Thursday, May 5, 2011

MORAVIAN BASEBALL SQUAD TO HOST 2011 LANDMARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College baseball team captured its second straight regular season title as the top seeded Greyhounds will host the 2011 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament May 7th through 9th at Gillespie Field.

The tournament begins on Saturday, May 7th with the top seed Moravian taking on fourth seed Susquehanna University at 12:30 p.m.  Second seed The University of Scranton and third seeded The Catholic University of America are slated to take the field at 4:00 p.m.  Action will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday while Monday’s championship round is slated for 12:30 p.m.  Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors while children under 10 and all Landmark Conference students with ID are free.  For more information on the tournament, visit http://www.moravian.edu/athletics/baseball/11/11Landmark/index.htm.

The Greyhounds, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Paul Engelhardt, who as a career mark of 110-83, have posted a 30-7 overall record this spring, becoming just the third team in the 72-year history of Moravian’s baseball program to win 20 games in a season, passing last year’s school record of 26, and also becoming the first team in school history to win 30 games. 

Moravian had a 17-1 mark in Landmark Conference action during the regular season and has won 14 straight games heading into the tournament.  The Greyhounds won the Landmark title last spring and made the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament last May.

Moravian, which is making its third straight appearance in the Landmark Conference Tournament and second as host, is hitting .301 with 62 doubles, nine triples and ten home runs, and the team also has tied the school record with 88 stolen bases and a .948 fielding percentage this season.

Senior outfielder Mike Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) leads the Greyhounds with a .385 average, 50 hits, 27 runs, 13 doubles, three triples, a team high 34 RBIs and 16 stolen bases while junior first baseman Kevin O'Keefe (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton HS) is hitting .341 with 47 hits, team highs of 38 runs and 12 doubles to go with two triples, 23 RBIs, 13 walks and 15 stolen bases.  Senior outfielder Jason Huber (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has contributed 41 hits, 28 runs, six doubles, a triple, four homers, 18 RBIs, 17 walks and 18 stolen bases, and he has set the school records with 137 runs and 50 stolen bases in his career while senior second baseman Jake Schweitzer (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has 28 hits, 14 runs, five doubles, 20 RBIs, 14 walks and eight stolen bases. 

Senior third baseman Jon Baltz (Easton, PA/Easton HS) has 36 hits, 19 runs, five doubles, 26 RBIs, 12 walks and five stolen bases.  Junior shortstop Dave Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has added 25 hits, 22 runs, two doubles, a triple, a homer, 10 walks, 10 hit by pitch, six stolen bases and 14 RBIs while junior catcher Austin Rock (Arlington, VA/Flour Bluff {TX} HS) has contributed a .368 average, 25 hits, 17 runs, five doubles, a triple, a home run and 16 RBIs.  Junior infielder/designated hitter Gregg Steinman (Miami, FL/Palmer Trinity School) has 17 hits, seven runs, two doubles, a homer and 10 RBIs while sophomore outfielder Rocco Del Priore (Center Valley, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has 21 hits, 15 runs, three doubles, a triple, 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases. 

Freshman outfielder Joseph Connell (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has added 14 hits, ten runs, three doubles, five RBIs and four stolen bases while senior designated hitter Matt Kensecki (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) has added nine hits, five runs, a homer and three RBIs.  Senior shortstop Matt Pezzato (Great Meadows, NJ/Hackettstown HS) has four hits, six runs, a double and three RBIs while senior designated hitter Jacob Millen (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS) has a .325 average, 13 hits, eight runs, two doubles, a homer and nine RBIs. 

Junior catcher Blake Shortall (Kintnersville, PA/Freedom HS) has ten hits with four runs and three RBIs while freshman shortstop Dan Seitzinger (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks West HS) has eight hits, six runs and a double.  Freshman infielder Joshua Barfield (Pocomoke, MD/Snow Hill HS) has added three hits, three runs, three RBIs and a double while freshman catcher Matt Gutkes (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North HS) has four hits, a home run, a run and five RBIs.  Freshman infielder Edwin Balcarcel (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley) has two hits, a double, two RBIs and five runs, and freshman outfielder Harrison Fontiex (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge HS) has four runs scored. 

On the mound, junior Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) has a 9-0 record, a 0.75 ERA, four shutouts, 91 strikeouts and just five walks allowed in 71.2 innings, and Close has set the school records with 21 career wins, seven shutouts and 223 career strikeouts.  Freshman Jonathan Harasin (Springfield, VA/South County HS) is 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA, a shutout, 36 strikeouts and nine walks in 51.2 innings while sophomore Tommy Fenyak (Centreville, VA/Westfield HS) has a 4-2 mark with a 2.88 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in 34.1 innings. 

Freshman Robert Solano (Stroudsburg, PA/Notre Dame East Stroudsburg HS) is 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA, a shutout, a save, 22 strikeouts and 12 walks in 38 innings while junior Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) has a 2-0 record, nine saves, a 2.31 ERA, 20 strikeouts and four walks in 23.1 innings.  Freshman Jason Jamula (Alexandria, VA/St. Stephens & St. Agnes HS) is 1-0 for Moravian with a 4.86 ERA, 13 strikeouts and 14 walks in 16.2 innings while sophomore Frank Trautz (Audubon, NJ/Haddon Township HS) has a 2-0 record, a 3.77 ERA, 10 strikeouts and four walks in 14.1 innings. 

Freshman Chris Soltys (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn HS) is 1-1 on the season with a 3.18 ERA, six walks and 16 strikeouts in 17 innings while O'Keefe has an 0-1 mark with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.  Freshman Tommy Marino(Hazleton, PA/Hazleton HS) is 1-0 and has tossed seven innings with seven strikeouts and three walks while freshman Evan Bray (Fairfax, VA/Robinson Secondary HS) has an 0-1 record, a 1.59 ERA, four strikeouts and three walks in 5.2 innings.  Freshman Benjamin Hammel (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua HS) has recorded six strikeouts in 4.1 innings while freshman Anthony Perez-Floridio (Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit Prep HS) has three strikeouts and two walks in 2.2 innings.  Freshman Tim Smith (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville HS) has three walks and three strikeouts in two innings while sophomore Matt Cordes (Drexel Hill, PA/Cardinal O’Hara HS) has four walks and a strikeout in 1.1 innings.