May 5, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - On a week of non-League action before the Patriot League Tournament begins on Saturday, Army's Cole White earns Player of the Week recognition, Navy's Yale Eckert receives Pitcher of the Week honors and Lafayette's Zach Fritz wins the Rookie of the Week award. The Patriot League Tournament begins Saturday with No. 4 Bucknell at No. 1 Army and No. 3 Holy Cross at No. 2 Navy in the best-of-three semifinals.
Patriot League Baseball Release - 5.5.08 
Player of the Week (April 28-May 4)
Cole White, Army Sr., OF, Midland, Texas
White earns Player of the Week honors after posting a .545 batting average with two home runs, four RBI and six runs scored in a 2-1 week for the Black Knights. He homered in both victories against NJIT, tying the Academy record and moving into a tie for second in Patriot League history with 26 career home runs. He also tied an Army mark of 363 career total bases, and became the program's career leader with 43 doubles. White recorded at least two hits in all three of Army's games, and posted a 1.273 slugging percentage and .615 on-base percentage. It is White's second Player of the Week nod of the year, to go with one Pitcher of the Week award. He closes his career with three Player of the Week awards and two Pitcher of the Week honors.
Pitcher of the Week (April 28-May 4)
Yale Eckert, Navy So., P, La Selva Beach, Calif.
Eckert fired a seven-inning complete-game shutout to lift Navy to a 2-0 victory over New York Tech on Sunday. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four in the outing, which gave Navy a 1-1-1 record in the series. Eckert needed just 77 pitches in the game, and allowed just one runner in scoring position with none as far as third base. He became the 14th pitcher in school history to post multiple shutouts in the same season. Eckert earns his first Pitcher of the Week honor.
Rookie of the Week (April 28-May 4)
Zach Fritz, Lafayette Fr., P, Pottsville, Pa.
Fritz captures his second Rookie of the Week award after the finest outing of his inaugural campaign. He tossed a seven-inning complete-game shutout to lift Lafayette past Stony Brook, 3-0. Fritz allowed only three hits and did not walk a batter while striking out two. The three hits were tied for his fewest allowed this season. He did not surrender an extra-base hit for the second start in a row. Fritz lowered his earned run average to a Patriot League-leading 2.88 with the effort, and improved to 4-1 on the season.
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 have advanced to the League Tournament. The Black Knights earned the No. 1 seed in the field, and will host No. 4 Bucknell for the best-of-three semifinals beginning on Saturday. No. 2 Navy will host No. 3 Holy Cross in the other series. 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. Both of this weekend's series will begin at Noon on Saturday, with Sunday's single games (if necessary) to start at Noon at Navy and 1 p.m. at Army.
Army Claims No. 1 Seed
Army won 11 of its last League 13 games to clinch its Tournament berth and the top overall seed. 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.
Patriot League Champions
Navy leads all teams in Patriot League history with five all-time titles, while Army has four and Bucknell has three. Holy Cross is in search of its first-ever title. None of the teams in the Tournament have won the event since 2005, when Army claimed the second of back-to-back crowns. Bucknell's last title came in 2003, while Navy's was in 2002.
League Awards Coming This Week
The 2008 Patriot League Baseball All-League team and major awards will be announced this week. First and Second-Team All-League selections come out on Wednesday, with the announcement of four major individual honors (Player, Pitcher, Rookie and Coach of the Year) set for Thursday.
Bucknell's Buursma on Three Major Award Lists
Bucknell's Jason Buursma is in exclusive company as a candidate for three major national awards. He is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and is on the list for two player of the year honors. He is one of 50 national candidates for the Dick Howser Trophy, and one of 100 on the list for the Brooks Wallace Award. Buursma is the only student-athlete in the nation that is up for all three awards.
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.
Everyone Wins 20
For the first time in League history, all Patriot League schools have recorded 20 victories for the season. Holy Cross has 20 victories for its first 20-win season since 1980. Every other team has at least 22 wins, including Navy with a League-high 30. The Mids are one of only 36 teams in the country with three consecutive 30-win seasons. Before this year, there was no season where every team won more than 16 games.
