Baseball Returns Home to Take on Fairfield

University of Massachusetts Baseball Game Notes
Game 44	Massachusetts (13-30, 7-14 A-10) vs. Fairfield (27-20, 14-6 MAAC)
Date \| Time	Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 2 p.m.
Location \| Weather	Amherst, Mass. (Earl Lorden Field) Tuesday: 76 Degrees, Sunny, Chance of Rain: 0%
Series History	Massachusetts leads 13-6
Game Coverage	Live Stats: SideArm
Social Media	Twitter: @UMassBaseball \| @Stags_Base
Probable Starters	Massachusetts: RHP Casey Aubin Fairfield: TBA

Batting Practice
- This Tuesday, Massachusetts baseball returns home to Earl Lorden Field to take on Fairfield in a non-conference matchup. The game is set to start at 2 p.m.
- This game will mark the 20^th meeting between UMass and Fairfield. The Minutemen currently lead the series 13-6. The two teams last met on May 16, 2016 when UMass pounded out 11 hits, but Fairfield came away with the victory, defeating the Minutemen, 4-2.

Recap in a Minute
- The Minutemen traveled to Fordham this past weekend, where the squad took game one against the Rams in a three-game set.
- In Friday's doubleheader, UMass logged a 3-0 win in the opener behind a complete game shutout from sophomore Justin Lasko before falling in game two, 10-2.
- In game three, UMass erased a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead in the ninth, but Fordham rallied to defeat the Minutemen in the 10th, 5-4 in the series finale between the squads. Senior Jon Avallone led off the game with a home run to give UMass a 1-0 lead, marking his team-leading 5^th home run of the season.

Scouting Fairfield
- Fairfield (27-20, 14-6 MAAC) was most recently in action this past weekend, sweeping LIU Brooklyn in a non-conference series.
- With 61 hits and 38 runs, sophomore Jack Gethings leads the Stags offense through 47 games so far with a .338 batting average. Gethings is one of five Fairfield players batting above the .300 mark, helping hit at a .286 clip overall.
- On the mound, junior right-hander Gavin Wallace (8-4) has been the most effective starter for Fairfield this season. Over the course of 112 starts, Wallace holds a 2.73 ERA, in a team-high 82.1 innings pitched, with 70 strikeouts and 10 walks.
- Bill Currier is now in his sixth season directing the Stags baseball program. Currier led the 2016 Stags, a team pre-ranked eighth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, to their first MAAC Tournament Championship in program history and an appearance in the program's first NCAA Regional. The two-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2012 and 2016) has also led Fairfield two a pair of 32-win seasons, setting new program records.

Geannelis Goes The Distance … Again
- Senior Mike Geannelis pitched all 9.2 innings for UMass in game three of this past weekend's series at Fordham and took the loss (5-6), allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts. This was Geannelis' fifth straight complete game.
- In game three at Rhode Island, Geannelis, despite suffering the loss, went the distance for the Minutemen. A home run in the seventh inning for URI snapped a streak of 27 straight shutout innings for Geannelis.
- In his previous start against Dayton, Geannelis tossed a complete game shutout for the win, allowing just three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander became the first UMass hurler to toss consecutive shutouts since Matt Torra did so in a pair of seven-inning contests in 2005 against St. Bonaventure and Temple.
- On April 23, against at La Salle, Geannelis threw a complete game shutout in a winning effort, scattering five hits and walking just one while tying a career high with nine strikeouts.
- On April 14, he also threw a complete game to pick up the win against Saint Louis as he allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Getting It Done In The Classroom
- Eight members of the UMass baseball team were recognized last month for their academic success with placement on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll. In total, UMass as an institution had 165 student-athletes earn a spot on the list.
- Casey Aubin, Brett Evangelista, Kevin Hassett, Matt Hosman, Justin Lasko, Bryce Maher, Cooper Mrowka and Dylan Robinson, garnered the laurels for UMass baseball.

Set in `Stone'
- The winningest head coach in team history, UMass skipper Mike Stone is in his 30th season directing the Minutemen baseball program. In the summer of 2016, Stone announced that he would retire from coaching following the 2017 season. During his career in Amherst, Stone has helped UMass to 695 victories with eight Atlantic 10 regular season championships, along with two A-10 postseason titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Nearly 40 of his former players have gone on to play professional baseball.

On Deck
- After this Tuesday's game against Fairfield, the regular season comes to a close with an Atlantic 10 series at home against Davidson. The series begins on Thursday at Earl Lorden Field with a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. and the series finale is set for 12 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

Follow UMass Baseball on Social Media
- Fans can follow the Minutemen on Twitter @UMassBaseball for up to the minute updates, photos, and other news around the team. In addition, fans who use Facebook can visit Facebook.com/UMassBaseball for the latest with the squad.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Casey Aubin

Jon Avallone

Brett Evangelista

Mike Geannelis

Kevin Hassett

Matt Hosman

Justin Lasko

Bryce Maher

Cooper Mrowka

Dylan Robinson

University of Massachusets Athletics