Baseball Hosts Holy Cross for Patriot League Championship at Depew Field at Marren Park

Monday, May 18

Lewisburg, Pa.

2 p.m.

Bucknell University

Holy Cross (PL Championship Game 1)

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Baseball Hosts Holy Cross for Patriot League Championship at Depew Field at Marren Park

5/14/2026 1:02:00 PM | Baseball

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 4 Holy Cross (23-27, 13-13 PL) at No. 2 Bucknell (26-22, 17-9 PL)
When: Monday, 2:05 p.m. | Tuesday, 2:05 p.m. | Wednesday, 1:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Where: Depew Field at Marren Park.
Watch: ESPN+
Stats: BucknellBison.com

The Bucknell baseball team will host Holy Cross in the Patriot League Championship series beginning on Monday, May 18. The Bison and the Crusaders will play a best-of-three series. The Bison swept No. 3 Navy in two games to advance while the Crusaders knocked off No. 1 Army. Holy Cross are the reigning Patriot League Champions after ending Army's run of six straight championships.

This is the first time the Bison have played in the championship since 2023 and the first time the Bison have hosted the championship since 2014 — the last time Bucknell won the Patriot League Championship. The Bison won a share of the regular season title for the first time since 2014.

Bucknell secured the two-seed in the Patriot League tournament in an exciting final weekend of action as Army, Bucknell and Navy came into the final series tied in the standings. Army and Navy faced off where the Black Knights took two of three games. Bucknell took two of three games from Lehigh, but Army held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bison. Bucknell took the first two games and Army split the first two games to give the Bison an opportunity at the one seed, but Lehigh played spoiler in game three.

The Patriot League announced its All-League awards on Tuesday, and the Bison and Crusaders combined for 10 student-athletes on the two All-League squads. Navy led the league with seven selections while Bucknell had five. Both programs collected one major award.

Head coach Scott Heather and assistant coaches Jason Neitz, Brett Smith and Josh Kieffer were named the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year after the Bison were picked to finish fifth in the preseason polls. Jason Neitz is the acting head coach as head coach Scott Heather is not with the team due to a medical emergency before Bucknell's final series against Lehigh.

Holy Cross center fielder CJ Egrie was named the Patriot League Player of the Year for the second straight year. The senior hit .340 in the regular season and ranked second in the NCAA with 40 stolen bases on 42 attempts. Bucknell's Ty Lagoni, who played as an emergency catcher in their series earlier against Holy Cross, was the first catcher to throw out Egrie stealing in 2026.

On the All-Patriot League First Team: Jaden Wywoda (Holy Cross), CJ Egrie (Holy Cross), Hadley Maxwell (Bucknell) and Michael Trommer (Bucknell).

On the All-Patriot League Second Team: Jake Lenahan (Holy Cross), Alex Sandell (Holy Cross), Gianni Royer (Holy Cross), Brady Hoar (Bucknell), Lleyton Coupe (Bucknell) and Billy Fluharty (Bucknell).

Hadley Maxwell was named the Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year. This marks the second consecutive season that a Bison has won the award after Tyler Dunn won the award in 2025. Holy Cross' CJ Egrie, Jake Lenahan and Gianni Royer landed spots on the Academic All-Patriot League Team while Jonathan Adelmann, Coupe and Maxwell all landed spots on the team.

Maxwell was also named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List several weeks ago. Maxwell is one of 61 relief pitchers named to the watch list. He is tied for sixth in the nation with 11 saves. With his save in game two against Navy, he tied Phil Futrick's school record of 11 saves in a single season set back in 2003. His 14 career saves are one away from tying Futrick's record of 15 career saves.

First pitch in game one is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on Monday, May 18 at Depew Field at Marren Park.

Last Time Out

Bucknell swept Navy in two games to advance to the Patriot League Championship series for the first time since 2023. Bucknell scored 16 runs for its highest scoring Patriot League tournament performance since scoring 20 against Navy back in 2003.
The Bison exploded for 16 runs on 17 hits to defeat Navy 16-4 in game one. Both the 16 runs and 17 hits are season-highs for the Bison. Jake Schultz pitched six strong innings in his second straight quality start, and Tyler Hawkins closed out a three-inning save.
The Bison then clinched the series with a gusty 6-4 win in game two. The Bison were gifted three early runs and jumped to a 5-1 lead with timely hitting in the fourth inning. Navy chased Brady Hoar to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the fifth, but Everett Garber shut down the comeback efforts with 3.1 scoreless innings in relief. Michael Trommer added an insurance run in the seventh and Maxwell closed out the game for his record-tying 11th save of the year.
Trommer was 5-for-10 in the series with one RBI and a multi-hit game in both contests … Lleyton Coupe had three hits and an RBI in the series … Deacon Bowne was 4-for-8 with a three-hit day in game one … Billy Fluharty had three hits and three RBIs … Michael Chiaravallo had three RBIs in game one … Zach Selfon was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in game one.

