St. Joe’s is a top Atlantic 10 baseball contender and aims to continue its upward trajectory
The Hawks opened their season in a 2-7 slump but turned things around in March. A hot streak has them in a good position to make their sixth straight A-10 tournament appearance.
St. Joseph’s entered its series finale against Wofford on March 1 with a 2-7 record. The Hawks allowed at least 10 runs in four games and their offense had produced more than five runs four times.
But St. Joe’s hit its stride and has been on a tear since.
The Hawks are 23-12 entering Friday’s home matchup against George Mason (3 p.m.). They boast the second-highest batting average in the Atlantic 10 and third-lowest earned run average and are first in the conference with a 14-1 record.
With a month remaining until the conference tournament, the Hawks look to keep playing complete baseball.
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“I think our confidence has a lot to do with it,” head coach Fritz Hamburg said. “We’ve been playing really well lately, and it’s a tight group. It’s just kind of one of those things when a group like that, and you have talent, starts to come together, good things happen. That’s where we are. We’re getting good pitching, we’re getting timely hitting. That’s been our strength.”
Hamburg had high expectations coming into this season with a team he believed had the capability to compete for a conference championship. The Hawks made the last five A-10 tournaments, and Hamburg believes this team could be the best version yet.
Their slow start continued in California, when they played a four-game series against Sacramento State from Feb. 19-22. St. Joe’s went just 1-3 against the Hornets, including a 21-2 defeat to close the series, but Hamburg believes that’s when his team turned a corner.
“Although we only won the one game, it was a really good trip that we had basically 10 days together,” Hamburg said. “And it just gave us time to continue to jell as a group and be on the field. And that’s what we needed to do.”
The Hawks lost their next series against Wofford before finally hitting their stride. Their success has been heavily reliant on a pitching staff that Hamburg says has the best depth he has seen in his 18 years at the helm.
St. Joe’s holds the best ERA against A-10 opponents at 3.25. The pitchers have struck out 162 hitters in conference play and opponents are batting just .222. Hawks closer Andrew Gaines has seven saves and a 1.42 ERA, while Cole Fehrman and Luke Parise both log consistent starts.
“Everybody knows their role and knows what they have to do,” Fehrman said. “We have a lot of guys that can come in and put up a zero. So that’s a good thing knowing, like as a starter, that I have guys behind me that if I leave runners on, they’re going to come in and get me out of it.”
The Hawks offense is also among the conference’s best ranking in the top five in hits, runs, and homers.
Sophomore catcher Blake Primrose is batting .379 with a conference-best 1.267 OPS and 13 home runs. Outfielder Alex Kelsey has also been a driving force in the Hawks’ lineup with a .382 average and a 1.026 OPS.
“Earlier in the season, we struggled a little bit with everyone trusting the approach [at the plate],” Primrose said. “And I think as the season went on, everyone started to buy in, and when everybody started to buy in, we started to put up a lot of runs in a game, getting many hits in a game. ... Right now, we’re just getting better as a group.”
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St. Joe’s has remaining conference series against George Mason, La Salle, Virginia Commonwealth, Rhode Island, and St. Bonaventure. The Hawks are focusing on staying grounded.
They have a chance to top 30 wins for the first time since 2016, and if St. Joe’s can secure a conference championship, the Hawks would make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1974.
“I don’t think we’re really close to playing the best baseball we can,” Primrose said. “I think we are in a really good spot, but I think there’s more room for growth. I think as a team, if everyone continues to buy in and does their part, it’s going to be a really good season. But as of now, we have to not get so bigheaded and just take it a day at a time.”