Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Opens Postseason Play this Weekend at Army
5/13/2010 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2010
About this Weekend's Series
Bucknell and Army will square off in a best-of-three series this weekend at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field. A doubleheader will be played Saturday beginning at noon, while a deciding third game will be contested Sunday at 1 p.m., if necessary. The winner of this weekend's series will advance to next week's Patriot League Championship Series against either second-seeded Lehigh or third-seeded Holy Cross. If the fourth-seeded Bison advance, they will be on the road next weekend.
Patriot League Tournament Format
In 2008, 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 two weekends in May. The winner of the tournament earns the Patriot League's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 4 Seed Success
In the first two years of the current Patriot League Tournament format the No. 4 seed has upset the No. 1 seed. In 2008, fourth-seeded Bucknell defeated top-seeded Army two games to one in a first-round series. Last year, fourth-seeded Lafayette upset the No. 1 seeded Bison two games to one at Depew Field.
Deja Vu?
Two years ago Bucknell traveled to Army for a first-round Patriot League Tournament matchup. The fourth-seeded Bison upset the No. 1 seed Black Knights. The two teams split a Saturday doubleheader, but Bucknell claimed the deciding game three on Sunday, 1-0. Eric Jarrett and Jason Buursma combined on the shutout, while an eighth inning RBI single by then-freshman Drew Constable plated what proved to be the winning run.
Patriot League Titles
Bucknell will be going after its fifth Patriot League Tournament title. The Bison won the postseason tournament in 1996, 2001, 2003 and 2008, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each time.
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. Army
• Army leads the all-time series 55-37
• Army won three of four during the regular season
• Bucknell has claimed 15 of 23 meetings since 2006
• 10 of the last 14 meetings have been decided by three runs or fewer
Third Straight 20-Win Season
Bucknell has won 20 games for the third straight year, the first time it has accomplished that feat since reaching that milestone six consecutive years from 1996 to 2001.
Same Number of Wins as 2009
Bucknell enters this year's Patriot League Tournament with the same number of overall wins as it did in 2009 when it was the top seed.
All-League
Bucknell had six All-Patriot League selections this year. The Bison tied Holy Cross for the most All-Patriot League players, while it equaled Army for the most first-team selections with four. Andrew Brouse was named Player of the Year, joining Kevin Silverman (1996), Frank Fresconi (2000) and Jason Buursma (2008) as Bison to earn that honor. Joining Brouse on the first team were B.J. LaRosa, Doug Shribman and Ben Yoder. Ben Allen and Dylan Seeley were second-team choices. Of the six All-Patriot League players only Seeley was a first-time honoree.
Patriot League Tournament History
Bucknell will be competing in the Patriot League Tournament for the fifth time in the last six years. Over that span the Bison have posted a 6-6 record. Overall, Bucknell is 17-15 in 11 all-time Patriot League Tournament appearances.
Home Run Records
Andrew Brouse leads the Patriot League with a career-high 14 home runs this year. That figure ties Frank Fresconi's program single-season record. Earlier this year Brouse broke the career record held by Jason Buursma and currently has 27 home runs in his career, one shy of the Patriot League standard.
Patriot League Career Home Runs
1. Cole White, Army (2005-08) - 28
Jesse Novalis, Lehigh (2001-04) - 28
3. Andrew Brouse, Bucknell (2007-10) - 27
Academic All-District
Seniors Ben Allen and Andrew Brouse were recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II First Team for the second consecutive year. It marked the fifth straight year at least two Bison baseball players have been recognized. The Bucknell baseball program has had at least one Academic All-District selection in 11 of the last 12 years. Overall, 39 Bison have been cited a total of 58 times since 1983.
Hitting Streaks
Four different Bison posted hitting streaks of at least 10 games this year, led by a 14-game streak by Ben Yoder.
Averages During 10-Plus Game Hitting Streaks
Ben Yoder: 14 games - Feb. 20-March 19 (26-56; .464)
Doug Shribman: 13 games - Feb. 20-March 16 (19-52; .365)
Ben Allen: 12 games - April 11-April 25 (17-44; .386)
B.J. LaRosa: 12 games - Feb. 20-March 16 (27-51; .529)
That Hurts
Bucknell batters have been hit by a pitch a Patriot League-high 55 times this year. While that is 14 shy of the program record of 69 set last spring, it is the second-highest figure in school history. By comparison, Bucknell pitchers have hit opponent batters just 26 times.
Consecutive Starts
Ben Allen has started 135 consecutive games at shortstop. He and Andrew Brouse are the lone Bison to appear in all 52 games this year.
Strong Defense
Bucknell's fielding percentage this year is a strong .970, a figure that easily paces the Patriot League and is the best in program history, eclipsing the .960 fielding percentage the 2001 squad posted. The Bison, who had 19 errorless games during the regular season, are listed 54th nationally in fielding percentage. Navy finished the regular season second in the Patriot League with a .962 fielding percentage.
Senior Class Dominates Offense
Bucknell's senior class comprises nearly half of the regular Bison starting lineup and has accounted for 260 (of team's 539) hits, 47 (of 100) doubles, 26 (of 55) home runs and 176 (of 301) RBIs.
Junior Class Stands Tall on Mound
While the seniors are an integral part of the Bison offense, the pitching staff is anchored by juniors. Juniors Steve Carlin, Matt Foley, Trey Frahler, Daniel Hart, Eric Jarrett and Dylan Seeley have combined to pitch 208.2 of the team's 411.0 innings. The juniors have 12 combined wins and 152 strikeouts in 64 appearances.
Extra-Base Hits Records
Bucknell has set new program records for doubles and home runs this year. The Bison have hit 100 doubles, eclipsing the 96 they posted in 2008, and 55 home runs, five more than the 1997 squad. Bucknell is just two home runs shy of Army's Patriot League record, set last year.
Seeley Stands Out
Bucknell junior right-hander Dylan Seeley ended the regular season among the better pitchers in the Patriot League. The Shavertown, Pa., native fired three consecutive seven-inning complete games, including a pair of 1-0 victories, over his final three outings. Over his last 21.0 innings he has yielded just 14 hits and one run to go along with 10 strikeouts and three walks. He pitched the 21st two-hitter in program history in his final appearance two weeks ago at Army, a game that featured him retiring 18 hitters in a row at one point.
Outscoring Opponents
While Bucknell enters the postseason with a 21-31 record, it is outscoring its opponents 331-321. The Bison posted 11 games with at least 10 runs scored and recorded double figures in hits on 22 occasions.
Consistent Starters
Bucknell used just five different starting pitchers in its Patriot League games this year. Juniors Trey Frahler and Dylan Seeley, along with sophomore Jack Boehm, made five starts apiece. Junior Steve Carlin started in each of the first four Patriot League series, but sophomore Ryan Ebner replaced him in the final series at Army.
Up Next
If Bucknell wins this weekend's three-game series against Army, it will travel to either Lehigh or Holy Cross in another three-game set next weekend. The winner of that series will claim the Patriot League title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
