April 28, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - Army, Navy, Holy Cross and Bucknell have earned the four spots in the 2008 Patriot League Baseball Tournament, which begins with the semifinals on May 10-11. The Black Knights captured the No. 1 seed after a 13-7 finish in League play.
Patriot League Baseball Release - 4.28.08 
Player of the Week (April 21-27)
Mike Guadagnini, Navy Fr., IF, Virginia Beach, Va.
One week after his first Rookie of the Week award, Guadagnini did even better by earning Player of the Week recognition by hitting .519 with nine runs scored, two RBI, three doubles and four walks in a 5-2 week for the Mids. He scored at least one run in all five Patriot League games for Navy, and became the first Midshipmen player to go 5-for-5 in a game since April 10, 2005. Guadagnini went 8-for-10 with four runs scored, a double and an RBI as Navy posted a key doubleheader sweep against Holy Cross on Saturday that helped them earn home field for the Patriot League Tournament series against the Crusaders. He also hit safely in all seven of Navy's games last week, with three multi-hit efforts. Guadagnini is the first freshman to earn Player of the Week honors this season.
Pitcher of the Week (April 21-27)
Oliver Drake, Navy So., P, Gardner, Mass.
With the right to host the Patriot League semifinals on the line, Drake came through to lead the Mids past Holy Cross, 2-1, by going all nine innings with no earned runs and only three hits allowed. He did not walk a batter, and struck out a career-high 11 hitters. Drake carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and only allowed two base runners to reach scoring position the entire day. He threw 109 pitches, including 78 for strikes, to record his first nine-inning complete game. Drake earns his first Pitcher of the Week honor of his career.
Rookie of the Week (April 21-27)
Clint Moore, Army Fr., SS, Greensboro, N.C.
Moore earns his second Rookie of the Week award of the season after hitting .571 with four runs scored, two RBI, two walks and four stolen bases to help Army take three of four games against Lafayette. The Black Knights secured the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday, as Moore went 4-for-6 with two runs, two RBI, two walks and three stolen bases in a doubleheader sweep. He posted multiple hits in three of Army's four games over the weekend, and recorded a .625 on-base percentage. Moore is the second player this season to win a pair of Rookie of the Week awards.
Patriot League Notebook
Patriot League Tournament Field Set
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. Army and Navy were both in the Tournament last year, while Bucknell last appeared in 2006 and Holy Cross earns its first berth since 2001. 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.
Army Claims No. 1 Seed
Army has won 11 of its last League 13 games, and clinched its Tournament 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 when they take on Bucknell. As the No. 2 seed, Navy will host a Patriot League Tournament game for the first time since winning the title in 2002.
Closest Race in League History
Only six games separated first-place Army from sixth-place Lehigh in the Patriot League standings, making the 2008 race the most competitive in League annals. It was the first time that all League teams were within six games of each other. Lehigh's 7-13 mark was the top finish for a sixth-place finisher since Bucknell and Navy had that record in 2004.
Everyone Wins 20
In a competitive season, every Patriot League team was able to record a good number of overall wins. And for the first time, all Patriot League schools have recorded 20 victories for the season. Army, Lafayette and Holy Cross both hit the mark over the weekend, with the Leopards and Crusaders winning their 20th on Sunday. Holy Cross has its first 20-win season since 1980. Before this season, there had never been a year where every team in the League won more than 16 games.
Moving Up the Charts
A strong senior class continues to make its impression on the all-time Patriot League record books. Army's Cole White, Bucknell's Jason Buursma, Navy's Mitch Harris and Lehigh's Joe Ercolano have all earned a spot on the top 10 list in at least three categories. White has the most appearances with four, as he is in the top 10 in batting average, home runs, hits and victories, with a top five position in the latter three categories. Buursma moved up to seventh all-time with 22 home runs, and is third in saves and earned run average. Harris is second in League history in strikeouts (280) and ERA (2.29), and places in a tie for eighth with 20 victories. Ercolano moved up to second in career hits with 229, and cracked the top 10 in doubles and stolen bases. Lehigh's Joe Matteo and Navy's Mark McCoy are both in the top 10 for victories and strikeouts.
