Bucknell University Athletics
DiFiore, Keys Earn Patriot League Baseball Weekly Honors
3/28/2023 12:26:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell senior Chris DiFiore and sophomore Sean Keys were recognized by the Patriot League on Tuesday after helping the Bison baseball team to a perfect 5-0 week. DiFiore was selected as the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week after he spun a two-hit shutout against Lafayette, and Keys was picked as the Patriot League Player of the Week after hitting .412 with a pair of home runs, including a dramatic walk-off blast against Lehigh.
Last week, Bucknell rallied for a 4-3 non-league win over Villanova before sweeping Patriot League doubleheaders from in-state rivals Lafayette and Lehigh. The Bison have now won seven straight games, their longest streak since the 2014 Patriot League championship team captured eight in a row.
DiFiore is back on the mound this season after missing virtually all of 2022 with an injury. In Friday's opener against Lafayette, the Bison southpaw was back to the form he showed in 2021 when he was a First Team All-Patriot League honoree. He was in complete command throughout, allowing only a ground ball single through the hole and an infield hit in Bucknell's 11-0 win. Only once all day did the Leopards put two men on base in the same inning.
Meanwhile, Keys led an offensive attack that produced 53 runs in the four Patriot League games last week. Including the Villanova game, he went 7-for-17 (.412) at the plate with two homers, two doubles, a triple, eight runs batted in, and seven runs scored. Keys amassed a whopping 1.545 OPS in the five games.
Among all of Keys' production last week, no hit was bigger than his two-out, two-strike, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to give the Bison a 6-4 win over Lehigh in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. The Bison went on to win the nightcap 16-6 to finish off a perfect week.
Keys now has a nine-game hitting streak and leads the team in home runs (5), RBIs (25), and slugging percentage (.605). Keys has raised his season batting average to .309 and now ranks fifth in the Patriot League in slugging, fifth in home runs, eighth in doubles (7), and 10th in runs scored (17).
Bucknell is 12-11 overall and 6-2 in the Patriot League. The Bison play a pair of road doubleheaders this coming weekend at Army and Holy Cross.
Last week, Bucknell rallied for a 4-3 non-league win over Villanova before sweeping Patriot League doubleheaders from in-state rivals Lafayette and Lehigh. The Bison have now won seven straight games, their longest streak since the 2014 Patriot League championship team captured eight in a row.
DiFiore is back on the mound this season after missing virtually all of 2022 with an injury. In Friday's opener against Lafayette, the Bison southpaw was back to the form he showed in 2021 when he was a First Team All-Patriot League honoree. He was in complete command throughout, allowing only a ground ball single through the hole and an infield hit in Bucknell's 11-0 win. Only once all day did the Leopards put two men on base in the same inning.
Meanwhile, Keys led an offensive attack that produced 53 runs in the four Patriot League games last week. Including the Villanova game, he went 7-for-17 (.412) at the plate with two homers, two doubles, a triple, eight runs batted in, and seven runs scored. Keys amassed a whopping 1.545 OPS in the five games.
Among all of Keys' production last week, no hit was bigger than his two-out, two-strike, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to give the Bison a 6-4 win over Lehigh in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. The Bison went on to win the nightcap 16-6 to finish off a perfect week.
Keys now has a nine-game hitting streak and leads the team in home runs (5), RBIs (25), and slugging percentage (.605). Keys has raised his season batting average to .309 and now ranks fifth in the Patriot League in slugging, fifth in home runs, eighth in doubles (7), and 10th in runs scored (17).
Bucknell is 12-11 overall and 6-2 in the Patriot League. The Bison play a pair of road doubleheaders this coming weekend at Army and Holy Cross.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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