ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A quick turnaround is in store for the Navy baseball team (14-11, 5-3 PL) after playing four Patriot League games in two days, as the Midshipmen host Maryland Eastern Shore (0-19, 0-6 NEC) Wednesday afternoon for a 3 p.m. contest at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
The Mids' showdown with the Hawks marks the fifth contest in a stretch of eight games in eight days for Navy, as the team split a Sunday doubleheader with rival Army before sweeping Holy Cross on Monday, while Lafayette will come to town this upcoming weekend for a three-game series.
 
Manning Named Rookie of the Week
A big five-game stretch helped freshman Andrew Manning take home Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Tuesday … Batting .500 on the week and tallying four multi-hit performances over five starts, Manning was a lynchpin for the Midshipmen as they tallied four win over five games … Totaling six runs scored and seven RBI, Manning collected three extra-base hits and extended his hitting streak to seven games … On the season, Manning is hitting .265 with 21 runs scored and a team-high 22 RBI, collecting eight extra-base hits and two stolen bases.
 
Marching On
Navy has found its footing in the month of March, going 11-6 since the calendar flipped … The Mids' offense is hitting at a .290 clip since March 1, scoring 119 runs in 17 games while amassing 160 hits and 31 stolen bases … Sophomore two-way talent Brock Murtha has been especially impactful with a .377 average in those 17 games, knocking in 15 RBI and scoring 16 times while stealing nine bases … March has also seen the reemergence of a pair of relievers, as junior Landon Kruer (0.75 ERA in 12 innings) and senior Nolan Jorgenson (1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings) have both been outstanding in five appearance each this month.
 
Landon Kruer: Navy Saves King
With his save over Army on Sunday, Kruer notched his program-best 18th career save and etched his spot in the Navy record books … Picking up another save on Monday against Holy Cross, Kruer now has 19 career saves to rank first in school history and fifth in Patriot League history … The two saves helped the right-hander surpass the previous program record of 17 career saves by Trey Braithwaite (2018-21) and JD Melton (2007-09) … For the season, Kruer holds a 4.50 ERA over eight appearances, registering 14 strikeouts in 16 innings.
 
Navy Notables vs. Eastern Shore
Senior Logan Keller has feasted on Maryland Eastern Shore's pitching over his career, going 8-for-15 in three games and racking up 10 RBI to go with three extra-base hits … Fellow senior Zane Raba has also found success against the Hawks, batting .455 (5-for-11) in three appearances while scoring five times and driving in three RBI.
 
Scouting Maryland Eastern Shore
Picked to finish ninth in the NEC preseason poll, the Hawks have opened the season at 0-19 … Maryland Eastern Shore is coming off a week that saw the team drop midweek matchups to UMBC and UMass before being swept by Merrimack in a three-game conference series on the weekend … Bronson Taylor leads the team with a .320 batting average in 15 games played, while Derrick Mayes II is close behind with a .311 average across 17 starts … Mayes paces the Hawks with seven RBI and eight walks, while Ryan Davis has scored a team-high nine times … Joe Kelly has a team-leading 20.2 innings pitched, while Brandon Gomez and Gary Hallmen Jr. share the team lead with 13 strikeouts apiece.
 
Series History
Navy is 35-6 in the all-time series against Maryland Eastern Shore, splitting two games last season … The Mids took the first meeting last season on April 12, as a 12-run seventh inning helped Navy post an 18-12 win in Salisbury … Extending a winning streak over the Hawks to 12-straight games, the win saw Keller, Nick Burch and Kyle Rausch all tally four-hit, four-RBI performances, while Raba posted a three-hit, two-RBI contest … In the second meeting between the teams in 2023, the Hawks used a four-run eighth-inning rally to come back and defeat the Mids in 12 innings, 9-7, at Max Bishop Stadium … That second game saw Keller collect two RBI while tallying two hits and two walks, and Murtha added on a two-hit day himself while throwing 2.2 innings out of the bullpen.
 
Up Next
Navy hosts Lafayette in a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for a 1 p.m. start, while Sunday's finale is also set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+.