April 14, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League Baseball standings could not be any closer with two weekends of play remaining, as Lafayette and Bucknell each share the lead at 7-5 after winning a series over the weekend. Army, Holy Cross and Navy are just a game behind the leaders. Student-athletes from Army and Lafayette were honored with Patriot League weekly awards.

Patriot League Baseball Release - 4.14.09

Patriot League Player of the Week (April 6-13)

Kevin McKague, Army So., 1B, Fayetteville, N.C.

McKague propelled Army to three wins in four games against rival Navy, and a 4-2 week overall, by hitting .640 (16-for-25) with three home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored for the week. He was outstanding in Army's doubleheader sweep of the Mids on Sunday, going 6-for-7 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored in the two contests. The home run was an estimated 500-foot shot that extended Army's one-run lead to three late in a 9-6 victory. McKague also went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs in the Black Knights' 12-10 loss to close the series on Monday. He batted .563 (9-for-16) with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in the Navy series. The weekend performance followed two non-League games where McKague went 7-for-9 with three RBI and four runs scored, as he posted a 13-for-16 effort in the first four games of the week after returning to the lineup following a seven-game absence due to injury. McKague also notched a save and three scoreless innings of relief against Navy. He boosted his average for the season to .410, ranking second in the Patriot League. McKague receives his first Player of the Week award on the same date that he took Rookie of the Week honors last year.

Patriot League Pitcher of the Week (April 6-13)

Corey Shea, Lafayette So., P, Hanson, Mass.

Shea threw a nine-inning complete-game shutout to lift Lafayette to a 2-0 win over rival Lehigh on Sunday and help the Leopards win three of four games in the series. Shea scattered seven hits while striking out three batters and not allowing any walks in the outing. Shea faced only three batters over the minimum as he induced three double-play balls, including one from Lehigh's Andy Russell to end the game. Shea improved to 3-1 on the season, and now leads the Patriot League with a 3.21 earned run average. Shea receives his first Pitcher of the Week award.

Patriot League Rookie of the Week (April 6-13)

Zach Price, Army Fr., 2B, Cantonment, Fla.

Price was the sparkplug in an outstanding offensive week for the Black Knights, batting .588 (10-for-17) out of the leadoff spot with eight runs, six RBI, seven walks and four steals in Army's 4-2 week. He batted safely in all six games and hit .538 (7-for-13) with five runs scored, six RBI, five walks and a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts as Army took three of four games from Navy over the weekend. Price posted a .632 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot against the Mids, helping Army rack up 36 runs in the four-game series. Price raised his batting average 55 points to .323 and earns his first Rookie of the Week award.

Honorable Mention Performances Last Week

Doug Shribman, Bucknell So., 1B/P, Marblehead, Mass.

Shribman went 9-for-16 with six RBI and four runs scored as Bucknell took three of four at Holy Cross over the weekend.

A.J. Pisarri, Lafayette Jr., 2B, Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo

Pisarri hit a game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to lift Lafayette past Lehigh, 9-8, on Monday and finish with a career-high six RBI in the game.

Kirk Porter, Army So., P, Lake Zurich, Ill.

Porter threw 6.1 scoreless innings, including five innings of no-hit ball to start the game, to lead Army past Navy, 6-0, on Sunday.

Trey Frahler, Bucknell So., P, Northfield, Ill.

Frahler allowed one run and four hits in a seven-inning complete-game 2-1 win over Holy Cross on Sunday.

Jeff Snell, Lafayette Fr., P, Wilmette, Ill.

Snell threw three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the victory in Lafayette's 9-8 win over Lehigh on Monday, and also recorded his first collegiate save against the Mountain Hawks on Sunday.

Patriot League Notebook

Lafayette, Bucknell, Army Post Winning Weekend

Lafayette and Bucknell surged to the top of the Patriot League standings after winning three of four games over the weekend, while Army continued its strong play of late by doing the same against rival Navy. Lafayette took the final three games of its four-game set at home against Lehigh while Bucknell won the first three of its series at Holy Cross, putting the Leopards and Bison in a first-place tie at 7-5 in the Patriot League. Army is up to 6-6 in the Patriot League after winning three of four against Navy. The Mids and Crusaders join the Black Knights in a third-place tie. Each series was completed on Monday because of rainouts on Saturday.

Standings Remain Close Heading Into Another Set of Action

The quest for Patriot League Baseball Tournament berths is still wide open as the top five spots in the standings are separated by just one game heading into this weekend's action. Lafayette and Bucknell share the League lead at 7-5, with Army, Navy and Holy Cross all just one game behind and Lehigh in the mix at 3-7. This weekend's action features the co-leaders taking on a team just one game off the pace, as Lafayette hosts Holy Cross and Bucknell goes to Navy. Army travels to Lehigh to complete the slate of four-game sets.

Surging and Slumping Into the Weekend

While the standings are close, some of the League teams have gone in different directions recently. Lafayette has won six of its last eight Patriot League games and Bucknell has claimed four of its last five to move into the tie for first. Army had its five-game League win streak snapped on Monday, but has won five of six to get back to .500. On the other side of things, Holy Cross and Navy have each dropped five of six in the League after strong starts. Each team did turn things around by winning its last game of the weekend.

Patriot League on National TV

Bucknell and Navy will have one of their key League contests shown on national television, as game one between the schools on Sunday can be seen at Noon on the CBS College Sports Network.