Bucknell's Buursma a Finalist For Another Honor
Already on the ballot for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, Bucknell's Jason Buursma added another prestigious honor when he was named as one of 50 national candidates for the Dick Howser Trophy Watch List on Thursday. The Dick Howser Trophy is given to the top player in collegiate baseball. It is regarded by many as college baseball's most prestigious award.
Dinga Heading to Triple-A
Former Army standout Milan Dinga (2004-07) is on his way to Triple-A. Dinga was promoted to the Salt Lake Bees, the affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. He was a 10th-round selection in last year's draft, and is Army's first Triple-A player.
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights clinched the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament by claiming three of four games against Lafayette over the weekend. They will face Bucknell in the best-of-three semifinals on May 10-11. Army earns its first No. 1 seed and postseason home game since 2005, which is also their last Patriot League Championship season. Army won 11 of its last 13 Patriot League games, and has claimed 13 of its last 16 games overall. Army's pitchers held Lafayette's batters to just one extra-base hit on the weekend. Cole White established Army's doubles record with 41, and moved within 14 bases of the mark of 363 total bases held by Milan Dinga (2004-07). Freshman Kirk Porter has a 13-inning scoreless streak, and is holding Patriot League hitters to a .094 batting average. Army has a week of games before the Patriot League Tournament, with a Wednesday contest against Marist in the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic and a three-game series at home against NJIT.
Bucknell The Bison took just one of four games against Lehigh over the weekend, but it was enough to earn them a bid in the Patriot League Tournament. They claimed the No. 4 seed in the field, and will travel to No. 1 Army for the semifinal series on May 10-11. Bucknell secured its spot with a 7-4 triumph over the Mountain Hawks in Sunday's first game. Ben Yoder had three RBI in the contest, and Mathew Wilson threw seven innings to get the win. Wilson improved to 3-0 in Patriot League play. Jason Buursma had two home runs during the week, and became the all-time Bucknell leader with 22 career dingers. He is seventh in Patriot League history. Bucknell is off until going to Army for the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
Holy Cross The Crusaders only posted one win at Navy over the weekend, but still clinched their first Patriot League Tournament berth since 2001. They are in the Tournament for the third time in school history. Holy Cross earns the No. 3 seed in the field, and will be back at Navy for the semifinals on May 10-11. The Crusaders also finished with their first winning record in League play since an identical 11-9 mark in 2001, and that record is their best since an 11-4 season in 1991. Freshman Eric Oxford had nine RBI in Holy Cross' six games last week. Holy Cross' win at Navy on Sunday also gave the Crusaders their first 20-win season since 1980. Holy Cross plays at Rhode Island on Tuesday, then is off until visiting Navy for the Patriot League Tournament.
Lafayette The Leopards dropped three of four games to Army, ending their chance at a repeat title as they missed out on the Patriot League Tournament. Lafayette finished its Patriot League season at 8-12, but still has seven games left with an opportunity to finish with a winning mark overall. They are currently 20-21 for the year, and host Wagner and Temple during the week before home and road doubleheaders with Stony Brook this weekend.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks finished the Patriot League schedule in strong fashion by winning three of four games at Bucknell. Joe Ercolano was 7-for-14 in the series, and pulled into second place in Patriot League annals with 229 career hits. Ercolano also cracked the No. 8 position on the League list in career doubles (44) and the No. 10 spot in stolen bases (54) during the series against Bucknell. Joe Matteo picked up his 19th career win in the series opener, tying for 10th in League history. Matteo is seventh in League annals with 207 strikeouts. Kevin Mihalik pitched Lehigh's first shutout of the year in a win over Penn on Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks missed the League Tournament, and finish the year with a doubleheader at home against Coppin State on May 8.
Navy The Midshipmen earned the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament by winning three of four games at home against Holy Cross over the weekend. Navy is tied with the Crusaders in the final standings, but will host the semifinal series between the schools by virtue of winning this weekend's series. The Midshipmen will be hosting their first Patriot League Tournament game since 2002, which was also the last time they won the title. Navy has won 12 of its last 13 contests against Holy Cross, dating back to the 2005 season. Navy hit .348 and scored 44 runs in its seven games last week, while the pitching staff held opponents to a .216 batting average. Navy's top-two hitters in the lineup on Saturday, Renaldo Hollins and Mike Guadagnini, combined to go 13-for-19 at the plate with seven runs scored. Navy is at Delaware State and home for a three-game set against New York Tech this week.
