Lehigh University Athletics
2001 Season Wrapup
9/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The 2001 season did not go as planned according to head coach Sean Leary. With the 2000 NCAA Batting Champion in senior Pat Hollander and a core of experienced upperclassmen returning, the Mountain Hawks were ready to make some waves within the Patriot League. But injuries took its toll and Lehigh went through a 14-28 campaign going 6-14 in conference play.
After opening up the season in less-than-ideal conditions in a doubleheader at Delaware State, Lehigh ventured down to sunny Florida where it went 3-4 and picked up momentum as it headed back north. After a slew of non-conference games, the Mountain Hawks opened up their conference portion of their schedule with pre-season favorite Navy. Dropping three-of-four to the Mids, the Mountain Hawks were determined to shake off the bad start. After taking on Delaware in the Liberty Bell Classic at Veteran’s Stadium in Philadelphia, Lehigh then split games with Lafayette and Army before it dropped three-of-four to eventual league champion Bucknell. With a chance to earn the last playoff spot for the Patriot League Tournament in the last weekend of conference play at Holy Cross, the Crusaders ended Lehigh’s post-season birth with a four-game sweep.
The Mountain Hawks did have some extraordinary performances and some history as well. Junior P Dave Cerminaro (Pottstown, PA/Pottsgrove) was the team’s ace on the mound as he earned second team All Patriot League Honors after he went 4-4 with a 3.80 ERA while striking out a team-high 43 batters while just walking 13. Threw four complete games including his gem against first-place Bucknell; a one-hitter while not walking a single batter in a 1-0 victory. Recorded a season-high six strikeouts against Navy. Cerminaro was also named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week twice. Lefty Brian Andalman (Deerfield, IL/Deerfield) was the No.2 in the rotation and ran into some tough-luck throughout the season. The junior went 0-8 with a 4.88 ERA but had run-support trouble in five if his nine starts. The southpaw went six innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run in a 4-3 loss at Temple. His most frustrating loss was a 1-0 decision to Bucknell as he went 7 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run, while walking just three and fanning three. Senior Ryan Parish (Terrace Park, IL/Manemont) went 2-3 with a 7.04 ERA and 26 strikeouts as the No. 3 starter. Parish had his best game in a 6-2 victory over Binghamton, throwing a complete-game six-hitter, giving up one earned run while striking out two. Senior Josh Hillman (Bellport, NY/Bellport) went 1-6 as the No. 4 arm in the rotation. His only win was a complete-game four-hit shutout against St. Rose, walking one while fanning three. In a 9-6 win over Moravian, Hillman earned the save after throwing five relief innings, allowing just one hit.
A trio of freshman pitchers saw some starting action on the mound and in relief in their first seasons. Keith Frerichs (Brooklyn, NY/Xavrerian) appeared the most, pitching in 14 games while compiling a 2-3 record and a save. The freshman earned his first collegiate win pitching five innings of relief against St. Joseph’s. Matt Nusinov (Owings Mills, MD/McDonogh) started three games and appeared in relief posting a 2-2 record. In a wild 17-11 win over LaSalle, Nusinov came on and threw 5.1 innings to earn his first win. C.J. Heim (Warren, NJ/Immaculata) missed time with a concussion, limiting him to just seven games. Heim threw four innings in relief to earn first win over rival Lafayette.
Senior captain 1B Pat Hollander (Rieglesville, PA/Palisades), last year’s NCAA batting champion, has fought through injury and a slew of bad pitching but started the season with a bang as he pounded out two home runs in the first game of the season with Delaware St. Hollander has walked 21 times and been hit by pitch six times. He led the team in home runs with seven while batting .231 on the year with six doubles and 21 RBI’s. Hollander exploded on LaSalle as he drove in a season-high five runs while hitting a double and a home run. Freshman 2B Jesse Novalis (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) has been outstanding if not superb in his first season in Bethlehem. Novalis led the team in batting (.357), RBI’s (40), and doubles (17). The rookie had a breakout day in the first game of the second DH with Lafayette as he finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBI’s, a double, and a home run. He closed out his freshman year against LaSalle by going 3-for-3 with two runs and a season-high five RBI’s. Novalis also had a 12-game hitting streak.
Junior 3B/CFJustin Pagan (Brooklyn, NY/Polytech Prep) played through a variety of injuries but managed to lead the team in runs scored (31) and stolen bases (15). He was the team’s leadoff hitter, batting .286 while churning out seven doubles, two triples and knocking in 15 runs. He had a game to remember against Lafayette in the last game of the second doubleheader; a 4-for-4 performance with a double, two runs, and two knocked in. Junior SS Anthony Piccola (Freehold Boro, NJ/Xaverian-NY) a solid defensive player, teams with Novalis to form a potent infield combination as the duo has turned 18 double plays. At the plate, Piccola batted .250 with eight doubles, a triple, and a home run. Piccola went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored versus St. Rose in Florida. Junior CF/P Jeff Pietrak (Philadelphia, PA/LaSalle College) has seen action on the mound and in the field this season. Making seven starts, Pietrak went 2-2 with an ERA of 6.91 in 28.2 innings of work. Against Army, he threw a seven-inning, three-hit gem, striking out five while walking one and giving up one run. Offensively, Pietrak erupted versus LaSalle as he finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three runs knocked in and added a grand slam against Marist. Pietrak finished the season hitting .278 with 17 RBI’s.
Sophomore OF Jeremy Mack (Coopersburg, PA/So. Lehigh) made some history in his second season as hit for the first cycle in the Lehigh record books against St. Rose going 4-for-4 with 6 RBI’s and two runs scored while hitting .270 on the year with eight doubles, two triples, and four home runs.
Other key contributors this season include OF Chad Thoman (Seven Valleys, PA/Spring Grove) who batted .326 in 35 games. The junior had a date to remember against Lafayette in the second game of the second doubleheader was an amazing 5-for-5 with two runs scored and two knocked in. Senior OF Rob Moran (East Longmeadow, MA/Westminster) worked his way into the starting lineup appearing in 28 games, starting 26 of them and hitting .216 with three doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Moran feasted on Lafayette’s pitching staff as he had three hits, four RBI’s and two home runs in the weekend doubleheaders with the Leopards. OF/3B Matt Yarnold (Hackettstown, NJ/Mt. Olive) hit .253 in 29 games. The sophomore hit a game-winning solo home run against Army in the bottom of the seventh to salvage a weekend split with the Cadets.
Senior OF Matt Andrews (Catasaqua, PA/Catasaqua) traded in his helmet and shoulder pads for his glove and bat and found success on the diamond like he did on the gridiron. Andrews batted .270 in 25 games with 8 RBI’s and six stolen bases. The former Second Team All Patriot League and Academic All American in football had a season-high three-hit game against Moravian going 3-for-4.
Sophomore Jarrod Niedosik (Norristown, PA/Germantown Academy) and freshman Jeffrey Quiros (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) shared the catching duties behind the plate. Niedosik appeared in 23 games, batting .214 with five RBI’s while Quiros was one of many freshmen who made immediate impacts for the Mountain Hawks.
Quiros batted .286 while just striking out eight times in 84 at-bats. Rookie SS Eric Hoffman (Malvern, PA/Haverford) came on late in the season appearing in 26 games hitting .340 with 10 RBI’s and four doubles. He had his breakout game against Marist as he was a career-high 4-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI’s. OF Jeff Baker (Neptune, NJ/CBA) appeared in 21 games and was 4-for-34 (.118) at the plate with a home run.
Team Award Winners:
Athlete of the Year: Dave Cerminaro
Coaches Award: Justin Pagan
Scholar-Athlete: Chad Thoman
