ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After starting its eight-game homestand with a win Tuesday, the Navy baseball team (2-5) hosts the alma mater of its head coach Chuck Ristano, Sacred Heart (2-4), this weekend for a three-game series at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
With Friday's series opener slated for 4 p.m., the Midshipmen and Pioneers will continue the series on Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch while Sunday's series finale is set for 1 p.m. Friday and Sunday will both be streamed on the Navy Athletics YouTube channel, while Friday's contest will also air on WNAV Radio.
 
Pioneering Ristano
A 2004 graduate of Sacred Heart University, Ristano will see his former team in the opposing dugout this weekend … A four-year letterwinner for the Pioneers, Ristano was also a two-time captain and four-time NEC All-Academic honoree for SHU … Ristano also began his coaching career at his alma mater, helping the Sacred Heart to the program's first NEC Tournament appearance in 2005 and tutoring a pair of all-conference first-teamers, including 2005 NEC Pitcher of the Year Jay Monti.
 
DePerno Shining Early
Rookie catcher Ty DePerno has been a highlight for the Navy lineup to start the season, hitting a team-leading .333 while playing stout defense behind the plate … After picking up Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors for his performance against Air Force, DePerno tallied a two-hit, two-RBI game in the Mids' home-opening win over Manhattan, including launching his first collegiate home run … DePerno is one of nine freshmen to earn playing time this season already, with six of those nine having appeared in the starting lineup.
 
The Friendly Confines
After posting an impressive 18-7 home record last season, Navy quickly moved to 1-0 at home this spring with Tuesday's victory over Manhattan … The Mids posted a .313 team batting average at home in 2024, also slugging .437 and tallying a .431 on-base clip … Brock Murtha batted .418 and had 13 steals at home last season, scoring 28 runs and knocking in 25 RBI in 25 games in Annapolis ... Andrew Manning hit .365 at home as a rookie, scoring 26 runs while notching three triples ... Victor Izquierdo batted .310 at home in 2024 to go with 10 doubles, driving in 26 runners ... Landon Kruer posted a 2.84 ERA last season over 12 home appearances, striking out 19 in 19 innings … For Brady Bendik, he finished with a 3.16 home ERA last season, going 5-1 over nine appearances (seven starts) while collecting 35 strikeouts in 42.2 innings.
 
Mids Making Noise Nationally
Heading into the third weekend of the season, Henry Mitchell's 0.71 hit-by-pitches per game ranks 29th in the country … Brock Murtha stands 39th nationally with 0.71 steals per game … Tyler Grenn's 0.62 WHIP puts the right-hander at 50th among Division I leaders … Navy's 7.71 hits allowed per nine innings ranks 76th in the NCAA and first among Patriot League schools.
 
Last Time Out
Led by multi-hit efforts from Ty DePerno, Victor Izquierdo and Brock Murtha, Navy pulled out the 7-4 victory in its home opener against Manhattan on Tuesday … With Kody Clancy not allowing an earned run over three innings in his first collegiate start, Jackson Beattie then followed him with 3.1 scoreless frames before handing the ball off to Owen Beisty and Landon Kruer to shut the door … In addition to his two hits, Izquierdo tallied a career-best three RBI and his first collegiate triple … Murtha also swiped a career-high four bases, the most by a Mid since 2005 and one steal shy of matching the Navy single-game record.
 
Navy Notables
Last year, Brock Murtha batted .378 in the opening games of weekend series, also drawing 10 walks compared to eight strikeouts in those 14 games … Additionally, Murtha hit .308 on Fridays last season and reached base at a .500 clip … Jack Killelea posted a .417 average in weekend openers last year while Andrew Manning batted .308 in those games … On Saturdays last season, Murtha hit .385 while Manning batted .314 and Victor Izquierdo notched a .304 average … All four of Manning's career homers have come on Saturdays … Landon Kruer's 26 career saves are the most among active NCAA pitchers across all divisions.
 
Scouting Sacred Heart
The Pioneers come to Annapolis winners of their last two games after dropping their first four contests of the season … After being swept at South Carolina to open 2025, Sacred Heart suffered a 13-1 loss at Georgetown last Friday before rallying for a pair of victories over the Hoyas to claim the weekend series, 21-4 and 6-3 … Gavin Donohue has paced the Pioneers with a .409 batting average, tallying five extra-base hits in just six games … Peter Link has batted .313 and collected a team-high six runs and six RBI … SHU also brings back its top four hitters from 2024, with Tim McGuire (.326 BA), Dante D'Amore (.324 BA), Zack Kovalchik (.315 BA) and Alex Ungar (.314 BA) all back in the Pioneers' lineup … Kovalchik had a team-high 49 RBI last season while D'Amore posted a team-best 11 homers … Sunday starter Ryan Parker has posted a 2.89 ERA over a team-high 9.1 innings, getting nine strikeouts over two starts … Switch-pitcher PJ Rogan has tallied a 0.00 ERA in two appearances, totaling four strikeouts in 6.1 frames … Saturday starter Elijah Foster finished last season with a team-high 80 strikeouts in 59.2 innings, racking up a 4.53 ERA over 15 starts … Gavin and Ronan Donohue were teammates of Andrew Manning at Boston College High School.
 
Series History
This weekend will mark the first meetings between Navy and Sacred Heart in program history … Navy is 2-3 against MAAC schools under Chuck Ristano … Sacred Heart is the second of three MAAC opponents for the Mids this season, as Tuesday's win over Manhattan and a midweek matchup with Mount St. Mary's in April account for the others.

Up Next
Navy stays home next Wednesday to play George Washington in a 3 p.m. contest.