VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball squares off against its oldest rival when the BU (4-15, 1-5 America East) welcomes Albany (12-9, 2-4 AE) to the Bearcats Baseball Stadium this weekend. After Friday's opener was nixed due to cold temperatures, the entire series was moved to Binghamton and BU's turf field. The teams will now play a doubleheader beginning at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and then finish the series with a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday. Binghamton will serve as the visiting team in all three games.  

The Bearcats took one game in last weekend's road series at UMass Lowell but seemingly deserved a better fate after hitting .304 as a team and posting a 2.88 pitching ERA in the series. 

On the season, junior second baseman Cavan Tully leads the team with a .339 average and a .464 on-base percentage (4th in AE). Freshman third baseman Devan Bade is hitting .333 (6th in AE and tops among freshmen) and classmate Evin Sullivan is at .322 with a team-high six doubles. Junior catcher Connor Aoki has team-highs of four home runs and 13 RBI. 

Sophomore reliever Justin Rosner has a 0.68 ERA in seven appearances. Junior closer Jack Collins has two saves and a 2.63 ERA. Collins has struck out 20 in 13.2 innings. 

Albany opened conference play by taking two of three at UMBC and then dropped three at home to reigning champion NJIT last weekend. The Great Danes are the only team in the America East with a winning record, thanks to an eight-game win streak during non-conference play. On Wednesday, Albany built a 7-1 lead and defeated visiting UMass 7-5. They lead the America East in hitting (.296) and rank second in pitching (5.94). Individually, UA has three all-conference players in its lineup, led by senior shortstop Brad Malm, who is hitting .388 with a league-best 11 home runs. Senior second baseman Johnny Marti is hitting .317 with 12 doubles. Junior outfielder Jason Bottari leads the conference with 19 stolen bases. Number one pitcher Ray Weber has two wins and a 5.79 ERA. 

Albany was picked to finish fourth in the Coaches' Preseason Poll - one spot behind Binghamton. 

The all-time series between the two programs dates back to 1950 with Albany holding a 66-56 advantage. Since both teams elevated to Division I and joined the America East, BU leads 46-37. The Great Danes have won four of the last five, however, including a two-game sweep last April at the downtown Rumbletown Stadium. There, the Great Danes won 7-3 in 12 innings and 5-3. At Albany's Varsity Field, the Bearcats hold a 21-17 edge and won two of three the last time they met back in 2019.     

Projected Weekend Matchups
Saturday, April 2 - DH Game 1 at 1 p.m. (7 inn.)
LHP Thomas Babalis (BU) (2-3, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Ray Weber (2-3, 5.79 ERA) | America East TV | Live Stats

Saturday, April 2 - DH Game 2 at TBA (9 inn.) 
RHP Gabe Driscoll (BU) (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP Anthony Germinerio (3-1, 4.55 ERA) | America East TV | Live Stats

Sunday, April 3 - 1 p.m.
RHP Ryan Bryggman (BU) (1-3, 6.33 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Eisenmann (2-2, 6.00 ERA) | America East TV | Live Stats