Bucknell vs. Holy Cross in 2026

Bucknell and Holy Cross split a four-game series earlier in the season in Lewisburg. The Crusaders took games one and three 14-5 and 7-5 while the Bison won games two and four 5-4 and 12-4.
The Bison had 14 hits in game one, but stranded 13 runners on base as Holy Cross won 14-5. The Crusaders used three crooked innings to score all 14 runs, including a five-run third and five-run seventh inning.
The Bison then beat reigning PL Pitcher of the Year, Jaden Wywoda, in game two scoring five runs in the first two innings to go on to win 5-4. Jake Schultz earned the win with 4.0 scoreless innings on the mound. Maxwell fended off the comeback efforts with 2.1 innings in relief to earn the save.
Holy Cross led 7-0 after 6.5 innings in game three before the Bison scored five between the seventh and eighth innings to make it a two-run game. The Bison stranded the bases loaded in the eighth with an opportunity to tie the game.
Bucknell evened up the series with a 12-4 win in game four. The Bison jumped to a 9-0 lead after four innings. Brady Hoar tossed 7.0 inning with three runs allowed for a quality start.
Lleyton Coupe was 4-for-8 in the series with four RBI … Michael Chiaravllo was 3-for-7 with two RBI … Billy Fluharty was 8-for-19 with an RBI … Garrett Mathias had three hits and six RBI … Michael Trommer had four hits and an RBI … Ty Lagoni had four hits and two RBIs … Hadley Maxwell allowed no runs on two hits in 3.1 innings over two appearances … Jake Schultz struck out seven over four innings … Brady Hoar struck out seven batters over seven innings.

Bucknell at a Glance

Bucknell is hitting .267 in 48 games as a team at the plate and pitchers have posted a 5.88 team ERA. Opponents are hitting .267 against the Bison and pitchers have a 5.09 ERA.
In conference play during the regular season, the Bison led the Patriot League in the with a .274 batting average and ranked second to Navy with a 4.68 ERA. Navy led the league with a 3.45 ERA in conference play.
Left fielder Michael Trommer is hitting .305/.413/.536 for a .949 OPS with 56 hits. His 50 hits ranked second in the Patriot League. He has nine home runs, 23 RBIs and 43 runs scored along with 18 multi-hit games. The senior has 13 doubles and 23 extra-base hits. Trommer has drawn 26 walks and eight hit-by-pitches. Trommer is hitting .310 (9-for-29) against left-handed pitching and .305 (47-for-154) against right-handers.
Leyton Coupe is batting .300/.403/.480 in 37 games with 29 starts. Coupe has 12 extra-base hits including two home runs and 18 RBIs. He is 10-for-32 (.313) with runners in scoring position. He is also 11-for-34 (.324) with seven RBIs while hitting with two outs.
Freshman DH and first baseman Garrett Mathias is hitting .295/.409/.490. He has 44 hits and a team-high 41 RBIs. Mathias has seven home runs on the season, including a home run in his first collegiate at-bat. He started his career with a 37-game on-base streak that came to an end against Penn State. Mathias is 15-for-49 (.306) with 16 RBIs with runners in scoring position. He is also 7-for-23 (.304) against left-handed pitching.
Centerfielder Billy Fluharty is batting .293 and led the league with 52 hits in the regular season. The leadoff hitter has 20 RBIs, 37 runs scored and 11 extra-base hits. He has 15 multi-hit games including four four-hit games. Fluharty is 14-for-35 (.400) in his last eight games.
Right fielder John Calabrese is hitting .283 in 42 games with 33 starts. Calabrese has 17 RBIs and 12 of his 30 hits have been doubles. Calabrese has drawn 15 walks and struck out just 17 times. Calabrese is 10-for-32 (.313) with six RBIs with runners in scoring position.
Zach Selfon is hitting .272 with 47 hits and 21 RBIs. He has walked 21 times and was hit by seven pitches compared to just 22 strikeouts in 206 plate appearances.
Outfielder Michael Chiaravallo is hitting .318 (21-for-66) with 17 RBIs in 34 games with 14 starts. He is slashing .318/.390/.545 for a .935 OPS. He is 5-for-14 (.357) when pinch hitting and 10-for-25 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
Ty Lagoni is batting .217 and is second on the team with 32 RBIs. He has four home runs and 40 hits. The shortstop has been named a Patriot League Player of the Week twice this season.
The Bison have hit 31 home runs. Trommer, Chiaravallo and Mathias all homered in their first at-bats of the season. Garrison Bullock homered in his second at-bat of the year. Tommer leads the team with nine and Mathias has seven for the Bison.
Freshman Brady Hoar has a 4.61 ERA in 13 starts and is 7-3 on the season. Hoar has five starts of at least five innings where he allowed one run or less. He has pitched six quality starts this season. He has allowed 35 earned runs on 68 hits over 68.1 innings. He has 46 strikeouts and 25 walks. Opponents are hitting .234 off of him. Hoar has been named a Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice and Pitcher of the Week once.
Everett Garber has a 4.81 ERA in 48.2 innings over nine starts and 11 total appearances. Garber is 3-3 on the mound and has six outings of at least five innings or more. He has one complete game against Lafayette this season. He has allowed 26 earned runs on 48 hits and has 50 strikeouts compared to 26 walks. Garber missed three weeks of action but made his return in the season finale at Lafayette. He tossed 3.1 scoreless innings to hold Bucknell's lead in game two against Navy on Monday.
Hadley Maxwell has a 1.98 ERA and is 11-for-12 in save opportunities this season for the Bison. He's allowed six earned runs on 23 hits with 30 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .225 off of him.
Jake Schultz has 2.97 ERA in nine appearances with seven starts. He made his return to the mound in over a year against No. 15 North Carolina. He's allowed 12 earned runs on 32 hits over 36.1 innings. He has allowed just two earned runs over his last two starts, going six innings against both Lehigh and Navy.
Liam Jones has a 5.14 ERA in 10 relief appearances. He has not allowed an earned run in six of his 10 appearances. He's allowed eight earned runs on 20 hits in 14.0 innings with 15 strikeouts.
Tyler Seidman has a 6.09 ERA in 14 appearances with four starts. Seidman made a spot start against Army where he pitched six one-hit innings as the Bison shut out Army 8-0. He followed with five innings against Navy where he allowed just two runs.
Senior Ryan Facinelli was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team and was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2025.
Bucknell posted an 18-27 overall record with a 10-15 mark in the Patriot League last season. The Bison finished fifth in the PL missed the playoffs after making the postseason the previous three seasons.
Holy Cross won the 2025 Patriot League Championship, ending Army's six-year run as champions.
Head coach Scott Heather is in his 14th season at the helm, and he is the third-longest tenured coach in program history. Heather's 265 career wins are second-most in team history, trailing only Hall-of-Famer Gene Depew (591).
Coach Heather is assisted by Jason Neitz (16th season), Brett Smith '17 (6th season) and Josh Kieffer (5th season).

