Saturday, April 6
West Point, N.Y.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Army
Photo by: Brent Hugo
Lehigh to visit Army in mid-season league matchup
4/5/2019 4:29:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As the season hits the mid-way point, Lehigh baseball is getting set to head to West Point this weekend for a three-game Patriot League series with Army. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. with Sunday's single game set for a first pitch of noon.
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a grueling 20-15 non-league victory over Saint Joseph's on Wednesday that saw them come back from an 11-run deficit after two innings to complete the program's greatest comeback in the Patriot League era.
Lehigh scored 20 runs on 21 hits in the win that was led once again by an offense consisting of senior Jeff Shanfeldt and juniors Tony Gallo and Matt Hand, as the Mountain Hawks snapped their four-game losing streak, improving to 12-16 on the year with momentum heading into a series with the defending Patriot League Champion Black Knights.
Shanfeldt has been on a hot streak as of late, hitting .450 (18-for-40), with six doubles, three home runs, 10 runs scored, six walks and 20 RBIs in his last 10 games. In that stretch, he has raised his batting average from .270 to .347, currently second on the team behind Ryan Malloy (.349) and ranked third in the Patriot League.
Both Gallo and freshman Gerard Sweeney have had similar success at the plate in their last 10 games as Gallo has hit .438 (14-for-32) with two doubles, a triple, a home runs and 10 RBIs and Sweeney is .364 (12-for-33) with two doubles, two home runs, 10 runs scored, four walks and nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
As a team in the previous 10 games, Lehigh is slashing .280/.465/.390 with 99 hits, 87 runs scored, 13 home runs and 83 RBIs. The Mountain Hawks remain tied with Navy for the Patriot League-lead in home runs with 23.
Lehigh's run production has been lethal all season long, as the Mountain Hawks enter the weekend as one of the nation's best run producing teams, averaging near seven runs scored per game. However, the pitching has struggled, allowing about the same amount per game to opponents.
Levi Stoudt and Jason Reynolds will have their shots to get Lehigh off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon as Stoudt is looking to build off his last start where he pitched a complete game against Holy Cross last weekend, allowing just three runs, two earned over seven hits with six strikeouts in seven innings of work. Stoudt has a winning streak of three straight outings, his last losing decision coming on Feb. 23 at Mount St. Mary's. Reynolds has lost his last two decisions, but played well on Saturday in the second game against Holy Cross despite allowing three runs, two earned over eight hits in seven innings of work. The junior right-hander also struck out six batters in his previous outing. Both junior righties will be in action in Game 1 and 2, respectively against Army on Saturday.
Aside from the starting the rotation, typical names out of the bullpen have struggled recently, but junior Matt Hand has found moments away from shortstop to step in on the mound and compete, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three appearances in the Mountain Hawks' last 10 games. Ethan Frohman has also been a constant force out of the 'pen, with freshman Matt Stamford also providing meaningful moments especially during Lehigh's 3-7 stretch during that period of time.
Lehigh knows that playing Army is not going to be easy, as it has dropped seven of its last 10 matchups to the Black Knights. Perhaps a winning streak is in the works as the Mountain Hawks knocked off Army in their final matchup last season, 5-0.
The Black Knights (15-13, 4-3 PL) are coming off back-to-back losses to Bucknell and Cornell, but have won four of their last six games dating back to Mar. 24 against Navy at Doubleday Field.
Army West Point has a ton of talent up-and-down its roster starting with Anthony Giachin, who currently paces the team with a .340 average (36-for-106) with 12 doubles, three home runs and 28 RBIs in 28 starts. Both Trey Martin (.325) and Jacob Hurtubise (.305) are hitting above .300 this season and are constant threats to get on base. Hurtubise is one of the league leaders in stolen bases with 21 on 23 attempts. He also has an on-base percentage of .481, so he will try to get on base with any opportunity he has.
The Black Knights are also known for their pitching staff, currently led by left hander Tyler Giovinco (5-1, 2.60 ERA) and Daniel Burggraaf (0-2, 2.95 ERA). Giovinco and Burggraaf are currently slated to square off with Stoudt and Reynolds, respectively on Saturday, with righty Sam Messina (4-2, 4.81) scheduled to get the Game 3 starting nod on Sunday.
Army West Point is one of the nation's leaders in two categories: walks and sacrifice bunts. The Black Knights are ninth in NCAA DI with 171 walks this season, while currently eighth in the country in SAC-bunts with 26. And as mentioned before, stealing bases is a big part of the team's game plan with 57 so far this year, currently 20th in the nation in that category.
