April 27, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - There will be a new champion in Patriot League Baseball, as Army, Navy, Holy Cross and Bucknell sealed their spots in the League Tournament over the weekend.
The Black Knights earned the No. 1 seed in the field, and will host No. 4 Bucknell for the best-of-three semifinals on May 10-11. No. 2 Navy will host No. 3 Holy Cross in a rematch of this weekend's series, where the Mids won three of four games.
The 2008 Patriot League Baseball Tournament will feature best-of-three series for the semifinals and championship, which will be played May 17-18. Both rounds will have doubleheaders on Saturday, with a single game if necessary on Sunday. All games will be played at the site of the higher seed, and all will go nine innings. Army earns the right to host throughout the Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
The Black Knights (21-21, 13-7 Patriot League) are the hottest team in the League heading into the Tournament. Army has won 11 of its last 13 games, and clinched its berth and the top overall seed by sweeping Lafayette on Saturday. The Black Knights earned their first regular-season title since 2005, which was also the last time they won the Patriot League Tournament. Army is in the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years, and will host a postseason game for the first time since 2005.
Army takes on Bucknell (22-21-2, 10-10 PL) in the semifinal series. The Bison made the field on the last day of the season, as a 7-4 victory over Lehigh put them in the Tournament and officially eliminated defending champion Lafayette. Bucknell is in the Patriot League Tournament for the third time in the last four years, and will be in search of its first League title since 2003.
Bucknell took three of four games at Army when the teams met on March 29-30.
Navy (28-21, 11-9 PL) and Holy Cross (20-25, 11-9 PL) both made the field after Saturday's action. The Mids clinched the right to host the semifinal series between the teams by winning Sunday's nightcap, 2-1. Navy earned the tiebreaker by virtue of winning three of four games over the weekend against the Crusaders.
The Mids are back in the Patriot League Tournament for the second year in a row, and will go in search of their first League title since the 2002 season. Navy will host a Patriot League Tournament game for the first time since winning the championship on its home field in 2002. The Mids were selected as the favorite in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Holy Cross ends what had been the longest Tournament drought in the League, making the field for the first time since 2001. The Crusaders are in the Patriot League Tournament for the third time overall, and are in search of their first title.
For more information, visit the Patriot League Baseball Championship Page
