Oct. 7, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - A star on the mound for Bucknell, Matt Daley returns to the state of his alma mater for the Major League Baseball playoffs on Wednesday as his Colorado Rockies open their five-game National League Divisional Series at the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies at 2:37 p.m. on TBS.

Just the second Patriot League player to make it to the major leagues, Daley had success out of the bullpen for the Rockies after debuting on April 25. The right-hander from Garden City, N.Y. pitched in 57 games and compiled a 1-1 record with a 4.24 earned run average while striking out 55 and walking only 18 in 51.0 innings. He limited opponents to 43 hits and six home runs for the season. He was unscored upon in 40 of 55 appearances, including 14 consecutive scoreless outings spanning 13.2 innings from July 10-August 11. Daley picked up his victory on Sept. 9 against Cincinnati as the Rockies were fighting for a playoff spot. Colorado enters the postseason after finishing in second place in the NL West with a 92-70 record and earning the League's Wildcard berth.

Daley was signed as a free agent by the Rockies after he graduated from Bucknell in 2004. He was called up to the Rockies' active roster on April 22, joining Eric Junge (Bucknell, 1999) as the only Patriot Leaguers to make it to the major leagues. Junge saw action in six games with the Phillies in 2003. Daley owned a 1.13 ERA in five appearances with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox before getting the call to the major leagues.

Daley and the Rockies will remain in Philadelphia for Game 2 of the series on Thursday at 2:37 p.m., then return home for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4, if necessary, on Sunday. A deciding Game 5 would be played in Philadelphia on Tuesday.