The Matchup
Lafayette travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on the Quakers of Penn. In a series started in 1882, the last meeting of the two squads was in 2023, where the Leopards defeated the Quakers, 6-5.
Pitcher of the Week
Junior
Joe Skapinetz was named the
Patriot League Pitcher of the Week, on March 5. In the Leopards' second game of their three-game series against Delaware on March 2, Skapinetz came out of the bullpen and threw 5.2 innings in the 4-2 Lafayette win over the Blue Hens. The junior right-hander tied a career-high in strikeouts with 10, and did not give up a hit or a run in his appearance against Delaware. The Far Hills, N.J. native retired 16 of the 19 Blue Hens' batters that he faced, on the way to collecting his first win of the season. This was the first weekly award for Skapinetz.
Preseason Honors
Junior
Michael Zarrillo was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Last year, the 2023 All-Patriot League First-Team selection batted a team-best .280, along with clubbing 10 home runs. Freshman
Tristan Helmick was selected as the Preseason Patriot League Rookie of the Year by
Perfect Game and
D1BASEBALL. The Fort Washington, Pa. native comes to Lafayette from La Salle College High School, where he recorded a 6-1 record as a senior in 48.1 innings pitched, along with a 2.30 ERA.
The Leopards
Lafayette is coming off of a mid-week win at Richmond, 7-6. Lafayette was led by sophomore
Ethan Swidler, who hit a pair of two-run home runs. Freshman
Matt Colella gave the Leopards the lead in the top of the ninth on an RBI-ground-out. Senior
Joey Pence recorded his first win of the season for Lafayette, pitching 2.0 innings, giving up one hit and not allowing a run, while striking out two. Freshman
Tristan Helmick and senior
Adam Bogosian also pitched well out of the bullpen. Helmick threw two scoreless innings with a strikeout, while Bogosian tossed 5.0 innings, giving up five hits and a run.
The Opponent
Penn enters this weekend's series with a 5-8 record. Last time out, the Quakers played Villanova in a mid-week game, defeating the Wildcats, 8-3. In that game, Penn came from behind as Villanova scored the first three runs of the game, but the Quakers responded with eight unanswered to win the game. Nick Spaventa leads the Quakers on offense. The freshman holds a .396 batting average, along with four home runs and 11 RBIs. On the mound, Penn is paced by Josh Katz. The Chicago, Ill., native has a 1-0 record, with a 5.06 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched.
