FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
The sixth annual Rider University Cranberry and Black World Series will be played on Friday, October 23, at 4:00 pm on the Sonny Pittaro Field.
The Cranberry and Black Series, a best three out of five series of three-inning games, brings an official end to the Rider fall baseball season.
The Black team is led by junior pitcher Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston), who was 5-3 last season with a 3.88 earned run average. Thomas has compiled 11 wins already in just two seasons at Rider.
Other key members of the Black team are senior first baseman Matt McCollum (Tabernacle, N.J./Shawnee)and junior infielder Steve Galella (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial).
McCollum has compiled 108 hits in his career and was a member of the 2008 MAAC All-Tournament team. Galella collected 41 hits in 41 starts last year and has 94 career hits in just two seasons.
The Cranberry squad is led by junior infielder A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area), who earned second team All-New Jersey honors last year after batting .333 with 61 hits.
Also on the Cranberry squad will be sophomore outfielder Brandon Cotten (Wiconisco, Pa./Williams Valley) and junior infielders John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) and Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock).
Cotten was named to the New Jersey All-Rookie team last year after batting .280 with a .360 slugging percentage in MAAC games. In centerfield Cotten compiled 48 put outs without an error in 32 games.
Ralston batted .306 last year with 48 hits in 48 games and enters his junior season with 96 career hits as a shortstop.
Heyne compiled a .544 slugging percentage last year with 11 home runs, 13 doubles and 49 runs batted in and in 101 career games has 120 hits, including 17 home runs, 13th highest ever at Rider.
The Black team leads the all-time series 3-2, including a 3-1 series win last year. The Cranberry team won three games to two in 2007 after falling behind two games to zero. The Cranberry squad also won in 2006 three games to two.
Rider Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management Phil Voorhees and Director of Facilities Management Mike Maconi will be the umpires.
