The Games:             Towson (3-4, 0-0 CAA) vs. Holy Cross (2-4, 0-0 Patriot)
When:                        Saturday, March 1 (DH) – 11 a.m. / 2:30 p.m.
                                    Sunday, March 2 – 1 p.m.
Where:                      John B. Schuerholz Park | Towson, Md.
Live Stats:                TowsonTigers.com
Stream:                     FloCollege – Sunday only
Series History:        Towson leads the all-time series 2-1
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University baseball team hosts Holy Cross in a three-game weekend series at John B. Schuerholz Park. Game one of Saturday's doubleheader is set for 11 a.m. Game two is slated for 2:30 p.m. Sunday's series finale will start at 1 p.m.
 
Towson leads the all-time series 2-1 against the Crusaders, with the teams playing a three-game series during non-conference play of the 2009 season.
 
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross enters the weekend series at 2-4 overall through two weeks of the season. They picked up a 4-2 win over #22 Auburn in the opening series of the year and took one from George Washington in the second weekend of play. The Crusaders were picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll while boasting the league's preseason player of the year in senior first baseman and right-handed pitcher Sean Scanlon.
 
PEYTON, BISHOP & ROBINSON COLLECT PRESEASON ALL-CAA HONORS
Infielders Jordan Peyton, Casey Bishop and Taye Robinson have each earned 2025 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) preseason praise, announced by the league office.
 
Jordan Peyton was named to the 2025 All-CAA Preseason Team after batting .336 with 40 runs scored and a team-leading 41 RBI's last year. The 2024 All-CAA Honorable Mention finished the season with multiple hits in 11 of his final 13 games, batting .545 (30-for-55) with 13 runs scored, five home runs and 18 RBI's during that stretch.
 
Bishop earned preseason honorable mention recognition for the second-straight season after earning a 2023 CAA All-Rookie Team nod. He batted .216 with 12 runs scored, six RBI's and two stolen bases in 25 games played after missing more than half the season due to injury.
 
Robinson was tabbed a preseason honorable mention after a 2024 CAA All-Rookie Team selection. The Gaithersburg, Maryland native hit .310 with 26 runs scored, 28 RBI's and seven stolen bases in 51 games played. He closed the season on a seven-game hitting streak with multiple hits in 14 games during the campaign.
 
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
The 2025 Towson roster consists of 18 newcomers: 13 transfers and 5 freshmen. New Tigers that are set for prominent roles this season include Rowan College of South Jersey outfield transfer Max D'Alessandro, Hood transfer pitcher Dutch DeProspero and freshman first baseman Nich Francuzenko, among others.
 
HOMEGROWN TALENT
The 2025 Tigers' roster features 17 players from the Free State, including seven newcomers. Highlighting the newcomer group is High Point transfer Brett Ahalt, James Madison transfer Matt Leikus and Radford transfer Leo Simpson, the brother of Tiger pitcher Max Simpson, among others.
 
EARNING STRIPES
The Tigers have welcomed multiple coaches to the staff ahead of the 2025 season. J.D. Pulfer, who formerly served as a volunteer assistant for two seasons, returns in a full-time role after his most recent stint as an assistant coach for Eastern Illinois. Pulfer was a three-year starter with the Oregon Ducks, where he has the sixth-most hits in program history and was drafted in the 19th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Assistant Coach Joel Aviña most recently coached Towson infielder Jordan Peyton for the Bristol Blues in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) over the summer, helping Peyton win the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. Prior to that stint, Aviña served as an assistant at Post University for three seasons, where he led the Eagles to a .974 fielding percentage in 2024, the 16th best mark in Division II. Former Tiger pitcher Justin Rebok, who stands eighth all-time in program history in career appearances, joins the staff as the Director of Pitching Development. Third year Tiger pitching coach Mike Ruppenthal was also elevated to associate head coach.
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS
In July 2023, former Tiger right-handed pitcher Ethan Pecko was picked in the sixth round (194) of the MLB draft by the Houston Astros as the 19th Towson player in program history to be selected. In his first full season with the club in 2024, he ascended to AA Corpus Christi and was named the Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year after finishing a combined 4-6 record with a 3.47 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 96.0 innings pitched across three leagues. Former infielder Richie Palacios, a third-round pick in 2018, had previous MLB stints with Cleveland and St. Louis before being traded to Tampa Bay prior to the 2024 season. Palacios has found a home with the Rays, playing 92 games last season after being an Opening Day starter for the team.
 
RUNS IN THE FAMILY
The Tigers roster is littered with familial connections to professional sports, starting with pitcher Nate Nabholz, whose uncle Chris Nabholz was the second Towson baseball player drafted in program history. Nabholz started 100 games in the Majors after being selected in the second round of the 1988 draft by the Montreal Expos. Redshirt freshman pitcher Joey Zito is the nephew of Cy Young award-winning pitcher Barry Zito, who pitched for 15 seasons in the Major Leagues. Newcomer pitcher Jace Cunnane is the son of eight-year MLB pitcher Will Cunnane. Infielder Casey Bishop's father used to be the strength and conditioning coach for the Baltimore Orioles for 14 years. Outside of baseball, Jordan Peyton is the cousin of former Towson football player and Super Bowl champion Jermon Bushrod. Infielder Taye Robinson is the cousin of current Miami Dolphin Chop Robinson.
 
2024 RECAP
The Tigers finished the 2024 season at 15-39 overall and 5-20 in CAA play. The Tigers had two Honorable Mention All-CAA selections in outfielder Elijah Dickerson and infielder Jordan Peyton. Redshirt freshman Taye Robinson was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. The Tigers' 369 strikeouts were the seventh-most in program history, while their 11 saves were fifth-most in TU history.