ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy baseball team (18-23, 9-13 Patriot League) is slated to conclude its Patriot League regular-season schedule over the weekend as it welcomes Lafayette (13-30, 8-10 Patriot League) to Max Bishop Stadium for a pivotal three-game series, presented by the Annapolis Area Jimmy John's. The weekend series, which will have serious implications on the Patriot League postseason picture, will feature a doubleheader on Saturday and a single, nine-inning game on Sunday. First pitch on both Saturday and Sunday is set for 1 p.m.
 
The first two games of the series on Saturday will be streamed on ESPN+, while all three contests will have free, live statistics available via 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.

SENIOR DAY
Prior to the start of Saturday's doubleheader, the Navy baseball program is set to honor its eight-member senior class of Dalton Baker (Sebring, Fla.), Dalton Jackson (Chespeake, Va.), Colin Jones (Collierville, Tenn.), Christian Policelli (Walkersville, Md.), Joe Simourian (Andover, Mass.), Zach Stevens (Lexington, Mass.), Trent Topping (Temecula, Calif.) and team manager Jackie Booker in a pregame ceremony. Senior Day festivities are scheduled to begin at approximately 12:35 p.m.
 
CLINCHING SCENARIOS
The Midshipmen enter this weekend's series against the Leopards with an opportunity to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Tournament field, with some help. Navy can clinch a spot in the postseason with a sweep of Lafayette, and either Holy Cross losing two of three games to Lehigh or Lehigh losing all three games to Holy Cross. Lafayette, Navy and either Holy Cross or Lehigh would all have 13 losses and the Mids would own the season-series tiebreaker against all three opponents.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. LAFAYETTE
Over 144 all-time meetings against the Leopards, Navy has played to a 96-46-2 advantage that includes winning six of the last 10 games in the series. The two programs last met in Annapolis for a doubleheader on April 11, 2021, with the Mids taking both games of the twin bill.
 
A LOOK BACK
Navy and Lafayette met for a doubleheader in Easton earlier this season, which saw each of the two teams pick up a win in a split of the twin bill. The Leopards took the first game, 3-2, on the back of a complete-game, two-run effort by Jordan Yoder. The junior limited the Midshipmen to five hits, along with striking out five batters and walking just one. In the nightcap, Navy bounced back with a 5-2 victory that was highlighted by a stellar effort on the mound by Matthew Shirah (So., Blue Ridge, Ga.), Zach Ward (So., Mokena, Ill.), Nolan Jorgenson (So., Eastvale, Calif.) and Landon Kruer (Fr., Sellersburg, Ind.). After Shirah allowed just two runs over five innings of work in his sixth start of the season, the aforementioned trio of relievers allowed just one hit over the final four innings to secure the split.
 
NAVY PRIMER
Overall Record: 18-23
Home Record: 7-12
Away Record: 9-10
Neutral Record: 2-1
Patriot League Record / Standings: 9-13 / Fifth
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Paul Kostacopoulos I 17th Season at Navy, 33rd Overall (1,003-675-7)
 
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
LAST TIME OUT: Last time out, Navy took on No. 23 Maryland in a non-league road contest played in College Park on Tuesday night. After falling behind the Terps by seven runs, 9-2, through the first four innings of play, the Midshipmen rallied to tie the game at 9-9 by scoring three runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth. However, Maryland would respond with a rally of its own over the next three innings, scoring nine runs on nine hits to secure an 18-10 win. Eduardo Diaz (So., Miami, Fla.) paced the Navy offense on the night, going 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs. The multi-home run effort was the first of Diaz's collegiate career.
 
DIAZ LEADS THE WAY: In the last 15 games, Diaz has proven to be one of the top hitters in the Navy lineup, posting a .367 batting average (22-for-60). The shortstop has a team-leading four home runs over that span, along with recording five doubles, 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored. Additionally, Diaz has a team-best .650 slugging percentage over that span and has reached base at a .424 clip. On the season, the sophomore is hitting .272 (41-for-151) with a team-leading four home runs, 11 doubles and 30 runs scored, along with recording a triple, a stolen base and 22 RBIs.
 
