Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Baseball Trio Honored after Prodigious Offensive Week
4/30/2024 1:08:00 PM | Baseball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball lineup put up video game numbers last week, and three of the team's top hitters received weekly awards on Tuesday. Junior third baseman Sean Keys was selected as the Patriot League Player of the Week, freshman outfielder Chris Morabito was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week, and senior outfielder Jacob Corson was the choice for Bison Athlete of the Week.
In four games last week – an 18-10 non-league win over Villanova followed by a three-game sweep of Lafayette in which the Bison scored 40 runs – the Bucknell offense combined for a .431 batting average, a .546 on-base percentage, and an .832 slugging percentage. That adds up to a staggering 1.378 team OPS. Of the team's 59 hits last week, 28 went for extra bases, including 11 home runs, and the Bison scored 12 or more runs in four straight games for the first time in team history.
Keys has been the league's top hitter all season, and he earned his second Player of the Week award of the season and fifth of his career. His slash line last week was absurd -- .611/.696/.1.389 for a 2.085 OPS – and he hit three home runs, two of which were grand slams, and drove in 16 runs in the four games.
In last Tuesday's game against Villanova at Depew Field, the Bison held a precarious 9-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Keys hit reliever Zach Camp's first pitch 454 feet for a grand slam that opened up a 13-7 lead. Keys was 3-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs scored in the game.
In the three-game sweep of Lafayette, which clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth for the Bison, Keys went 8-for-13 with four walks. He homered in the first two games of the series, including another long grand slam on Saturday that stretched a 7-3 lead to 11-3. The Leopards kept him in the park in the series finale on Sunday, but he had an RBI double and a big three-run triple that capped a five-run third inning and gave Bucknell a 7-1 lead in a game it would go on to win 13-6.
After going 11-for-18 at the plate last week, Keys raised his season average to .416, which would be the sixth-best in a season in Bucknell history. He is trying to become the first Bison to hit .400 since Chris Pieper hit .406 in 2006.
Keys is slashing .416/.535/.825 for a 1.360 OPS on the season. He leads the Patriot League in all four of those percentage categories, as well as hits (64), RBIs (57), doubles (18), and triples (3). His 13 home runs are tied for second-most in the league, one behind Army's Derek Berg.
Corson enjoyed a record-setting week of his own. He slashed .500/.500/1.200 for a 1.700 OPS in the four games, highlighted by a school-record three-homer performance in Saturday's win over Lafayette. Corson hit a two-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the third, and a two-run shot in the fifth to become the first Bison ever to go deep three times in a game.
He produced his second career four-hit game against Villanova to start the week, and then in the series opener against Lafayette he went 2-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Twice in the Lafayette series Keys and Corson hit back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches.
Corson's big week shoved his season batting average up to .294, and he now has 11 home runs and 43 RBIs. He ranks fifth in the Patriot League in homers, and Keys and Corson are now just the third set of teammates in team history to hit at least 10 home runs in the same season.
Corson also ranks fourth in the league in RBIs, sixth in slugging (.589), sixth in runs scored (40), eighth in OPS (1.009), and ninth in hits (48). He also leads the league with 16 hit-by-pitches, and in Saturday's game, he broke the Bucknell career record with his 40th HBP.
Morabito earned his first Rookie of the Week citation after slashing .545/.538/.909 for a 1.447 OPS. The rookie right-fielder collected two hits in each of the three games against Lafayette, going 6-for-10 in the series with two triples, four RBIs, and four runs scored.
Morabito raised his season average to .304 with two home runs, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored in 32 games (20 starts).
Bucknell finished the regular season with a 21-22 record, including a 12-6 home record and a 12-13 mark in the Patriot League. The Bison are heading into a break for final exams and will be back in action in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament in two weeks. Bucknell is currently in fourth place but can move up to third if Holy Cross goes 0-4 in doubleheaders with Lehigh and Lafayette this weekend.
In four games last week – an 18-10 non-league win over Villanova followed by a three-game sweep of Lafayette in which the Bison scored 40 runs – the Bucknell offense combined for a .431 batting average, a .546 on-base percentage, and an .832 slugging percentage. That adds up to a staggering 1.378 team OPS. Of the team's 59 hits last week, 28 went for extra bases, including 11 home runs, and the Bison scored 12 or more runs in four straight games for the first time in team history.
