Final stretch proves do or die for Canisius baseball

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

A 2–4 recent stretch has pushed the Griffs to the edge as Canisius sits on the brink of elimination even with multiple series remaining in the season. With the Manhattan Jaspers on deck, every pitch becomes important as April showers turn to May flowers.

Losing two of three to the Niagara Purple Eagles in Lewiston, N.Y. then at home to the Quinnipiac Bobcats has dropped the Griffs to an 8–10 record in MAAC play. Sitting at 10th in the conference, Canisius sits a game and a half back from the sixth seed in the conference, which is the final spot in the MAAC Championships. Head Coach Matt Mazurek is no stranger to making the top six and earning a trip to Wappingers Falls, N.Y., where the tournament is held every May. Mazurek has led the Griffs to two MAAC Championship titles and multiple tournament appearances during his seven-year tenure at the helm.

After missing the tournament last season for the first time under Mazurek, the Griffs are heading for a similar result with crucial games ahead on the schedule. Back-to-back weekends in New York City see the Griffs face a team a spot below them in the standings, the Jaspers, followed by five-seeded Iona, both on the road. Finishing at home with Sacred Heart, the current six seed, and Siena, another team below Canisius, the Griffs need to win the series, just like Mazurek talked about at the beginning of the season. “Wherever you can leverage three games in a weekend, you have to take advantage of it because that could be a deciding factor of a playoff spot or not,” said Mazurek prior to the Griffs first conference series of the season.

As with any season, the Griffs have had to work around injuries, but the success of redshirt freshman Bennett Cox has sustained the offense. Cox, limited to the designated hitter spot because of an injury, leads the team with a .345 batting average. Junior shortstop JC Spinosa dealt with an injury early in the season as well that limited Spinosa to playing second base, but his bat continued to find success. 

Spinosa aims to jump the .250 mark this weekend as the team turns back to their ace on the mound, senior Felix Morin. The Quebec City native began the year strong in the first two weekends and has continued his success to post a 3.33 ERA in 10 starts. With Morin leading the team onto the field on Fridays, the Griffs look to continue his success to set the tone in each final series.

A final push for the playoffs begins now as Mazurek leads his team into a stretch of do-or-die baseball. Every pitch, every play makes or breaks the team’s chance to continue their play into late May on the eastern side of the state. On the brink of falling short, the Griffs look to take the field and walk off hours later with a win, one game at a time.

Bennett Cox and Blake Herman celebrating (via Lindy Feider)