Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Opens Patriot League Slate at Army this Weekend
3/28/2008 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 28, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Following an offensive explosion, which saw the squad rack up 52 runs over its three midweek contests, the Bucknell baseball team will look to keep things going this weekend as the Bison will face Army in West Point, N.Y., this Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 29-30. Bucknell carries a four-game winning streak into Saturday's doubleheader that is slated to begin at noon and holds a record of 10-9-2 on the year.
BISON BASEBALL NOTEBOOK
Versus Army
- Army is currently 5-13 with wins over UMBC (4-3 and 23-0), Massachusetts (12-11), Dartmouth (14-7) and Central Connecticut (12-1).
- The Black Knights lead the all-time series, 48-28. The teams split the four game set last season in Lewisburg, Pa., with the Bison dropping the first, 3-0, winning the second, 4-3, in 10 innings, falling 4-3 in game three, while taking game four, 5-4. In its last trip to West Point, Bucknell swept Army for the first time in school history.
- In his career against Army, senior Shawn Hirsch (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) is hitting .400 (10-for-25) with six RBI. He drove in five of Bucknell's 12 runs in the four game series last season.
The Bison Briefly
- Senor Jason Buursma (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside School) paces the Bison with a .442 batting average (23-for-52) and has 18 runs scored, 20 RBI and a league-best eight home runs to go along with three doubles. He also boasts a .962 slugging percentage.
- Senior Mark Angelo (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) follows, hitting .421 with five doubles, 19 RBI and 15 runs scored. In 21 games thus far (76 at-bats), Angelo has surpassed his hit total from 2007, with a new career high of 32. He has also passed his previous career high in RBI.
- Sophomore John Avanzino (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) is 21-for-50 on the season for a .420 average and has driven in 18 runs and scored 12. His four home runs and five double have helped him post a .760 slugging percentage.
- Hirsch is the fourth Bucknell player with 40+ at-bats that is hitting .400 or better as he is 18-for-45 at the plate thus far. He has a career-high five doubles to go along with 13 RBI and seven runs scored.
- Freshman Eric Jarrett (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) holds a the team's best ERA as the freshman left-hander is at 2.51 over 32.1 innings of work. He is 3-2 on the season with 21 strikeouts and has held his opponents to a .237 batting average.
- Buursma is 3-0 on the mound in nine appearances thus far and has a 3.67 ERA in 34.1 innings with a squad-best 29 strikeouts and just five walks, holding opposing hitters to a .238 average.
Offensive Outburst
- In three games this week, the Bison have scored 52 runs and hit .491 as a team (56-for-114). The 52 runs in a three-game stretch is the most by a Bucknell team since 1902 when the squad defeated Lehigh, 23-7, Gettysburg, 4-2, and Lock Haven, 27-4.
- With the entire Patriot League schedule left to play, plus four midweek non-league contests, the Bison are just four runs shy of surpassing their 2007 team total. In 21 games, Bucknell has scored 174 runs, while finishing last season with 177 over 40 contests.
Recapping Bucknell's Midweek Contests
- The Bison improved to 4-0 at home this week with a doubleheader sweep of Clarion (15-3 and 19-1) and a 18-7 victory over Susquehanna.
- Buursma blasted three home runs and drove in eight in two games against Clarion this past Tuesday. He led the Orange and Blue at the plate, going 6-for-8 over the two contests while scoring four times and recording a double in addition to his three homers. Senior Austin Turban (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) hit 5-for-7 on the day with a double, four RBI and three runs scored. Angelo and junior Andrew Loucks (Mississauga, Ontario/Appleby College) finished with four RBI apiece, while junior Bret Sokirka (Wyoming, Pa./Wyoming Area) and Avanzino each drove in three. Sixteen different Bucknell players had at least one hit, while 17 scored runs and 11 recorded RBI. As a squad, the Bison finished the afternoon with 32 hits, five doubles, four home runs and 33 RBI. Freshman Dylan Seeley (Shavertown, Pa./Wyoming Seminary) picked up the win (1-0) for the Bison in game one, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of work with no walks and no strikeouts. Jarrett recorded the victory for the Bison in game two. He worked three shutout innings and gave up three hits, while walking one and striking out three.
