Lehigh University Athletics
2014 Baseball Season in Review
5/22/2014 1:32:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh baseball team capped off a historic 2014 season with its first Patriot League Championship series appearance since 2006 as Mountain Hawks finished the season with a 25-24 overall record that included a 10-10 Patriot League mark and multiple marquee wins. The successful 2014 campaign included the team's lowest ERA in 35 years and a league-leading batting average.
"The single greatest memory I'll have from this team is that it truly was a group, one through 34, in which every guy embraced whatever role he had, yet fought for a bigger role every day," said head coach Sean Leary, who wrapped up his 19th season at the helm. "It's such a fine line and grey area that this group figured out. There was so much energy and they were very connected and positive in pulling for each other every day."
Lehigh wasn't even projected to make the postseason after being predicted fifth in the preseason Patriot League poll, but the Mountain Hawks used several large winning streaks and key league series victories to catapult themselves into the championship.
"The most important part is that the seniors made a commitment to themselves and to the team to take this team back into the playoffs and into the championship," explained Leary. "They deserve a lot of the credit based on what they did through the end of last season until now. They didn't know what their commitments would result in until we played through the end of the season. That group was so important and as were the group that came before them with players like Casey Turner who really put down the foundation for this season's success."
Weather-related cancellations and postponements were the norm for the Mountain Hawks in the beginning of the season as snow blanketed the Lehigh Valley. Lehigh held a 6-8 overall record heading into the season's first contests on the Goodman Campus Baseball Field, a three-game series against Mount St. Mary's. Lehigh swept a Saturday doubleheader before winning the third game 7-6 in thrilling extra-inning fashion to complete their first series sweep since March 9-19, 2013.
The Mountain Hawks rode that momentum into the first weekend of league play, taking two of three games from co-preseason favorite Army in West Point, N.Y. in a rain-shortened series.
After a tough series at Bucknell, the Mountain Hawks responded with a historic four-game sweep of Holy Cross on the Goodman Campus. Pitching was strong throughout the entire series and the Mountain Hawk bats broke out in Sunday's games as Lehigh outscored the Crusaders 25-8 over the four-game set. On Saturday, senior Colin Gotzon threw a three-hitter to lead Lehigh to a 1-0 win in the opener, while in the nightcap, seniors Mike Burke and Nick Cassell combined on a four-hitter in a 3-0 Mountain Hawk victory. It marked the first time in program history that Lehigh shut out a Patriot League opponent twice in one day and the first time the Mountain Hawks blanked any team twice in a single day since a pair of shutouts over Rider (8-0 and 5-0) in 1976. The offense heated up on Sunday as Lehigh picked up 6-5 and 15-3 wins over the Crusaders and eight separate Mountain Hawks recorded RBI throughout the day.
Lehigh's league record sat at 7-8 heading into the final regular-season league series against none other than archrival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks needed to win two of the series' four games to secure their first postseason spot since 2010. Lehigh didn't waste any time and picked up 7-2 and 4-2 victories to sweep a Saturday doubleheader and secure a tournament spot. After falling in a tight 2-1 battle in the third game of the series Sunday, the Mountain Hawks responded with a 5-1 win in the series finale to secure the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. It marked the first time that Lehigh won a series against Lafayette since 2010 after splitting the last three seasons.
The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, their first postseason appearance since 2010, and were matched up with No. 2 Army in the semifinals. Lehigh pulled out a 6-0 shutout victory in the first game of the best-of-three series before besting the Black Knights 3-1 in the deciding game to defeat the two-time defending league champions and co-regular season champs and earn a spot in the championship series at top-seeded Bucknell. Lehigh eventually fell to Bucknell 5-4 and 7-2 as the Bison captured the league crown.
"We got the runner up trophy and no one wanted to carry it," said Leary. "They earned it, but no one felt like it was what they wanted to hold and embrace for the season. They weren't content in the fact that they got so close and had something to build off of.
