BUFFALO, NY – The College of Staten Island baseball team returns to East Coast Conference (ECC) play Friday afternoon, opening a four-game series against D'Youville University. The series will feature single games on Friday and Sunday, with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday.
March 21, 2026 Recap
The Dolphins and Saints first met earlier this season in a doubleheader in Flushing, NY, where CSI served as the home team. The teams split the two games, with D'Youville taking game one, 24-12, before the Dolphins responded with a 13-4 victory in game two.
In the opener, CSI jumped out to a commanding 10-0 lead, highlighted by a seven-run third inning. Jaden Waterman, Vincent Weigele, and Jamel Vera each delivered RBI at-bats in the frame, with Vera launching a grand slam for his first home run of the season. Despite the early advantage, the Saints mounted a sustained comeback and limited CSI to just two additional runs the rest of the way to secure the win.
Game two saw D'Youville take an early 1-0 lead, but the Dolphins quickly shifted momentum in the bottom of the first. Jason Romance sparked the offense with a two-run home run, igniting a six-run inning for a 6-1 advantage. CSI continued to control the game, holding the Saints scoreless over the next three innings while adding five more runs to extend the lead to 11-1. Though D'Youville plated three late runs, the Dolphins cruised to a 13-4 win.
All-Time Series Review
The Dolphins and Saints first met in 2004, when CSI swept the inaugural series. From that point through the program's transition to Division II, the Dolphins won seven straight matchups before the Saints earned their first victory in the series on April 15, 2022, in Buffalo.
D'Youville later put together a four-game winning streak in 2024, but CSI answered in 2025 with a key victory that helped secure the program's first ECC postseason berth. The Dolphins currently hold a 13-11 edge in the all-time series.
Current Standings
Both teams enter the weekend battling for position in the ECC standings. D'Youville sits in fourth place, holding a one-game advantage over CSI. The Dolphins carry a 4-9 conference record and are 9-16 overall, while the Saints enter at 5-9 in ECC play and 10-21 overall.
CSI has a suspended game against Queens College that is scheduled to resume on April 19 prior to a single game against the Knights in Flushing.
Individual Leaders
The Dolphins enter the series on a two-game winning streak following a non-conference sweep of Georgian Court earlier in the week. Offensively, three CSI hitters currently boast an OPS above 1.000, with two batting over .370.
Jamel Vera leads the team with a .379 average, 1.058 OPS, 33 hits, 23 RBI, and two triples. Jack Kehoe follows closely, hitting .370 with a 1.020 OPS, 30 hits, and 15 RBI. Jason Romance matches Vera with a 1.059 OPS, ranks fourth on the team with a .341 average, and leads the Dolphins with five home runs.
On the mound, Michael Furst and Nicholas Chiaia pace the staff with 22 strikeouts each. Furst owns a 6.28 ERA and one save, while Kehoe leads the team with two saves this season.
For the Saints, their top hitter is batting .389 with a .991 OPS, while another key contributor leads the team with a 1.073 OPS, 24 RBI, and a .333 average. Two players are tied for the team lead with 42 hits. On the pitching side, D'Youville's ace has logged 28.1 innings with a 5.17 ERA and 32 strikeouts, while another arm leads the staff with 40 strikeouts and a 6.49 ERA.
