Baseball Continues Patriot League Action at Holy Cross and Army

*This weekend's doubleheaders at Holy Cross and Army have each been moved up one day*
Bucknell (9-13, 1-3 PL) at Holy Cross (11-13, 3-1)
When: Friday, March 28, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Where: Fitton Field
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats

Bucknell (9-13, 1-3 PL) at Army (9-12, 4-3 PL)
When: Saturday, March 29, 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Where: Doubleday Field
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats

Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell continues Patriot League play with doubleheaders at Holy Cross and Army on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Bison are most recently coming off of its Patriot League opening series, where Navy took the first three games before the Bison won the finale 8-1 on Sunday in Annapolis.
The Bison dropped three heartbreaking losses between Friday and Saturday. In Game 1 on Friday, Tyler O'Neill's eight inning gem with just one run allowed was upended by the Mids with a two-run ninth inning to tie the game 3-3. Last week's Patriot League Rookie of the Week Ty DePerno then walked it off in the 10th inning.
In Games 2 and 3 on Saturday, BU trailed early, but rallied to close the deficits. Both comeback bids fell short as the Bison fell 6-4 and 13-12, respectively. In Game 3, Bucknell trailed 13-2 after two innings, storming back to make it a one-run game by the fifth inning.
The Bison won 8-1 in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. Senior Tyler Dunn and Freshman John Calabrese combined for four hits and five RBIs as five pitchers combined to stifle the Navy lineup. Bucknell broke the game wide open with a seven-run seventh inning.
Tyler Dunn has been red hot as of late, going 7-for-14 with five RBIs and five walks in the series with Navy. The first baseman is riding a six-game hitting streak and has a 15-game on-base streak — all 15 games he has played in.
Dunn has a .380 batting average with a 1.209 OPS. Over the six-game hitting streak, he is batting .545 with five multi-hit games, six walks and 10 RBIs. Dunn drove in Bucknell's first three runs with and RBI double and a two-run single in Sunday's 8-1 win. Dunn has been a clutch hitter this season, batting .588 with runners in scoring position and .533 with two outs.
Dunn is climbing several career program records this season. The four-year starter ranks 18th in games played (155), 15th in games started (149), 16th in at-bats (550), 15th in RBIs (100), 8th in walks (75), 20th in doubles (30), and eighth in sacrifice flies (9).
John Calabrese has become a mainstay in the lineup after making his debut just a couple weeks ago. Calabrese had a pinch-hit single in Bucknell's series opener at FAU, and has not looked back. Calabrese is 10-for-25 with five RBIs and five walks in 10 games for a .400 batting average and a .516 on-base percentage.
Calabrese has made six starts now in right field, grabbing a hit in eight of his 10 games. In the two games without a hit, he reached base on an error and later came home to score. Calabrese was 5-for-13 in the series at Navy and had two hits and at least an RBI in the last two games.
Calabrese was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the 8-1 win on Sunday. The freshman walked and advanced to second to set up Dunn's RBI single to get the Bison on the board. He then started the seventh-inning rally with his first career double over the center fielder before coming back around for a two-run single later in the inning.
Juniors Ryan Facinelli and Michael Trommer each had six hits and combined for seven RBIs in the series. In Saturday's Game 3, the duo led Bucknell's comeback charge as each of them reached base in all five of their plate appearances. Facinelli set a career-high, going 5-for-5 in the game with three RBIs and launching his second home run of the year. Trommer was 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and an RBI. It was the second four-hit game of his career.
Sophomore Billy Fluharty is third on the team with a .280 batting average. Trommer is currently fourth on the Bison with a .277 batting average and a team-high 18 RBIs. Facinelli is close behind with a .253 average and 13 RBIs. Fluharty went on a tear in the two series prior, going 12-for-24 with six RBIs over Bucknell's Spring Break week in six games against Florida Atlantic and Florida International.
Sophomore Chris Morabito launched his first home run of the year in Game 3. Morabito caught the jet stream for a no-doubter into right field to score three runs to make it a 13-10 ballgame. Morabito had three hits and a walk in the series.
Senior Billy Kender also had three hits in the series, including a double and a triple. Kender is batting .241 and has seven extra-base hits with 14 RBIs. Kender has three sacrifice flies already this season.
Tyler O'Neill was lights out again for the Bison in the series opener. The senior allowed one earned run on four hits as he tossed eight innings before Navy stormed back in the ninth to turn the game on its head.
O'Neill's is up to fourth on Bucknell's career strikeouts list with 191. Two outings ago, he passed Mike Anders ('98) and Andrew Andreychik ('16). With five strikeouts on Friday, he now sits four strikeouts behind Jack Recco ('77) on the list. The Friday night starter will head into the weekend with a 3.68 ERA in six starts. After allowing eight earned runs between his first two starts, O'Neill has allowed just seven earned runs in his last four starts with 27 strikeouts.
Hadley Maxwell has continued to be a solid piece out of the bullpen for the Bison. Maxwell has a 1.80 ERA in 15.0 innings over eight appearances. Maxwell has allowed nine runs, only two of which have been earned.
Sophomore Jonathan Adelmann had a great bounce-back outing on Sunday after getting tagged for five runs over his two prior appearances. Adelmann worked two quick outs to get out of a jam before striking out two in the ninth to close out the win. Adelman has a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings over nine appearances.
Senior Brady Karp and junior Mikey Myro made their return to the Bison in Sunday's Game 4. Myro made his first start and appearance on the mound this season, tossing 30 pitches before his day was done. Myro allowed a walk and hit, with the hit coming on a pop-up that dropped in shallow left field. Karp returned to the lineup, drawing a walk and scoring a run in Bucknell's big inning. The shortstop also laid down a bunt to advance Calabrese to second, where Dunn drove him in to open the scoring.
Through 22 games, the Bison have a .240 team batting average and an 8.46 team ERA. Opponents are batting .303 and have a 5.07 ERA against BU.
The Bison are 2-2 against ACC foes. Bucknell won its single game against Pitt, and took Game 2 from Virginia Tech in its opening series.
Against Pitt, seven Bison pitchers combined for a four-hit, 17 strikeout effort. The 17 strikeouts were four shy of the team record of 21, set in 1956 against Franklin & Marshall (all by Don Richards) and in 1989 against Wilkes.
Head coach Scott Heather is in his 13th season at the helm, passing Bill Lane (1946-57) as the third-longest tenured coach in program history. Heather's 228 career wins are second-most in team history, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Gene Depew (591).

