The Matchup: Towson (1-6, 0-0 CAA) @ Sacramento State (4-7, 0-0 WAC)
When: Friday, March 8 – 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) | Saturday, March 9 – 5 p.m. ET/8 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. PT) | Sunday, March 10 – 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT)
Where: John Smith Field – Sacramento, Calif.
Online Broadcast: WAC Digital Network
Series: First Meeting
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Finally getting some decent weather, the Towson University baseball team will get on the field for the first time since February 27th, heading to California to play Sacramento State for a four-game series from March 8-10.
The series begins with a Friday, 9 p.m. ET matchup, followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. ET then finishing with a Sunday, 1 p.m. ET game.
All games will be streamed on the WAC Digital Network online.
Towson, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, fell in a mid-week contest at West Virginia 8-3 on Wednesday, February 27th to stand at 1-6 overall, tying to snap a three-game losing streak. Sacramento State, out of the Western Athletic Conference, has fallen in four of its last five games, including a 10-1 defeat at Saint Mary's on Tuesday night, to come in with a 4-7 record.
Towson and Sacramento State are meeting for the first time ever. This is the second time in as many years, and fourth season since 2014, where Towson is playing an opponent from the WAC. Sacramento State has never played an opponent from the CAA.
Stramara Named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Senior
Dean Stramara is one of 75 players nationally to be selected to the 2019 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
In 2018, he had the best ERA for Towson at 3.94 in 21 appearances, striking out 48 batters in 59.1 innings.
Towson is Traveling
The Tigers will be traveling quite a bit in 2019 with games scheduled in 10 different states, primarily up and down the East Coast.
Along with the home state of Maryland, states Towson will have games in this year includes California, Florida, Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Towson Predicted to Finish 9th in the CAA Preseason Poll
In the coaches preseason poll, Towson was predicted to finish ninth in the CAA in 2019. Towson got 13 points in the poll.
Elon is predicted to finish first with 57 points and four first-place votes, followed by a tie for second between UNC Wilmington and Northeastern. Charleston, Delaware, James Madison, William & Mary and Hofstra are the other members of the poll.
CAA Preseason Poll (first place votes, points)
1. Elon (4), 57
t2. UNC Wilmington (1), 54
t2. Northeastern (4), 54
4. Charleston, 47
5. Delaware, 34
6. James Madison, 32
7. William & Mary, 19
8. Hofstra, 14
9. Towson, 13
Strong Start by Top Relievers
Two Towson relievers have had a strong start to the season from the bullpen:
Austin Weber has not allowed an earned run in 6.1 innings with a win and six strikeouts while
Matt Watters has appeared three times, striking out 10 in five innings with a 1.80 ERA.
Coaching Staff Intact for 2019
Head coach
Matt Tyner, in his second year, returns all assistant coaches for the 2019 season.
Miles Miller is back as the team's pitching coach in his second season, as is hitting coach
Tanner Biagini and volunteer assistant
Mickey Williard, the infield coach.
Eric Franc is back, in his ninth season with the program, as the director of player development.
Two former players,
Skyler Morris and
Charlie Watters, will serve as student assistants. Three other students will serve in other roles:
Isabelle Pardew is the director of baseball analytics,
Emma Toth is the student manager and
Jon Wancowicz is the bullpen catcher.
Tyner Approaching 100 Wins
Head coach
Matt Tyner has a chance to reach the 100-win plateau in his career. He currently is at 72 victories, having 12 with Towson and 60 in two years at Bellarmine. He is in his fourth year as a head coach overall and second year at Towson.
Stramara Approaching Pitching Top-10 Marks
Senior pitcher
Dean Stramara is coming close to the top-10 in Towson history in numerous categories.
He stands with 139 career strikeouts, six away from tying for 10th all-time in that category with two former Tigers at 145:
Brandon Gonnella (2011-14) and Derek Hasselhoff (1992-95).
Stramara has pitched in 53 games, seven away from tying for 10th at 60 with Drew Permison (2008-10) and Zach Umberger (2007-11).
Pair of Three-Year Starters Are Back
Two position players returning in 2019 have been primary starters in each of their first three years.
Richard Miller has been the main third baseman for Towson for three seasons, entering 2019 with 136 games played and 116 started, starting at least 27 games each season.
Starting at 104 games mainly at catcher,
Trey Martinez has made at least 29 starts in each of his first three years, playing in 119 games going into 2019.
In addition, senior
Dean Stramara has appeared in 53 games as a pitcher, mainly out of the bullpen.
Tom Flacco Joins the Baseball Team
Tom Flacco, the 2018 CAA Offensive Player of the Year for the Towson football team, comes to the diamond for the baseball team in 2019.
Flacco, a graduate of Rutgers University, was drafted in the 32nd round out of high school in 2014 by the Philadelphia Phillies, electing to attend Western Michigan to play football.
His brother, Michael, played in the minors from 2009-12 after being drafted in the 31st round by the Baltimore Orioles.
Maryland, My Maryland
Towson sports 12 players from the home state of Maryland, coming from all areas of the region.
In addition, two freshmen,
Trent Gast-Woodard and
Nick Brown, each are from the home city of Baltimore. Gast-Woodard and Brown each attended Archbishop Curley.
Time Zones Covered
Towson's roster covers all four time zones in the contiguous United States.
From the Pacific Time Zone comes three players from California: infielders
Colin Conroy and
Brad Powers plus catcher
Jack Rotteveel.
John Cranston, from Scottsdale, Arizona, represents the Mountain Time Zone while Louisiana natives
Travis Dowden and
Nick Canevari represent the Central Time Zone.
1988 Team Inducted into Towson Athletics Hall of Fame
The 1988 Towson baseball team was inducted as a "Team of Distinction" into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018.
The 1988 Tigers were the first Towson men's team to earn a Division I postseason berth after winning the East Coast Conference Tournament.
Under head coach Mike Gottlieb, Towson finished 31-17-1. .645 is still the best winning percentage for a Towson baseball team in a single season, while 17 losses is the fewest amount in a season to date.
Four Towson players earned First Team All-Conference distinction that year: Kevin King (SS), who is in the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame as a player, Chris Nabholz (P), Mike Wlazlak (3B) and Robbie Smith (1B).
Towson Approaching 900th Program Victory
Since the first year of Towson baseball in 1980, Towson has amassed 874 victories as a program, fast approaching 900.
The program has three league titles in 1988, 1991 and 2013 in its history, all coming with appearances in the NCAA regionals.
Scouting Sacramento State
Sacramento State will be playing 14 straight home games starting with its series vs. Towson.
The Hornets were predicted to finish third in the WAC in the preseason coaches poll, including a pair of first-place votes.
As a team, Sacramento State is hitting .190, with only one player hitting above .240 through the first 11 games: freshman catcher Martin Vincelli-Simard is hitting .282 with two home runs and six RBI. In the outfield, senior outfielder Bronson Grubbs is hitting .237 with three doubles and three stolen bases.
Two pitchers were placed on the 2019 Preseason All-WAC Team: sophomore righty Scott Randall has thrown 18 innings in three starts, going 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA and 21 strikeouts to four walks, while senior right-hander Tanner Dalton has made four relief appearances, getting a 4.09 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings.
About John Smith Field
The field was built in 1953 and renamed for its longtime coach in 2010. The facility had lights installed in 2016, one of several renovations over the past 16 years.