Army Posts Offensive Outburst

Army won three of four games against Navy, and posted a 4-2 week overall, with an outstanding showing with the bats last week. The Black Knights scored 67 runs in their six games, including 36 in the series against Navy, and raised their team batting average from .296 all the way to .324 during the stretch. Army leads the Patriot League in batting average, and Black Knight sophomores Joey Henshaw (.426) and Kevin McKague (.410) have the two highest averages in the League.

Sophomores Shining

Henshaw and McKague are part of a group of outstanding sophomores that are taking the Patriot League by storm this season. Lafayette's Rob Froio (.392) joins the Army duo to give the sophomore class the top three batting averages in the League, with four other players at .333 or better to put seven sophomores in the top 12 in the League in batting average. Sophomores hold nine of the top 15 spots on the League's ERA leaderboard, with Lafayette's Corey Shea (3.21) and Navy's Sam Long (3.79) taking the top two positions. Army sophomore Ben Koenigsfeld is 12th in the League in batting average and seventh in ERA.

Another Milestone Win For Patriot League Coach

Army Head Coach Joe Sottolano recorded his 250th career win on Sunday against Navy, joining a long list of milestone wins for Patriot League coaches this season. Bucknell Head Coach Gene Depew won his 500th game in March, while Lafayette's Joe Kinney took his 200th career victory on April 4. Navy's Paul Kostacopoulos earned his 100th win at the school to open the season.

Patriot League Tournament

For the second year in a row, the Patriot League Baseball Tournament will include four teams and be played over two weekends. The best-of-three semifinals will be at the site of the top two seeds on May 9 and 10, with the best-of-three Patriot League Championship at the site of the highest remaining seed on May 16-17.

Team Notebooks

Army The Black Knights climbed up the Patriot League standings by taking three of four games at home against rival Navy over the weekend. Army earned its sixth consecutive "star" by beating the Mids in a series for the sixth straight time, with wins in 21 of 25 contests in those years. Army ran its winning streak over Navy to a school-record 10 games before dropping the final contest of the series on Monday. Army scored 36 runs in the four contests, and tallied 67 runs in its six games last week. The Black Knights raised their batting average for the season from .296 to .324 over the six games. Joey Henshaw leads the Patriot League with a .426 batting average and is riding a career-long 15-game hit streak. Kirk Porter threw 6.1 scoreless innings in Army's 6-0 win on Sunday. Army has won five of its last six Patriot League games heading into this weekend's series at Lehigh.

Bucknell The Bison moved into a tie for first place in the Patriot League standings by winning three of four games at Holy Cross on Sunday and Monday. Bucknell won the first three contests of the series before dropping the finale. Doug Shribman recorded at least two hits in each of the four games, going 9-for-16 with six RBI and four runs scored in the series. Trey Frahler improved to 2-0 in League play by allowing just one run and four hits in a seven-inning complete-game for a 2-1 victory in Sunday's series opener. Frahler leads the Patriot League with a 0.98 earned run average in League games. Andrew Brouse leads the Patriot League in home runs (8), RBI (47), total bases (82), triples (4) and slugging percentage (.680) this season. Bucknell has set a new program record with 52 batters hit by a pitch this season. The Bison try to maintain first place with a series at Navy this weekend.

Holy Cross The Crusaders dropped three of four games to Bucknell over the weekend, but were able to salvage the series finale with an 11-7 victory. That win snapped a five-game Patriot League losing streak, and six-game overall skid, while bringing Holy Cross back to .500 in the League. Nate Koneski went 8.1 innings on the mound and struck out six batters to earn the victory. Both marks were career highs. Holy Cross will go on the road in League play this weekend with a series at co-leader Lafayette.

Lafayette The Leopards are tied for first place in the Patriot League after winning the final three games of their weekend series at home against rival Lehigh. Lafayette posted a pair of shutouts in Sunday's doubleheader, with Corey Shea going all nine innings in a 2-0 victory in the nightcap. The Leopards scored a dramatic 9-8 win in the series finale on Monday, rallying from an early 5-0 deficit to notch a 9-8 win on a three-run home run by A.J. Pisarri in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pisarri was 3-for-5 with a career-high six RBI in the game, and went 8-for-16 in the weekend series. Freshman Jeff Snell pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win in the series finale, and also notched his first collegiate save in the series. He has not allowed a run in nine straight appearances. Lafayette has won 12 of the last 16 games against Lehigh. The Leopards remain at home to take on Holy Cross this weekend.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks won the series opener at rival Lafayette on Saturday, but dropped the remaining three games to fall in the series. Andrew Berger threw a seven-inning complete-game in Lehigh's 4-3 win on Saturday. It was Berger's Patriot League-best third complete game of the season. The Mountain Hawks scored one run in the sixth inning and two in the seventh to rally for the victory. Lehigh has its final two Patriot League series at home, beginning with Army this weekend.

Navy The Mids fell at rival Army in three of four games over the weekend, but were able to claim the final game of the series with a 12-10 victory. That win snapped a five-game Patriot League losing streakfor Navy. The Mids rallied from an early 5-1 deficit behind a 4-for-4 day with five RBI from Kendall Bolt. The 12 runs were the most for Navy against Army since 2002. The Mids scored seven first-inning runs in a 10-1 win at UMBC on Tuesday. Navy ends its season-long 10-game road trip by going to Towson on Tuesday, the fifth game in three days for the Mids. Navy returns home for a Patriot League series with Bucknell over the weekend.