Holy Cross at a Glance/Series History

Holy Cross comes into Friday's contests with an 11-13 record with a strong 3-1 start to Patriot League play. The Crusaders swept Lehigh in its Patriot League openers, then split a two-game series with Lafayette this past weekend. Holy Cross is most recently coming off of a 13-12 midweek loss to Harvard on Wednesday.
Holy Cross picked up notable wins over No. 22 Auburn and split a four-game series with a 16-8 VMI squad. The Crusaders took a 4-2 win over Auburn in its second game of the season, dropping the other two games 4-1 and 14-6.
Through 24 games, the Crusaders lead the Patriot League with a .279 batting average and have scored 7.1 runs per game thus far. Holy Cross leads the PL in runs (170), hits (228), extra-base hits (66), and walks (121). The pitching staff has a 7.89 ERA and opponents are batting .301.
Chris Baillargeon (.389) and Jimmy King (.385) lead the high-powered offense and the Patriot League in batting average. King leads the league with 37 hits and 23 RBIs. He ranks third with a .542 slugging percentage and has 11 extra-base hits. Baillargeon leads the league with a .491 on-base percentage and is second behind King with 35 hits.
Along with Baillargeon and King, five other Crusaders have double-digit RBIs. Gianni Royer is batting .296 with 20 RBIs on the year. Royer is second on the team with 10 extra-base hits, including seven doubles. Royer also brings speed on the basepaths with 13 stolen bases.
Connor Cooney and CJ Egrie each have 10 RBIs. Egrie leads the league with 15 stolen bases and is tied second with Royer with 24 runs scored. Sean Scanlon has 13 RBIs with a team-high 20 walks. In 14 games, John LaFluer has a .320 batting average with 16 RBIs.
Scanlon, Danny Macchiarola and Jaden Wywoda have each made six starts. Macchiarola has a 4.08 ERA and Wywoda has a 4.65 ERA. Both starters rank top 10 in ERA, opposing batting average, strikeouts, innings pitched, and walks allowed.
Jake Lenahan and Pedro Leon each have a team-high two saves. Lenahan has a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings over six appearances. Leon has a 6.17 ERA in 11.2 innings over seven appearances.
Holy Cross was 26-27 overall last season with a 14-11 Patriot League record. The Crusaders were selected second in the Patriot League Preseason Polls. Holy Cross fell to Navy in last year's Patriot League semifinals.
Navy leads the series with the Bison 66-73 dating back to 1991. The Bison won two-of-three in the first ever series back in 1991.
The Bison are 4-6 against the Crusaders in the last 10 meetings over the past two seasons. Holy Cross got the better of the Bison in 2024, winning four of the five meetings.

