April 24, 2015
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(15-24), (9-7) | Lehigh at Lafayette
Sat., 4/25 (DH) 12 p.m. | Sun., 4/26 (DH) 12 p.m.
Easton, Pa. | Kamine Stadium
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(10-19-1), (8-8)
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THIS WEEKEND: The Leopards will aim to lock up a Patriot League playoff spot for the first time since 2012 this weekend when they take on rival Lehigh at Kamine Stadium for a pair of doubleheaders. Both Lafayette and Lehigh each need one victory to secure a spot in the postseason. Action will begin at 12:05 on both Saturday and Sunday. All four games will be broadcast on the Patriot League Network.
ANNUAL TAILGATE: The annual Hilton N. Rahn '51 Tailgate is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. The tailgate will be held at the Caesar Pavilion at Kamine Varsity House on the Metzgar Athletic Campus behind Kamine Stadium. For more information and to register, click here.
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: The Patriot League standings are at this link. Simply put, the Leopards gain entry into the Patriot League Tournament as long as they win one game this weekend. The Leopards can still get in even if they lose all four games, so long as both Bucknell and Army each lose once to Holy Cross and Navy, respectively. Lafayette is mathematically alive for the No. 1 seed, but the Leopards would need to sweep Lehigh, have Holy Cross get swept by Bucknell, and have Navy lose at least three times to Army. Lafayette holds the tiebreaker over Bucknell and Army, while it would lose a tiebreaker to Holy Cross and Navy.
REIGNING PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lafayette junior Campbell Lipe was announced as the Corvias Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Leopards to a series win over Bucknell last weekend. Lipe went 7-for-13 (.538) with four doubles, four runs scored and three RBIs in the series. Lipe is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS: Lehigh arrives in Easton with an overall record of 15-24 and a 9-7 mark in league play. Lehigh took three of four from Lafayette last year after the two teams split the previous three series. Lehigh bats .249 as a team and is led by Mike Garzillo's mark of .372, which is second-best in the Patriot League. Garzillo tops the conference with six home runs and a .600 slugging percentage, while his 35 RBIs rank second. Preseason Player of the Year Justin Pacchioli is hitting .336 and leads the league with an on-base percentage of .494 thanks to 11 hit-by-pitches and 30 bases on balls. The Mountain Hawks' pitching staff carries a 4.89 earned run average into the weekend. Nine different players have made a start for Lehigh and five different players have recorded a save.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Game 1: RHP Kevin Long (1-1, 8.62) vs. RHP David Bednar (2-5, 2.40)
Game 2: RHP J.R. Edwards (0-3, 3.86) vs. LHP John Cain (0-2, 4.30)
Game 3: RHP Nick Stephens (3-4, 4.03) vs. LHP Toby Schwartz (2-3, 4.32)
Game 4: LHP Nick Macaione (2-4, 2.96) vs. LHP Ari Kaufman (1-0, 3.38)
MUCH IMPROVED:
The Leopards have enjoyed April so far.
| Prior to April
| Since April began | | Record | 2-14 | 8-6-1 | | Batting average | .189 | .320 | | Earned run average | 5.60 | 3.86 | | Fielding percentage | .959 | .969 |
|
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STEPPING IT UP: The Leopards are performing significantly better in Patriot League games (8-8) as compared to non-conference games (2-11-1).
BATTING AVERAGE
| Conference games
| Non-conference games
|
| Team | .281 | .233 |
| Thompson | .350 | .208 |
| Hudson | .309 | .273 |
| Lipe | .415 | .292 |
| Schwartz | .333 | .200 |
| Coniglio | .345 | .250 |
| Aherne | .286 | .000 |
| Woinski | .292 | .171 |
| Hills | .268 | .200 |
EARNED RUN AVERAGE
| Conference games
| Non-conference games
|
| Team | 3.67 | 5.91 |
| Kaufman | 1.38 | 7.94 |
| Spera | 3.38 | 7.00 |
| Farina | 2.45 | 3.95 |
| Bednar | 1.93 | 3.18 |
| McMahon | 1.59 | 7.71 |
| Schwartz | 3.10 | 7.11 |
SPONSOR-A-PLAYER PROGRAM: As part of alumni weekend, The Friends of Lafayette Baseball celebrate loyal donors who annually give $1,000 or more to the Lafayette baseball program. This initiative seeks to foster a stronger relationship between student-athletes and the alumni, parents and friends who support the program. All Sponsor-A-Player donors are assigned a current first-year player and will provide mentorship throughout the course of the player's four years before welcoming him to the Lafayette baseball alumni family. On behalf of the Maroon Club and the Friends of Lafayette Baseball, we thank each of these individuals for their commitment and generosity to the Lafayette Baseball program.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Anderson P'14
Mr. Joseph Barkauskas `72
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Bollman `60
Mr. William Buck `50
Mr. Robert Clements `68
Mr. James Engelland `68
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Gross P'14
Mr. George Hossenlopp `65
Mrs. Roberta Hunt
Mr. Michael Ippolito `85
Mr. Hal Kamine '78 and Mrs. Kathleen Coogan Kamine `78
Mr. Dan King `94
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Kinney III
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Louis P'16
Dr. and Mrs. Don Morel `79
Mr. Michael Neborak `79
Mr. James Peyman `77
Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Schwartz P'15
Mr. John Shannon `70
Mr. Norbert Smith `59
Mr. Christopher Watts '81 and Mrs. Kimberly Townshend Watts `82
