WESTFIELD, Mass. – This afternoon, Friday, April 12, at 3:30 the Owls will travel to Salem State University to face off against the Vikings in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup in the first of a three-game series. The Owls will host a double header against the Vikings on Sunday, April 14th with the first pitch coming at 1:00 P.M.
Both teams enter the series tied atop the conference standings with the Owls holding an overall record of 15-8 and a 4-2 record in the conference. Salem State comes into the series with an overall record of 11-7 and a conference record of 4-2.
WESTFIELD STATE PITCHING: Pitching will be on display in the series as both teams hold the lowest earned run average totals as a staff. The Owls currently hold the lowest team ERA in the conference at 3.65. Ryan Lapierre (Pittsfield, Mass.) leads the way with a league-best 1.71 ERA and is a perfect 5-0 in five starts this year. He's recorded 35 strikeouts while allowing only six runs in 31.2 innings pitched. Colton Vasseur (Colchester, Conn.) is second on the Owls with an ERA of 2.60. Vasseur is 3-0 on the season and is holding his opponents to a batting average of .183 in 21 innings pitched.
SALEM STATE PITCHING: The Vikings are currently second in the conference in earned run average, behind the Owls with an ERA of 5.45. Brock Pare (Lowell, Mass.) leads the way for the Vikings with an ERA of 4.18 on the season. Pare has a total of 23 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a batting average of .196 in 26.0 innings pitched.
WESTFIELD STATE OFFENSE: The Owls currently have a team batting average of .281. Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.) leads the way for the Owls as he leads the conference with 33 runs scored and 19 stolen bases while also tying the league lead with five home runs. He paces the Owls with a .407 batting average and 23 RBI and is riding a program-record 21-game hitting streak.
Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) is tied for third in the conference in home runs with four and has collected at least one hit in seven of his last eight games on the season. Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) fronts the team with a .484 on-base percentage while owning a .300 batting average with 22 runs and has 18 runs batted in.
SALEM STATE OFFENSE: Salem State currently holds the best team batting average in the conference at .305. Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.) is one of the six Vikings hitters batting above .300 and is currently second in the MASCAC in batting average, batting .429 on the season. Currier has scored eight runs and recorded six RBI for the Vikings on the season. Mark Smith is second on the team in batting average, batting .375 on the year. Smith also has four home runs, 14 RBI, and has scored 24 runs this year.
LIVE COVERAGE: For the latest schedule updates along with video and live stats for this weekend's games, head to WestfieldStateOwls.com.
Written by Anthony Franco – Westfield State Sports Information Intern