March 15, 2011

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League baseball season has picked up in the past two weeks with every team either concluding or currently on its spring-break schedule.

Patriot League Baseball Release - 3.15.11

Holy Cross and Lehigh completed their trips last week. The Crusaders went 5-4 in games played in Wilmington, North Carolina and Richmond, Va. as well as a two-game set at Gardner-Webb. The Crusaders won two games against Princeton and one versus host VCU in Richmond to conclude the week, while Lehigh also holds a three-game win streak afte sweeping Coppin State in a series that was moved to Bethlehem.

Bucknell, Army and Navy are all playing games in the Lakeland/Winter Haven region of Florida this week, after Lehigh completed its stretch last week. The Bison opened their action with wins over Air Force and Bradley, while Army was swept in a doubleheader by Pittsburgh before ending a nine-game losing streak by beating Ohio State on Sunday. Navy lost its first game in Florida against Central Michigan, but bounced back with a win over Massachusetts on Monday and plays two more games to close out the stretch. Bucknell and Army will both continue their play in Florida through the weekend.

Lafayette is halfway through its spring break week in California. The Leopards split a competitive four-game series with Cal State Northridge over the weekend, and now take on Cal State Bakersfield in a four-game series from Wednesday-Saturday.

While three teams are in the south and west this weekend, the others will play games on their home field. Navy will host Yale and Lehigh welcomes Iona for four-game sets and Holy Cross opens its home slate against Albany and St. John's.

Patriot League Weekly Awards (March 7-13)

Player of the Week
JACK LAURENDEAU, HOLY CROSS Sr., OF, Sudbury, Mass.
Laurendeau filled the box score in Holy Cross' seven games in North Carolina and Virginia last week, helping the Crusaders to a winning record on the trip. He went 11-for-29 (.379 batting average) with 11 runs scored, eight RBIs, three doubles, a triple and six steals for the Crusaders, while also walking four times to record a .471 on-base percentage. Laurendeau had three multiple-hit games, including a pair of 3-for-4 efforts. His best outing came in a 9-3 win over host VCU on Saturday, as Laurendeau went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three steals in the victory. He had four games of two runs or more and two with multiple RBIs, and totaled at least one run and one RBI in five of the seven games. Laurendeau receives the first Player of the Week award of his career.

Pitcher of the Week
TREY FRAHLER, BUCKNELL Sr., P, Sinking Spring, Pa.
Frahler fired seven shutout innings as Bucknell opened its spring trip with a 5-1 win over Air Force on Sunday. He allowed just five hits and a walk while recording a season-high seven strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season. He left with a 5-0 lead and only allowed one Air Force player to reach scoring position. Frahler's 141 strikeouts are four shy of the Bucknell career top 10 list. He receives the Pitcher of the Week award for the third time in his career and first since 2009.

Rookie of the Week
JAYME EDWARDS, LEHIGH Fr., P, Wellington, Fla.
Edwards made a pair of appearances on the mound for the Mountain Hawks last week, and allowed three runs on 8.2 innings of total work. He started in Lehigh's 6-5 loss to Bowling Green on Monday, and left with the score tied after giving up three runs on five hits while also striking out three. Edwards then pitched Lehigh to a win on Saturday against Coppin State, entering the game with a 3-2 lead and pitching 3.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed as the Mountain Hawks pulled away for a 9-2 win. Edwards earns his first Rookie of the Week award.

Honorable Mention
ALEX AZOR, NAVY Jr., OF, Miami, Fla.
Azor went 5-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs on Saturday against Central Michigan, and hit .563 in three games last week.

KEVIN McKAGUE, ARMY Sr., 1B/RP, Fayetteville, N.C.
McKague went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs and pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts in Army's 14-9 win over Ohio State on Sunday.

A.J. MILLER, LAFAYETTE Sr., C/DH, Manasquan, N.J.
Miller had a home run and six RBIs while batting .316 in five games for the Leopards last week.

