Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Hosts Lafayette in Best-of-Three Patriot League Tournament Series
5/7/2009 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2009
* audio broadcast available if there is not a conflict with Bucknell softball
Weekend Schedule (Depew Field)
Saturday, May 9
#4 Lafayette at #1 Bucknell (DH), 12 p.m.
Game 1 GameTracker // Game 2 Gametracker
Sunday, May 10
#4 Lafayette at #1 Bucknell, 12 p.m. (if necessary)
GameTracker
About this Weekend's Series
Bucknell and Lafayette will square off in a best-of-three series this weekend at Depew Field. A doubleheader will be played Saturday beginning at noon, while a deciding third game will be contested Sunday at noon, if necessary. The winner of this weekend's series will advance to next week's Patriot League Championship Series against either second-seeded Army or third-seeded Holy Cross. If the top-seeded Bison advance, they will host next weekend's series at Depew Field.
Patriot League Tournament Format
Last year the Patriot League Tournament expanded to include the top four teams in the six-team league. Previously, only the first three squads in the final standings advanced to the postseason. The tournament, which was previously conducted on one weekend, also expanded to take up the second and third weekends in May. The winner of the tournament earns the Patriot League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Back-to-Back?
Last year Bucknell won the Patriot League Tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Bison defeated Army and Navy on their way to their fourth league title. Bucknell now has a chance to defend its title as it attempts to become the fifth Patriot League team, and the first since Army in 2004 and 2005, to claim at least two consecutive trophies.
Regular-Season Titles
Bucknell won its sixth Patriot League regular-season title this year as it tied Army for first place. The Bison have earned a share of the title four times and won it outright twice.
Bucknell's PL Regular Season Titles
Outright: 1996, 2003
Shared: 1999, 2001, 2006, 2009
Bucknell's PL Tournament Titles
1996, 2001, 2003, 2008
Bucknell vs. Lafayette
• Lafayette leads the all-time series 96-55
• Lafayette won three of four during the regular season
• Lafayette has won 12 of 16 meetings since 2006 and six of eight over last two years
• Bucknell snapped a seven-game Lafayette winning streak at Depew Field with win in final meeting of regular season
Three of Four
Bucknell played five Patriot League series during the regular season and won four of them by a 3-1 margin. The lone league foe the Bison did not win the regular-season series from was Lafayette, which won three of four at Depew Field the first weekend in April.
Winning Streaks
Bucknell has won at least two games in a row on seven occasions this season. However, the Bison have not been able to string more than four consecutive victories. On the opposite side, the Bison have not lost more than three games in a row since opening up the season 0-7 against ACC foes Virginia and Virginia Tech.
All-League
Bucknell tied a program record with eight All-Patriot League selections this year. Army, which had seven first-team honorees, tied the Bison for the most in the league this year. Andrew Brouse, B.J. LaRosa and Chris Yamaguchi landed on the first team, while Trey Frahler, Dane Grandizio, Andrew Loucks, Doug Shribman and Ben Yoder were second-team selections. It was the third All-Patriot League honor for Grandizio, while Yoder appeared on the second team for the second consecutive year.
Coach of the Year
Bucknell head coach Gene Depew, who is in his 28th season at the helm of the Bison, earned his fourth Patriot League Coach of the Year award earlier this week. No other coach has won the award that many times. Depew also claimed the honor in 1993, 1996 and 2003. Depew won his 500th career game earlier this year and claimed his 200th Patriot League victory on April 25 vs. Lehigh.
Not Many Home Games
This weekend will mark Bucknell's second home date since closing out its Patriot League home campaign more than a month ago (April 5) against Lafayette. The Bison, who went 6-9 at Depew Field during the regular season, played a doubleheader against St. Bonaventure on April 22, their only home games in more than a month.
Patriot League Tournament History
Bucknell will be competing in the Patriot League Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. Over that span the Bison have posted a 5-4 record. Overall, Bucknell is 16-13 in 10 all-time Patriot League Tournament appearances.
