NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 30, 2019 – For the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team is set to host the Region XV Championship Series against ASA College at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs and Avengers will face off in a best-of-five series to determine the 2019 Region XV Champion and the region's representative at the 2019 Eastern District Championship Tournament.
 
REGION XV CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION:
Where:
Dick Caswell Field – Flowers Park – New Rochelle, NY
 
When:
Game 1: Wednesday, May 1 – 3:00 PM
Game 2: Thursday, May 2 – 9:00 AM
Game 3: Thursday, May 2 – 12:00 PM
Game 4 (if necessary): Friday, May 3 – 5:00 PM
Game 5: (if necessary): Sunday, May 5 – 7:00 PM
 
Who:
Monroe College (22-20, 5-0 Region XV)
ASA College (7-16, 0-5 Region XV)
*records prior to Tuesday
 
Game Coverage:
Live Stats: https://monroecollegemustangs.com/sidearmstats/baseball
Live Audio (when available, check schedule): https://team1sports.com/monroecollege
 
2019 SEASON SERIES:
The Mustangs and Avengers faced off five times during the regular season, with each of the five contests resulting in a Mustang victory. In those five wins, the Mustangs have outscored the Avengers by a 40-13 margin, as Monroe has stepped its game up, both offensively and defensively, when playing its region rivals this year.
 
LAST SEASON:
The Mustangs and Avengers went head-to-head 11 different times in 2018. The Region XV foes played seven regular-season games, seeing the Mustangs edge out the season series, 4-3. The Mustangs carried momentum into the Region XV Championship, sweeping the best-of-five series, 3-0, to claim the Region Title and earn hosting duties for the 2018 Eastern District Championship Tournament.
 
At the Eastern District Championship, which Monroe hosted at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., the Mustangs advanced to the championship game after winning its first two contests of the tournament against Harford Community College and USC Sumter. ASA staved off elimination to advance to the championship against the Mustangs, but Monroe claimed the District Championship with an 8-1 victory to qualify for their first-ever Junior College World Series.
 
MUSTANG LEADERS:
The Mustangs are led offensively by Daniel Alfonzo, who leads the team with a .377 batting average, 35 RBIs, seven home runs, .679 slugging percentage, .496 on-base percentage and a 1.175 OPS. Joseph Encarnacion is batting .308 on the season and is tied for second on the team (Neifi Mercedes) with 15 extra-base hits. Encarnacion leads the Mustangs with a .395 average and 11 RBIs at Dick Caswell Field. Iasid Bernal is hitting .302 on the year with 19 runs and 17 RBIs in just 29 games (24 starts).
 
The Mustangs have a pair of aces at the top of their rotation this season. July Sosa is 4-2 on the year with a 2.41 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 52.1 innings. Brandon Backman owns a 6-2 record with a 3.15 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 45.2 frames. Opposing hitters are batting just .152 against Backman and .191 against Sosa. Both pitchers have been even more impressive at home with matching 3-0 records. Sosa has compiled a 0.86 ERA at Dick Caswell Field, while Backman is right there with him with a 0.89 ERA.
 
Jacknell Guzman leads the Mustangs with five saves and a 1.54 ERA in 12 appearances this season. Elian Oda has made seven appearances and two starts, producing a 2.28 ERA in his 27.2 innings. Oda started the Mustangs' first game against ASA this season, impressively carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before eventually picking up the win.
 
Mustang pitchers have thrived on their home turf of Dick Caswell Field, as the entire pitching staff has a combined 1.51 ERA in 101 innings at home this year while going a perfect 13-0. Opposing hitters are batting just .135 at Dick Caswell Field, while slugging just .184 with an on-base percentage of .280.
 
SCOUTING THE AVENGERS:
Jose Santana owns a team-best .421 batting average for ASA, though he has only played in 12 games this season. Ernefi De Leon is batting .385 in 17 games, while Rohandry Javier owns a .375 batting average across 20 contests. Richard DiMartino leads the team with 14 RBIs, while Javier holds the team lead with 15 runs scored. Sammy Cuevas has hit a team-best four home runs.
 
Alexis Saldana is the Avengers' leader in the rotation, going 3-1 across five starts this season with a 3.38 ERA. He has struck out 26 batters in 24 innings. Mauricio Mendez has made seven appearances for ASA, going 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA across 22.1 innings, which rank second on the team. Domingo Bourdierd is third with 18.2 innings pitched this season. He has an 0-4 record and an ERA of 6.75.
 
WHAT COMES NEXT?:
The winner of the 2019 Region XV Championship will qualify for the 2019 Eastern District Championship Tournament. The district championship will be hosted by the Region XX Champion. The four-team, double-elimination tournament will include the Region XV Champion, the Region X Champion, and the top two teams out of Region XX. Each district champion earns an automatic bid into the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 30 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has 11 varsity and junior varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).