3/3/2005 - Baseball
Baseball Travels to VMI Saturday for Three-Game Series
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Notes (8-10)
Leading Off For Navy...
Games #8-10 - VMI Keydets
Who:????????Navy (3-3-1) at VMI (5-7) (DH)
??????????????????Sat., March 5, 12 p.m. & 3 p.m.
???????????????Navy (3-3-1) at VMI (5-7)
??????????????????Sun., March 6, 1 p.m.
????????
What:???????Navy's first non-tournament games of the 2005 season
Where:??????Patchin Field; Lexington, Va.
Coaches:??????Navy -- Steve Whitmyer (97-140-2 in his sixth season overall;
????????????????????????????????82-113-2 in his fifth season at Navy)
????????????????????VMI -- Marlin Ikenberry
Quick Hits
* Navy owns a 4-0 all-time record versus VMI, as the teams have not met since 1958.
* The three games with VMI mark the first time in the 2005 season the Mids will not be playing in a tournament.
* The Mids enter the three-game series with the Keydets riding a two-game winning streak with victories over Air Force (5-3) and Indiana (6-5 in 12 innings) in the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic (Feb. 25-27).
* Navy concluded the tournament tied for first in the standings with a 2-1 record. Missouri, Memphis and Indiana also posted 2-1 records, while the Tigers won the overall title by owning the tie-breaker for run differential.
* The Keydets enter the Navy series fresh off a three-game sweep of Coppin State, who will serve as the opposition for Navy in its home opener next Tuesday.
About VMI
VMI (5-7) enters this weekend's three-game series with Navy riding a four-game winning streak. The Keydets began the season with a 1-7 record after facing teams such as Florida State, Vanderbilt and Richmond. VMI is led by junior third baseman Kelly Sweppenhiser, who batted .500 with a home run, five runs batted in and seven runs scored in the Keydets' four wins last week.
Last Time Out Versus The Keydets
First baseman M.D. Willen went 4-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored to lead Navy to a 13-2 win over VMI back on May 13, 1958, in Annapolis.
Virginia Ties
Five members of the Navy baseball team hail from the state of Virginia and will be making their homecomings this weekend. The five mids represent the most players from any state on the 2005 squad. Senior Jeff Lange (Springfield) and freshmen William Burke (Annandale), Mark Guadagnini (Virginia Beach), Renaldo Hollins (Virginia Beach) and Sam Travis (Virginia Beach) are natives of the state.
Johnston Named Patriot League Player of the Week
Junior catcher Jonathan-Matthew Johnston was named the Patriot League Player of the Week Tuesday for his performance in the 2005 Service Academies Spring Classic last weekend in Millington, Tenn. 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!
Jonathan-Matthew Johnston has already set a career high for RBIs in a season with nine. Johnston, who has played in six of Navy's seven games this year, 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 Sunday.
It's Not How You Start, But How You Finish
Facing an early deficit is not a reason to stress for the 2005 Navy baseball team. The Mids are 3-2-1 when the opponent scores first and have scored 24 of their 47 runs from the seventh inning on (16 in the seventh, six in the eighth, one in the ninth and one in extra innings).
KKKKKKKKK
Navy pitchers have combined to record at least nine strikeouts in five of seven games this season.
Bullpen Turning In Solid Outings
Navy has received strong outings from its bullpen during the early part of the season. In particular, senior Jeff Lange, sophomores James Lee and Rob Molinaro and freshmen Mitch Harris and Kevin Heasley, have stepped up to become Navy's top relievers. The five have combined to throw 26 2/3 innings, while compiling a 1-0 record with two saves and posting a 2.03 earned run average. They have combined to allow just six earned runs while also striking out 29 and walking only 12. Both Lee and Harris have made two appearances and have yet to allow a run. Lee has struck out eight batters and has issued just one free pass.
Five Mids Batting Over .300
Five midshipmen are batting over .300 heading into this week's games. The five include Trevor Thompson (.667), Lewis Hobbs (.500), D.J. Faldowski (.400), Jonathan-Matthew Johnston (.385) and Jared Munde (.333) Three freshmen -- Mitch Harris, William Maugeri and Thomas Hamilton -- are all near the .300 mark as all three are batting .286, while starting all seven games this season.
Two-Out Magic
Navy, as a team, has collected 24 of its 41 RBIs with two outs. The Mids are batting .310
(31-for-100) in those situations.
Now Batting Cleanup...Mitch Harris
Freshman Mitch Harris was moved to the cleanup spot (No. 4) in the batting order for the past two games and he has responded by batting .333 (3-for-9) with two RBIs and a run scored. Navy is 2-0 in those games.
Other Quick Batting Notes
* Junior Jared Munde has driven in at least one run in five of Navy's seven games.
* Senior Doug Silverman's three hits this season have all been doubles.
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 last weekend.
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 already equaled its number of double-digit run games in 2005 (2) that it produced during the all of the 2004 season. It took the Midshipmen only three games to turn the trick in 2005.
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.
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 .255 batting average with two home runs and 16 RBI. 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
Navy baseball head coach Steve Whitmyer recently announced that Jason Ronai has been added to the coaching staff. A Springfield, Ohio, native, Ronai was a four-year starter at UNC-Asheville. Ronai, who earned four letters, 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). His duties included working with hitters, outfielders and improving their baserunning. Ronai 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
The Midshipmen will play host to their season opener Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., when they face Coppin State at Max Bishop Stadium.
