VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (11-30, 5-9 BIG EAST) make their way into the city for a Big 5 matchup with Saint Joseph's (19-19-1, 10-5 A-10) on Wednesday, May 3 with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Fans can watch the game on ESPN+ and follow the live stats.
 
Game Information:
Wednesday, May 3| 3:00 p.m.
 

Big 5 History: This series will mark the 142^nd time that Villanova and Saint Joseph's have gone head-to-head dating back to 1920. This competition is the first of two this season. This matchup is hosted by Saint Joseph's on Hawk Hill. Villanova leads Saint Joseph's away 39-24-4 all-time. The Hawks took the last two games of the 2022 season over the 'Cats with the first game on March 15 at Saint Joseph's resulting in a 11-7 loss. The second game between the two was at home at the Villanova Ballpark on May 4 with the 'Cats falling in a 14-9 defeat.

Last Time Out: The Wildcats come off a solid week starting with a close 5-4 victory over Wagner in a midweek game on Tuesday April 25. Villanova had a slow start at the plate but began to heat up later in the game and outlasted the Seahawks for the win. Over the weekend they were defeated by No. 10 UConn in a Saturday doubleheader in rainy conditions. The 'Cats fell to the Huskies in a 7-3 loss in game one and a 9-1 loss in game two.

Putting The Work In: Graduate shortstop Craig Larsen had another strong week for the 'Cats offense. In the midweek game versus Wagner he went 2-for-4 and scored one run on the day. In the doubleheader versus UConn he demolished a solo homer in each of games. In game one he smashed a dinger in the bottom of the seventh for the Wildcats third run of the game and in game two he buried the ball deep over the left field fence in the bottom of the ninth for the 'Cats only run of the game.

On The Mound: Senior pitcher Luke Dziados had a very strong outing against UConn in game one of the doubleheader this past weekend. He came in to relieve during the top of the fourth and tossed for 3.1 innings. Dziados had three punchouts and only allowed two hits and no earned runs during his time on the rubber. 


Honing In On The Hawks

• Saint Joseph's enters the series after facing off with Fordham in an Atlantic 10 series over the past weekend sweeping the rams. The Hawks took game one in a close 2-1, game two in a dominate 23-10, and the series finale 7-1 over Fordham.
• Junior outfielder Brett Callahan and sophomore outfielder Ryan Cesarini the leading men for the Hawks offense. Callahan has started all 39 games on the season while Cesarini has started 38.
• Callahan has primarily played in left field and is slugging the highest among his teammates with a .340/.423/.611 slash line and leads the team in runs (42), hits (55), triples (3), home runs (9), RBI (39) and stolen bases (11). The junior has also hit 11 doubles this year. In the outfield he has made 66 putouts, five assists and one error.
• Cesarini lends his efforts as the designated hitter with a few starts in the outfield this season. He has gone 54-for-144 while slashing .375/.462/.569 and leads the team in doubles (12). Cesarini has also hit two triples and four home runs while plating 34 runs and 33 RBI on the season so far. In the field he has made five putouts and one error.

 
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