"I loved how they reacted when they fell short," continued Leary. "It was with genuine emotion. Every returning guy has said that it's something that is going to sit in their stomach all summer and motivate them to push further. They reacted with genuine emotion and maturity. There weren't gloves thrown against the dugout walls, there was simply the feeling of knowing they could have done better."
The Mountain Hawks used both strong pitching and hitting to lead them to their successes. Lehigh finished the season with a 3.92 cumulative ERA, its lowest in 35 years. The Mountain Hawks' ERA was the best since a 3.87 mark in 1979. Senior Joey McNamara, the team's setup man, led the squad with a 2.45 average.
"Our pitching was so impressive," said Leary. "That aspect of our game took a huge step forward this year and the seniors led the way once again. The fact that it was our best ERA in 35 years is something that can't be understated and is very impressive."
The Mountain Hawks hit a league-leading .270 over the course of the season, led by junior Justin Pacchioli's .362 batting average. Lehigh also tallied an impressive 12-4 home record throughout the season, including a 7-1 mark in league play on the Goodman Campus Baseball Field.
"We talked about how well we played at home when we had a full roster suited up and how important it was for the guys who were in reserve roles to be supportive of the guys ahead of them," said Leary. "You need heart and desire from the kids playing, but that only carries so far over the course of a four-game series or a winning or losing streak. It's the collective heartbeat of the team that prevents a bad week or two from happening, and this team was always there to pick each other up."
Multiple Mountain Hawks earned individual accolades during and following the successful season. Pacchioli, freshman Matt Kozemchak and senior J.R. Edwards each earned weekly Patriot League awards, while five Mountain Hawks were named to All-Patriot League teams at the conclusion of the season. Pacchioli and sophomore Mike Garzillo earned first team All-Patriot League honors, while senior relief pitcher Nick Cassell and juniors Tim McKay and Connor Faust were named second team All-League. McKay and Garzillo were also named to the Academic All-Patriot League team due to their successful seasons on the field and in the classroom.
Lehigh will lose a strong senior class of seven, but returns many talented underclassmen for the 2015 season.
"This group is hungry," said Leary. "Now they know what it feels like to get to the championship, but they're not content with that. They'll, no doubt, have their sights set on getting a ring next year."
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"The single greatest memory I'll have from this team is that it truly was a group, one through 34, in which every guy embraced whatever role he had, yet fought for a bigger role every day," said head coach Sean Leary, who wrapped up his 19th season at the helm. "It's such a fine line and grey area that this group figured out. There was so much energy and they were very connected and positive in pulling for each other every day."
Lehigh wasn't even projected to make the postseason after being predicted fifth in the preseason Patriot League poll, but the Mountain Hawks used several large winning streaks and key league series victories to catapult themselves into the championship.
"The most important part is that the seniors made a commitment to themselves and to the team to take this team back into the playoffs and into the championship," explained Leary. "They deserve a lot of the credit based on what they did through the end of last season until now. They didn't know what their commitments would result in until we played through the end of the season. That group was so important and as were the group that came before them with players like Casey Turner who really put down the foundation for this season's success."
Weather-related cancellations and postponements were the norm for the Mountain Hawks in the beginning of the season as snow blanketed the Lehigh Valley. Lehigh held a 6-8 overall record heading into the season's first contests on the Goodman Campus Baseball Field, a three-game series against Mount St. Mary's. Lehigh swept a Saturday doubleheader before winning the third game 7-6 in thrilling extra-inning fashion to complete their first series sweep since March 9-19, 2013.
The Mountain Hawks rode that momentum into the first weekend of league play, taking two of three games from co-preseason favorite Army in West Point, N.Y. in a rain-shortened series.
