The Matchup
The Leopards open the Patriot League Tournament, traveling to West Point, N.Y. this weekend, where they will take on top-seeded Army in a best-of-three series. The Black Knights have won 10 of the 13 postseason meetings between the two schools. Lafayette collected two wins against Army in its road to the 2007 Patriot League Championship. This year, the Black Knights won the season series with the Leopards, taking four of five contests.

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.

Patriot League Postseason Honors
On Wednesday, senior Pete Ciuffreda, senior Alex Walsh and sophomore Michael Zarrillo were named to the All-Patriot League First Team. This is the third All-League selection for Ciuffreda and the first for Zarrillo and Walsh. On Thursday, the Patriot League announced the 2023 Academic All-League team with sophomore Easton Brenner, Zarrillo and Walsh earning spots. This was the first Academic-All League selection for these three members of the Lafayette Nine.

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
Lafayette enters the Patriot League Tournament as the fourth seed after completing the Patriot League regular season with a 10-15 record. The Leopards are led by sophomore Michael Zarrillo. The Atlanta, Ga. native has hit .293 this year with nine home runs, nine doubles, 48 hits and 31 RBIs. Senior Pete Ciuffreda is tied for the Lafayette single season home run record, with 12. Senior Seif Ingram continues to lead the Leopards in hits and RBIs, with 54 and 32, respectively. On the mound, senior Alex Walsh has been the ace of the Leopards' pitching staff, recording a 5-2 record in 57.1 innings pitched, with a 3.61 ERA and 52 strikeouts.

The Opponent
Army enters the tournament as the top seed. The Black Knights have won a record 21 Patriot League contests this year and are led by Patriot League Player of the Year, Kevin Dubrule, and All-Patriot League First Team selection, Ross Friedrick. Dubrule leads the Patriot League in batting with a .399 average with 79 hits, 17 doubles, seven home runs and 58 RBIs. Friedrick is batting .386, with 76 hits, 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 55 RBIs. Army is led on the mound by All-Patriot League First Team selection Mike Ruggieri. Ruggieri has a league-best 2.35 ERA, along with a 7-1 record in 57.1 innings pitched with 52 strikeouts.