Army's recent success against Lehigh has the all-time series currently in its favor, 82-49.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks are coming off a grueling 20-15 non-league victory over Saint Joseph's on Wednesday that saw them come back from an 11-run deficit after two innings to complete the program's greatest comeback in the Patriot League era.
Lehigh scored 20 runs on 21 hits in the win that was led once again by an offense consisting of senior Jeff Shanfeldt and juniors Tony Gallo and Matt Hand, as the Mountain Hawks snapped their four-game losing streak, improving to 12-16 on the year with momentum heading into a series with the defending Patriot League Champion Black Knights.
Shanfeldt has been on a hot streak as of late, hitting .450 (18-for-40), with six doubles, three home runs, 10 runs scored, six walks and 20 RBIs in his last 10 games. In that stretch, he has raised his batting average from .270 to .347, currently second on the team behind Ryan Malloy (.349) and ranked third in the Patriot League.
Both Gallo and freshman Gerard Sweeney have had similar success at the plate in their last 10 games as Gallo has hit .438 (14-for-32) with two doubles, a triple, a home runs and 10 RBIs and Sweeney is .364 (12-for-33) with two doubles, two home runs, 10 runs scored, four walks and nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
As a team in the previous 10 games, Lehigh is slashing .280/.465/.390 with 99 hits, 87 runs scored, 13 home runs and 83 RBIs. The Mountain Hawks remain tied with Navy for the Patriot League-lead in home runs with 23.
Lehigh's run production has been lethal all season long, as the Mountain Hawks enter the weekend as one of the nation's best run producing teams, averaging near seven runs scored per game. However, the pitching has struggled, allowing about the same amount per game to opponents.
Levi Stoudt and Jason Reynolds will have their shots to get Lehigh off on the right foot on Saturday afternoon as Stoudt is looking to build off his last start where he pitched a complete game against Holy Cross last weekend, allowing just three runs, two earned over seven hits with six strikeouts in seven innings of work. Stoudt has a winning streak of three straight outings, his last losing decision coming on Feb. 23 at Mount St. Mary's. Reynolds has lost his last two decisions, but played well on Saturday in the second game against Holy Cross despite allowing three runs, two earned over eight hits in seven innings of work. The junior right-hander also struck out six batters in his previous outing. Both junior righties will be in action in Game 1 and 2, respectively against Army on Saturday.
Aside from the starting the rotation, typical names out of the bullpen have struggled recently, but junior Matt Hand has found moments away from shortstop to step in on the mound and compete, going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three appearances in the Mountain Hawks' last 10 games. Ethan Frohman has also been a constant force out of the 'pen, with freshman Matt Stamford also providing meaningful moments especially during Lehigh's 3-7 stretch during that period of time.
Lehigh knows that playing Army is not going to be easy, as it has dropped seven of its last 10 matchups to the Black Knights. Perhaps a winning streak is in the works as the Mountain Hawks knocked off Army in their final matchup last season, 5-0.
The Black Knights (15-13, 4-3 PL) are coming off back-to-back losses to Bucknell and Cornell, but have won four of their last six games dating back to Mar. 24 against Navy at Doubleday Field.
Army West Point has a ton of talent up-and-down its roster starting with Anthony Giachin, who currently paces the team with a .340 average (36-for-106) with 12 doubles, three home runs and 28 RBIs in 28 starts. Both Trey Martin (.325) and Jacob Hurtubise (.305) are hitting above .300 this season and are constant threats to get on base. Hurtubise is one of the league leaders in stolen bases with 21 on 23 attempts. He also has an on-base percentage of .481, so he will try to get on base with any opportunity he has.
The Black Knights are also known for their pitching staff, currently led by left hander Tyler Giovinco (5-1, 2.60 ERA) and Daniel Burggraaf (0-2, 2.95 ERA). Giovinco and Burggraaf are currently slated to square off with Stoudt and Reynolds, respectively on Saturday, with righty Sam Messina (4-2, 4.81) scheduled to get the Game 3 starting nod on Sunday.
Army West Point is one of the nation's leaders in two categories: walks and sacrifice bunts. The Black Knights are ninth in NCAA DI with 171 walks this season, while currently eighth in the country in SAC-bunts with 26. And as mentioned before, stealing bases is a big part of the team's game plan with 57 so far this year, currently 20th in the nation in that category.
Army's recent success against Lehigh has the all-time series currently in its favor, 82-49.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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