After a tough series at Bucknell, the Mountain Hawks responded with a historic four-game sweep of Holy Cross on the Goodman Campus. Pitching was strong throughout the entire series and the Mountain Hawk bats broke out in Sunday's games as Lehigh outscored the Crusaders 25-8 over the four-game set. On Saturday, senior Colin Gotzon threw a three-hitter to lead Lehigh to a 1-0 win in the opener, while in the nightcap, seniors Mike Burke and Nick Cassell combined on a four-hitter in a 3-0 Mountain Hawk victory. It marked the first time in program history that Lehigh shut out a Patriot League opponent twice in one day and the first time the Mountain Hawks blanked any team twice in a single day since a pair of shutouts over Rider (8-0 and 5-0) in 1976. The offense heated up on Sunday as Lehigh picked up 6-5 and 15-3 wins over the Crusaders and eight separate Mountain Hawks recorded RBI throughout the day.
Lehigh's league record sat at 7-8 heading into the final regular-season league series against none other than archrival Lafayette. The Mountain Hawks needed to win two of the series' four games to secure their first postseason spot since 2010. Lehigh didn't waste any time and picked up 7-2 and 4-2 victories to sweep a Saturday doubleheader and secure a tournament spot. After falling in a tight 2-1 battle in the third game of the series Sunday, the Mountain Hawks responded with a 5-1 win in the series finale to secure the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament. It marked the first time that Lehigh won a series against Lafayette since 2010 after splitting the last three seasons.
The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, their first postseason appearance since 2010, and were matched up with No. 2 Army in the semifinals. Lehigh pulled out a 6-0 shutout victory in the first game of the best-of-three series before besting the Black Knights 3-1 in the deciding game to defeat the two-time defending league champions and co-regular season champs and earn a spot in the championship series at top-seeded Bucknell. Lehigh eventually fell to Bucknell 5-4 and 7-2 as the Bison captured the league crown.
"We got the runner up trophy and no one wanted to carry it," said Leary. "They earned it, but no one felt like it was what they wanted to hold and embrace for the season. They weren't content in the fact that they got so close and had something to build off of.
"I loved how they reacted when they fell short," continued Leary. "It was with genuine emotion. Every returning guy has said that it's something that is going to sit in their stomach all summer and motivate them to push further. They reacted with genuine emotion and maturity. There weren't gloves thrown against the dugout walls, there was simply the feeling of knowing they could have done better."
The Mountain Hawks used both strong pitching and hitting to lead them to their successes. Lehigh finished the season with a 3.92 cumulative ERA, its lowest in 35 years. The Mountain Hawks' ERA was the best since a 3.87 mark in 1979. Senior Joey McNamara, the team's setup man, led the squad with a 2.45 average.
"Our pitching was so impressive," said Leary. "That aspect of our game took a huge step forward this year and the seniors led the way once again. The fact that it was our best ERA in 35 years is something that can't be understated and is very impressive."
The Mountain Hawks hit a league-leading .270 over the course of the season, led by junior Justin Pacchioli's .362 batting average. Lehigh also tallied an impressive 12-4 home record throughout the season, including a 7-1 mark in league play on the Goodman Campus Baseball Field.
"We talked about how well we played at home when we had a full roster suited up and how important it was for the guys who were in reserve roles to be supportive of the guys ahead of them," said Leary. "You need heart and desire from the kids playing, but that only carries so far over the course of a four-game series or a winning or losing streak. It's the collective heartbeat of the team that prevents a bad week or two from happening, and this team was always there to pick each other up."
Multiple Mountain Hawks earned individual accolades during and following the successful season. Pacchioli, freshman Matt Kozemchak and senior J.R. Edwards each earned weekly Patriot League awards, while five Mountain Hawks were named to All-Patriot League teams at the conclusion of the season. Pacchioli and sophomore Mike Garzillo earned first team All-Patriot League honors, while senior relief pitcher Nick Cassell and juniors Tim McKay and Connor Faust were named second team All-League. McKay and Garzillo were also named to the Academic All-Patriot League team due to their successful seasons on the field and in the classroom.
Lehigh will lose a strong senior class of seven, but returns many talented underclassmen for the 2015 season.
"This group is hungry," said Leary. "Now they know what it feels like to get to the championship, but they're not content with that. They'll, no doubt, have their sights set on getting a ring next year."
Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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