games, is the winningest coach in both Siena College and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference history.
 
Scouting Monmouth (22-10)
Monmouth concluded a stellar second-place regular season by winning nine of their final 12 games. The Hawks have been led by a sensational pitching staff, which is tied for the national lead with eight shutouts. Monmouth stands second nationally in both earned run average (2.90) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.76), fourth in WHIP (1.13), and 18^th in hits allowed per-nine innings (7.60).
 
The Hawks boasted six All-MAAC selections headlined by MAAC Pitcher of the Year Rob Hensey and MAAC Rookie of the Year Dixon Black. Hensey ranks second nationally in earned run average (0.96), third in WHIP (0.77), and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.25). Fellow starter and staff ace Dan Klepchick meanwhile ranks ninth in both ERA (1.51) and WHIP (0.84), and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.50).
 
Now in its eighth season of MAAC competition, the Hawks are in search of the program's first MAAC Championship. Monmouth is 6-10 all-time in MAAC Tournament games, having advanced as far as the MAAC Championship Series in 2018.