3/24/2005 - Baseball
Baseball to Play Host to Buffalo this Weekend
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Notes (Buffalo)
Leading Off For Navy...
Games #17-19 - Buffalo
Who: Buffalo (5-9) at Navy (3-12-1)
Sat., March 26, 12 p.m.
Buffalo (5-9) at Navy (3-12-1)
Sat., March 26, 3:30 p.m.
Buffalo (5-9) at Navy (3-12-1)
Sun., March 27, 1 p.m.
What: Navy's final three-game series before Patriot League play begins
Where: Max Bishop Stadium (5,000); Annapolis, Md.
Coaches: Navy -- Steve Whitmyer (97-145-2 in his sixth season overall;
82-122-2 in his fifth season at Navy)
Buffalo -- Bill Breene (80-196 in his sixth season overall and at Buffalo)
Quick Hits
* Navy and Buffalo are meeting for the first time.
* The Midshipmen are riding a nine-game losing streak following back-to-back wins over Air Force and Indiana (Feb. 26-27).
* Navy is 0-1 all-time versus the Mid-American Conference. Kent State is the lone team from the MAC that Navy has faced as both teams squared off during the 2000 season with the Golden Flashes pulling off an 8-3 win.
* Buffalo is the third of three schools Navy is facing for the first time this season. The other two were Savannah State (1-1) and Missouri (0-1).
* The Bulls are 5-2 versus teams from the state of Maryland this season. Buffalo is 1-0 versus UMBC, 2-2 versus Towson and 2-0 versus Coppin State. All seven of those games have been played in Maryland.
* Buffalo is competing in its sixth season in the sport of baseball after a 20-year absence of varsity status. It's the fourth season the Bulls are competing in the MAC.
Comparing The Midshipmen & Bulls
Navy... Statistics... Buffalo
.246 ...Batting average... .270
68 ...Runs... 81
135... Hits... 132
23... Doubles ...24
2... Triples ...4
1 ...Home runs... 9
59 ...Runs batted in... 71
.301... Slugging percentage... .391
.323 ...On-base percentage... .340
About Buffalo
Buffalo (5-9) has won five of its last seven games after opening the 2005 season with seven straight losses. Buffalo's five wins have come against teams from the state of Maryland this season. Dan Quinn is leading the Bulls with a .385 average with four home runs and 10 runs batted in. Tony Kurtz leads Buffalo's pitching with a 2-0 record, but has posted a 5.06 earned run average.
Last Time Out Versus The Bulls
Navy and Buffalo are meeting for the first time ever. The Mids are 0-1 all-time versus teams from the Mid-American Conference.
NewYork Ties
Freshman Mark Foris (Maspeth) is the lone member of the Navy squad to hail from the state of New York.
Patriot League Leaders
Eight midshipmen lead the Patriot League in 10 categories, including:
* Jared Munde leads the league with seven stolen bases on seven attempts.
* Jonathan-Matthew Johnston tops the league with six doubles.
* Jeff Lange is tied for tops in the Patriot League with eight appearances on the mound.
* Burgess Nichols is also tied for first in the league with five starts on the mound.
* Freshman Mitch Harris leads all rookies with a .333 batting average, 20 hits and four doubles.
* Thomas Hamilton leads all rookies in runs scored with 12.
* Kevin Heasley is first for appearances by a freshman with six.
* Mark McCoy is tied for first in the league for games started on the mound by a freshman with three.
The standings are effective as of March 20.
Rookies Among The League's Best
Navy freshmen have made a quick impact among the overall league leaders, including:
* Mitch Harris ranks 11th in the league with a .333 batting average and is tied for third with 20 hits and is only one off the lead. Harris is also tied for fifth with 26 total bases and is also listed in the pitching rankings, as he is tied tied for fourth with one save -- one off the lead.
* Renaldo Hollins is tied for second with 10 walks and is tied for fifth with five stolen bases -- just two off the lead set by teammate Jared Munde.
* Thomas Hamilton is 30th in the Patriot League with a .224 batting average and is tied for third with 12 runs -- only two off the league leader.
The standings are effective as of March 20.
Month of March
Dating back to last season, Navy has lost 12-straight games in the month of March. The Mids dropped their final three contests of the month last season to Bucknell, Temple and George Mason. Navy went 6-12 during March last year and are 0-9 this season.
34 Runs
The Midshipmen scored 34 runs in their first three games of the season, but have scored just 34 runs combined in the following 13 contests.
Two-Out Magic
Navy, as a team, has collected 34 of its 59 RBIs with two outs. The Mids are batting .287
(58-for-202) in those situations.
Whitmyer Moving In On 100 Career Wins
Navy head coach Steve Whitmyer is three wins shy of 100 victories for his career. He is 97-142-2 during his six-year career, including an 82-122-2 mark in his five seasons in Annapolis.
Navy Baseball Head Coaches With 100 Career Wins
Name Years Career Record
1. Joe Duff 1962-93 595-332-11
2. Max Bishop 1937-61 317-161-7
3. Bob MacDonald 1994-00 178-152-3
First Inning Scoring
Navy's opponents have scored 26 times in the first inning this season, while the Mids have only been able to push across three runs.
