Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Team Headed For Patriot League Championship Tournament For the Sixth Straight Season
5/7/2001 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell University baseball team will participate in the 2001 Patriot League Championship Tournament being held at Max Bishop Stadium on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, this weekend. The winner of the two-day event will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals.
The Bison enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will begin play on Saturday, May 12, at 12:00 noon with a nine-inning elimination game against Holy Cross, the No. 3 seed. The winner of that contest will advance to play Navy, the top seed, in a three-game series for the Patriot League title.
Bucknell, which will be making its sixth straight appearance in the postseason tournament, went 14-6 in Patriot League play during the regular season, tying Navy for the best league mark. However, the Midshipmen won three-of-four against the Bison to earn the right to be the No. 1 seed and the host for this weekend's event. The Bison swept all four games they played with Holy Cross (19-22, 11-9).
Head coach Gene Depew realizes how important the elimination game is and that the top seed, Navy (21-23-1, 14-6), has a big advantage. "The game with Holy Cross will ride on a strong pitching performance from Kevin McDowell and whether or not our offense will be there after a two-week layoff. If we can cross that bridge, then our pitching staff is more than capable of giving Navy a run for the league title."
The Bison and the Crusaders have never met in the tournament. In fact, this is just Holy Cross' second appearance in the event. They lost the elimination game to Navy back in 1999 when the Orange and Blue hosted the event at Bucknell. Navy, which has been in the tournament every year since joining the league for baseball back in 1993, holds a 5-4 edge over the Bison in tournament play.
In all-time head-to-head comparisons, Bucknell leads the series with Holy Cross, 26-12, but trails in its series with the Mids, 45-20-1. Navy holds a 29-12 edge over Holy Cross in the all-time series between those institutions.
Bucknell enters the championship tournament with the best overall record at 28-17. If the Bison win the event, they will tie the school record for wins in a season with 31. Offensively, the Orange and Blue ranks higher than Holy Cross and Navy in seven of the 21 categories the league lists on its statistical report each week, including on-base percentage, runs scored and RBIs.
A pair of Ohio natives lead the way for the Bison in seniors Russ Lindberg (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/St. Peter Chanel) and Ian Joseph (Novelty, Ohio/West Geauga). Lindberg leads the team and ranks fifth in the Patriot League with a .379 average, and also leads the team and the league in home runs (8), RBIs (52) and sacrifice flies (6). Joseph ranks second on the team with a .321 average and leads the squad and the Patriot League with 42 runs scored. He ranks second in the conference with 24 stolen bases, and became the league's career-leader with 96 thefts during his Bison career (he was already the Bison career leader entering the season). Joseph also became the league's and Bucknell's career-leader in runs scored with 159, and in total at-bats with 662 during this season.
In addition to Lindberg and Joseph, senior outfielder Mike Ritz (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) and senior third baseman John DiBonaventura (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) enter the tournament with averages over .300, each currently at .313.
A young Bison pitching staff has matured greatly throughout the season and will be a strength entering the tournament. Junior right-hander Chris Lackett (Wall Township, N.J./Wall) leads the way with a 6-2 record, including a 3-1 mark and a 2.75 ERA in Patriot League play. No one in the conference won more games than Lackett did this season. Kevin McDowell (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes), who will get the start in game one, is 2-4 with a 5.94 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Zach Allen (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata) is 4-4 with a 5.25 ERA, while starter number four, R.J. Grant (Ardsley, Pa./Ardsley), is 3-1 with a 5.63 ERA. Out of the pen, junior closer Gregg Farmery (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney) is 3-2 with a league-high six saves, and freshman Kevin Miller (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Olympia) is 5-0 with a pair of saves and a 3.51 ERA.
If the Bison win the elimination game and advance to play Navy, they will play the first game of the three-game set 30 minutes after the conclusion of the game with Holy Cross on Saturday afternoon. The second game will begin at 12:00 noon on Sunday, and if necessary game three will begin 30 minutes after game two later that afternoon.
You can hear all the tournament action on the Bison Sports Network (1380 AM- WMLP), or log on to the athletic department's web site at www.BucknellBison.com. Saturday's game will be broadcast live, while Sunday's action will be joined in progress.