Closing out the Season
Lafayette and Lehigh missed out on the Patriot League Tournament, but still have a chance to finish their season on a positive note. The Leopards won five of six games last week to clinch a winning record for the third season in a row, and finish the year on Wednesday at Rider. Lehigh won three of four at Bucknell to close the Patriot League season, and finishes its year with a home doubleheader against Coppin State on Thursday.
Team Notebooks
Army The Black Knights won a doubleheader from NJIT after losing a mid-week game to Marist. Cole White became Army's all-time doubles leader against Marist, and tied the school's career home runs and total bases marks versus NJIT. His 26 home runs tie the mark of Mike Scioletti (1995-98) for both the Army record and second place on the Patriot League list. The mark of 363 total bases ties Milan Dinga (2004-07). Drew Clothier and Ben Koenigsfeld combined on a three-hit shutout in a 9-0 win over NJIT on Sunday. Army completed its fifth doubleheader sweep of the season, and has won eight of its last 10 home games. The Black Knights have claimed 15 of their last 19 contests overall, with 11 wins in their final 13 Patriot League games. Army will play as the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, facing Bucknell in the best-of-three semifinals beginning on Saturday. Army earns its first No. 1 seed and postseason home game since 2005, which is also its last Patriot League Championship season. The Black Knights lost three of four games at home to the Bison to open the Patriot League schedule on March 29-30.
Bucknell The Bison were off last week, and return to action for the Patriot League Tournament semifinal round this weekend. The Bison claimed the No. 4 seed in the field, and will travel to No. 1 Army on Saturday. The Bison took three of four at Army in the opening Patriot League series on March 29-30. Bucknell's Jason Buursma is a candidate for three major awards, as he is up for the Dick Howser and Brooks Wallace player of the year honors and is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS award. Buursma is one of 50 finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, and one of 100 on the list for the Brooks Wallace Award.
Holy Cross The Crusaders will now wait for the Patriot League Tournament after a 5-2 loss to Assumpion on Thursday. Holy Cross has recorded its first 20-win season since 1980. 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. They are in the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2001, and third overall. Holy Cross earns the No. 3 seed in the field, and will be at No. 2 Navy for the semifinals beginning on Saturday. The Crusaders lost three of four games at Navy to close out the League schedule on April 26-27.
Lafayette The Leopards posted a 5-1 record last week, with home victories against Wagner and Temple and three wins in a home-and-home four-game series against Stony Brook over the weekend. They improved to 25-22 for the season, clinching a winning record for the third consecutive year with one game still to play. Joe Ezekiel had a huge effort in the series against Stony Brook, going 8-for-15 with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored. Steve Roberts saved two of the games last week, giving him a career-high five saves for the year. He struck out the side in the ninth to secure Lafayette's 7-6 win over Stony Brook on Sunday. Zach Fritz put up a complete-game shutout in a 3-0 triumph on Saturday, and moved his ERA to a Patriot League-best 2.88. The Leopards finish their season at Rider on Wednesday.
Lehigh The Mountain Hawks were off last week, and conclude their 2008 season with a home doubleheader against Coppin State on Thursday. It will be the last games for five seniors. Included in that group is Joe Ercolano, who is in the Patriot League career top 10 in hits, doubles, and stolen bases. Ercolano is currently second in League annals with 229 hits.
Navy The Midshipmen tuned up for the Patriot League Tournament with a 2-1-1 record last week in games against Delaware State and New York Tech. They improved to 30-22-1 for the season. Navy has won 30 games in three consecutive years for the first time in the program's history, and is one of just 36 teams nationally to win 30 or more in each of the last three years. Navy's Thomas Hamilton became the school's single-season hits leader. He passed the old mark of 71, and now has 78 hits for the year. Hamilton has 221 career hits, five shy of the school record. Navy Head Coach Paul Kostacopoulos earned his 600th career win in Tuesday's triumph over Delaware State. The Mids will play as the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament semifinal round against No. 3 Holy Cross. Navy will be hosting its first Patriot League Tournament game since 2002. Navy won three of four at home against Holy Cross to close the regular season on April 26-27, and has won 12 of the last 13 versus the Crusaders overall.
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