Keys has been the league's top hitter all season, and he earned his second Player of the Week award of the season and fifth of his career. His slash line last week was absurd -- .611/.696/.1.389 for a 2.085 OPS – and he hit three home runs, two of which were grand slams, and drove in 16 runs in the four games.
In last Tuesday's game against Villanova at Depew Field, the Bison held a precarious 9-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Keys hit reliever Zach Camp's first pitch 454 feet for a grand slam that opened up a 13-7 lead. Keys was 3-for-5 with six RBIs and three runs scored in the game.
SEAN KEYS HITS ONE TO THE MOON! His 454-foot grand slam gives the Bison a 13-7 lead in the 5th inning. #rayBucknell
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 23, 2024
Watch: https://t.co/NhWGWYeHN1@PatriotLeagueTV | @ESPN | @D1Baseball | @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/fIns26oofi
In the three-game sweep of Lafayette, which clinched a Patriot League Tournament berth for the Bison, Keys went 8-for-13 with four walks. He homered in the first two games of the series, including another long grand slam on Saturday that stretched a 7-3 lead to 11-3. The Leopards kept him in the park in the series finale on Sunday, but he had an RBI double and a big three-run triple that capped a five-run third inning and gave Bucknell a 7-1 lead in a game it would go on to win 13-6.
After going 11-for-18 at the plate last week, Keys raised his season average to .416, which would be the sixth-best in a season in Bucknell history. He is trying to become the first Bison to hit .400 since Chris Pieper hit .406 in 2006.
Keys is slashing .416/.535/.825 for a 1.360 OPS on the season. He leads the Patriot League in all four of those percentage categories, as well as hits (64), RBIs (57), doubles (18), and triples (3). His 13 home runs are tied for second-most in the league, one behind Army's Derek Berg.
Corson enjoyed a record-setting week of his own. He slashed .500/.500/1.200 for a 1.700 OPS in the four games, highlighted by a school-record three-homer performance in Saturday's win over Lafayette. Corson hit a two-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the third, and a two-run shot in the fifth to become the first Bison ever to go deep three times in a game.
🚨 RECORD-BREAKER HOME RUN ALERT!🚨
— Bucknell Baseball ⚾️ (@Bucknell_BB) April 27, 2024
Make it 3⃣ on the day for Jacob Corson! His 408' blast makes him the first player in Bucknell baseball history to hit THREE HOME RUNS in a game! #rayBucknell @PatriotLeague | @d1baseball | @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/XNO3Ca3vuZ
He produced his second career four-hit game against Villanova to start the week, and then in the series opener against Lafayette he went 2-for-5 with a homer, four RBIs, and four runs scored. Twice in the Lafayette series Keys and Corson hit back-to-back homers on consecutive pitches.
Corson's big week shoved his season batting average up to .294, and he now has 11 home runs and 43 RBIs. He ranks fifth in the Patriot League in homers, and Keys and Corson are now just the third set of teammates in team history to hit at least 10 home runs in the same season.
Corson also ranks fourth in the league in RBIs, sixth in slugging (.589), sixth in runs scored (40), eighth in OPS (1.009), and ninth in hits (48). He also leads the league with 16 hit-by-pitches, and in Saturday's game, he broke the Bucknell career record with his 40th HBP.
Morabito earned his first Rookie of the Week citation after slashing .545/.538/.909 for a 1.447 OPS. The rookie right-fielder collected two hits in each of the three games against Lafayette, going 6-for-10 in the series with two triples, four RBIs, and four runs scored.
Morabito raised his season average to .304 with two home runs, 17 RBIs, and 16 runs scored in 32 games (20 starts).
Bucknell finished the regular season with a 21-22 record, including a 12-6 home record and a 12-13 mark in the Patriot League. The Bison are heading into a break for final exams and will be back in action in the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament in two weeks. Bucknell is currently in fourth place but can move up to third if Holy Cross goes 0-4 in doubleheaders with Lehigh and Lafayette this weekend.
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