Thursday, May 6, 2010

MORAVIAN BASEBALL SQUAD TO HOST 2010 LANDMARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College baseball team captured its first regular season title since 1992 as the top seeded Greyhounds will host the 2010 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament May 7th through 9th at Gillespie Field.

The tournament begins on Friday, May 7th with the top seed Moravian taking on fourth seed Juniata College at 9:00 p.m.  Second seed The Catholic University of America and third seeded Susquehanna University are slated to take the field at 12:30 p.m. while the losers of the first two games will play at 4:00 p.m. Friday.  The winners of Friday’s first two games will open Saturday’s action at 9:00 a.m.  For more information on the tournament, visit http://www.moravian.edu/athletics/baseball/10/10Landmark/index.htm.

The Greyhounds, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Paul Engelhardt, who as a career mark of 77-74, have posted a 23-13 overall record this spring, becoming just the second team in the 71-year history of Moravian’s baseball program to win 20 games in a season, passing last year’s school record of 21, and a 14-4 mark in Landmark Conference action. 

Moravian, which is making its second straight appearance in the Landmark Conference Tournament, is hitting .302 with 67 doubles, nine triples and 13 home runs, and the team also has 81 stolen bases and a .953 fielding percentage this season.

Sophomore first baseman/pitcher Kevin O'Keefe (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton HS) has a .387 average to go with 46 hits, 23 runs, ten doubles, a triple, five homers, 16 stolen bases, 15 walks and 38 RBIs while junior third baseman Jon Baltz (Easton, PA/Easton HS) has a .314 average, 44 hits, 31 runs, nine doubles and 22 RBIs.  Junior outfielder Jason Huber (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has a .323 average, 30 hits, 30 runs, three triples, a homer, two doubles, nine stolen bases, 18 walks and eight RBIs while senior outfielder Brad Bodine (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS) has 30 hits, 22 runs, five doubles, 13 walks, 13 stolen bases and 14 RBIs.  Huber currently has 104 runs, the third player in school history to reach 100, and 108 hits in his career, the 15th player to 100 hits, while O'Keefe has 102 hits, the 16th player to get 100 hits and the first sophomore, and 97 RBIs and Bodine has 93 hits. 

Freshman outfielder Rocco Del Priore (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has 19 hits, 13 runs, six doubles and 14 RBIs while junior second baseman Jake Schweitzer (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has a .319 average, 36 hits, 22 runs, four doubles, a homer, 25 RBIs, 17 walks and 14 stolen bases.  Junior outfielder/designated hitter Jacob Millen (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has a .338 average, 23 hits, ten runs, seven doubles, two homers and 14 RBIs while sophomore shortstop Dave Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has a .377 average, 26 hits, 18 runs, three doubles, eight stolen bases and eight RBIs. Sophomore catcher Austin Rock (Arlington, VA/Flour Bluff HS) has 20 hits, seven runs, six doubles and 18 RBIs while sophomore first baseman Gregg Steinman (Miami, FL/Palmer Trinity School) has 20 hits, ten runs, five doubles and ten RBIs.

Junior outfielder Matt Kensecki (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has 11 hits, six runs, two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs while junior infielder/outfielder Matt Pezzato (Great Meadows, NJ/Hackettstown HS) has contributed 17 hits, 15 runs, two doubles, two triples and seven RBIs.  Junior catcher Blake Shortall (Kintnersville, PA/Palisades HS) has ten hits, seven runs, three doubles, a homer, 12 walks and seven RBIs while junior outfielder Mike Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has five hits, four runs, a double, a triple and four RBIs. 

Freshman outfielder Tyler Thompson (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin HS) has three hits, a run and two RBIs while freshmen outfielders Frank Trautz (Audubon, NJ/Haddon Township HS) and Wayde Williams (Tamaqua, PA/Tamaqua Area HS) each have one hit with Trautz scoring two runs.  Freshman second baseman Aaron Popovice (Rosetto, PA/Bangor HS) has added two hits, a run and a double while senior Scott Brady (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery HS) has five hits, four runs, a double and three RBIs. 

On the mound, senior Chris Morrison (Middlesex, NJ/Immaculata HS) is 6-1 record with a 2.44 ERA, 21 walks and 46 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings.  Freshman Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is 4-1 with three saves, a 0.43 ERA, four walks and 19 strikeouts in 21 innings while sophomore Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) is 4-0 with a 3.76 ERA, a shutout, eight walks and 47 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings.  

Senior Dustin Pflug (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnston HS) is 2-2 with a save, nine walks, 11 strikeouts and a 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings while senior Joe Melchionna (Marlboro, NJ/St. John Vianney HS) is 2-2 with a shutout, nine walks and 31 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings.  Senior Andrew DeLio (Parsippany, NJ/Parippany HS) has an 0-2 mark with 13 walks and 13 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings while O'Keefe is 3-1 with 14 walks and 15 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. 

Senior Ryan Cummings (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East HS) is 2-2 on the season with 14 walks and 31 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings while senior Brandon Palmisano (Mountainhome, PA/Pius X HS) is 0-1 with three walks and four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.  Senior Phillip Spence (Lafayette, NJ/Newton HS) has a save, three walks and nine strikeouts in 14 innings while senior Zach Andes (Moscow, PA/North Pocono HS) has five strikeouts in five innings.  Freshman Matt Cordes (Drexel Hill, PA/Cardinal O’Hara HS) has five walks and six strikeouts in five innings while senior Richard Schultz (Drexel Hill, PA/The Haverford School) has allowed two walks and no hits in 2/3 of an inning.