Sports News: Spring 2011

Thursday, May 12, 2011

SIX MORAVIAN BASEBALL PLAYERS RANKED IN NCAA STATISTICS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN --- Six student-athletes from the Moravian College baseball team are ranked in the eighth NCAA Division III Baseball Statistics Ranking of the 2011 season released this week for games through May 8th, and the Greyhounds are ranked in the top 50 in seven team categories.

Junior pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) is ranked in six categories including being first in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.56.  Close is tied for third in victories with ten, third in earned run average at 1.00, 18th in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.15, fourth in strikeouts with 100, tied for seventh in complete games with seven and 15th in hits allowed per nine innings at 5.80.

Senior outfielder Mike Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 96th in the country in hits with 56 this season, and he is tied for 87th in doubles with 14 while junior shortstop Dave Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 52nd in hit by pitch per game at 0.35 and tied for 55th after being hit by a pitch 12 times this spring.

Senior second baseman Jake Schweitzer (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 44th in sacrifice flies with five in 2011.

Junior pitcher Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for sixth with nine saves this spring while freshman pitcher Jonathan Harasin (Springfield, VA/South County HS) is tied for 97th in victories with six.

The Greyhounds are 17th in earned run average at 2.97, and Moravian is tied for 30th in stolen bases with 87, 39th in stolen bases per game at 2.18, 13th in walks allowed per nine innings at 2.52, 29th in hits allowed per nine innings at 8.5, 29th in strikeouts per nine innings at 7.8 and tied for 17th in winning percentage at .775.

Moravian, which is 31-9 overall and was 17-1 in Landmark Conference action, is awaiting the 2011 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament selection announcement on Monday, May 16th to see if the squad has earned one of the 15 at-large berths into the 55-team field.