The UMBC baseball team (7-9, 0-3) re-enters America East Conference competition this weekend when the Retrievers head to Albany, N.Y. for a series with the UAlbany Great Danes (3-9-1).
 
The teams are slated to play a 7-inning/9-inning doubleheader on Friday, beginning at noon. The single game is scheduled for Sunday at noon, although if weather permits that game would be played on Saturday at Varsity Field.
 
UAlbany will open conference play against the Retrievers this weekend, in addition to playing its first home games of the 2023 season.
 
Probable Starters: Friday: Johnson (2-0, 2.16 ERA, 25.0 IP) vs. Scherrer (0-1, 6.41, 19.2); Remy (2-3, 6.75, 20.0) vs. Eisenman (1-1, 7.23, 18.2);  
Sunday: Shertel (1-1, 6.27, 18.2) vs. TBD
 
RETRIEVER NOTES 

• Freshman Leewood Molessa hit a homer and drove in four runs, Justin Taylor had three hits and Christian Easley threw out the tying run at home in the bottom of the ninth as the visiting UMBC Baseball team rallied for a 6-5 win over Coppin State at Joe Cannon Stadium on Tuesday, March 21.
• The victory snapped a four-game losing streak. UMBC lost a pair of one-run games in the three-game sweep at the hands of America East foe Maine over the weekend.
• The Retrievers have hit 35 doubles in 16 games and are ranked 54th nationally in doubles per game.
• A graduate student and a freshman are leading the way for the Retrievers. Graduate student OF Ian Diaz is hitting .375 with a robust .539 on-base percentage through 15 games. He is ranked 26th nationally in OBP.
• Molessa leads the conference and is ranked 24th nationally in RBI's per contest with 1.50. (24 in 16 games)  Molessa earned America East Conference Rookie of the Week honors for games ending March 12.
• Johnson is ranked 68th nationally in ERA and 48th in WHIP.

A GLANCE AT THE GREAT DANES    

• UAlbany has taken one of three games in each of the last two weekends vs. St. John's and Maryland. Eisenmann only allowed one run in 6.0 innings thrown in a 6-3 win over the Terrapins on March 18. Junior OF Dan Tauken blasted a 3-run home run in the fifth inning.
• UAlbany averages 6.6 runs scored per game and is allowing 8.5.
• Tauken leads the offense with a robust line of .357/.738/1.187. He has slugged four home runs and driven in 15 runs.  

 
SERIES HISTORY

• UAlbany leads the all-time series, 38-24 and took two of three in Baltimore a season ago.
• The Great Danes won the first two games, 2-1 and 11-9, but the Retrievers took the finale, 10-9.
• UMBC won two of three in Albany in 2021.

UP NEXT 

UMBC will play Navy at Baltimore's Camden Yards on Wednesday, March 29. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.