4/9/2005 - Baseball
Baseball to Face Holy Cross and UMBC This Week
Files associated with this release:
Notes (Holy Cross & UMBC)
Leading Off For Navy...
Games #26-30 - Holy Cross & UMBC
Who: Navy (6-18-1) at Holy Cross (6-9)
Sun., April 9, 12 p.m.
Navy (6-18-1) at Holy Cross (6-9)
Sun., April 9, 3 p.m. (approx.)
Navy (6-18-1) at Holy Cross (6-9)
Mon., April 10, 12 p.m.
Navy (6-18-1) at Holy Cross (6-9)
Mon., April 10, 3 p.m. (approx.)
Navy (6-18-1) at UMBC (6-13)
Tues., April 12, 7 p.m.
What: Navy's first road games after a 12-game homestand
Where: Fitton Field (1,000); Worcester, Mass.
The Baseball Factory Field at UMBC (1,000); Baltimore, Md.
Coaches: Navy -- Steve Whitmyer (98-153-2 in his sixth season overall;
83-126-2 in his fifth season at Navy)
Holy Cross -- Craig Najerian (20-31-1 in his second season overall
and at Holy Cross)
UMBC -- John Jancuska (592-516-6 in his 28th season overall
and at UMBC)
Quick Hits
* Navy leads the all-time series with Holy Cross by a count of 38-15.
* The Mids took three out of four in their series with the Crusaders last season in Annapolis.
* UMBC leads the all-time series with Navy by a 10-9 margin.
* The Retrievers handed Navy an 11-2 setback back on March 31 in the first game between the two teams this season.
* Holy Cross has yet to play a league game as both of its doubleheaders with Lafayette last weekend were cancelled due to inclement weather.
Massachusetts Ties
Sophomore pitchers Daniel Kovalcik (Westwood) and Burgess Nichols (Boston) are the two mids on the team to hail from the state of Massachusetts.
Month of March
Navy concluded March with a 1-13 record. Dating back to last season, Navy has lost 16 of its last 17 games in the month.
Two-Out Magic
Navy, as a team, has collected 48 of its 77 RBIs with two outs. The Mids are batting .307
(92-for-300) in those situations.
Whitmyer Earns 100th Career Win
Navy head coach Steve Whitmyer earned his 100th career coaching win in Navy's 3-2 win over Bucknell in the second game of a doubleheader last Sunday in Annapolis. He is 100-155-2 during his six-year career, including an 85-128-2 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
4. Steve Whitmyer 2001-Present 100-155-2
Lukevics Receives Patriot League Recognition
Senior second baseman Matt Lukevics was named the Patriot League Player of the Week Wednesday for his performance during Navy's six games last week. Lukevics hit .421 last week as the Mids went 3-3, including wins over Big East-foe Georgetown (3-0) and two over league-foe Bucknell (11-0 and 3-2). In the Mids' 3-2 win over Bucknell in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday, Lukevics led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to the wall in left-center field to spark Navy's rally. That win gave head coach Steve Whitmyer his 100th career victory. Two of Lukevics' eight hits went for extra bases, including a pair of doubles. He scored a run in all but one of Navy's games, totaling six overall. He also hit safely in all six games, with two multi-hit outings, while chipping in one run batted in.
First Inning Scoring
Navy's opponents have scored 30 times in the first inning this season, while the Mids have only been able to push across four runs.
Runners On, Bases Empty
Navy, as a team, is batting .375 (9-for-24) with the bases loaded, while hitting just .237 (91-for-384) with the bases empty.
Two Mids Batting Over .300
Only two midshipmen are batting over .300 heading into this weekend's series. The two include Lewis Hobbs (.364) and Trevor Thompson (.333).
Other Quick Batting Notes
* Six mids are batting over .300 in Patriot League action. They include B.J. Bickel (1.000), James Lee (1.000), Thomas Hamilton (.471), Matt Lukevics (.462), Renaldo Hollins (.455) and Jared Munde (.312).
* Navy batters are hitting .321 (69-for-215) leading off an inning.
* Eleven of Jonathan-Matthew Johnston's 14 RBIs have come with two outs.
* Johnston is batting .500 (11-for-22) with two outs.
* Lewis Hobbs is batting 3-for-5 (.600) with an RBI with two outs. Hobbs is also 3-for-6 (.500) this season with runners on base.
* Matt Lukevics is batting .421 (8-for-19) versus lefties, but hitting just .224 (13-for-58) against righties.
McCoy's ERA Heading South
Freshman hurler Mark McCoy has lowered his earned run average by 11 points (16.80-to-5.19) in his last three starts. McCoy has also gone 19 of a possible 23 innings in those starts.
The Opposition & Double-Digit Hits
Navy pitchers have combined to allow the opposition to collect double-digit hits in 18 of 25 games. The Mids are 3-14-1 in those contests.
Leadoff Hitters
Opposing hitters are batting .457 (96-for-210) when leading off an inning this season.
Other Quick Pitching Notes
* Left-handed batters are 0-for-6 against Navy starter Daniel Kovalcik.
* Right-handed hitters are batting just .154 (2-for-13) versus freshman hurler Mark Guadagnini.
Errorless
Navy has not committed an error in a game three times this season. The Mids did not commit an error in a game for the first time in its series finale loss to Boston College on March 20. They turned the trick versus Georgetown in a 3-0 win March 29, and also played perfect in the field in a 3-2 win over Bucknell last Sunday. The Mids also did it versus the Devil Rays, but it did not count due to it being an exhibition.
Other Quick Defensive Notes
* Nine mids have posted a 1.000 fielding percentage this season.
* Right fielder Ryan McGinn tops the list with a perfect fielding percentage in 26 chances.
* Navy has turned 17 double plays this season.
* Second baseman Matt Lukevics has committed just two errors in 101 chances for a .980 fielding percentage. He has recorded 42 putouts with 57 assists.
* Lukevics has been a part of 13 double plays this season after helping to turn just 13 all of last season.
* Jonathan-Matthew Johnston has thrown out 38 percent (14-of-37) 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 14. 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 surpassed its number of double-digit run games in 2005 (3) than it produced during all of the 2004 season. It took the Midshipmen only three games to tie the mark this season.
Recapping the Bucknell Series
* Navy's 11-0 win over Bucknell in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader was the largest margin of victory for Navy this season.
* Navy's 3-2 win over the Bison in the second game was the second victory of the season by a run.
* The Mids held Bucknell scoreless in the first inning in all four games marking the first series this season an opponent has not scored in the opening frame.
Recapping the UMBC-Georgetown Mid-Week Series
Navy's 3-0 shutout victory over Georgetown was the first one since April 19, 2003, when the Mids defeated Lafayette 2-0 ... the win over Georgetown was the first one since April 24, 2003, when Navy pulled out a 10-9 victory ... Jeff Lange went a season-high 7 1/3 innings in the start versus Georgetown ... UMBC starting pitcher John Pavlis retired the first 11 batters he faced in the Thursday matchup with Navy.
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 RBIs 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 .269 batting average with two home runs and 19 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 be back home next Saturday and Sunday to play host to Lafayette in its final Patriot League regular season home series. Saturday will be Senior Appreciation Day as the five seniors on this year's team will be honored before the game. Both days will feature doubleheaders with both beginning at noon.
