The Matchup
The Leopards continue Patriot League play, traveling to Holy Cross on Saturday for a doubleheader and then to Army on Sunday for another doubleheader. Lafayette has won two of the first three games against Holy Cross in their five-game series this season and has won one of the first three meetings with Army this year.
Rookie of the Week
Freshman pitcher
Tristan Helmick was selected as Patriot League Baseball Rookie of the Week on April 9. Helmick started the first game of Lafayette's series against Navy on April 7, recording his first collegiate win. The right-hander tossed a complete game, only giving up two runs while striking out a career-high six and scattering four hits over seven strong innings of work. This is the first weekly award for Helmick.
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. It 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 First-Team All-Patriot League 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 Maroon and White
The Leopards are led in batting by
Ethan Swidler, who is averaging .345 overall and .426 in conference play. The San Diego, Calif. native leads the team with nine home runs, 36 runs, 51 hits and has 12 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games. Swidler currently has an 11-game hitting streak and a 16-game on-base streak.
The Crusaders
Holy Cross enters the weekend coming off of a win over Brown, 6-5. The Crusaders are paced by Chris Baillargeon. The junior has six home runs, 30 RBIs, 41 hits and is batting .289.
Senior Alex Bryant is the anchor of Holy Cross' weekend rotation, recording three wins and a 4.66 ERA with a team-best 64 strikeouts in 56 innings of work.
The Black Knights
Army has had solid contributions by a host of players. Derek Berg is batting .303 and leads the team with 14 home runs. Army is led in wins by Justin Lehman. The junior has a 5-2 record in nine appearances, with 39 strikeouts and a 1.39 ERA in 51.2 innings of work. The Black Knights dropped their last game to LIU, 3-2.
