ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy baseball team (7-8) is slated to open Patriot League play Friday as it travels to begin a four-game series against Bucknell (3-9). The Bison and Midshipmen will open the series with a single game on Friday at 1 p.m., before playing a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon. The series finale from Lewisburg is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
All four games of the series will have live video available via ESPN+, along with free, live statistics on NavySports.com. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming service that requires users to sign-up for a monthly or yearly plan prior to viewing its content.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. BUCKNELL
In a series that dates back to the 1904 season, Navy has played to a 91-74-1 edge over Bucknell in 166 all-time meetings. In the 2021 series between the two programs, the Midshipmen and Bison played a total of six times, with the teams playing to an even 3-3 split.
 
NAVY PRIMER
Overall Record: 7-8
Home Record: 4-7
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 2-1
Patriot League Record: 0-0
Streak: L2
Head Coach: Paul Kostacopoulos I 17th Season at Navy, 33rd Overall (992-660-7)
 
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
LAST TIME OUT: After Navy rallied with a three-run fifth inning to take a one-run lead over UMass, the Minutemen responded with a comeback of their own, scoring a run in the seventh and then another in the eighth to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish, 4-3, over the Midshipmen Tuesday at Max Bishop Stadium. Christian Policelli (Sr., Walkersville, Md.) continued his hot hitting on Tuesday, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored along with stealing a career-high three bases.
 
Logan Keller (So., Longwood, Fla.) tallied his first home run of the season, a two-run shot, in a 1-for-4 showing. Rounding out the top-offensive performers for the Mids was Hudson Lehnertz (So., Santa Ana, Calif.) who went 1-for-2 with a double after entering as a pinch hitter in the sixth.
 
POWERFUL POLICELLI: After his 2-for-3 showing on Tuesday against UMass, Policelli is now hitting .407 (22-for-54) with a triple, a home run, six doubles, 11 runs scored and 12 RBI. The senior backstop has also stolen four bases, walked five times, reached base at a .515 clip and posted a slugging percentage of .611. Policelli has shown great discipline at the plate, striking out only three times in 54 at-bats, which is the best mark among Patriot League hitters this season, along with ranking tied for 21st in the toughest to strike out category among Division-I hitters.
 
LEADING THE CHARGE: In addition to the efforts of Policelli at the plate, Keller has been a consistent presence in the Navy lineup through 15 games. The sophomore third baseman has totaled a .293 batting average, including a double, a triple, a home run and five RBI, along with posting a .369 on-base percentage. In 13 appearances, five being starts, Lehnertz has also found success on offense for the Mids, hitting .310 with two doubles, three RBI and four runs scored.
 
Kyle Rausch (Jr., Middle Island, N.Y.) has appeared in 11 games with nine starts this season, splitting time in left field and as the designated hitter, posting a .296 batting average on a home run, two doubles, two RBI and four runs scored.
 
NAVY HITTERS vs. BUCKNELL: Zach Stevens (Sr., Lexington, Mass.) leads the way for Navy hitters in their respective careers against Bucknell, hitting .471 (16-for-34) with a triple, a home run, four doubles, nine RBI and nine runs scored. Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) has also found success in his career against the Bison, posting a .316 batting average (6-for-19) that includes two doubles, three RBI and four runs scored.
 
Rounding out the top-performing hitters for the Mids against Bucknell is Keller, who has recorded a .353 batting average (6-for-17) with two doubles, five runs scored and six RBI, and Policelli, who is hitting .400 (8-for-20) with an RBI and two runs scored.
 
NAVY PITCHERS vs. BUCKNELL: Trent Topping (Sr., Temecula, Calif.) has seen the most action against Bucknell among pitchers on the current roster. The senior right-hander has pitched a combined 5.2 innings against Bison hitters over two appearances, allowing just one hit while striking out two batters and recording a save.
 
A NEW SEASON: In opening its four-game series against Bucknell, Navy will embark on its 25-game Patriot League slate for the 2022 season. The Midshipmen have won 11 Patriot League regular-season titles, along with being crowned the league tournament champions seven times. The Mids reached the Patriot League Tournament semifinals a year ago, and are seeking their first league championship since 2016.
 
HOT STREAKS: Over the last five games, Policelli leads the way for Navy with a .600 batting average (9-for-15) with four doubles and two RBI. Alex Smith has also provided a spark for the Midshipmen offense of his last four games, hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a double, a run scored and three RBI. Rounding out the top-performing hitters for the Mids over its previous five games is Stevens, who has a .308 batting average (4-for-13) including a double and three RBI.
 