POWERFUL POLICELLI: Policelli continued his march to a career-best season on Tuesday against Maryland, hitting his third home run of the season in the fifth inning of the contest which tied his career-best total for long flies in a season. In 2022, Policelli has gone wire-to-wire in leading the charge for the Navy offense, hitting .338 (54-for-160) with two triples, three home runs, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases, 27 runs scored, 31 RBIs, a .413 on-base percentage and a .481 slugging percentage. The senior also leads the team in multi-hit games (20) and multi-RBI games (7).
 
MEET THE SMITH'S: Joining Diaz and Policelli among the top hitters for the Midshipmen this season is the duo of Alex Smith (Jr., Laguna Hills, Calif.) and Colin Smith (Jr., Wilmington, Del.). Colin Smith ranks second on the team in batting average (.304), along with totaling three home runs, nine doubles, 23 runs scored and 29 RBIs. Alex Smith sits third in batting average (.301), in addition to recording two triples, two home runs, six doubles, 24 runs scored, 28 RBIs and a .419 slugging percentage.
 
BATS COME TO LIFE: Despite falling to the Terps in an 18-10 decision last time out, the Navy offense provided a 10-run, 10-hit effort that included three home runs. Over the previous five games, the Midshipmen were limited to a total of 13 runs, including being held to two runs or less three times in that span. The three-home run effort against Maryland was Navy's second game with three home runs this season, along with being its sixth multi-home run outing of 2022. 
 
STARTING STRONG: Over his last four starts, Shirah has led the way for the Navy starting rotation with a 2-0 record and a 2.75 ERA. The sophomore standout has also walked just five batters and struck out 11 over 19.2 innings pitched in that span. In 10 starts this season, Shirah has pitched to a 3-2 record and a 5.01 ERA in a team-high 46.2 innings pitched.
 
LIGHTS OUT: Jorgenson enters the weekend as the top-relief option for the Midshipmen this season, having pitched 38.1 innings over 19 appearances to the tune of a 2.35 ERA. The sophomore surrendered three runs on three hits in an inning of work against Maryland last time out, marking the first time this season that he has allowed more than two runs in an outing.  
 
KRUER CLOSES THE DOOR: Kruer continued his stellar freshman campaign in Tuesday's game against the nationally-ranked Terps, pitching a scoreless sixth inning that included working out of a runner on first and third, one-out jam. The newcomer has the best ERA among Navy relievers this season (2.20), along with recording six saves which is tied for the ninth-most saves for a single season in team history.
 
RECORD BOOK CHECK: With his aforementioned six saves, Kruer is tied for the ninth-most saves for a single season in team history. Additionally, the freshman is tied for the ninth-highest career saves total for a Navy reliever. Trey Braithwaite holds the program record for career saves, having closed out 17 games over his four seasons. Policelli's current .414 career on-base percentage ranks as the 15th-highest such career mark in program history, while Stevens is 15th in career slugging percentage at .492.
 
POSTSEASON PICTURE: Entering the final two weeks of Patriot League play, Navy currently sits fifth in the league standings with a record of 9-13. Army (13-5) occupies the top spot in the standings, followed by Bucknell (13-9) in second. Lehigh (8-10) and Lafayette (8-10) are tied for third, while the Midshipmen and Holy Cross (7-11) round out the six-team field, respectively. Bucknell and Navy will conclude league play this weekend, while the remaining four teams will play their final Patriot League games next weekend.
 
ANOTHER MILESTONE AWAITS KOSTY: After recording his 1,000th career win in a 13-10 victory over Mount St. Mary's on April 13, Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos sits on the precipice of another milestone entering play against Lafayette. Now in his 17th season in Annapolis, Kostacopoulos is just one win shy of 500 for his career at the helm of the Midshipmen baseball program. Kostacopoulos would become just the second coach in program history to eclipse 500 victories, joining Joe Duff (1962-1993) who finished his tenure at Navy with 595 wins.
 
