{"id":660889,"date":"2026-04-03T14:31:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/660889\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T14:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:31:19","slug":"college-baseball-saint-josephs-surging-behind-complete-effort-as-conference-race-tightens-across-philly-philadelphia-baseball-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/660889\/","title":{"rendered":"COLLEGE BASEBALL: Saint Joseph\u2019s surging behind complete effort as conference race tightens across Philly ~ Philadelphia Baseball Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Philadelphia<\/a><\/p>\n

PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The separation has started to show.<\/p>\n

Not in dramatic fashion, not with one defining moment, but in the steady, unmistakable way a team begins to take control of its league. <\/p>\n

Saint Joseph\u2019s has done exactly that. <\/p>\n

Fresh off an 18-4 dismantling of Saint Louis on Thursday, the Hawks have moved to 9-1 in Atlantic 10 play, sitting alone at the top of the conference standings, just ahead of an 8-1 VCU club. Ten games into conference play, they haven\u2019t just been good. They\u2019ve been complete. <\/p>\n

It starts in the middle of the order, where Blake Primrose has been one of the most productive hitters in the conference. The sophomore catcher is hitting .385 in league play with a 1.326 OPS, driving the ball with authority and consistency. Six doubles and four home runs in ten games tell part of the story. The rest shows up in how opposing pitchers are forced to navigate around him \u2014 or pay for it. <\/p>\n

But Saint Joseph\u2019s isn\u2019t leaning on one bat. <\/p>\n

Alex Kelsey has turned the top of the lineup into a problem. He\u2019s hitting .353 with a .569 on-base percentage, reaching base 17 times through walks and hit-by-pitches alone, while adding seven stolen bases in eight attempts. He doesn\u2019t just get on base \u2014 he accelerates innings. He forces mistakes. And more often than not, he\u2019s already in scoring position before the lineup settles in behind him. <\/p>\n

Richard Beggy has provided the balance. His .326 average and 12 RBIs don\u2019t jump off the page the same way, but they show up exactly where they need to \u2014 in the middle innings, in traffic, in moments where games tilt. <\/p>\n

That combination has made Saint Joseph\u2019s one of the most difficult lineups in the league to navigate. There are no clean innings. No safe pockets. <\/p>\n

And when they hand a lead to the pitching staff, games tend to end there. <\/p>\n

Cole Fehrman has anchored the rotation with the kind of consistency that plays in any conference. Over 19 innings, he has struck out 27 hitters while holding opponents to a .190 average, working with a 1.89 ERA that reflects both command and swing-and-miss ability. He\u2019s not overpowering in a traditional sense, but he controls counts and limits damage \u2014 the kind of presence that stabilizes a weekend. <\/p>\n

Behind him, the bullpen has been nearly airtight. <\/p>\n

Andrew Gaines has yet to allow a run in conference play, striking out nine in 6.1 innings while picking up two saves. Matt Speicher has been just as steady, going 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and limiting opponents to a .167 average. Across the staff, multiple arms have yet to surrender an earned run in league action, giving Saint Joseph\u2019s the ability to shorten games once they get ahead. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a formula that has worked \u2014 and one that has created distance. <\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the city, the margin for error is already shrinking. <\/p>\n

La Salle, which showed signs early in the season, has slipped to 3-7 in Atlantic 10 play and now sits in 11th place, two games out of the final conference tournament spot. With only six teams advancing, this weekend\u2019s series against Richmond carries weight beyond the standings. It\u2019s an opportunity to stabilize \u2014 or fall further behind. <\/p>\n

Penn finds itself in a different kind of race. At 3-3 in Ivy League play, the Quakers open a three-game set with Columbia in the Bronx with the standings compressed tightly. Just two games separate second place from eighth, and with only four teams advancing to the conference tournament, the difference between a strong weekend and a missed opportunity is significant. <\/p>\n

Villanova, meanwhile, is searching for footing. The Wildcats dropped their Big East opener to Butler and are now in the midst of a five-game losing streak, a stretch that has tested both depth and consistency early in conference play.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News<\/p>\n

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\n Phillies News from the Philadelphia Baseball Review<\/a><\/p>\n

Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.<\/p>\n

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