Army at a Glance/Series History

Army comes into Saturday's games with a 9-12 overall record and a 4-3 record in Patriot League action. The Black Knights got off to a 3-9 start to the season, but have since gone 6-3 since.
Army opened up PL play in the Star Series with Navy, dropping two-of-three games. The Black Knights picked up a win over Albany before a sweep over Lafayette and a two-game split with Lehigh this past weekend.
The Black Knights have dominated the Patriot League over the last seven seasons, winning each of the last six Patriot League tournament championships.
Army is batting .262 as a team this season, averaging six runs per game. The pitching staff has a 5.16 ERA and opponents are batting .269.
John McKillop leads the team with a .341 batting average and Addison Ainsworth is close behind with a .329 batting average. Ainsworth is tied second in the league with 21 RBIs, and ranks top 10 in on-base percentage, hits, and walks.
Jack Quinlan ranks second in the PL with a 1.015 OPS. He is batting .293 with 10 extra-base hits, launching three home runs this season.
Chris Barr, Thomas Schreck, Justin Lehman, and William Parker all have put up double-digit RBIs. Parker is level with Quinlan for a team-high three home runs. Parker has a 1.032 OPS and a .340 batting average in just 12 games.
Justin Lehman and Andrew Berg lead the Black Knights with sub-four ERAs. Lehman has made six starts with a 3.37 ERA over 34.2 innings. Berg sports a 3.99 ERA in seven appearances. He has made four starts, tossing 29.1 innings with 33 strikeouts. Bryce Brownlee has made six starts, pitching to a 4.55 ERA over 29.2 innings
Joe Valchar has pitched eight innings over five appearances, allowing no runs in his name thus far. Opponents are batting .138 against him. He has allowed four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts.
Robbie Penswick has a 3.54 ERA over his eight appearances. In 20.1 innings pitched, he has allowed seven earned runs on 13 hits with 10 strikeouts. Walker Calvo has a 1.29 ERA in his three appearances this season. In 7.0 innings, he has allowed just one run thus far.
Army leads the all-time series with Bucknell 93-66, dating back to 1910 where Army took the first ever meeting 7-5.
Army has dominated the Patriot League for the last seven seasons, and has eliminated Bucknell from the Patriot League tournament in each of the previous three seasons. In 2022 and 2023, the Bison to the Black Knights in the PL Championship. Last season, the Bison fell in heartbreaking fashion in the semifinals. Bucknell took game one and led games two and three in the late innings before the Black Knights staged a pair of comebacks.

Looking Ahead

The Bison have a single, midweek game scheduled with Penn State on Tuesday, marking the end of a 16-game road stretch for the Bison. Pending any schedule changes, the Bison are set to play 26 of its first 29 games on the road before playing nine straight home games.