Matchup	Merrimack (0-3) vs. #9 Southern New Hampshire University (6-2)
Dates//Times	Friday, March 1st (5 pm) // Saturday, March 2nd (5:30 pm) // Sunday, March 3rd (1 pm)
Venue	Northborough, Mass. // New England Baseball Complex
Social Media	Twitter // Instagram

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After restructuring its original weekend plans to visit Shippensburg and Shepherd, the Merrimack College baseball program will shift its focus towards a three-game non-conference set with No. 9 Southern New Hampshire. All three games will be played at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass. beginning with a Friday night tilt at 5 p.m. Saturday's game is set for 5:30 p.m. while Sunday's first pitch will be thrown at 1 p.m.

UPDATE (3/1): Saturday's game has been postponed due to the extended snow fall. The program's will now play a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.  at New England Baseball Complex with the second game expected to start around 5 p.m. 

Five Things to Know:

• The Warriors battled with No. 13 Florida Southern down to the final inning last Thursday in their season opener, falling by two runs (6-4). Merrimack started sophomore Vin Zappulla for the first game this season. Zapulla went five innings, giving up four earned runs and five hits. On the offensive side, Merrimack's offense put up a big third inning where they scored three runs to make the game 4-1. The Mocs rallied to take a two-run lead, and Merrimack sent the go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the ninth, but the hosts held on to prevail by two
• Merrimack's last two games of its first Florida trip saw the Warriors fall twice to Davenport. The Warriors scored a season-high seven runs in the finale, which included a three-hit day for sophomore centerfielder Michael Jamele
• Jamele enters the weekend series as the team's top hitter. His totals include a team-high four hits – three of which are doubles – two runs scored and seven total bases. Jamele's OPS rests at a team-best 1.319. Following right behind Jamele was junior Thomas Joyce. The upper classmen tallied a great weekend with three hits and three RBI over 10 plate appearances
• The freshmen for Merrimack came to play for their first showcase in their collegiate careers. Leading the way was catcher Kurtis Stadnicki, who finished the weekend with a .500 batting average on three hits, three RBI, and two walks. Along with Stadnicki was Ben Nelson, he capped off a strong weekend with one run, one hit, a .666 OPS and a .333 batting average.
• Merrimack tabbed three underclassmen as its three starters to open the season. Zappulla's final line against the Mocs included five innings pitched, five hits allowed, four earned runs, and three strikeouts. Up next for Merrimack was fellow sophomore Timmy Kalantzakos, who tallied two and one third innings pitched, three hits, three earned runs, and two strikeouts. Finishing off the weekend was freshman Sean Thompson. The first year capped off his first game with three innings pitched, two hits, three earned runs, and four strikeouts.

 Scouting the Opposition:

Merrimack (0-3)	Stat Category	#9 Southern New Hampshire (6-2)
.241	Batting Average	.236
.306	On-Base Percentage	.359
.310	Slugging Percentage	.404
13.71	Team ERA	3.43
21	Team Strikeouts	87.0
2	Total Stolen Bases	19
.966	Team Fielding Percentage	.956
Jamele (.500)	Batting Average Leader	Tom Blandini (.389)
N/A	Home Runs Leader	Joshua Zbierski (3)
Jamele/Joyce/Stadnicki (3)	RBI Leader	Sam Henrie (11)
Stevens (0.00)	ERA Leader (Individual)	Chris Murphy (0.00)
Thompson (4)	Strikeouts Leader	Murphy (16)

 
Up Next:
Merrimack will be off until Sunday, March 10, when the Warriors head to Florida to play over spring break. The Warriors will face Bloomfield, Southern Connecticut, Barry, Caldwell, and Adelphi during their time in the Sunshine state. Check out the Warriors' full schedule for specific game times and field locations