- Avanzino went 5-for-6 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored, helping the Bucknell baseball team to an 18-7 victory over Susquehanna on Wednesday. Twelve different members of the Orange and Blue combined for a total of 24 hits, two shy of the school record. Following Avanzino, Loucks finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBI. Freshman Daniel Hart (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) earned his first collegiate victory (1-0) for the Bison, pitching three innings and allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Entering the Bison Record Book
- Buursma is climbing the ranks in the Bucknell record book as he moved into a tie for fourth in career home runs (16) this week, is now eighth in career RBI (96) and ninth in total bases (244), while also ranking ninth in triples (9). His career ERA of 2.24 is now second in both the Bison's and Patriot League's top-10 all-time, while his average of 2.72 walks per-nine innings is fifth-lowest in school history and his strikeouts per-nine innings ranks seventh (7.35). He also holds the school record for saves (second in PL history) with 15 and is third in appearances (60).
- Sophomore Andrew Brouse (Kreamer, Pa./Midd-West) posted three doubles on Mar. 12 versus Illinois State to tie a school single game record set by Pete Gorski against William & Mary in 1996.
- Bucknell set a team record for doubles in a game with eight against IPFW on Mar. 9, surpassing the previous record of seven, which was set twice--versus Rochester in 1975 and against Lehigh in 1990.
Buursma and Wilson Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidates
- Buursma and senior Mathew Wilson (Toronto, Ontario/Northern S.S.) were recently named to a list of 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the baseball division. The honor will be presented in June to the top senior student-athlete in collegiate baseball who demonstrates the qualities both on and off the field of what it means to be a complete student-athlete, with specific attention paid to achievements in the classroom and community. Buursma and Wilson are the second and third Bison student-athletes to be nominees for the accolade as 2007 graduate Ryan Gryskevicz was a finalist for the inaugural award last spring and was named an All-Senior All-American. Bucknell is one of only two schools in the nation with two candidates for the award, along with Creighton. A list of 10 finalists will be announced in April.
Patriot League Preseason Poll
- Bucknell was tabbed fourth in the Patriot League Preseason poll, which was announced on Feb. 20. The Bison, who finished with a record of 16-24 last season (8-12 PL) picked up 29 points and two first-place votes, while Navy was first (43 points, four first-place votes), Lafayette second (42 points, four first-place votes) and Army third (37 points, two first-place votes). - The Patriot League tournament has a new format beginning in 2008 as it will move from a three-team one weekend event to a four-team field with best-of-three semifinals and championship series played on back-to-back weekends, May 10-11 and May 16-17, at the home fields of the higher seeds.
Watch Lists
- Two of Bucknell's three senior co-captains have earned national preseason recognition. Buursma was named to the National Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award watch list for a second consecutive year. The award, which was first presented in 2005, is given annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I baseball.
- Wilson was one of three Patriot League players to make the preseason cut for the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award watch list and, most recently, was named a candidate for the Roger Clemens Award. Buursma and Wilson finished one-two in the Patriot League in ERA in 2007 at 1.65 and 1.78, respectively. Wilson's innings qualified him for the national leaders, where he finished ranked eighth in Division I in ERA.
Bison Honors
- Patriot League Player of the Week: Dane Grandizio (3/4/08)
- Patriot League Pitcher of the Week: Eric Jarrett (3/11/08), Jason Buursma (3/17/08) - Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week: Jason Buursma (3/24/08)
Next Up
- Bucknell will play a midweek single game at Penn State on Wednesday Apr. 2, at 6:35 p.m., before traveling to Lafayette on the weekend of Apr. 5-6.
