Thursday, March 24, 2011

SIX MORAVIAN BASEBALL PLAYERS RANKED IN NCAA STATISTICS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN --- Six student-athletes from the Moravian College baseball team are ranked in the first NCAA Division III Baseball Statistics Ranking of the 2011 season released this week, and the Greyhounds are ranked in the top 50 in eight team categories.

Junior pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) is ranked in five categories including being tied for 18th in the nation with four victories.  Close, pictured at right, is also tied for 21st in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.0, 22nd in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.67, tied for 30th in strikeouts with 36 and tied for 48th in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.33.

Junior first baseman Kevin O’Keefe (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton HS), pictured at left, is tied for eighth in the country with ten doubles, and he is 13th in doubles per game at 0.71 and tied for 80th in sacrifice flies with two.

Senior second baseman Jake Schweitzer (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is also tied for 80th in sacrifice flies with two, and Schweitzer, pictured at right, is tied for 69th in sacrifice bunts with three.

Senior outfielder Jason Huber (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS), pictured at left, is currently tied for 56th in the nation in stolen bases with nine, and he is tied for 62nd in stolen bases per game at 0.64. Huber is currently two stolen bases away from tying the school record of 43, and he already broke the school record in career runs scored, now with 121.

Senior outfielder Mike Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS), pictured at right, is 13th in the country in triples with three this season.

Junior pitcher Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS), pictured at bottom left, is tied for 21st with three saves this spring.

The Greyhounds are tied for 22nd in stolen bases with 39 this season, and Moravian is tied for 25th in triples with seven, 27th in stolen bases per game at 2.79, 33rd in walks allowed per nine innings at 2.83, tied for 34th in triples per game at 0.5, 38th in earned run average at 2.99, 43rd in batting average at .330 and 50th in doubles per game at 2.14.

Moravian, which is 10-5 overall and 3-0 in Landmark Conference action, is scheduled to return to the field on Saturday, March 26th in a Landmark Conference doubleheader at Susquehanna University beginning at 1:00 p.m.