On the mound, Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.) has appeared in three games during the five-game stretch for Navy, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings, in which he has allowed just three hits and a .188 batting-average against. Colin Jones (Sr., Collierville, Tenn.) has made two appearances over that same span, totaling 3.1 innings of scoreless work, yielding just one hit while striking out two batters.
 
FINDING RELIEF: The effort of the Navy relief corps has been strong through 15 games this season, with Jorgenson and Jones leading the way. Jorgenson has yielded just three earned runs over 16 innings for a 1.69 ERA. Additionally, the sophomore has allowed just a .213 batting-average against and has struck out six batters. Jones has totaled 12.1 innings of work over his six appearances, having a 2.19 ERA, having allowed just three earned runs while striking out 10 batters.
 
STARTING STRONG: Among the Midshipmen starting rotation, Nate Mitchell (Jr., Parker, Colo.) leads the way with a 2.92 ERA over 12.1 innings pitched in three starts. Mitchell has allowed five runs, four being earned, on 13 hits while striking out six batters. Liam Golden (Fr., Springfield, Va.) has made three starts this season, having a 4.91 ERA over 11 innings pitched. The newcomer has struck out 10 batters while walking just two, in addition to allowing just a .244 batting-average against. Matthew Shirah (So., Blue Ridge, Ga.) rounds out the top-three starters for the Mids this season, pitching a rotation-high 19.2 innings, in which he has struck out 15 batters and allowed a batting-average against of just .256.
 
TOP OF THE HEAP: Entering the opening weekend of Patriot League play, the Midshipmen have several players amongst the league leaders on both sides of the ball. Policelli leads the Patriot League in batting average (.407), slugging percentage (.611), on-base percentage (.515) and OPS (1.126), in addition being third in hits (22) and doubles (6). Stevens in second amongst the league leaders in triples (2), while the duo of Alex Smith and Colin Smith (Jr., Wilmington, Del.) are tied for fourth in home runs (2). Colin Smith is also tied for the sixth-most RBI (10) in the league this season.
 
On the mound, Jorgenson ranks second among the league leaders in ERA (1.69), while being second in runs allowed (4) and fifth in batting-average against (.213). Landon Kruer (Fr., Sellersburg, Ind.) is tied for the league lead in saves (2), in addition to Shirah being sixth in innings pitched (19.2) and eighth in strikeouts (15).
 
CHASING 1,000: Entering the weekend, Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos sits just eight wins shy of 1,000 for his career. Kostacopoulos would become just the 16th active head coach across all divisions to eclipse the 1,000-win plateau. Additionally, Kostacopoulos is just 12 wins away from becoming the second head coach in program history to reach 500 wins in Annapolis.
 
BUCKNELL PRIMER
Overall Record: 3-9
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record: 3-5
Neutral Record: 0-3
Patriot League Record: 0-0
Streak: L4
Head Coach: Scott Heather I 10th Season (159-241-2)
 
SCOUTING THE BISON
LAST TIME OUT: Last time out, Bucknell fell on the road to Mount St. Mary's, 4-3, for its fourth-consecutive loss. The Bison rallied to tie the game at 3-3 in the ninth that ultimately forced extra innings, but the Mount responded with a walk-off home run in the bottom 10th to secure the one-run victory. Bucknell wasn't without opportunity in the contest, stranding 12 runners on base, including leaving three runners on during the aforementioned rally to force extras.
 
LEADING THE CHARGE: Leading the way for Bucknell at the plate through 12 games this season is Grant Voytovich. The sophomore is hitting .286 (14-for-49) with three doubles and nine RBI, in addition to stealing two bases and scoring seven runs. Jacob Corson ranks as the second leading hitter for the Bison in 2022, hitting .273 (9-for-33) with an RBI, two doubles and four runs scored.
 
Brendan Lowery has been the most consistent power threat for Bucknell this season, posting two home runs and six RBI along with a double and a triple. Chris Cannizzaro, the Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, is hitting .245 (12-for-49) with a home run, four RBI and four runs scored to round out the top-offensive performers for the Bison this season.
 
ON THE MOUND: On the mound, Will Greer has seen the most action for Bucknell, pitching a team-high 26.1 innings in four starts. Over his four outings, Greer has totaled a 3.76 ERA, along with allowing 12 runs, 11 being earned, and striking out 18 batters. Austin Odell has pitched 13 innings this season for the Bison, allowing 10 runs on 17 hits while walking four batters and striking out seven.
 
UP NEXT
Following its four-game set against Bucknell, Navy is slated to return to action March 23 as it travels to take on Maryland Eastern Shore. First pitch of the mid-week contest is set for 3 p.m.