BILLY GOLDMAN, LEHIGH Sr., OF, Narberth, Pa.
Goldman went 6-for-8 with two runs, three RBIs and three doubles in Lehigh's weekend sweep of Coppin State.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Teams On a Roll
Patriot League baseball teams got off to a slow start collectively this season, but everybody is starting to find their groove with the League schedule less than three weeks away. Heading into Tuesday, all six Patriot League teams have won their most recent game. Lehigh, Holy Cross and Bucknell have each won three in a row, while Army, Lafayette and Navy have each won their last contest. After a combined 7-23 record in February, Patriot League teams hold a 24-20-1 mark in the month of March.

Lehigh's Leary Joins 300-Win Club
Lehigh Head Coach Sean Leary entered the 300-win club on Saturday, and got to do it at home after the Mountain Hawks' weekend series with Coppin State was moved to Bethlehem. He joins Army's Joe Sottolano, who won his 300th on the opening weekend of the season, and Bucknell's Gene Depew as Patriot League managers with at least 300 wins at their school. Depew earned his 550th victory in his 30th season at Bucknell on Sunday. Navy's Paul Kostacopoulos has more than 650 wins in his 22-year career, and has topped 150 in just his sixth season with the Mids.

Bucknell's Shribman Continues to Rake
Bucknell's Dough Shribman set the Patriot League home run record last week, and could be on his way to making the mark exremely difficult to catch. Shribman homered again last week to increase his career total to 34, four ahead of the former mark of 30. He leads the Patriot League with seven home runs this season.

Army Standouts Moore, McKague Recognized as Top Seniors
Army senior shortstop Clint Moore and first baseman/relief pitcher Kevin McKague were recognized among the top 50 in their class in the collegiate preview edition of Baseball America recently. Moore was actually in the top 10, ranking as the No. 7 senior in all of Division I, while McKague was not far behind at No. 29. They are also high on Patriot League charts, with Moore just nine RBIs and McKague five saves from career records

Another Army Senior to "Watch"
Moore and McKague are not the only Army seniors receiving recongition, as their teammate Ben Koenigsfeld was named a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award last week. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Koenigsfeld, who became the first player in Patriot League history to earn first-team All-League honors at two different positions (pitcher and outfield) in the same season following his sophomore campaign, is the first Army baseball player to be considered for this prestigious award. He was the 2010 Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Lehigh's Cory Kent Joins McKague on NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Army senior Kevin McKague and Lehigh junior Cory Kent each represented the Patriot League as two of the 45 players on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award watch list. The award is given to the top Division I relief pitcher in the nation. McKague converted all 13 of his save chances last year, and has already successfully converted his first in 2011 to run the streak to 14 in a row. Kent finished with nine saves in his 18 appearances last year to earn second-team All-Patriot League honors, and pitched to a 1.46 ERA in Patriot League action. In addition to his spot on the NCBWA preseason Stopper of the Year Award watch list and top 50 selection in the senior class by Baseball America, McKague enters the 2011 season with three preseason All-America nods to his credit. He was named a second-team selection by the NCBWA and a third-team pick by Louisville Slugger as a relief pitcher, while the dual threat earned third-team honors at the utility position from College Baseball Lineup.

Army Narrowly Tops Bucknell in 2011 Baseball Preseason Poll
Army took the top spot in the Patriot League Baseball preseason poll with 45 points overall and six first-place votes, just edging out Bucknell with 43 points and five first-place selections. Holy Cross, which fell to the Bison in last year's Patriot League Championship series, came in third with 36 points and a first-place vote. Lehigh was next with 23 points, followed by Navy with 21 and Lafayette 12. Patriot League coaches and sports information directors from each of the six schools participated in the poll. The Patriot League Baseball season begins on April 2, with the League Tournament set for the semifinal round on May 14-15 and Championship the next weekend.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 14-9 win over Ohio State on Sunday...Kevin McKague had a big day at the plate and on the mound, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs while also tossing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to seal the victory...He moved into fifth place on Army's all-time list with 19 home runs, while his 208 career hits are just four off the Patriot League top 10...The 14 runs were the most for the Black Knights since the 2010 season opener...Army began its spring trip on Saturday when it was swept in a doubleheader by Pittsburgh...The Black Knights play four more games in the Winter/Haven Lakeland region this week, beginning on Tuesday against Massachusetts.

