Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh hosts Holy Cross in 2010 P.L. Tournament
5/13/2010 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh returns to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2006, as it hosts the Holy Cross Crusaders in the semifinals at the baseball field on the Goodman Campus. The Mountain Hawks closed out their regular season two weeks ago by taking three of four games against Holy Cross to clinch the No. 2 seed in the tournament and with it the right to host the semifinal round. On Senior Day, seniors Andrew Berger and Ken Longernecker led the way over the Crusaders to help Lehigh pull out 4-3 wins in the first two games of the series. Lehigh then split with Holy Cross on day two and secured home field advantage in the semifinals.
The Mountain Hawks pitching staff is led by their senior pitchers, as Andrew Berger, Ken Longernecker and Greg Angelo lock down the top three spots in the rotation. That trio has accounted for 14 of Lehigh’s 22 wins with Longernecker leading the team with six. Two other senior pitchers, Rob Russell and Jordan Warncke, have done double duty, coming out of the bullpen and starting.
“The most important thing regarding this weekend is that it gives our seniors a chance to compete for a league title,” explained 2010 Patriot League Coach of the Year Sean Leary. “This group has worked hard, they’ve persevered and I know it means a lot to every guy in the program that our seniors will have a chance to play in the postseason.”
Leary continued, “Our seniors have played such a key role for us all season long and really stepped their game up during Patriot League play. We’re going to count on that group to continue to lead us. We’re going to look to the upperclassmen on our pitching staff, both starters and relievers, to carry us.”
The Mountain Hawks have enjoyed their time spent on the Goodman Campus this season, as they have an overall record of 11-3 when playing at home. The Brown and White took three of four games against Holy Cross to end the regular season and clinch home field advantage in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament. Lehigh went 7-1 versus league foes this season at home.
“Being at home this weekend is a nice bonus,” Leary said. “To be honest, the first time we spoke to the guys about the potential to host was the morning of the last day of our regular season. Our first goal was to clinch a berth in the tournament and once we did that, we said now let’s try and secure home field for the opening round.”
With its three losses to Lehigh in the final series of the regular season, Holy Cross earned the number three seed in the Patriot League Tournament for the third straight season. The Crusaders (23-23, 10-10) are the top hitting team in the league with a cumulative team average of .326. Matt Perry leads the league in batting average (.415) and Nick Ciardiello leads the league in RBI (54). On Tuesday, Stephen Wadsworth was named the 2010 Patriot League Rookie of the Year after hitting .429 during league play.
“I think it’s an advantage for both teams to have seen one another just two weeks ago,” Leary explained. “We know their pitcher’s tendencies and they know ours. The key for us is to make adjustments from the things we saw in that final regular season series.” He added, “We need to play our game and worry about Lehigh, and also adjust to what Holy Cross showed us.”
The second seeded Mountain Hawks begin play in the 2010 Patriot League Tournament semifinals on Saturday, April 15. The Brown and White will host No. 3 Holy Cross in a best-of-three series on the Goodman Campus with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday, and the final contest of the series slated for Sunday, if necessary. Action on Saturday gets underway at 12:00 with live audio available on Lehighsports.com at no cost. ESPN Radio’s Tom Fallon and Matt Markus will provide the commentary.
Lehigh - Patriot League Tournament Preview
