BOSTON – Entering the final week of the regular season, Northeastern will have one more Colonial Athletic Association foe to contend with, as the Huskies head to Towson to take on the Tigers on Thursday. Towson has already secured its spot in the CAA Tournament, starting May 22, and Northeastern is vying for its own spot, needing at least a win to do so.
The Huskies will be throwing freshman
James Mulry (2-2, 3.20 ERA) on Thursday, sophomore
Nick Berger (6-5, 2.83 ERA) on Friday and a pitcher to be named later on in the regular season finale on Saturday.
The magic (NU)mbers
Coming into the final regular series weekend with Towson, Northeastern has a couple of numbers to keep its eyes on, most importantly the number 1. The Huskies need one of two things in regard to claiming a spot in the CAA Tournament starting May 22: One win over Towson or one loss by Hofstra to UNCW. Northeastern sits at 11-13 in conference play, two games up on the Pride (9-15), with a tiebreaker in hand. One Husky win or one Pride loss will clinch NU a spot in the Tournament for the first time since 2009.
Northeastern also has a chance to accomplish something the program hasn't done since 1997: reach 30 wins. At 27-22 this season, the Huskies need just three wins to reach the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in school history. If the Huskies can grab two wins from Towson, 2013 would go down as the sixth-best season (with respect to overall record) in program history.
Berger King
Sophomore hurler
Nick Berger solidified himself before the start of the season as a weekend pitcher, and has done little to disappoint to this point, especially recently. A two-time CAA Pitcher of the Week in 2013, Berger is an impressive 4-1 in his last six starts, and the Huskies have won more games with him on the mound than any other pitcher on staff (7-5).
Berger himself is 6-5 this season and owns a respectable 2.83 ERA with four complete games under his belt -- two of which were shutout victories. The Commack, N.Y., native has fanned 48 batters, while issuing 27 walks and allowing just 26 earned runs in 82.2 innings of work this season. His two best performances came against proven CAA opponents, shutting down both UNCW (allowing a meager two hits in a 1-0 win) and Delaware (giving up just one run and striking out seven in a 3-1 win).
Eight is great
Out of the Huskies' 239 runs this season, 18-percent of those (45 runs) have come in the eighth inning alone -- 15 more than NU has scored in any other inning. Comparatively, Husky pitchers have only allowed just 20 runs to opponents in the frame over the length of the season. On top of that, Northeastern is 23-1 when owning a lead in the eighth.
Towson, on the other hand, has only scored 26 runs in the eighth all season, allowing 46 to its opponents. Though the Tigers themselves are 22-1 when holding a late lead, TU is 1-26 when tied or trailing at that point in the game.
A look at Towson
Having already secured a spot in the CAA Tournament a week from now, the Tigers are looking to improve their overall record, inching closer to a .500 winning percentage. Towson (23-27, 12-12 CAA) is 5-11 in its last 16 contests, including 2-6 in the previous eight. The Tigers have show their muscle during that time, however, by taking two of three from then-nationally ranked UNCW.
Peter Bowles and Kurt Wertz lead the Tigers' cause at the dish, both averaging .335 or better swinging the stick. Bowles has 57 hits, 15 of which are doubles, a triple and six home runs. Wertz has scored 32 runs on 60 hits this year, compiling 26 extra-base hits, including a team-high eight home runs. In total, the Tigers have careened 34 homers this year, fourth in the conference.
On the mound, TU will toss Mike Volpe (6-3, 4.10 ERA) on Thursday and Brandon Gonnella (4-4, 5.16 ERA) on Friday, leaving a pitcher to be determined on Saturday. Volpe leads the squad with 55 strikeouts in 74.2 innings, while Gonnella is close behind with 49 K's in 61.0 innings pitched.
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