Prince George's Baseball Welcomes Howard University Club To Largo On Saturday For Doubleheader

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Howard University Club at Prince George's (1-1)
Sat, March 3, 2018 | 12 p.m. (DH)
Prince George's Baseball Field | Largo, Md.  

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PRINCE GEORGE'S: ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS

opening pitch… Prince George's will host Howard University Club for a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.

last time out… Freshman Josh Pietrandrea could not write a better script for his first collegiate game. The freshman went 3-for-3 with two home runs including his second homer of the day that ended a 12-2 victory in five innings to power Prince George's Community College past SUNY Orange in the baseball season opener for both teams on Feb, 24. Despite scoring eight times in the last two innings, the Owls fell in the nightcap 9-8. Pietrandrea's first collegiate at bat was a battle, but with the count at 3-2 the freshman drilled a shot over the center field fence for his first collegiate home run. After walking in the second inning, he reached on a slow roller to the shortstop for an infield single. The Colts then scored two runs in the top of the fifth to send the game to the bottom of the inning only to see Pietrandrea lumber up for the second time on the afternoon with a two-run shot to give the new-look Owls a walk-off victory. The freshman was 1-for-3 with a run scored to finish his first collegiate afternoon 4-for-7 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Sophomore Bay To went 4-for-8 with five runs scored and an RBI. Naquan Holden added a hit, three runs scored and two RBIs. Tommy Petrosino Jr recorded three hits and three runs scored while Dominic Marquez notched three hits, two RBIs and a run scored. Vinny Rotundo added a hit, three RBIs and a run scored on the afternoon.

next time on the diamond… The Owls hit the road for a four-team, five-game road trip before returning home to host CCAC-Boyce on Mar. 11. The squad will play four Maryland JUCO teams on its stretch away from Largo at CCBC Essex (Tuesday), Harford (Wednesday), CCBC Catonsville (Thursday) and Garrett (Mar. 10).

the long ball… Freshman Josh Pietrandrea smacked two homers in his first collegiate game against SUNY Orange on Feb. 24.

extra base hits… Freshman Dominic Marquez leads the team with two doubles while freshmen Dylan Irizarry, Josh Pietrandrea and Vinny Rotundo each have one two bagger on the year. Sophomore Bay To is the only one on the team with a triple.

nationally ranked… Prince George's Community College baseball team was ranked 10th in the NJCAA Preseason Poll. The defending national champion Tyler Junior College, who defeated Prince George's in the opening game of the 2017 NJCAA Division III World Series, is the preseason favorite after receiving 60 points. Niagara County (52 points), Cumberland County (49 points), Northampton (38 points), Century (35 points), St. Cloud Tech (29 points), Rowan Gloucester (23 points), Brookhaven (16 points), Delta (13 points) and Prince George's (8 points) rounded out the poll. The Owls were ranked in six of the final seven national polls last season.

tuff enough… Along with the usually tough Maryland JUCO schedule, the Owls have two teams on their schedule that are ranked in the preseason and were at the NJCAA Division III College World Series last season. The squad will battle Niagara County Community College (No. 2 in preseason poll) and Rowan College at Gloucester County (No. 7 in preseason poll) on Mar. 14 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

a year to remember… Prince George's is coming off one its best seasons in program history after winning the NJCAA Division III Region XX Tournament and NJCAA District D Tournament titles to clinch its second trip to the NJCAA World Series in the last four years. Along with head coach Buddy Foster and assistant coach Jimmy Williams, sophomore Austin Adams, Brandon Crosby, Naquan Holden and Bay To are the only returners from last year's championship run.

all-american returner… Sophomore Brandon Crosby returns after being named an NJCAA All-America first team selection last year. Crosby paced the team in hits (81), runs (71), stolen bases (45), batting average (.440) and on-base percentage (.527) while ranking third in RBIs (49), third in doubles (17), third in triples (2) and fourth in slugging percentage (.620). The freshman paced NJCAA Division III in steals and ranked fourth in stolen bases for all NJCAA divisions while also ranking eighth in Division III in runs. He posted a hit in 42 of the 49 games played, including 13 two-hit games and 12 three-hit performances. Crosby scored two or more runs 19 times and registered two or more stolen bases in 13 games. Crosby was also named an All-Maryland JUCO first team, All-NJCAA Division III Region XX first team and to the NJCAA Division III Region XX All-Tournament team.

other honors returning… Along with Brandon Crosby, sophomore Bay To returns after garnering All-NJCAA Division III Region XX first team honors and a spot on the NJCAA Division III All-Tournament team. Head coach Buddy Foster was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III District D Regional Coach Of The Year.

the roster… Head coach Buddy Foster has added 12 freshmen to his team in 2018 while returning four players from last year's team. Keaton Bradley, Mateen Bradley, Anthony Cavalier, Dylan Irizarry, Dominic Marquez, Tyrone Miller, Jr., Chase Perreault, Tommy Petrosino, Josh Pietrandrea, Clark Reese, Vinny Rotundo, O'Neal Torche.

about the coach… Head coach Buddy Foster enters his sixth season as the head coach of the baseball team. Foster has been at Prince George's since the 2009 campaign after serving as the squad's pitching coach for three seasons before being elevated to the head coach position. He guided the 2014 and 2017 Owls to the NJCAA Region XX Division III title and advanced to the NJCAA Division III World Series. Foster won his 100th game in the NJCAA District D Championship in 2017 and was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III District D Regional Coach Of The Year in 2014 and 2017.

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