Runners On, Bases Empty
Navy, as a team, is batting .429 (9-for-21) with the bases loaded, while hitting just .223 (65-for-291) with the bases empty.
Four Mids Batting Over .300
Four midshipmen are batting over .300 heading into this weekend's series. The four include Lewis Hobbs (.444), Trevor Thompson (.375), Mitch Harris (.333) and D.J. Faldowski (.303).
Other Quick Batting Notes
* Navy pinch hitters are batting .350 (7-for-20).
* Navy leadoff hitters are batting .333 (48-for-144) leading off an inning.
* Nine of Jonathan-Matthew Johnston's 11 RBIs have come with two outs.
* Johnston is batting .533 (8-for-15) with two outs.
* Lewis Hobbs is batting 3-for-4 (.750) with an RBI with two outs.
Leading Off For The Opposition
Navy pitchers have combined to allow the opposition to collect double-digit hits in 14 of 16 games, including the last eight. The Mids are 2-11-1 in those contests.
Leadoff Hitters
Opposing hitters are batting .496 (68-for137) when leading off an inning this season.
Other Quick Pitching Notes
* Left-handed batters are 0-for-6 against Navy starter Daniel Kovalcik.
* Opposing hitters are batting just .188 in 16 at-bats versus freshman hurler Mark Guadagnini.
* Mark McCoy pitched a season-high six innings in Navy's 9-3 loss to Boston College in the second game of a doubleheader (March 19). It was the longest outing by a Navy starter this season.
Errorless
Navy did not commit an error in a game for the first time this season in its series finale loss to Boston College on March 20. The Mids also turned the trick versus the Devil Rays, but it did not count due to it being an exhibition.
Other Quick Defensive Notes
* Fourteen (14) mids have posted a 1.000 fielding percentage this season.
* Right fielder Ryan McGinn tops the list with a perfect fielding percentage in 23 chances.
* Navy has turned 12 double plays this season.
* Second baseman Matt Lukevics has committed just one error in 72 chances for a .986 fielding percentage. He has recorded 29 putouts with 42 assists.
* Lukevics has been a part of nine double plays this season after helping to turn just 13 all of last season.
* Jonathan-Matthew Johnston has thrown out 39 percent (12-of-31) of base stealers this season after throwing out only 28 percent all of 2004.
Home Run
Jonathan-Matthew Johnston's 344-foot blast in the first game of a doubleheader versus East Carolina (March 12) was the first one hit by a midshipman this season. Navy's previous home run came on a grand slam by Craig Candeto in the 2004 season finale at George Mason. The homer was also the first of Johnston's career.
Johnston Earns National Recognition
Navy junior catcher Jonathan-Matthew Johnston was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll March 9 for his performance at the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic on Feb. 25-27. Johnston helped lead Navy to a 2-1 record at the Classic, as the Mids tied three other teams for the best record in the tournament. He batted .385 with three doubles and five runs batted in during the three games, including a 2-for-5 effort with four RBIs in Navy's 6-5, 12-inning win over Indiana on the tournament's final day. Johnston was one of just four catchers named to the list of 29 players honored.
Johnston Named Patriot League Player of the Week
Johnston was named the Patriot League Player of the Week (March 1) for his performance in the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn. (Feb. 25-27). In the three-game tournament, Johnston went 5-for-12 (.417) with five RBIs, three doubles and a run scored. He capped the tournament with a four-RBI performance in Navy's 6-5 win in 12 innings over Indiana.
Career High For RBIs In A Season...ALREADY!
Johnston has already set a career high for RBIs in a season with 11. Johnston, who turned the trick in just six games in 2005, drove in a pair of runs during his freshman season and totaled seven in 2004. Johnston set the mark with a four RBI performance in Navy's 6-5 win in 12 innings over Indiana on Feb. 27.
Tournament Play
The Midshipmen opened their 2005 season with the first seven games coming in tournament play. Navy went 3-3-1 in the seven games, including a 1-2-1 mark in the Savannah State Invitational (Feb. 19-20) and a 2-1 record in the Service Academies Spring Classic (Feb.25-27).
Lots Of Runs
Navy scored 34 runs in its first-three games to open the 2005 season. The 34 runs scored are an exact opposite of how the Midshipmen opened the 2004 campaign when they pushed across just four runs in their opening three contests.
Double-Digit Runs
Navy has equaled its number of double-digit run games in 2005 (2) that it produced during all of the 2004 season. It took the Midshipmen only three games to turn the trick in 2005.
Recapping The Boston College Series
* Boston College outscored Navy in all three games by a total of 38-4.
* Navy scored first in both games of the doubleheader Saturday, but could not hold onto the lead either time.
* The second game was tied 2-2 heading into the seventh inning (a seven inning contest), but BC broke it open with a seven-run frame to get the win.
* Boston College pitchers limited Navy to just three hits in the Eagles' 16-0 series finale win Sunday.
Recapping The East Carolina and Duke Series
Navy fell to 0-6 all-time versus East Carolina, with four of those losses coming by a run each time ... the Mids allowed a run in the first inning in each of the four games played versus ECU and Duke ... Navy committed a total of 12 errors in the four games.
