VESTAL, N.Y. - Having already clinched the tournament top seed and at least a share of the America East regular season title, Binghamton baseball (26-19, 15-6 AE) heads to Lowell, Mass. for a closing series against UMass Lowell (19-27, 9-12 AE) this weekend. Weather could potentially change the schedule, which has the teams slated to play a doubleheader at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon and a single game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Le Lacheur Park. 

Binghamton will clinch the outright regular season crown - the program's seventh - with one win or one weekend loss from UMBC. Head coach Tim Sinicki's next order of business will be to line up his pitching staff for the America East tournament, which begins Wednesday afternoon at the Bearcats Baseball Complex. Reigning champion Binghamton's first game will be at 11 a.m. Thursday morning once the field is trimmed to four for the double-elimination format. Tickets for the tournament are available here.

The Bearcats have split their last six conference games after rattling off 11 straight wins. Last weekend at UAlbany, Binghamton won the first two before the Great Danes rallied late to take the finale. The team is hitting .264 (4th in AE), has a 6.35 pitching ERA (5th) and has a .973 fielding percentage (2nd). 

Sophomore right fielder Braylen Gonzalez ranks fourth in the nation in walks per game (1.12). He is seven walks shy of tying the school record. Gonzalez also ranks second in the conference in on-base percentage (.463). Sophomore left fielder Sean Sweeney leads the America East in average (.408) and on-base percentage (.492) and is second in OPS (1.026). Sophomore catcher Tommy Popoff leads the conference with 47 RBI and sophomore center fielder Matt Bolton ranks among the America East top-5 in six offensive categories, including OPS (3rd at .992), average (4th, .335) and slugging (4th, .547).  

The River Hawks are coming off a three-game sweep at Maine, which came on the heels of a seven-game losing streak. UML ranks third in the conference in hitting (.276), fifth in fielding (.963) and last in pitching (6.69 ERA). 

Back on March 20-22, the teams met in Vestal and the Bearcats won two of three. After dropping the opener 7-5 in 10 innings, Binghamton posted wins of 16-10 and 14-10. The Bearcats lead the all-time series 24-21 but UML has won five of the last eight. Binghamton is 5-14 against the River Hawks at Le Lacheur Park. 

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday, May 15 - 3 p.m. (DH)
Game 1: RHP Conner Griffin (2-3, 4.93 ERA) vs. RHP Frankie DeMaro (1-3, 6.75 ERA) | Live Video | Live Stats
Game 2: RHP Mason Holloway (3-3, 5.27 ERA) vs. RHP Alfred Mucciarone (3-5, 4.66 ERA) | Live Video | Live Stats

Saturday, May 16 - 3 p.m.
TBA vs. TBA | Live Video | Live Stats