ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Following an eight-game stretch at home, the Navy baseball team (7-8) begins a six-game road swing on Tuesday afternoon when it heads to Delaware State (1-10), with the Midshipmen and Hornets set for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Bob Reed Field in Dover, Del.
Tuesday's game will give Navy a chance to get back to .500 overall heading into Patriot League play, as the Mids are slated to travel to Bucknell this weekend for their league-opening series.
The Murtha Machine Keeps Rolling
Sporting the second-best batting average and on-base percentage in the Patriot League, sophomore
Brock Murtha has put himself among the nation's best hitters entering the week … While his .420 average ranks 81st nationally, Murtha has been getting on base at a .592 clip that sits 14th in Division I … The infielder has been especially effective at drawing hit-by-pitches, as his 10 times getting beaned rank sixth in the nation … Murtha has also been lethal once on base, ranking first in the league and 16th nationally with his 10 stolen bases.
Lehnertz Providing Reinforcements
After missing the team's first six games due to injury, senior
Hudson Lehnertz has a been a stabilizing force for the Mids in the lineup and in the outfield, batting .389 and posting a perfect 1.00 fielding percentage in 21 chances … In six starts, Lehnertz has reached base at a .593 clip and is slugging .667, racking up three doubles and a triple while scoring six times and drawing four walks … Lehnertz finished last week's four-game stretch with a .611 on-base percentage.
Grenn's Gems
Making three starts over four pitching appearances, sophomore
Tyler Grenn has been a stable presence for the Mids over the first four weeks of the season, as Grenn holds a 1.32 ERA as a starter and a 3.00 ERA overall … Racking up 15.0 innings and holding opponents to five runs on 17 hits, the righty has also recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just three extra-base hits … The righty's most recent start marked the first quality start of the season for Navy, as Grenn tossed a career-high 6.1 innings and limited UMBC to one run on six hits while striking out a career-best four batters … Grenn pitched 13.0 innings last season, recording a 11.77 ERA while striking out five in 10 appearances.
Last Time Out
Navy used a pair of one-run victories to claim its series with Princeton over the weekend, as the Mids outlasted the Tigers in a rain-soaked, 13-inning affair on Saturday to win, 7-6, while Sunday's first game saw Navy hold on for a 6-5 victory before dropping the nightcap, 22-12 … Lehnertz posted a .545 average over the series, going 6-for-11 with three extra-base hits and scoring four times, while Murtha went 5-for-10 and brought in three RBI … Saturday's extra-inning contest saw junior
Landon Kruer toss a career-high five innings in relief and sophomore
Victor Izquierdo tally the game-winning hit when he scored senior
Anthony Fiallo on a two-out single … Sunday's opener was highlighted by freshman
Brady Bendik going a career-high 5.1 innings to earn the win and supported by three RBI from Murtha … The series finale featured Lehnertz collecting another multi-hit game while senior
Zane Raba registered three RBI.
Scouting Delaware State
The Hornets enter the week at 1-10 overall after being swept by Wagner in the teams' Northeast Conference-opening series … Chris Amparo is pacing Delaware State with a .375 batting average, five doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI … Evan Bouldin is right behind him hitting .333, while Jancarlos Colon is batting .250 in addition to a team-high seven stolen bases … Kobe Head has made a team-best seven appearances on the mound, with Head recording six strikeouts in 8.0 innings … Bouldin has also been a contributor on the mound, pitching five scoreless innings across three relief outings.
Series History
Navy holds an all-time record of 26-7-1 against Delaware State, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings with DSU … The Mids' last trip to Dover came a season ago, as the Hornets pulled out a 9-4 win despite homers from Lehnertz and
Alex Smith … Punctuated by a grand slam from senior
Eduardo Diaz, Navy run-ruled Delaware State for a 17-7 win in eight innings in the teams' first meeting this season … Diaz and his double-play partner, junior
Ivan Aguirre, both finished the day with four RBI apiece, as they were two of the six Midshipmen to tally multi-hit games.
Up Next
Navy travels to Lewisburg, Pa., to open Patriot League action against Bucknell with a four-game series. The series opener is slated for 2 p.m. on Friday, while Saturday's doubleheader will start at noon and Sunday's finale is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