Hitting Streaks
Doug Shribman and Ben Allen both enter the postseason with lengthy hitting streaks intact. Shribman has hit in 15 straight games, raising his average from .304 to .353 during that span, while Allen has hits in 13 straight contests. Andrew Brouse recently had a 16-game hitting streak, the longest by a Bison this year, snapped with an 0-for-6 performance at Lehigh.
Averages During Active Hitting Streaks
Doug Shribman: 15 games (26-61; .426)
Ben Allen: 13 games (22-52; .423)
Ben Yoder: 9 games (15-33; .455)
Consistent Yoder
Junior Ben Yoder has been remarkably consistent throughout his career. He ended the regular season with a .318 batting average, exactly the same figure he registered in 2008. As a freshman in 2007 he hit .317.
20-Win Seasons
With three wins in the final series of the regular season, Bucknell surpassed the 20-win plateau for the 11th time in the last 14 years.
That Hurts
Bucknell batters have been hit by a pitch 63 times this year, smashing the program record (51 in 2006). Ben Allen has been hit a team-high 11 times, placing him in a tie for seventh on the Bison single-season list. For comparison, Bucknell pitchers have hit opponent batters just 22 times.
No Support
Trey Frahler has been one of Bucknell's best starters, but the Bison offense has not been behind him. Bucknell averaged a mere 3.2 runs per game over Frahler's first nine starts. The offense finally got hot with Frahler on the mound against Lehigh when the sophomore received 12 runs in a 12-6 victory. In games Frahler does not start, Bucknell is averaging more than eight runs.
Consecutive Games
Ben Allen has started 80 consecutive games at shortstop. He is the lone Bison to appear in all 44 games this year.
Better Defense
Ben Allen has committed a team-high 13 errors this season, but has played strong defensively at shortstop of late. The junior went 13 games without an error before committing one in the season finale at Lehigh. He had just three errors and a solid .969 fielding percentage in Patriot League play.
Better Team Defense
Bucknell has compiled a .959 team fielding percentage, putting it just .001 behind the best in program history, which the 2001 Patriot League title team registered. The Bison have not committed more than one error over their last 10 games and have had just two multi-error contests in their last 17 outings. Fifteen times in the first 27 games of the season Bucknell committed at least two errors.
Patriot League Wins
Bucknell posted a 13-7 Patriot League record this year, equaling the second-most in program history. The 2006 squad was the last team to win 13 league contests, while the 2003 team went 15-5 for the most PL wins in program annals.
All-Patriot League Pitchers
All-Patriot League pitchers Chris Yamaguchi and Trey Frahler have combined to have a role in 13 of Bucknell's 21 victories this season. Yamaguchi leads the Patriot League in wins (7) and ERA (3.53) and has one save. Frahler is 5-4 with a 4.18 ERA, placing him third in the league. The two right-handers are a combined 8-1 against Patriot League competition.
Don't Run on the Bison
Bucknell has been extremely effective limiting opponents' running games. Opponents have successfully stolen just 27 bases in 55 (.491) attempts. Junior catcher B.J. LaRosa has been especially strong in throwing out potential base stealers, gunning down 19 of 34 attempts against him. Patriot League opponents have been successful just twice in 11 attempts with LaRosa behind the plate.
Youthful Pitching Staff
Of Bucknell's 17 players who have logged at least one inning pitched this season, 12 are freshmen and sophomores. The five upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) on staff had accounted for just 136.2 career innings entering this season, illustrating the youth of the Bison pitching staff.
Aiming for .500
With a 21-23 record this season, Bucknell still has a chance to finish above .500 for the second straight year. The Bison have not posted back-to-back campaigns with records better than .500 since 1997 and 1998.
Academic All-District
Ben Allen, Andrew Brouse and Chris Yamaguchi are Bucknell's latest Academic All-District selections, it was learned earlier this week. Each will move to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Bucknell has had at least one all-district selection in 10 of the last 11 years and has had nine different players combine for 10 citations in the last four years. The Bison's most recent Academic All-American was Jason Buursma in 2008.
Up Next
If Bucknell wins this weekend's three-game series against Lafayette, it will host either Army or Holy Cross in another three-game set next weekend at Depew Field. The winner of that series will claim the Patriot League title.
