MCCC Baseball Player Russ Stupienski Earns Division I Scholarship 11/13/09 West Windsor, N.J. -- Catcher, first baseman and pitcher Russ Stupienski enjoys the opportunities afforded to him as he moves around from position to position. What the Mercer County Community College sophomore has wanted most, though, is the opportunity to play Division I baseball on an athletic scholarship. His wish will be fulfilled beginning next fall on a scholarship he has accepted from Saint Peter’sCollege of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. “I’ve wanted to play Division I baseball for a long time,” Stupienski said. “And now that I’m going to have the opportunity to do so, I’m real excited about going there, hopefully contributing to try to build that program up more.” MCCC baseball player Russ Stupienski Stupienski’s father, Ray, was a second baseman at Rutgers during the early 1980s, something Matt Wolski, Russ’ head coach at MCCC, eventually did himself. Wolski said he is especially pleased with how hard the Criminal Justice major has worked both on and off the field since arriving on campus last fall. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Stupienski, who throws righty and bats lefty, hit .304 (34-for-112) in 39 games as a freshman last spring, but also had 28 walks for an impressive .440 on-base percentage. He collected four doubles, two home runs and 21 RBIs. During the summer, he came into his own as a dominant pitcher for Bordentown Post 26 of the Mercer County American Legion League and was named the circuit’s Most Valuable Player, also batting .442 with a league-best seven home runs. He participated in a prospect camp at Saint Peter’s this summer and made his official visit last month. “They want me to come in and compete for the starting catcher’s job,” Stupienski said. “If that doesn’t work out as the No. 1 catcher, then I’ll probably be the No. 2 catcher and pitch out of the back end of the bullpen, like I’ll be doing at Mercer. “I like hitting because it’s always there every day. There’s always a chance to have a good day.” More Sports News Directions to MCCC *

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