Holy Cross at a Glance/Series History

Holy Cross is 23-27 with and finished fourth in the Patriot League with a 13-13 record. The Crusaders were 9-4 in the Patriot League before going 4-9 to end the regular season.
Holy Cross got off to a hot 5-1 start in the Patriot League before a three-game sweep dropped the Crusaders to 5-4. They got back on track with a big three-game sweep over Army, outscoring the Black Knights 37-13 in the series.
The Crusaders swept Army in the Patriot League semifinal series with 5-3 and 6-2 wins. Holy Cross went 7-1 against the Black Knights this season.
The Crusaders posted a 31-27 record with a 17-8 mark in the conference. The Crusaders defeated Lehigh in three games in the semifinals before defeating Army in two games to win its first Patriot League title since 2017. They then fell to No. 1 North Carolina 4-0 and Nebraska 4-1 in the NCAA Regional.
Holy Cross is hitting .252 as a team and pitchers have a 6.44 team ERA. Opponents are hitting .276 and opposing pitchers have a 5.34 ERA.
CJ Egrie is batting .313 in 42 games and is 40-for-42 in stolen base attempts this season to rank second in the NCAA. He's drawn 31 walks and seven hit-by-pitches for a .452 on-base percentage. He has 47 hits, 39 runs scored and 18 RBIs.
Braden Connors is batting .292/.399/.403 and with 42 hits and 25 RBIs. He has drawn 17 walks and 10 hit-by-pitches.
Gianni Royer is hitting .316/.379/.537 in 35 games. He is third on the team with 43 hits and has 26 RBIs. He has six home runs, 17 extra-base hits and 12 multi-hit games.
Alex Sandell is hitting .283 and leads the team with 51 hits. He has 42 runs scored and 29 RBIs.
Simon Landry is batting .256 with 34 hits and 17 RBIs. Ryan Grundy is batting .225 and leads the team with 33 RBIs.
The Crusaders have hit 37 home runs on the season led by Royer with six.
Jaden Wywoda has a 3.50 ERA and is 5-4 in 13 starts. He has allowed 62 hits and 31 earned runs in 79.2 innings and has 68 strikeouts compared to just 21 walks. Opponents are hitting just .212 off of Wywoda.
Jake Lenahan has a 4.05 ERA in 17 appearances and three starts. He has allowed 24 earned runs on 47 hits over 53.1 innings with 60 strikeouts.
Marco Citro has a 4.02 ERA in 12 relief appearances and 15.2 innings. He has allowed seven earned runs on 16 hits with nine strikeouts.
Henry Harding has a 5.28 ERA in 15 relief appearances. He's allowed 17 earned runs on 37 hits over 29.0 innings with 28 strikeouts and 23 walks.
Derek Volz has a 7.56 ERA in 12 appearances with 10 starts and Pedro Leon has an 8.50 ERA in 14 appearances with nine starts.
Holy Cross leads the all-time series 77-71 dating back to 1991 when Bucknell won the first matchup 11-1.
Bucknell went 3-2 against the Crusaders last season. The Bison swept a doubleheader on the road before the Crusaders took two games of a three-game series at Depew Field.