TOP OF THE HEAP: Policelli finds himself atop several offensive categories in the Patriot League rankings entering the weekend. The senior is among the top-10 league performers in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, hits, RBIs, home runs and stolen bases. Ivan Aguirre (Fr., Temple City, Calif.) is eighth in on-base percentage (.423), while Diaz is tied for sixth in home runs and is seventh in runs scored. Rounding out the Midshipmen presence in the individual rankings is Alex Smith and Colin Smith, who rank ninth and 10th in RBIs, respectively.  
 
NATIONAL VIEW: In the national rankings, the Mids begin play against Lafayette as the 25th-best fielding team in the nation with a .978 fielding percentage. Individually, Nate Mitchell (Jr., Parker, Colo.) is first in strikeout-to-walk ratio (25.00) and walks allowed per nine innings (0.21) as he has walked just one batter all season. Policelli is 19th in the toughest to strike out category (13.3), while Shirah is 24th in games started (10). Liam Golden (Fr., Springfield, Va.) ranks 36th in complete games (1), followed by Kruer who sits 47th in saves (6).

NAVY HITTERS vs. LAFAYETTE: Among the top-career performers at the plate for the Midshipmen against Lafayette is Stevens. The senior has a .367 career batting average (18-for-49) against the Leopards, which includes a triple, two home runs, three doubles, 12 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Policelli has appeared in 12 games against Lafayette over his four seasons, in which he has totaled a .282 batting average (11-for-39) with a triple, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and 13 runs scored. Rounding out the top-three offensive performers for Navy against Lafayette on the current roster is Colin Smith, who is hitting .476 (10-for-21) with a home run, five runs scored and six RBIs in six career games against the Leopards.
 
NAVY PITCHERS vs. LAFAYETTE: On the mound, Golden made a start in game one of the aforementioned twin bill against Lafayette. The freshman went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while walking two batters and striking out four. Shirah has made two appearances against the Leopards in his career, one being a start, totaling 7.1 innings of work in which he has allowed four runs.
 
LAFAYETTE PRIMER
Overall Record: 13-30
Home Record: 9-7
Away Record: 4-20
Neutral Record: 0-3
Patriot League Record / Standings: 8-10 / Tied for Third
Streak: L2
Head Coach: Tim Reilly I Second Season (27-47)
 
SCOUTING THE LEOPARDS
LAST TIME OUT: Last time out, Lafayette lost its second-straight game as it dropped an 8-3 decision to Seton Hall. The Pirates jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second, posting a four-run, five-hit rally that included a string of five consecutive hits with one out in the inning. Lafayette responded with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut its deficit to two runs at 4-2 on a pair of RBI singles. However, Seton Hall would plate an additional three runs in the bottom of the frame en route to an 8-3 victory over the Leopards.
 
LEADING THE CHARGE: Pete Ciuffreda leads the way for Lafayette on offense with a .320 batting average (48-for-150). The junior has also tallied a triple, five home runs, 10 doubles and 36 RBIs this season, in addition to stealing a team-high 18 bases. Carter Dorighi ranks second on the team in batting average at .278 (42-for-151), while recording a home run, seven doubles and 12 RBIs. Dylan Minghini joins Ciuffreda as the top power threats for the Leopards this season with five home runs, seven doubles and 26 RBIs.
 
ON THE MOUND: Luke Benneche has pitched a team-high 54.2 innings for Lafayette this season, posting a 4.61 ERA over 10 starts. The sophomore has a 1-8 record, in addition to yielding 47 hits, walking 24 batters and striking out 67. Jake Bloss is second for the Leopards in innings pitched at 47.2, in which he has allowed 27 runs, 18 being earned, on 51 hits for a team-best 3.40 ERA.
 
UP NEXT
Following its three-game series against Lafayette over the weekend, Navy is slated to return to action Wednesday as it travels to take on Georgetown at 6 p.m. The Midshipmen are then set to welcome Radford to Annapolis for a three-game set to conclude the regular season May 7-8.