The Matchup
The Leopards open Patriot League play this weekend, traveling to Bucknell on Friday for a doubleheader that will start at 12:30 p.m. and then to Navy on Sunday for a doubleheader slated to begin at 1 p.m. Lafayette won two of the five contests with the Bison in 2022 and the Leopards lead the all-time series 122-81-1.  The Leopards won their season series with the Midshipmen last year, winning three of the five games between the two squads. Navy leads the all-time series with Lafayette 97-48-2.

A Familiar Face
A.J. Miller '11 has returned to College Hill as the Leopards' skipper in 2023. Miller who is a 2011 Lafayette graduate was the 2011 Patriot League Player of the Year, a All-Patriot League First-Team selection and tied the Lafayette program record for home runs with 22. Miller was a Charles L. Albert '08 award recipient and received the Paul E. Koch '28 award during his time in Easton. After leaving College Hill, Miller went on to play professional baseball for the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League and the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. He spent the previous seven years on the baseball staff at Lehigh University, holding titles of assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and associate head coach during his tenure.

Weekly Honors
Lafayette has won four weekly awards in the season to date. Freshman pitcher James Reese was awarded Patriot League Baseball Rookie of the Week for his work on the mound against High Point. Junior Blaze Fadio was named Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week and freshman Ethan Swidler was selected as Patriot League Baseball Rookie of the Week for their performances at Southeastern Louisiana. Senior Alex Walsh was named Patriot League Baseball Pitcher of the Week for his effort against Davidson. These were the first weekly honors for the four members of the Lafayette Nine.

The Leopards
The Leopards have been powered this season by senior Pete Ciuffreda. The Whitehouse Station, N.J. native leads the Patriot League with eight home runs, is batting .270 and has 15 RBI's. Sophomore Michael Zarrillo leads the team with a .293 batting average, and also has a home run and three RBIs. Senior Seif Ingram, who had three hits in Lafayette's last game at Rutgers, is batting .282 with three home runs and 15 RBIs, and is tied for the Patriot League lead in triples with two. On the mound, the Leopards have been led by senior Alex Walsh, who has posted a 4.22 ERA in 21.1 innings pitched, recording a 1-1 record and striking out 24. Lafayette has taken advantage of its team's speed and leads the Patriot League in stolen bases with 29.

The Opponents
Bucknell enters the weekend with an 8-11 record overall and a 2-2 record in the Patriot League after defeating Villanova on Wednesday in a non-conference game. The Bison finished the 2022 season with a 22-26 record and advanced to the Patriot League Championship Series. Sophomore Sean Keys leads the Bucknell offensive attack. Keys is batting .279 and leads the team with four home runs and 18 RBIs, with a .279 batting average in the early going. On the mound, sophomore Tyler O'Neil has paced the Bison rotation. O'Neil has compiled a 2-2 record and a 2.18 ERA with 19 strikeouts in five starts, throwing a complete game in Bucknell's 3-2 win at Rhode Island.  
 
Navy comes into the weekend with an 9-11 overall mark and a 2-2 record in the Patriot League after having its most recent contest against Frostburg State canceled. The Midshipmen are coming off a 19-26 campaign in 2022 when they went 10-15 in the Patriot League. Navy is lead offensively by a pair of juniors, Hudson Lehnertz and Logan Keller. Lehnertz leads the team in batting with a .375 average and also has a home run, along with five RBIs. Keller has a team-leading 15 RBIs, a home run and is batting .328.  Senior Nate Mitchell has anchored the rotation for the Midshipmen, pitching 26.1 innings, recording a 3-1 record with a 3.42 ERA while striking out 22 in five starts.