Friday, February 15
Durham, N.C.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Duke
Lehigh opens season with three-game series at Duke
2/14/2019 12:50:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Lehigh baseball team is all ready to begin the 2019 season after a long break from the end of 2018. The Mountain Hawks travel to Durham, N.C. to take on Duke University this weekend for a three-game set starting Friday at 4 p.m at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. They'll also play Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils finished the 2018 season as a NCAA Super Regional Finalist and finished with a No. 8 ranking after a 45-18 record.
The Mountain Hawks are trying to capitalize on a three-game win streak to close out last season's campaign and after an influx of new talent, Lehigh is in a good position to continue to shine once the season starts.
Lehigh returns two All-Patriot League second teamers in senior catcher Jeff Shanfeldt and junior infielder Tony Gallo. Shanfeldt finished his 2018 season hitting .280 with 42 hits, five doubles, two home runs and 20 RBIs. He walked 20 times with a slugging percentage of .367 with an on-base mark of .376. Behind the plate, Shanfeldt thrived, with a .994 fielding percentage and a team-high 276 putouts. Gallo also found success with a .314 batting average, good for second on the team, with 32 hits, 19 RBIs, .373 slugging and a .405 OBP. He ended last season on an 11-game on-base streak where he hit .344 (11-for-32) with nine walks during that span.
There will be a multitude of freshmen making their Lehigh debuts on offense including third baseman Gerard Sweeney and infielder Chase Carlson. Sweeney is coming off a senior campaign at The Shipley School where he hit .575 with five doubles, five triples, 30 runs and 42 RBIs. A Katy, Texas native, Carlson was a two-time UIL 6A All-District 19 selection in Taylor High School's infield.
The Mountain Hawks will find their most success this weekend with their pitching rotation, led by junior right-handers Levi Stoudt and Jason Reynolds. Stoudt is set to get the Game 1 start on Friday after a very strong summer and offseason. He finished 2018 at Lehigh with a 3-8 record, 3.03 ERA and a team-high 67 strikeouts. Stoudt threw four complete games his sophomore season with three games of double-digit strikeouts including an impressive season-high 12 strikeouts vs. Holy Cross on Mar. 31.
Reynolds is the probable starting arm for the Mountain Hawks on Saturday for Game 2 after finishing 2018 at 4-5 with a 3.60 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 65 innings of work. He provides Lehigh with another spark as a part of a 1-2 punch atop the rotation. Reynolds has improved steadily from his first season in 2017 to last year and should continue that trend heading into this year.
Lehigh's Game 3 starter is unclear as of now, but could be any combination of pitchers including senior lefty Ethan Frohman or freshman right-hander Mason Black. Whatever the case is, the Mountain Hawks have a considerable amount of depth on the mound for any scenario.
Duke is a strong non-league opponent for the Mountain Hawks this season. The Blue Devils will be Lehigh's first ACC opponent since Mar. 4, 2008 at Miami. This is the fifth meeting all-time between Duke and Lehigh. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 3-2 and won the last matchup 17-14 back in 1953 in Durham.
The Blue Devils are highlighted by junior left-hand pitcher Graeme Stinson, who was most recently added to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list. Stinson is the fourth-rated player on Baseball America's Top 50 college prospects for the 2019 draft. In 2018, Stinson was 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA and struck out 98 batters in 62 innings.
Duke has nine position players and nine pitchers returning for 2019 with 15 newcomers on the roster.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for their first season-opening win since the 2017 season, where they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in Davidson, N.C.
All three games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with a provider subscription through ESPN 3.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks are trying to capitalize on a three-game win streak to close out last season's campaign and after an influx of new talent, Lehigh is in a good position to continue to shine once the season starts.
Lehigh returns two All-Patriot League second teamers in senior catcher Jeff Shanfeldt and junior infielder Tony Gallo. Shanfeldt finished his 2018 season hitting .280 with 42 hits, five doubles, two home runs and 20 RBIs. He walked 20 times with a slugging percentage of .367 with an on-base mark of .376. Behind the plate, Shanfeldt thrived, with a .994 fielding percentage and a team-high 276 putouts. Gallo also found success with a .314 batting average, good for second on the team, with 32 hits, 19 RBIs, .373 slugging and a .405 OBP. He ended last season on an 11-game on-base streak where he hit .344 (11-for-32) with nine walks during that span.
There will be a multitude of freshmen making their Lehigh debuts on offense including third baseman Gerard Sweeney and infielder Chase Carlson. Sweeney is coming off a senior campaign at The Shipley School where he hit .575 with five doubles, five triples, 30 runs and 42 RBIs. A Katy, Texas native, Carlson was a two-time UIL 6A All-District 19 selection in Taylor High School's infield.
The Mountain Hawks will find their most success this weekend with their pitching rotation, led by junior right-handers Levi Stoudt and Jason Reynolds. Stoudt is set to get the Game 1 start on Friday after a very strong summer and offseason. He finished 2018 at Lehigh with a 3-8 record, 3.03 ERA and a team-high 67 strikeouts. Stoudt threw four complete games his sophomore season with three games of double-digit strikeouts including an impressive season-high 12 strikeouts vs. Holy Cross on Mar. 31.
Reynolds is the probable starting arm for the Mountain Hawks on Saturday for Game 2 after finishing 2018 at 4-5 with a 3.60 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 65 innings of work. He provides Lehigh with another spark as a part of a 1-2 punch atop the rotation. Reynolds has improved steadily from his first season in 2017 to last year and should continue that trend heading into this year.
Lehigh's Game 3 starter is unclear as of now, but could be any combination of pitchers including senior lefty Ethan Frohman or freshman right-hander Mason Black. Whatever the case is, the Mountain Hawks have a considerable amount of depth on the mound for any scenario.
Duke is a strong non-league opponent for the Mountain Hawks this season. The Blue Devils will be Lehigh's first ACC opponent since Mar. 4, 2008 at Miami. This is the fifth meeting all-time between Duke and Lehigh. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 3-2 and won the last matchup 17-14 back in 1953 in Durham.
The Blue Devils are highlighted by junior left-hand pitcher Graeme Stinson, who was most recently added to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list. Stinson is the fourth-rated player on Baseball America's Top 50 college prospects for the 2019 draft. In 2018, Stinson was 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA and struck out 98 batters in 62 innings.
Duke has nine position players and nine pitchers returning for 2019 with 15 newcomers on the roster.
The Mountain Hawks are looking for their first season-opening win since the 2017 season, where they defeated Fairleigh Dickinson in Davidson, N.C.
All three games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with a provider subscription through ESPN 3.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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