Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Hosts Army this Weekend in Key Series that Will Help Determine Postseason Berths
4/29/2011 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - It all comes down to this weekend for the Bucknell baseball team. The Bison have won two of the last three Patriot League Tournaments, both times as the No. 4 seed, and they are aiming for their fourth consecutive postseason berth entering the campaign's final weekend. To be in the running to qualify once again, Bucknell will need to win at least two games this weekend, while a sweep of Army will guarantee a berth.
The Bison, who could still finish as high as tied for first in the standings and host a first-round playoff series, host the Black Knights at Depew Field in doubleheaders both Saturday and Sunday. Start time both days is noon. All four games in the series will be broadcast on WVBU 90.5 and SportsJuice.com.
Not only are this weekend's games of utmost importance as Bucknell tries to extend its season, but there will be plenty of pregame festivities taking place. The Bison's seven seniors - Steve Carlin, Drew Constable, Trey Frahler, Daniel Hart, Eric Jarrett, Dylan Seeley and Doug Shribman - will be honored during Senior Day ceremonies Saturday. Additionally, Bucknell head men's basketball coach Dave Paulsen will throw out the ceremonial first pitch that same day, while head men's soccer coach Brendan Nash will do the same Sunday. Both led their teams to Patriot League titles in 2010-11.
Army (18-21, 10-6 Patriot League) is tied with Navy atop the tightly bunched Patriot League standings that feature all six teams separated by just four games. The top four teams in the final standings earn postseason berths.
Bucknell Baseball Notebook (21-25, 7-9 PL)
• Bucknell has participated in five of the last six Patriot League Tournaments and it will need at least two wins this weekend vs. Army to keep the chance at a berth alive. A sweep of the Black Knights clinches a berth for the Bison.
• Bucknell had a season high-tying three-game winning streak snapped last time out at Penn State. The Bison are 5-2 over their last seven outings.
• Bucknell has reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season, marking the first time it has done that since posting six straight 20-win campaigns from 1996 to 2001.
• Through games of April 24, Doug Shribman ranked tied for fourth nationally with 15 home runs. That figure leads the Patriot League and ranks third on both the Bucknell and Patriot League single-season list. Shribman's 42 career home runs are a Bucknell and Patriot League record.
• Junior OF Bob Donato ranks second on the Bison with 10 home runs this year. He is the 10th Bucknell player to reach double figures in home runs in a season and now ranks 12th on the program's career ledger with 17.
• Bucknell's bullpen ERA over the last 11 games is a strong 2.11 (47.0 IP).
• Bucknell has reached double figures in runs in four of its last six games. The Bison scored at least 10 runs just six times in their first 40 contests.
• Bucknell is just four wins shy of its win total from 2010 when it won the Patriot League Tournament title and earned its fifth NCAA Tournament berth.
• Three of Bucknell's best ERAs this year belong to Alex Cillo (2.65), Ryan Ebner (4.56) and Eric Jarrett (4.96). Cillo has allowed two earned runs in his last 14 outings (31.1 IP), Ebner has allowed 14 earned runs in his last eight appearances (49.0 IP) and Jarrett has yielded four earned runs in his last 12 games (14.2 IP).
• Bucknell has a 4.34 ERA over its last 42 games. The Bison have yielded 203 runs during that span. They allowed 91 runs in their season-opening four-game series at James Madison.
• Scott Reed enters the weekend on a team-best five-game hitting streak. Gerry Runyan, Doug Shribman and Travis Clark have each hit in four consecutive contests.
• Gerry Runyan has a team-high 20 multi-hit games this year. He is 16-for-36 (.444) over his last nine games, totaling eight two-hit outings during that span. His average has jumped from .328 to .355 during those nine games.
• Bucknell is 17-0 when leading after six innings, 12-0 when leading after seven innings and 14-0 when leading after eight innings.
• Bucknell is 6-6 this year when Doug Shribman hits a home run.
• Doug Shribman has three multi-home run games this year, vaulting his career total to seven.
• Trey Frahler enters the weekend tied for second on the team with 35 strikeouts this season. He now has 155 strikeouts in his career, placing him seventh in program history, one ahead of former teammate Mathew Wilson. Frahler's 37 career starts place him tied for second in program history behind classmate Dylan Seeley's 45.
• Dylan Seeley has pitched a team-high 54.0 innings this season, giving him 256.2 in his career, good for fourth in program history. He is just 1.1 innings behind second-place Jack Recco. Seeley is also among the best in program history with his control, allowing just 2.91 walks per nine innings over his career.
• Ryan Ebner has limited opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his last seven starts. He has pitched at least seven innings in five of those starts. Bucknell is 8-1 in his nine starts this year, outscoring opponents 80-44.
• Jack Boehm has walked just three hitters over his last five outings (21.1 IP).
• Doug Shribman has at least one hit in 12 of his last 14 games, posting eight multi-hit outings over that span. His batting average has jumped from .261 to .315 during that stretch. He is 15-for-29 (.517) over his last seven games.
• Doug Shribman ranks in the top 10 in program history in a number of offensive categories: batting average (t-8th, .345), slugging percentage (2nd, .668), on-base percentage (8th, .432), games played (9th, 153), games started (7th, 150), at bats (7th, 554), runs scored (t-9th, 116), hits (6th, 191), doubles (3rd, 43), home runs (1st, 42), RBIs (2nd, 147), total bases (1st, 370) and walks (t-4th, 69).
• Bob Donato ranks sixth in program history with 37 career doubles, including a team-high 12 this year. Four Bison have reached double figures in double this season and they are 29 doubles shy of last year's program record (111).
Bucknell 2011 Awards/Honors
• Patriot League Player of the Week
Bob Donato (2/28), Doug Shribman (3/7)
• Patriot League Pitcher of the Week
Jack Boehm (2/28), Trey Frahler (3/14), Ryan Ebner (3/21, 3/28)
• Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Colby Vanderbeck (2/28), Justin Meier (4/19)
Bucknell vs. Army
• Bucknell and Army met in the final series of the 2010 regular season. The Bison needed one win to have a shot at a postseason berth and they got it when Dylan Seeley pitched a 1-0 shutout in game three of the series that the Black Knights won 3-1.
• Bucknell defeated top-seeded Army two games to one in the first round of last year's Patriot League Tournament at West Point.
• Army leads the all-time series 56-39.
• Bucknell has claimed 17 of the 26 meetings since 2006.
• 12 of the last 17 games have been decided by three runs or fewer.
• Doug Shribman was 11-for-23 (.478) with 5 HR and 12 RBI in seven games vs. Army in 2010.
About Army
• Army is 18-21 overall this year and 10-6 in Patriot League play. The Black Knights are tied with Navy for first place in the league standings and have won four of their last five PL contests.
• Army is 5-7 on the road this year.
• Army is hitting .274 and has a team ERA of 5.36.
Up Next
• If Bucknell qualifies for the Patriot League Tournament, it will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the first round the weekend of May 14-15. All rounds of the Patriot League Tournament are best-of-three at the home field of the higher seed.
Patriot League Standings (top four qualify for postseason tournament)
Army - 10-6
Navy - 10-6
Lafayette - 8-8
Bucknell - 7-9
Lehigh - 7-9
Holy Cross 6-10
Weekend Matchups
Army at Bucknell
Lafayette at Navy
Lehigh at Holy Cross
