May 9, 2008
Patriot League Baseball Semifinal Release - 5.9.08 
Center Valley, Pa. - The quest for the 2008 Patriot League Baseball Championship begins on Saturday, as the best-of-three semifinal round opens up with No. 4 Bucknell at No. 1 Army and No. 3 Holy Cross at No. 2 Navy. Both three-game series will feature a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game, if necessary, on Sunday, and all matchups will be scheduled for nine innings.
The winners of the semifinal series meet for the title in the best-of-three Patriot League Championship matchup beginning on May 17.
Army earned the No. 1 seed in the field after finishing in first place in the regular season with an 11-7 record. The Black Knights led all Patriot League teams with eight All-League selections earlier in the week, including four-time All-League pick senior Cole White. They will face a Bucknell team that earned the No. 4 seed in the Tournament with a 10-10 mark in League play. The Bison are led by Patriot League Player of the Year Jason Buursma. Bucknell won three of four games at Army when the teams met on March 29-30, but the Black Knights hold a 3-2 advantage in all-time Patriot League Tournament meetings.
No. 2 Navy earned the right to host in the semifinals by winning three of four games at home to end the season against No. 3 Holy Cross. The Mids feature five players that earned First-Team All-Patriot League status, and are in search of their League-best sixth title. Holy Cross boasts Patriot League Pitcher of the Year Matt Shapiro, and is in search of its first League crown. The Mids won the only Tournament meeting between the schools in 1999.
Patriot League Notebook
Patriot League Tournament Features New Format
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. Previously, the Tournament included three teams playing at a single site on one weekend. The Patriot League has held 14 baseball tournaments, with the first taking place in 1993. There were three seasons that a postseason tournament was not conducted (1991, 1992 and 1995). In 1993 and 1994 the tournament consisted of just the top two teams and was expanded to a three-team field in 1996.
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 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. Lafayette won last year's Patriot League Championship.
Tournament Appearances
Army is playing in its eighth Patriot League Tournament, and is back in the field for the second year in a row and fourth time in the last five seasons. Navy has qualified for its 12th tourney and second straight, while Bucknell is in the field for the 10th time and third in the last four campaigns. Holy Cross makes its third Tournament appearance, and first since 2001.
Good to be No. 1
The No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Tournament has won the championship 10 times, while the No. 2 seed has captured three crowns. Only once has the No. 3 seed taken home the championship - Army in 2000. The No. 1 seed has won the last six League titles.
All-League and Major Award Winners Announced
Holy Cross claimed two of the four major Patriot League Baseball Major Awards on Thursday, while Bucknell and Army picked up the other honors. Patriot League Player of the Year honors went to Bucknell senior Jason Buursma, while Holy Cross sophomore Matt Shapiro earned Pitcher of the Year recognition, Army freshman Clint Moore garnered Rookie of the Year status and Holy Cross' Greg DiCenzo was named Patriot League Coach of the Year. The full lists of All-League winners is on the sidebar on page 2 of the Patriot League Baseball release or at patriotleague.com
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.
Semifinal Matchups
No. 4 Bucknell (22-21-2, 10-10 PL) at No. 1 Army (23-23, 13-7 PL)
Sat, May 10 - 12 p.m. (DH) Sun, May 11 - 1 p.m. (if necessary)
Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field - West Point, N.Y.
Tournament History: Army holds a 3-2 advantage in Patriot League Tournament matchups with Bucknell. The Black Knights won two of three games against the Bison on their home field in 1997 to claim their first Patriot League Championship, winning the deciding contest by an 11-10 score. The teams traded victories in 1998 and 2000, with both games played at Navy. Army has a 10-6 all-time record in the Tournament with four titles, while Bucknell has a 12-12 mark with three championships.
2008 Season Series: Bucknell won three of four games at Army to open the Patriot League schedule on March 29-30. The Bison claimed wins of 10-5, 8-5 and 3-1, while Army won its contest 9-8 in 13 innings. Bucknell's John Avanzino earned Patriot League and national weekly honors by posting four home runs and eight RBI in the series. Army's victory came after it was down 6-3 in the ninth inning and 8-6 in the 13th.
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. He won Patriot League Player of the Year honors on Thursday, claiming Bucknell's first honor in that category since 2000. Buursma leads the Patriot League with a .400 batting average and 11 home runs. He is one of seven All-League selections for the Bison. John Avanzino joins Buursma on the first team, while Mark Angelo, Ben Allen, Dane Grandizio, Mathew Wilson and Ben Yoder all garnered Second-Team All-League status.
Army The Black Knights have claimed 15 of their last 20 contests overall, with 11 wins in their final 13 Patriot League games. They dropped their last game heading into the Tournament, falling 4-3 to New York Tech on Wednesday. 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. 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). Army has completed five doubleheader sweeps this season, and has won eight of its last 10 home games. White was one of a League-high eight Black Knights to earn All-Patriot League status this week. He was joined on the first team by Matt Fouch and Clint Moore, while Andy Ernesto, Ben Koenigsfeld, Kevin McKague, J.P. Polchinski and Chris Simmons all earned second-team recognition. Moore was also named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Army player in the past five years to claim the honor.
No. 3 Holy Cross (20-26, 11-9 PL) at No. 2 Navy (30-22-1, 11-9 PL)
Sat, May 10 - 12 p.m. (DH) Sun, May 11 - 12 p.m. (if necessary)
Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium - Annapolis, Md.
Tournament History: Navy and Holy Cross meet for the second time in the Patriot League Tournament. The Mids claimed the victory in the first meeting, winning an 8-4 contest in the first round of Holy Cross' inagural Tournament appearance in 1999. Navy is in its Patriot-League best 12th Tournament, and has a 14-13 record in its contests. The Mids have won four Patriot League Tournament titles, and five overall championships. Holy Cross has never won a Tournament game, with an 0-2 record in its appearances in 1999 and 2001.
2008 Season Series: Navy earned home field for the semifinal matchup by taking three of four games against the Crusaders in Annapolis to close the regular season for both teams. The Mids won both games of a doubleheader on April 26 to put the teams at 10-8 in League play. Holy Cross went back ahead with a triumph in the first game the next day, but the Mids earned the series win and home field with a 2-1 triumph in the finale.
Holy Cross The Crusaders have recorded their first 20-win season since 1980. They 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. Holy Cross claimed two of the Patriot League's four major awards this week. Matt Shapiro became the first Crusader to take Pitcher of the Year honors, while Head Coach Greg DiCenzo won the League's Coach of the Year award. DiCenzo was just the second coach in League history to win the honor in his first season. Shaprio was one of three Crusaders to earn All-League status. Brendan Akashian joined him on the first team, while Gil Gomez claimed Second-Team All-League recognition.
Navy The Midshipmen are up 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 last week. 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. 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. The Mids led all teams with five First-Team All-Patriot League selections. Hamilton made the team at first base, and had company from J.D. Melton, Mike Guadagnini, Kendall Bolt and Michael Speciale. Renaldo Hollins was Navy's lone second-team selection.
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