Lehigh University Athletics
Tuesday, March 10
Teaneck, N.J.
1 p.m.
Lehigh University
at
Fairleigh Dickinson
Photo by: Lisa Stamford
Lehigh continues Spring Break with mid-week trip to FDU Tuesday
3/9/2020 1:55:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The spring break slate of games continues for Lehigh baseball, as the team has returned home from North Carolina A&T and will head on the road for the short drive to Fairleigh-Dickinson on Tuesday afternoon for a 1 p.m. first pitch. The game will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row.
The Mountain Hawks had a solid weekend against the Aggies, taking two out of three games, including the first two on Saturday and Sunday.
Lehigh was 2-2 last week, going 2-1 against NC A&T and dropping the home opener at Walker Field on Wednesday to Coppin State.
Before registering just a single hit against the opposition in the series finale on Sunday, Lehigh had combined for 34 hits between the first two games of the series against NC A&T.
The offense was led by sophomore third baseman Gerard Sweeney, who hit .409 (9-for-22) with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI in his four games. Freshman catcher Adam Retzbach hit .333 (7-for-21) with two doubles, a triple and two walks. Retzbach also increased his team-best hitting streak to nine straight games.
So far this season, senior outfielder Jake Kochmansky leads the Lehigh offense with a .324 (12-for-37) batting average, with five runs scored and six RBIs. He's also walked three times for an on-base percentage of .375. Retzbach is closely behind, hitting .314 (16-for-51) in the first 12 games of his rookie campaign, with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and six RBIs. He's slugging a team-best .510 with four walks for an on-base percentage of .375.
On the mound, Lehigh will look towards a mid-week contingency of pitchers, with junior left-hander Cameron Van Hoorebeke (0-2, 6.75) projected to take the bump for the Mountain Hawks. He's made one start this season so far, going 6.2 innings with four strikeouts and only one walk.
As a team, Lehigh has a team ERA of 5.09 with 128 strikeouts and 55 walks. The pitching staff has held hitters to a .268 batting average this year.
FDU comes into the day looking to get back on track, losing two straight games, starting the season 3-8 through the team's first 11 games of the year.
The Knights are coming off a weekend series of games at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, beating UMBC, 3-1 on Friday before falling to Navy (3-1) on Saturday and Penn State (8-4) on Sunday.
FDU has wins over UMBC, Iona and a season-opening victory over Saint Peter's.
Like last season, the FDU offense has been paced by a few familiar faces with Tom Ruscitti leading the way with a batting average of .359, followed by Nate Brodsky at .326. James Donlon is the only other Knight that is averaging over the .300 plateau at .303.
Ruscitti has been known for his power, slugging five homers with three doubles and 11 RBIs, with a current slugging percentage of .821 in 11 starts. He's also walked six times and has an OBP of .468.
Pitching has been a struggle for FDU recently, with a team ERA of 8.70. Chris Quijano leads the way with an ERA of 4.35, going 0-0 in four appearances, with six strikeouts and eight walks. Joey Kosowsky has made four starts for the Knights, with a 2-2 record, a 5.25 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Teams have hit .325 against FDU pitching this season so far, which bodes well in Lehigh's favor.
The Mountain Hawks are 7-11 all-time against FDU dating back to the 1958 season. Lehigh played FDU twice in 2019, winning both matchups.
The last time these two teams played in Teaneck, N.J., the Mountain Hawks got a 20-6 win over the Knights, including scoring 10 runs in the top of the first inning.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks had a solid weekend against the Aggies, taking two out of three games, including the first two on Saturday and Sunday.
Lehigh was 2-2 last week, going 2-1 against NC A&T and dropping the home opener at Walker Field on Wednesday to Coppin State.
Before registering just a single hit against the opposition in the series finale on Sunday, Lehigh had combined for 34 hits between the first two games of the series against NC A&T.
The offense was led by sophomore third baseman Gerard Sweeney, who hit .409 (9-for-22) with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI in his four games. Freshman catcher Adam Retzbach hit .333 (7-for-21) with two doubles, a triple and two walks. Retzbach also increased his team-best hitting streak to nine straight games.
So far this season, senior outfielder Jake Kochmansky leads the Lehigh offense with a .324 (12-for-37) batting average, with five runs scored and six RBIs. He's also walked three times for an on-base percentage of .375. Retzbach is closely behind, hitting .314 (16-for-51) in the first 12 games of his rookie campaign, with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and six RBIs. He's slugging a team-best .510 with four walks for an on-base percentage of .375.
On the mound, Lehigh will look towards a mid-week contingency of pitchers, with junior left-hander Cameron Van Hoorebeke (0-2, 6.75) projected to take the bump for the Mountain Hawks. He's made one start this season so far, going 6.2 innings with four strikeouts and only one walk.
As a team, Lehigh has a team ERA of 5.09 with 128 strikeouts and 55 walks. The pitching staff has held hitters to a .268 batting average this year.
FDU comes into the day looking to get back on track, losing two straight games, starting the season 3-8 through the team's first 11 games of the year.
The Knights are coming off a weekend series of games at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, beating UMBC, 3-1 on Friday before falling to Navy (3-1) on Saturday and Penn State (8-4) on Sunday.
FDU has wins over UMBC, Iona and a season-opening victory over Saint Peter's.
Like last season, the FDU offense has been paced by a few familiar faces with Tom Ruscitti leading the way with a batting average of .359, followed by Nate Brodsky at .326. James Donlon is the only other Knight that is averaging over the .300 plateau at .303.
Ruscitti has been known for his power, slugging five homers with three doubles and 11 RBIs, with a current slugging percentage of .821 in 11 starts. He's also walked six times and has an OBP of .468.
Pitching has been a struggle for FDU recently, with a team ERA of 8.70. Chris Quijano leads the way with an ERA of 4.35, going 0-0 in four appearances, with six strikeouts and eight walks. Joey Kosowsky has made four starts for the Knights, with a 2-2 record, a 5.25 ERA and 19 strikeouts.
Teams have hit .325 against FDU pitching this season so far, which bodes well in Lehigh's favor.
The Mountain Hawks are 7-11 all-time against FDU dating back to the 1958 season. Lehigh played FDU twice in 2019, winning both matchups.
The last time these two teams played in Teaneck, N.J., the Mountain Hawks got a 20-6 win over the Knights, including scoring 10 runs in the top of the first inning.
Like Lehigh Baseball on Facebook, follow on Twitter and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
3B
/ Baseball
LHP
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