ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The top-hitting lineup in the Patriot League awaits the Navy baseball team (8-8) as it begins league play this weekend in Lewisburg, Pa., opening the 2024 league schedule with a four-game series at Bucknell (6-9).
Winners in four of their last five contests, the Midshipmen will kick off league action Friday against the Bison, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Depew Field. The two teams then play a Saturday doubleheader starting at noon, while the series finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Probable Starters
Game 1: Navy RHP
Tyler Grenn (1-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Bucknell RHP Tyler O'Neill (0-2, 10-47 ERA)
Game 2: Navy RHP
Matthew Shirah (0-2, 5.50 ERA) vs. Bucknell RHP Jack O'Malley (1-0, 6.75 ERA)
Game 3: Navy RHP
Brady Bendik (2-0, 5.02 ERA) vs. Bucknell TBA
Game 4: Navy TBA vs. Bucknell TBA
Kruer and Bendik Earn PL Weekly Honors
A pair of pitchers were honored on Tuesday for their weekend performances, as junior reliever
Landon Kruer was named the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week and freshman starter
Brady Bendik earned the league's Rookie of the Week award … Kruer and Bendik were crucial in Navy's series win over Princeton, with each logging an appearance of five-or-more innings in the Midshipmen's victories against the Tigers … Kruer pitched a career-high five scoreless frames of relief on Saturday, issuing two hits and three walks while recording a career-best six strikeouts, holding Princeton hitless over his final four innings … Getting the start on Sunday, Bendik held Princeton to two earned runs over a career-best 5.1 innings, finishing with three runs over six hits, walking two but striking out a career-high five batters.
Murtha Machine Rolls On
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 .400 average ranks 124th nationally, Murtha has been getting on base at a .566 clip that sits 25th 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 15th nationally with his 11 stolen bases … Murtha extended his on-base streak to 16 games and his hit streak to 10-straight on Tuesday.
Lehnertz Providing Reinforcements
After missing the team's first six games due to injury, senior
Hudson Lehnertz has been a boost for the Mids in the lineup and in the outfield, batting .333 and posting a perfect 1.00 fielding percentage in 21 chances … In six starts, Lehnertz has reached base at a .531 clip and is slugging .571, racking up three doubles and a triple while scoring eight times and drawing five 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.
Navy Tidbits
Navy batters have been hit by pitches 49 times, ranking fourth in the nation and just three shy of national leader UC Irvine … Senior
Zane Raba's 10 steals rank second in the Patriot League and 25th in the nation … Raba is also hitting .571 on the road with 15 total bases, seven RBI and six runs scored … Freshman
Evan Brown is batting .583 through Navy's first four road games, going 7-for-12 with five runs scored and six RBI … Senior
Nolan Jorgenson has a 2.70 ERA in three appearances since the calendar hit March, logging six strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
Aggressive Attitude
One of the points of emphasis offensively under new head coach
Chuck Ristano has been being more aggressive on the base paths … Through Navy's first 16 games, the Mids have stolen 34 bases, compared to just 17 steals over the team's opening 16 games in 2023 … Navy has also been aggressive at the plate, with the team smashing eight home runs in 16 games, up from just five homers over Navy's first 16 contests last season.
Last Time Out
Scoring 13 runs in the first three innings, Navy drew 14 walks in run rule-shortened 17-3 victory over Delaware State on Tuesday … Led offensively by Raba racking up a career-high four RBI and Brown tallying a career-best three hits, five Mids notched multi-RBI performances and three Mids picked up multi-hit games … The Navy pitching staff backed up the offense by holding Delaware State to just four hits and allowing just one extra-base knock, with freshman
Timmy Virtudes allowing one hit in his three-inning start … The 14 walks were the second time this season the Mids have recorded 10-plus base-on-balls and were the most by the Mids since walking 15 times on Feb. 19, 2022 against UMBC.
Navy Notables vs. Bucknell
Through 12 career games against Bucknell, Lehnertz has posted a .333 average (8-for-24) with five runs scored and three RBI, also drawing five walks … Raba has batted .324 (11-for-34) against Bucknell in her career, recording three extra-base hits and scoring five times … Murtha hit .304 (7-for-23) against the Bison last season, racking up three doubles, a home run and six RBI … Kruer has made four career appearances against Bucknell, registering a 3.86 ERA over 4.2 innings and notching five strikeouts with two saves.
Scouting Bucknell
The Bison enter the weekend at 6-9 and on a four-game slide after dropping a three-game series at No. 22 Campbell and losing a nail-biting 13-12 midweek contest at George Mason … Bucknell's offense leads the league with a .288 average and 7.9 runs per game, while the Bison's pitching is averaging a league-best 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings … Sitting atop the Patriot League in all three categories, Sean Keys' .444 average, .575 on-base percentage and .870 slugging percentage rank 36th, 17th and 26th in the nation, with Keys also tallying five homers and 18 RBI … Hitting .323, Jacob Corson's 19 RBI sit second in the Patriot League, while Billy Kender's 17 walks pace the league as well … Keys, Kender and Grant Voytovich each return after garnering All-Patriot League First Team honors last year, while Corson took home second-team all-league honors.
Series History
Navy is 94-83-1 in the all-time series with Bucknell, but the Bison have won the last five contests between the teams after the Mids claimed the first two games in the season series last year … The Mids are 3-7 in their last 10 games against the Bison … Navy is 2-8 in its last 10 games in Lewisburg, while the Mids' last series win at Bucknell coming in 2018 … Last year's series saw the two teams split the four-game series March 17-19 in Annapolis, as a four-RBI game from
Kyle Rausch in the series opener and a
Henry Mitchell walk-off homer in the first Saturday game gave Navy 8-6 and 7-6 wins before Bucknell bounced back with 17-4 and 6-3 victories to close the trip … The Bison then claimed a 5-1 win at home on April 19 thanks to a four-run first inning … Playing each other once again in the league semifinal round at Bucknell, the Bison won 2-0 and 7-6 to end the Mids' season.
Up Next
Navy ends its six-game road swing on Wednesday, March 20, heading to Philadelphia, Pa., for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Saint Joseph's.
