Photo Courtesy of Patriot League
THE TOP FIVE @PATRIOTLEAGUE NOTES
*Boston University snapped Lehigh’s 13-game winning streak by taking the final two games of weekend series in Boston.
*Bucknell’s Cydnee Sanders leads the Patriot League in batting average at .469 (46-for-98) which is 10th in NCAA Div. 1.
*Army sophomore third baseman Casey McGravey is tops in the Patriot League in home runs (6) and RBI (36).
*Lehigh’s team ERA of 2.37 is tops in the Patriot League and 41st in all of NCAA Div. 1.
*Army (6th, 2.19) and Boston University (20th, 1.73) both rank in the top 20 nationally in stolen bases per game.
Bucknell Bison Look to Make up Ground on Patriot League Leading Lehigh
Bucknell (14-16, 6-3) trails Patriot League-leading Lehigh (17-12, 7-2) by one game in the standings heading in to a weekend series at Becker Field in Lewisburg, Pa. The Bison missed out on a chance to tie the Mountain Hawks on Sunday when they dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker at Lafayette. It was the seventh one-run loss for the Bison on the season who have seen 11 of their 16 losses come by two runs or less. Boston University ended the Mountain Hawks 13-game winning streak on Saturday and then handed the guests another loss when they exploded for eight fifth inning runs in an 8-4 win on Sunday. The Terriers (19-14, 4-2) will be at Holy Cross (5-14, 3-3) this weekend. Lafayette (4-21, 2-7) hosts Colgate (5-18, 0-6) in a three-game series while Army will travel to nearby Marist for a non-league doubleheader on Saturday.
On-Base Percentage + Speed = Runs
Boston University leads the Patriot League in more than a dozen offensive categories including batting average, walks, and runs scored. When you factor in the Terriers .312 team batting average with a league-best 93 walks plus four of the top ten bases stealing threats (Jayme Mask 18-22, Moriah Connolly 13-13, Brittany Younan 10-10, and Brittany Clendenny 9-9), it is no wonder Boston University has scored 31 runs more than runnerup Army (173-142). Led by the Patriot League’s all-time leader in stolen bases in senior Amanda Nguyen (105), the Black Knights have stolen 70 bases in 84 attempts this spring.
Patriot League Softball Championship The 2014 Patriot League Softball Championship will be played May 8-10 on the home field of the highest seed. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in the Patriot League standings will participate in the three-day double-elimination format. On Thursday, May 8 the No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed will square off against the No. 3 seed. The two winners and two losers will then play on Friday with the team with a 2-0 record moving on to the final day and the 0-2 team being eliminated. The two one-loss teams will play in an elimination game on Friday to determine the championship opponent.
Lehigh Edges Boston University at top of Preseason Rankings
Lehigh received eight of 11 first place votes to end up on top of the Patriot League preseason softball rankings with 66 points. Boston University, playing in its first season as a member of the league, received the remaining three first place votes and 63 points to be tabbed for second. Defending Patriot League softball tournament champ Army is third with 55 points followed by Colgate 40, Bucknell 36, Holy Cross 18 and Lafayette 16. A pair of Mountain Hawks claimed preseason individual recognition, as third baseman Morgan Decker, a sophomore, was named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year and sophomore Emily Bausher claimed the Preseason Pitcher of the Year award.
Patriot League Weekly Awards
Player of the Week
JESSICA CALVINI, LEHIGH So., OF, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Calvini slugged three home runs, scored five runs and drove in eight during the Mountain Hawks 3-2 week. Batted .353 (6-for-17) with four of the six hits going for extra bases (.941 slugging percentage). The sophomore outfielder was also hit by pitch twice in the series against the Terriers to contribute to a .421 on-base percentage.
Pitcher of the Week
CAROLINE SMITH, ARMY Fr., P, Chino Hills, Calif.
Smith allowed only one unearned run over 20.1 innings in earning all three wins in Army’s sweep of Colgate over the weekend. The freshman registered complete game shutouts in first (9-0) and last (5-0) game of the series and also picked up a 5-1 victory. Smith held Colgate to a .162 batting average and also helped her own cause in batting .417 with a home run and two RBI in the series.
Rookie of the Week
ALEE RASHENSKAS, ARMY Fr., 2B, St. Anne, Ill.
Rashenskas reached base in every game of the Black Knights series sweep of Colgate to earn her fourth Patriot League Rookie of the Week honor. The freshman batted .500 (5-for-10) and also walked twice to raise her on-base percentage to .583 for the week. Rashenskas had a double, a triple, scored three runs and knocked in a pair for the series.
Honorable Mention
ALYSSA STROBEHN, ARMY So., C, West Valley, Utah
Strobehn batted .400 (4-for-10) with a home run and five RBI in Black Knights series sweep of Colgate.
LAUREN HYNES, BOSTON UNIVERSITY So., P, San Diego, Calif.
Hynes pitched all 32.1 innings for the Terriers this week picking up a pair of wins against Lehigh and one over Connecticut.
JACEE ALMOND, BUCKNELL Fr., 2B, Concord, Calif.
Almond batted .500 (5-for-10) with three doubles and two RBI as Bison took two-of-three from Lafayette.
DANA NIELSEN, BUCKNELL So., P, Pequannock, N.J.
Nielsen allowed only two hits in five scoreless innings while earning win against Lafayette and also pitched 5.1 innings in 2-1 loss to Leopards.
COLLEEN AHERN, HOLY CROSS So., 1B, Northbrook, Ill.
Ahern batted .467 (7-for-15) for Holy Cross. The sophomore was 2-for-3 plus a walk and scored a run in Crusaders 5-4 win over Siena.
BRYN GORNICK, LAFAYETTE So., P, Villa Park, Calif.
Gornick was the winning pitcher, made a key defensive play and drove in the only two runs in Lafayette’s 2-1 win over Bucknell.
EMILY BAUSHER, LEHIGH Jr., P, New Egypt, N.J.
Bausher allowed only one hit over seven innings while striking out seven, earning the win in Lehigh’s 3-0 victory over Boston University.