Bucknell The Bison have won three consecutive games behind extraordinary pitching, allowing just three total runs in the victories...They won 3-2 at Villanova on Saturday behind five strong innings from Dylan Seeley and four shutout frames from the bullpen...Bucknell rallied for all three of its runs in the eighth inning...The Bison kicked off their spring trip in Winter Haven, Fla. on Sunday with a 5-1 win over Air Force on Sunday...Trey Frahler threw seven shutout innings to receive the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week award, while Doug Shribman belted his League-leading seventh home run...Bucknell earned another win on Monday by beating Bradley, 4-1, as Seeley shined again by working into the ninth inning...The Bison play a single game on five consecutive days to close out the spring trip, beginning with a matchup against North Dakota State on Tuesday.

Holy Cross The Crusaders completed a spring-week in North Carolina and Virginia with a solid 5-4 record that included three straight wins on Saturday and Sunday to cap the trip...Holy Cross won three of its four games in Richmond, Va., beating Princeton twice and host VCU once over the weekend...Jack Laurendeau went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three steals in the 9-3 win over VCU, and had an outstanding week with a .379 batting average, 11 runs, eight RBIs and six steals in seven games played...He earned the Patriot League Player of the Week award for the first time...Matt Croglio earned a pair of wins on the mound, going five innings with two runs allowed in a 16-3 victory against St. Joseph's last Monday and then tossing 5.1 innings with two runs given up in an 8-2 triumph over Princeton on Saturday...Nate Koneski threw seven shutout innings against the Tigers to lead the Crusaders to a 5-4 win to complete the trip on Sunday...The Crusaders open their home schedule this weekend when they take on Albany and St. John's.

Lafayette The Leopards had a successful first series in California, winning single games on Friday and Sunday to come away with a four-game split against Cal State Bakersfield...Lafayette posted a 7-3 win on Friday, then bounced back from losses of 7-5 and 7-6 on Saturday to even the series with a 5-3 triumph on Sunday...A.J. Miller went 6-for-19 with three runs, a homer and six RBIs in Lafayette's five games last week, which also included a loss to Rider on Wednesday...Jeff Snell saves both of the victories against Cal State Northridge, tossing two innings without allowing an earned run in each of the contests... The Leopards remain in the Golden State this week for a four-game series at No. 30 Cal State Bakersfield.

Lehigh With the weekend series against Coppin State moved to Bethlehem, Lehigh Head Coach Sean Leary was able to pick up his 300th career victory at home as the Mountain Hawks swept the three-game set...Leary earned his 300th win in Lehigh's 4-2 win in the opener on Saturday, while the Mountain Hawks completed the set with a pair of 9-2 wins...Billy Goldman went 6-for-8 with two runs, three RBIs and three doubles for the series...The three doubles all came in the 9-2 win in Saturday's nightcap, tying a single-game Patriot League record...Jordan Warncke has won his last two starts, and had five strikeouts with just one run allowed in four innings against Coppin State...The Mountain Hawks play five games this week, including a four-game weekend series at home against Iona.

Navy The Mids are in the midst of four games in consecutive days in Winter Haven, Fla. for their spring break trip...They opened with a 9-8 loss to Central Michigan on Sunday despite Alex Azor going 5-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs...He was the first Navy player since 2008 to record five hits in a game...Navy bounced back with a 7-3 win over Massachusetts on Monday, with Johnny Schoberl moving to 2-0 by allowing two runs in 5.1 innings to pick up the win...Navy also defeated Coppin State, 4-3, in 12 innings and tied Towson, 8-8, in 10 innings last week...Navy has two more games left in Florida before returning home for a four-game weekend series against Yale on Saturday and Sunday.