Friday, February 14
Winter Haven, Fla.
3:00 PM
Boston College
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Andy Mead
Baseball Season Opens Friday in Florida
February 13, 2020 | Baseball
Eagles take on Northern Illinois for four-game series in Winter Haven.
WEEKEND PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Friday, 3 p.m.: RHP-Mason Pelio (4-3, 3.62) vs. RHP-Michael Lasiewicz (6-4, 3.94)Saturday, 1 p.m.: LHP-Joey Walsh (5-6, 6.35) vs. RHP-Brandon McPherseon (0-0, ---)
Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: RHP-Joe Mancini (3-6, 5.94) vs. RHP-Ryan Anderson (1-2, 4.18)
Sunday, Noon: RHP-Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 4.50) vs. TBD
BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Record: 0-0 (0-0 ACC)Coach: Mike Gambino
Career Record/Years: 208-275/9
Rank: NR
NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES
Record: 0-0 (0-0 MAC)Coach: Mike Kunigonis
Career Record/Years: 103-164/5
Rank: NR
The Boston College baseball team opens the 2020 season against Northern Illinois at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla.; the former spring training home of the Boston Red Sox. The Eagles and Huskies play at 3 p.m. Friday in the season opener followed by a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader and a noon first pitch on Sunday.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
BC is coming off a 31-27 season that saw the Eagles reach their first ACC semifinal in program history. Head coach Mike Gambino's squad reached its third ACC postseason in four years, while winning 12 regular season conference games plus upsets over Clemson and No. 7 Louisville as the 12-seed at the ACC Championship in Durham, N.C. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Mason Pelio, who gets the ball in the season opener, compiled a 4-3 record and 3.62 earned run average as a weekend starter in his rookie season. Coming off a season-ending injury that caused him to miss the final 19 games of 2019, sophomore outfielder Sal Frelick hit a team-high .367 with a .960 OPS, 32 RBI, 30 runs and 18 stolen bases in just 39 games. The Eagles' veteran leadership comes from its co-captains; senior shortstop Brian Dempsey and senior outfielder Joe Suozzi plus senior first baseman Jack Cunningham. Dempsey hit .295 with 37 RBI, Suozzi batted .282 with 30 runs and Cunningham slugged nine home runs and hit .273 with 35 RBI and a .468 slugging percentage.SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
NIU went 20-36 a year ago with a 14-12 mark in the MAC. The Huskies return right-handed ace Michael Lasiewicz, who went 6-4 with a 3.94 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 75.1 innings of work. He gets the ball in game one on Friday. Outfielders Brendan Joyce and Nick Drobushevich were the top two hitters on NIU at .298 and ,285, respectively in 2019. Joyce scored 50 runs while Drobushevich drove in 44.LAST TIME THEY MET
Boston College and Northern Illinois met in the opening game of the 19 Ways Invitational hosted by the University of Oklahoma on Feb. 24, 2017; a 9-1 BC win. RHP Jacob Stevens tossed a then career-high seven innings; allowing just one unearned run on two hits in the Eagles' first win of the season. The game was scoreless through six and BC erased a brief 1-0 deficit with a four-run seventh and added five in the eighth. Brian Dempsey drew a bases-loaded HBP to tie the game and Mitch Bigras put BC ahead with a sacrifice-fly.BC-NIU CONNECTION
BC head coach Mike Gambino and NIU head coach Mike Kunigonis overlapped for three seasons at Virginia Tech (2008-10) under former BC coach Pete Hughes. Gambino and Kunigonis helped guide the Hokies to the two-seed at the 2010 Columbia Regional.UP NEXT
The Eagles visit preseason No. 3 Arizona State next weekend beginning Friday, Feb. 21 at 8:30 p.m. ET. All three games of the series will be streamed on the Pac-12 Network.SEASON OPENERS
Boston College is 23-24 in season openers on record and 4-5 under head coach Mike Gambino. The Eagles opened 2019 with a 7-3 win over Jackson State on the road. Sal Frelick went 3-for-4 with his first career home run and two stolen bases. Dan Metzdorf earned the win in seven innings of two-hit ball with one unearned run.GIORDANO CARRIES NO. 8 TRADITION
Redshirt-junior Mikey Giordano was voted by coaches and teammates to wear No. 8 in 2020 in honor of Peter "Sonny" Nictakis. Giordano became the ninth player to earn the honor since Gambino ('99) instituted the team tradition to remember his teammate. Nictakis was a two-time captain for the Eagles in 1998 and 1999. He lost his courageous seven-year battle with Hodgkin's disease in the summer of 2000. Until 2011, his No. 8 had not been worn since his final season.CODY TWO BAGS
Cody Morissette doubled twice vs. Notre Dame (5/18/19) for his second two-double game of the season as he pushed his total to 20. While tying for second and one off the lead in the ACC at the time, he passed Tony Sanchez (2009 MLB No. 4 pick) and tied Eric Campbell (2008 MLB 8th round pick) for the seventh most doubles in a season at BC.HOME RUN HITTERS
Boston College lifted its home run total from 14 (0.29/game) in 2018 to 33 (0.57/game). BC hitters combined for four home runs at Bethune-Cookman (2/22-24/19). It marked the first time that the Eagles homered three games in a row since going deep five games in a row with 11 home runs from March 31 to April 5, 2015. BC homered a season-high four times in the ACC championship vs. Clemson (5/21/19). Jack Cunningham homered in back-to-back games twice in 2019, including both ends of the Eagles' doubleheader at UNC (4/20/19).
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