Recapping The VMI Series
VMI's two wins over Navy were its first victories over the Mids in the program's history ... Navy committed four errors in its 4-0 loss in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader ... the Midshipmen jumped out to a 5-0 lead midway through the third inning of the second game, but the Keydets pushed nine runs across the plate over the following three innings to take the lead for good in their 18-5 win ... freshman Renaldo Hollins collected the first RBIs of his collegiate career as he drove in a pair of runs in the second game ... sophomore J.P. Temperilli went 2-for-4 with an RBI, double and triple in the second game.
Recapping The Service Academies Classic
Navy tied with four other teams for the best record (2-1) at the Service Academies Spring Classic ... the Midshipmen's win over Air Force was just their fifth one in 16 tries versus the Falcons. Navy's last victory over Air Force was a 2-1 decision back in the 1998 season ... the win over Air Force also snapped Navy's five-game losing streak in the Classic ... Navy's 12th-inning 6-5 win over Indiana was the Mids first win over a Big Ten team since the 2000 season when they knocked off Ohio State, 4-3. It was also Navy's first win over the Hoosiers in three tries all-time ... the extra-inning victory was also the first for Navy in a regular nine-inning game contest since April 29, 2002, when it defeated Lehigh 8-7 in 11 frames ... Catcher Jonathan-Matthew Johnston and shortstop Thomas Hamilton were named to the All-Tournament team.
Recapping The Savannah State Invitational
Navy snapped its five-game losing streak in season openers with its 17-8 win over Savannah State in game one of the doubleheader last Saturday ... freshman first baseman Mitch Harris turned in a fine collegiate debut by going 3-for-5 with a double, triple, three RBI and three runs scored in game one of the doubleheader against the Tigers ... three freshmen combined to drive in nine of Navy's 29 RBI in the four games. Thomas Hamilton drove in four runs, while Harris and William Maugeri drove in three and two runs, respectively ... the Midshipmen exploded for 10 runs in the seventh inning of the first game against the Tigers to expand a slim 3-2 lead into a commanding 13-2 advantage ... Doug Silverman collected two doubles and drove in three runs for Navy in the second game versus Savannah State ... Jared Munde ripped a two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning to pull Navy into a 10-10 with Villanova before the Wildcats needed to call the game in the eighth due to prior travel arrangements ... Virginia Tech pitchers combined to register 18 strikeouts in the Hokies' 9-0 win over Navy in the tournament's final game.
Senior Captain Trevor Thompson
Senior Trevor Thompson will serve as captain of the 2005 Navy baseball team. The Kent, Wash., native owns a career .252 batting average with two home runs and 17 RBIs. Thompson, who can play all three outfield positions, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in November.
Thompson Awarded Rhodes Scholarship
Navy baseball senior captain Trevor Thompson was one of three midshipmen to receive a Rhodes Scholarship, which was announced in November by a regional committee of the Rhodes Trust. The scholarship is a grant for American college students to attend the prestigious Oxford University in England. The 22-year-old Thompson intends to study economics and social history at Oxford.
Projects Thompson is a part of:
* 1st Regimental Commander (there are two regiments of 2,000 midshipmen each at the Academy)
* Plebe Summer Company Commander (summer of 2004)
* 2nd Battalion Sergeant Major (fall of 2003)
* Mini-BUDS Screener Boat Crew Commander (November of 2003)
* Moderator at the Academy's foreign affairs conference
* Led a service program for students to travel to Nicaragua
New Faces
Twenty-one (21) freshmen appear on the 2005 Navy baseball roster. A total of 49 players comprise the squad with just five of those being seniors.
Navy Adds Jason Ronai to Coaching Staff
Jason Ronai was added to the Navy baseball coaching staff during the 2004 fall practice. A Springfield, Ohio, native, Ronai was a four-year starter at UNC-Asheville. Ronai was named the team MVP his junior season and captained the squad during his senior campaign. He graduated from UNC-Asheville in 2001, ranking second all-time in total hits and stolen bases. Ronai played one season of independent professional baseball (2002) for the Alexandria Aces of the Central League.During that time, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Indiana State (2001-02). Ronai then moved on and spent a year as the Director of Onfield Sessions for the recruiting service "Baseball Factory" in 2003. He was promoted to Director of The Exclusive Program in 2004, where he helped guide high school players through the recruiting process.
Major Conference Opponents
Navy will be prepared for Patriot League-play this season as it will face several teams from major conferences in the non-conference portion of its 2005 schedule. The Mids will face teams from the ACC (Duke and Virginia Tech), Big East (Boston College, Georgetown and Villanova), Big Ten (Indiana) and Big 12 (Missouri). In addition to those conferences, Navy will face East Carolina from Conference USA, Buffalo from the MAC and Air Force from the Mountain West Conference.
Next Up
Navy will play host to five games next week at Max Bishop Stadium. The Mids will face Georgetown Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and then take on UMBC at the same time Thursday. Navy will then open up league play as it faces Bucknell in a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday at noon both days.
