Tickets will be sold at the facility and cost $5 for general admission (Children 12 and under are free) and $3 for students and seniors with a valid ID.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: All four teams will be vying for the same thing this weekend – the Empire 8 Championship and a berth into the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which is scheduled to begin next weekend. Fisher is seeking its third straight trip to The Dance and sixth in program history. The Cardinals, who are 26-14 this season, made it back to the NCAA Regional round in 2017 following their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2016.
FOR THE RECORD: Scott Eisenmenger has had an unbelievable career to this point as the Hilton native has rewritten several of the program's bench marks during his junior and senior seasons. Heading into the championship, Eisenmenger is the program's all-time leader in home runs (38) and runs batted in (193). What you might not know is that he's also nearing two other milestones in his storied career as the senior infielder sits just one double shy of breaking
Brad Rush's all-time mark of 54 two-baggers. Eisenmenger also became just the sixth player in team history to eclipse 200 career hits and needs just 10 more hits to pass Fisher Hall-of-Famer Andy Campbell's record. Over 170 career games, Eisenmenger owns a .343 batting average with 216 hits, 54 doubles, 38 home runs, 193 RBI and a .620 slugging percentage.
PITTSFORD POWER SURGE: Eisenmenger isn't the only one on the team who can drive the ball as 11 different players have connected for at least one homer this season. As a team, the Cardinals have crushed 37 dingers and enter the weekend tied for the 14th-most long balls in Division III. Sophomore infielder
Ryan Simmons and senior catcher
Victor Konstantinovsky have each belted six over the fences this season while
Allen Murphy and
Stephen Edgett each own four homers through 40 games. From a conference standpoint – no other team in the Empire 8 is even close. Stevens ranks second with 16 home runs while both Ithaca and Utica have drilled 14.
SENDING OUT AN SOS: We're talking strength of schedule here and Fisher's is quite high. In fact, entering the weekend, Fisher boasts a .572 strength of schedule, which is the 33rd-toughest schedule in Division III. To put that into perspective, there is only one other team in all of New York with a harder schedule this season than the Cardinals. In all, head coach
Brandon Potter's squad has played 16 games against teams that were ranked or receiving votes at some point during the 2018 campaign.
PITCHERS BEWARE: The Cardinals' offensive is, well we will let the numbers speak for themselves. Entering the Empire 8 Championship, Fisher leads the conference in home runs (37), RBI (268), slugging percentage (.459), total bases (635), runs scored (306) and hits (420). The team ranks second in overall batting average (.303) while its .397 on-base percentage is the third-highest among all Empire 8 members. Entering the weekend,
Justin Graham leads the Empire 8 conference with 63 hits while his .360 average at the plate is the highest on the team.
Thomas Pasquale is hitting .350 with 50 hits including a team-high 13 doubles while Simmons and Edgett are hitting .319 and .318, respectively. Konstantinovsky has had a strong senior season so far as the backstop is hitting .299 with 23 hits including nine extra base knocks.
WHAT A RELIEF: Fisher's bullpen is downright scary. Forget the fact that the team boasts a strong corps of starters led by sophomore
Anthony Brophy's 2.56 ERA. If the Cardinals get into the later innings with a lead, they typically come out ahead. Statistically speaking, if Fisher has a lead after six innings, it's 18-0 this season. Furthermore, the Cardinals know what to do with a lead. When the team scores first this season, it's 17-0.
SCOUTING STEVENS: The Ducks earned the top overall seed in the championship courtesy of a 15-3 standing in the Empire 8, however, Stevens has never claimed the Empire 8 crown since joining the conference. The Ducks aren't going to put up any big numbers at the plate as they rank fifth in the conference with a .275 batting average, however, from an individual perspective, Alex Detweiler owns a .370 average over 40 starts this season. Detweiler ranks second in the Empire 8 with 57 hits while his 12 doubles, four home runs and 46 RBI top the roster. Donny Gherardi has 46 hits in 132 at-bats (.351) with 71 total bases while Patrick Hood is hitting .309 over 40 contests.
On the mound, Stevens features one of the conference's top starters in Charlie Ruegger who is 7-2 with a 2.65 earned run average. Over 12 appearances this season and 71.1 innings, Ruegger has collected 85 strikeouts and held opponents to a .244 batting average. Danny Poidomani is 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA while Quinn DiPasquale has pitched to a .341 earned run average over 66.0 innings.
SCOUTING ITHACA: The Bombers will be in search of their 47th berth into the NCAA Championship later this week after winning the last six conference titles. Ithaca has posted a 25-14 overall record in 2018 including an 11-7 conference mark. Over 39 games this season, the Bombers own the conference's top pitching staff in terms of ERA. In 329.1 innings this season, Ithaca has a 3.31 earned run average and has held its opponents to a conference-low .240 batting average. Jake Binder has made 12 starts on the hill and in that span posted a 6-2 record with a 2.57 earned run average to go along with 49 punch outs. Tyler Hill and Jack Morello have combined to go 7-8 in 96.0 innings. Tom Cosentino has emerged as the team's top reliever with a 0.89 ERA over 20.1 innings.
Offensively, the Bombers are paced by Webb Little's .346 batting average and 44 hits. Jake Generali hits .340 while Cam Fuoti has 40 hits in 121 at-bats (.331). Sam Little and Andrew Bailey have posted a team-leading 31 RBI this season.
SCOUTING HOUGHTON: The Highlanders are making their second overall appearance in the Empire 8 Championship after last qualifying in 2015. Houghton enters with a 16-15 overall mark and a 9-9 record against conference competition. At the plate, no Empire 8 team owned a higher batting average than the Highlanders as they finished the regular season at .315 overall in just 31 games. Tage Johnson leads the team with a .388 average while David Wessells is hitting .367 on the year. Taylor Huntsman has authored 39 base hits, 16 doubles and 33 runs batted in – all of which lead the team.
Victor Cavalieri is the Empire 8's top strikeout man as he has produced 91 Ks in 54.0 innings of work. Over 10 appearances, Cavalieri is 5-4 with a 3.00 ERA. Brandon Joslin is the next line of defense for Houghton and has a 4.21 earned run average over 36.1 innings.
