POMONA, NY – The College of Staten Island baseball team will be under the lights for a 7:00 pm contest against the St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans Thursday evening at Clover Stadium. The Thursday contest will feature the Dolphins as the home team and will be the first of a four-game East Coast Conference (ECC) series this week.
First Meeting of 2026 Recap
Both teams met for their opening rounds of conference play on March 13, where the Dolphins dropped both games to the Spartans despite leading 6-1 in game one.
During the first contest of the opening doubleheader earlier this month, the Dolphins held a 6-1 lead through five innings of play, backed by RBI at-bats from JJ Hunter, Brandon Bartick, Michael Flashner, Jason Romance, and Ryan Ortega. Soon after the Dolphins' sixth run, they were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest while the Spartans rallied for nine runs in a 10-6 game one defeat for the Dolphins.
In game two, the Spartans maintained a 3-0 lead through three innings of play, and the Dolphins were able to cut into the deficit in the top of the fourth when Jamel Vera recorded a triple to score Vincent Weigele, and Flashner added another RBI single to bring in Vera. With the deficit at one, 3-2, the Spartans added a run in both the fifth and sixth innings and held the Dolphins scoreless for a 5-2 sweep.
All-Time Series/Current Standings
After the Dolphins dropped the opening doubleheader, the Spartans improved their all-time series record to 15-9-1 over CSI. Since then, STAC holds a 14-5 record while sitting one game behind Molloy with a 5-2 ECC mark. The Dolphins are 5-10 through the first half of the season and 2-5 in conference play. The Dolphins are also one game short after game two of their opening doubleheader with Queens was suspended due to darkness last week. That contest is scheduled to be completed on April 16.
Trio of Home Runs
The Dolphins are beginning to find their groove at the plate. Last week alone, they recorded four home runs across four games. Romance leads the team with four home runs during his rookie season, while Weigele hit two against D'Youville on Saturday to rank second on the team. Also against the Saints, Jamel Vera recorded the first home run of his collegiate career with a grand slam in game one.
Individual Leaders
Jandel Brito improved in the CSI statistical standings after the doubleheader with D'Youville, going 2-3 in game two with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. He leads the team with a .429 batting average, which ranks second in the ECC. Flashner is second with a .407 average and leads the team with 22 runs, 12 RBI, 12 walks, and one home run. Vera is third at .386 through 15 games and is tied with Flashner with 22 runs, along with 11 RBI and two triples. Romance leads the team with four home runs, 13 RBI, and a .667 slugging percentage while batting .352.
On the mound, Michael Furst leads the pitching staff with a 6.00 ERA over 18.0 innings pitched with 17 strikeouts, while Aidan Kielty is second with a 7.16 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts.
For the Spartans, their leading hitter tops the conference with a .452 batting average through 22 games, totaling 36 hits, 26 RBI, eight doubles, and five home runs. He is followed by two additional hitters batting above .370 at .379 and .375, respectively, to round out the top three. On the mound, the Spartans' top pitcher carries a 5.04 ERA with 16 strikeouts.
