VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton baseball kicks off its 24-game America East slate this weekend when the Bearcats (5-9) host NJIT (5-10) for a three-game series. The teams will play Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) at the Bearcats Baseball Stadium.

It's the only conference series slated for the weekend and is a matchup of the 2022 (BU) and 2021 (NJIT) conference champions. The Bearcats were picked to win the title again this spring and the Highlanders were picked fourth in the Coaches' Preseason Poll. Binghamton captured the program's fifth championship in 2022 and has made the championship round in three of the last four postseason tournaments (2019, 2022, 2023). The Bearcats will host the six-team America East Championship tournament May 22-25. 

Binghamton is coming off a wild 8-7 10-inning walkoff win over St. Bonaventure Tuesday at the Stadium. Center fielder Tommy Reifler ripped a first-pitch RBI single to cap a two-run rally. The game-winning hit ended a wild 3+ hour affair that included five ties, five lead changes and 37 combined players. Reifler wound up 2-for-4 with the winning RBI. First baseman Andrew Tan belted a solo home run and finished with two RBI. Outfielder Christian Perez and catcher Evin Sullivan had two hits apiece. BU used seven pitchers by design and got two shutout, 1-hit innings from starter Hayden Tarsia and other clean 2.0 innings from Jackson Mitchell in the seventh and eighth innings. 

Senior right fielder Mike Gunning ranks second in the America East in home runs (6) and third in RBI (14). 

The Highlanders have won three of their last five but are coming off a 14-3 home loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday. Before that, NJIT took three of four from CSU Bakersfield in California. 

NJIT is hitting .259 and has a 9.26 team ERA. The offense is led by 2022 first team all-conference outfielder Albert Choi (.328, eight extra-base hits). Fifth-year catcher Luke Longo (5 HR, 13 RBI) was named one of the nation's top-50 catchers by D1baseball.com.

The teams split four games last spring with NJIT taking two of three in New Jersey before BU exacted revenge by eliminating the Highlanders 14-6 in the opening round of the America East tournament in May. Binghamton holds a 20-8 advantage all-time, including an 11-3 mark at home. 

Projected Starters
Friday, March 15
RHP Gabe Driscoll (1-2, 5.09 ERA) vs. LHP Aidan Kidd (0-0, 6.23 ERA) | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats

Saturday, March 16
RHP Ryan Bates (0-1, 7.27 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Peterson (0-2, 8.84 ERA) | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats

Sunday, March 17
LHP Nelson Berkwich (1-2, 3.98 ERA) vs. LHP Holden deJong (1-3, 9.88 ERA) | Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats