ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A new era officially begins for the Navy baseball team this weekend, as Midshipmen and first-year head coach
Chuck Ristano open the 2024 season on Friday afternoon against Elon at Latham Park in Elon, N.C.
With 23 returners from last year's squad that finished the regular season tied for second in the Patriot League, Navy will face a retooled Elon team in a 4 p.m. contest on Opening Day. The Mids and Phoenix are then slated for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday, while the series finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, with all three games being streamed on FloBaseball.tv.
Probable Starters
Friday: Navy Senior RHP
Matthew Shirah vs. Elon Sophomore RHP Justin Mitrovich
Saturday: Navy Junior RHP
Liam Golden vs. Elon Junior RHP Nolan Straniero
Sunday: Navy Sophomore RHP
Jackson Beattie vs. Elon Junior RHP Henry Cone
The Ristano Era Begins
Navy's new bench boss,
Chuck Ristano, will make his head coaching debut on Friday, becoming just the sixth coach to lead the program in the last 85 years … Taking over for the now-retired Paul Kostacopoulos following the 2023 season, Ristano arrived in Annapolis after spending last year as the pitching coach at Florida State and the previous 12 seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame … The first-time head coach inherits a Navy roster with 23 returners from last season, including his former Fighting Irish recruit
Brock Murtha.
A Veteran-Laden Roster Returns
Starting 49 of Navy's 50 games last season, two-way talent
Brock Murtha is among the seven starters to return for the Mids … The group includes three-year starting infielders
Logan Keller and Eddie Diaz (50 starts each in 2023) along with two mainstays in the rotation from the past two seasons, senior
Matthew Shirah (12 starts in 2023) and junior
Liam Golden (10 starts in 2023) … Also returning to the Navy lineup are a pair of senior outfielders in 2021 All-Patriot League honoree
Zane Raba and converted infielder
Hudson Lehnertz (32 starts in 2023) … The Mids' starting second baseman down the stretch last year, now-sophomore
Henry Mitchell, is also back on the roster but will miss the 2024 season due to injury … Navy will get back its 2023 Opening Day first baseman, as sophomore
Victor Izquierdo is fully healthy after being sidelined for the Mids' final 49 games of the season … Led by Shirah, Golden and junior closer
Landon Kruer, the pitching staff also returns 10 right-handers who saw action in 2023.
Navy Tidbits
Eddie Diaz and
Logan Keller were excellent in Navy's 18 road games last season, as Diaz hit .328 and reached base at a .473 clip, while Keller batted .300 and scored 11 times …
Matthew Shirah also had success on the road last year, posting a 2.42 ERA in five road starts while logging 26 innings and striking out 23 to just five walks …
Brock Murtha and
Zane Raba both ended 2023 on hot streaks with each hitting .333 over the Mids' final 10 games, as Murtha collected four extra-base hits and a .450 on-base percentage in that stretch while Raba collected six hits and three RBI in 18 at-bats.
The Ironmen of Florida
Last year marked an important milestone for
Logan Keller and Eddie Diaz, as the now-senior infielders both hit 100 consecutive starts in a Navy uniform, with Keller reaching the benchmark on March 26 and Diaz doing the same on April 5, 2023 … A 2021 All-Patriot League Second Teamer and Longwood, Florida product, Keller has started all 127 games for the Mids since debuting in the 2021 season opener, with 81 of those starts coming at third base … The 2022 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a Miami native, Diaz's streak began on April 3, 2021, as he has started 115 of his 120 straight games at shortstop.
Shirah's the New Sheriff
After posting a breakout junior season in 2023, the right-handed
Matthew Shirah enters the 2024 season as the Mids' team captain … A native of Blue Ridge, Ga., Shirah earned himself All-Patriot League Second Team honors in his second season as part of the weekend rotation in 2023 … His team-leading 58 strikeouts ranked fourth in the league compared to just 19 walks, while his .242 batting average against was fifth in the PL and his 3.83 ERA put the righty seventh in the league … Shirah also sported a team-best 1.24 WHIP that ranked third in the league while tallying a career-high 56.1 innings pitched over 12 starts, picking up five wins … Shirah also earned 2023 Academic All-Patriot League and CSC Academic All-District accolades for his performance on the mound balanced with a 3.85 GPA in the classroom as a quantitative economics major … Shirah holds a career ERA of 4.90 in 31 appearances, racking up 100 strikeouts in 119.1 innings.
A Golden Starter
Liam Golden was phenomenal in the starting rotation last season, as the right-hander posted a 3.69 ERA in his 10 starts … Over his 10 starts in 2023, Golden notched 28 strikeouts and held opponents to 17 walks and 16 earned runs in 39.0 innings, posting a 3-2 record and holding the opposition to a .253 batting average … The righty also matched his career high of 6.0 innings pitched and set a new career best with eight strikeouts in his start against Lehigh on March 25 … Golden held a 6.00 ERA in 13 total appearances last season, making three relief appearances … For his career, Golden has started in 20 of his 24 appearances and enters 2024 with a 5.69 ERA in 87.0 innings, striking out 60 compared to 26 walks allowed.
Kruer Closing in on Record Book
With 16 career saves, junior right-hander
Landon Kruer enters the new season one save away from matching the career program record of 17 set by Trey Braithwaite (2018-21) and JD Melton (2007-09) … After racking up a Patriot League-leading seven saves and earning NCBWA First Team and Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American accolades during his 2022 rookie season, Kruer followed it by pacing the Patriot League again and ranking 31st in the nation with nine saves in 2023 … Those nine saves last season stand as the second most in program single-season history and helped Kruer take home All-Patriot League Second Team honors … Kruer has a 3.25 career ERA in 35 total appearances for the Mids, tallying 39 strikeouts in 44.1 innings.
Trio Earn Preseason All-League Honors
Three Navy players were selected to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team in January, as senior starting pitcher
Matthew Shirah, senior shortstop
Eduardo Diaz and junior reliever
Landon Kruer were among the 16 players to earn a spot on the preseason all-league team … Shirah is coming off a breakout junior season that saw the right-hander post a 3.83 earned-run average, a 5-4 record in 12 starts and earn Second-Team All-Patriot League honors … Earning a spot on the league's all-tournament team, Diaz wrapped up his junior year with a .274 batting average and a team-high .403 on-base percentage, while posting a .985 fielding percentage … Leading the Mids with 19 appearances while posting a 4.26 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 25.1 innings, Kruer paced the league for the second-straight year and ranked 31st in the nation with nine saves, the second most in program single-season history, to earn second-team all-league distinction.
Navy Picked Third in the Patriot League
The Mids were picked to finish third in the Patriot League's preseason poll last month with 38 points … Army was picked to win the league once again, receiving 10 first-place votes and 50 total points in the preseason poll, while league runner-up Bucknell was slated to finish second with two first-place votes and 28 points … Lehigh tallied 27 points to land fourth, Lafayette was picked fifth with 23 points and Holy Cross rounded out the poll at 10 points in sixth.
Scouting Elon
The Phoenix return six starters from a 2023 team that posted a second-place regular season finish and advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals … With 23 letter winners coming back and 15 newcomers, the Phoenix were picked fifth in the 2023 CAA preseason poll … Elon has a pair of preseason CAA honorees, as Justin Mitrovich was named Preseason All-CAA and Ryan Sprock earned a preseason honorable mention from the conference … Mitrovich is slated to lead the rotation after finishing 2023 with a record of 7-4 and a 3.68 ERA in 63.2 innings pitched, earning CAA All-Rookie Team honors and being named a Second-Team Freshman All-American by both D1 Baseball and Baseball America … The two-way talent Ryan Sprock will join Mitrovich in the rotation this year, as Sprock slashed .313/.418/.551 and drove in 38 runs last year at the plate while making 14 starts for the Phoenix and striking out 56 batters to just 16 walks.
Series History
Elon and Navy met for the first time in the programs' histories last season, splitting a two-game series in Annapolis on May 6-7 … The series opener saw the Phoenix use a two-out rally to break a 1-1 tie in the ninth and secure the 3-1 victory under the lights despite the now-graduated
Nate Mitchell holding Elon to one run over five innings, as the Mids' pitchers went toe-to-toe with Elon's top two starters and relief ace while
Brock Murtha's solo home run paced a Navy offense … Navy bounced back the next day and erupted for 17 hits in an 8-5 win … On a day when five Midshipmen tallied multi-hit performances,
Alex Smith led the way once again by racking up four hits while
Kyle Rausch and
Zane Raba both posted three-hit contests … Starter
Matthew Shirah set the tone in the finale by tossing four shutout innings for his fifth win of the season before handing it off to a bullpen that included
Landon Kruer picking up his Patriot League-leading ninth save in 2023.
Up Next
Navy will return to Annapolis for its 2024 home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 21 against Georgetown. The Mids and Hoyas are slated for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Terwilliger Brothers Field and Max Bishop Stadium.
