Hempstead, NY - Coming off a series win over Elon last weekend, the Hofstra University Baseball team will look to continue their momentum as the Pride face James Madison in a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The series opens Friday night at 7 p.m. and continues at 5 p.m. Saturday and then concludes Sunday at 2 p.m.

Hofstra (13-32, 6-12 CAA) took two of three games from Elon last weekend, getting outstanding pitching performances from John Rooney, Chris Weiss, Teddy Cillis and Matt Weissheier in the process. Rooney earned the win in a 7-4 victory, striking out seven batters over 6 1/3 innings before Weiss came in to get the save with seven strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Weiss also earned the win in relief in Hofstra's 5-4 victory on Sunday that saw  him fan six batters in 2 2/3 innings. Weissheier started the game and held Elon off the board for four innings, allowing just one hit. Cillis took the loss in Hofstra's 8-1 defeat, but allowed just three earned runs over seven innings and recorded a program record 16 strikeouts.

The Hofstra offense had many contributors, though Vito Friscia, Brad Witkowski and Vinnie Costello did the most damage. Witkowski and Friscia each homered in the game one win, driving in three runs and two runs, respectively. The pair also drove in runs in the 5-4 victory, but Costello provided the biggest hit of the game - a solo home run to lead off the ninth inning that gave the Pride the win in dramatic fashion. 

Steven Foster continues to lead the Pride,batting .330 with 16 doubles and 20 RBIs. Friscia is batting .328 with six home runs (tied for team lead) and a team-high 29 RBIs. Witkowski is batting .282 with nine doubles and three home runs. Weiss leads the Pride with a 5-2 record and two saves. Rooney is 4-7 with a 5.40 ERA and 68 strikeouts. Cillis has a team-high 76 strikeouts, while Weissheier paces the team with a 4.28 ERA.

The Dukes are 22-22 overall and 5-13 in the CAA. James Madison has won three straight games after taking two games from Towson last weekend and a midweek affair at George Mason this past Tuesday. Fox Semones leads the Dukes with a .339 average and has added three home runs and 20 RBIs. Kyle McPherson is hitting .331 with seven homers and 24 RBIs, while Adam Sisk is at .323 with eight homers and 33 RBIs. Brett Johnson has a team-high 10 home runs and 36 RBIs to go with a .300 average. Brandon Withers has a team-best five wins on the season. Colton Harlow has struck out a team-best 52 batters, while Kevin kelly has picked up four wins and has a 3.54 ERA in 20 relief appearances. 

The Dukes hold a 32-11 lead in the all-time series and took all three games against the Pride last season in Hempstead. 

Pitching matchups for the series are as follows:
Friday - John Rooney (4-7, 5.40 ERA) vs. Colton Harlow (2-2, 5.07 ERA)
Saturday - Teddy Cillis (0-9, 5.40 ERA) vs. Josh Silvestri (3-3, 4.06 ERA)
Sunday - Matt Weissheier (0-0, 4.28 ERA) vs. TBA

Live statistics will be available for all three games, while video streaming will be offered on Friday and Sunday. Both can be accessed via the links above or on the baseball schedule page at GoHofstra.com. Saturday's game will be an audio only broadcast. 

Following the James Madison series, Hofstra will close out the 2017 regular season by hosting William & Mary next weekend. The teams will play a doubleheader Friday (May 19) beginning at Noon and then a single game Saturday at Noon.