May 14, 2008

No. 2 NAVY (32-23-1, 11-9 PL) vs. No. 4 BUCKNELL (24-22-2, 10-10 PL) Patriot League Championship Best-of-Three Series Dates & Times Game One - Friday, May 16 - 3 p.m. Game Two - Saturday, May 17 - 12 p.m. Game Three (if nec.) - Saturday, May 17 - 30 minutes after Location Annapolis, Md. Stadium Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium (1,500) All-Time Series Navy leads, 58-43-1 This Year's Series April 19: Recap | W, 4-0 | W, 16-6 April 20: Recap | L, 8-2 April 21: Recap | L, 5-4 Statistics Navy | Bucknell Game Notes Navy | Bucknell GameTracker Game One | Game Two | Game Three

THIS WEEK'S ACTION
• The second-seeded Navy baseball team will look to win its sixth Patriot League Championship this weekend, when it hosts fourth-seeded Bucknell in a best-of-three series. The two teams will meet for a single game at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 12 noon start on Saturday. If the series is tied after two games, the Mids and the Bison will play a third and deciding game 30 minutes after the first contest on Saturday.
• Navy earned a spot in the championship series by rallying to win the final-two games to knock off third-seeded Holy Cross, two games to one. Bucknell traveled up to top-seeded Army and took two-of-three from the Black Knights on their home field.

BUCKNELL ... A CLOSER LOOK
• The Bucknell Bison, the No. 4 seed in this year's Patriot League Tournament, took two-of-three on the road at top-seeded Army to advance to the Patriot League Championship series. The Bison sport a 24-22-2 record on the spring, including a 10-10 mark in league play.
• Earlier this season, Navy and Bucknell split a four-game series up at Depew Field in Lewisburg, Pa. The Midshipmen swept the Bison, 4-0 and 16-6, in a Saturday doubleheader before dropping 8-2 and 5-4 decision on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
• The Bison come down to Annapolis with a potent offensive attack, as they lead the league with a .309 team batting average. Patriot League Player of the Year Jason Buursma leads the way at the plate, hitting .374 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs. In total, six starters for Bucknell are hitting above the .300 mark.
• On the mound, Buursma has been effective as a starter and a reliever. He started and completed all-five of his league starts and won both games at Army last weekend out of the bullpen. All of Bucknell's starting pitchers boast an ERA under 4.50. However, the Bison own a 5.48 team ERA, as their relievers have combined for a 8.33 mark with 102 walks and 101 strikeouts in 155.2 innings this spring.

MIDS MARCH ON TO LEAGUE FINALS
• The Navy baseball team took two-of-three from Holy Cross last weekend in Annapolis to earn a spot in the Patriot League Championship series this weekend at home against Bucknell. Facing elimination twice after dropping the opener, 6-0, the Midshipmen rallied with back-to-back victories, 12-1 and 9-5.
GAME ONE - SATURDAY, MAY 10 - HOLY CROSS 6, NAVY 0
In the opener, both teams had opportunities to strike early, but could not deliver with runners on base as the score remain tied at zero after four frames. The Midshipmen had the bases loaded with one out in the third and fourth innings, but Holy Cross starter Bobby Holmes got out of both jams unscathed. In the third, Holmes used a strikeout and a groundout to avoid damage, followed by a line drive double play to first base in the fourth.
• The Crusaders jumped on the board with four runs and sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth inning against Navy starter Mitch Harris. Holy Cross chased Harris in the sixth and provided insurance with two more runs.
• Harris fell to 2-2 on the year, as he allowed seven hits and five runs, four of which were earned, over 5.1 innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
• Thomas Hamilton was the lone Navy batter to record a multi-hit performance, as he went 2-for-4.
GAME TWO - SATURDAY, MAY 10 - NAVY 12, HOLY CROSS 1
• With Navy's season riding on the arm of Oliver Drake, the Navy right-hander once again came through for the Mids. He scattered seven hits and one run over 7.2 innings with no walks and nine strikeouts to improve to 6-3 on the year. Over his three career starts against Holy Cross, Drake is 3-0 with a 0.76 ERA over 23.2 innings with one walk and 24 strikeouts.
• The Midshipmen blew the game open in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs on seven hits and sending 12 batters to the plate. Mike Guadagnini had two hits in the inning with a run scored and two RBIs, while Thomas Hamilton and Kendall Bolt each had run scoring doubles. Navy's offense chased Holy Cross starter Matt Shapiro, the Patriot League Pitcher of the Year, out of the game in the inning. Shapiro gave up 12 hits and nine runs, all earned, over five-plus innings to pick up the loss.
• Navy pounded out 17 hits compared to Holy Cross's eight base knocks in the nightcap. Bolt led the way with a 4-for-6 effort, including a pair of runs scored and RBIs. Renaldo Hollins and Guadagnini both had three hits in the first and second spots in the order, respectively. Mitch Harris and Nick Driscoll each delivered two singles, while Hamilton scored twice and drove in two runs.
GAME THREE - SUNDAY, MAY 11 - NAVY 9, HOLY CROSS 5
• The Navy baseball team rallied from two early deficits to defeat Holy Cross, 9-5, in the third and deciding game of the Patriot League Semifinal series on Sunday at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
• Navy's three through five hitters - Thomas Hamilton, Michael Speciale and Kendall Bolt - combined to go 10-for-14 at the plate with four doubles, five runs scored and three RBIs. Bolt led the group with a 4-for-5 showing with a double, while Speciale went 3-for-4 with two doubles and Hamilton finished 3-for-5 with a two-bagger.
• Mark McCoy battled back from a tough start over the first-three innings - a span in which he threw 75 pitches - to finish the contest with six-plus innings of work to earn his sixth win of the year. He scattered 10 hits and five runs, only two of which were earned, with one walk and three strikeouts in a 111-pitch afternoon. Reliever Drew Carlson fired three shutout innings with four strikeouts to earn his third save of the year.

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP IN ANNAPOLIS
• The Navy baseball team will play host to the Patriot League Championship for the sixth time in school history this weekend, the most among any school in the league. After Navy's six tournaments in Annapolis, Bucknell and Army each have hosted the league championship on three occasions.
• The Midshipmen are 6-4 (.600) in league championship games on their home field and have won the league title in Annapolis three times, with the last coming in 2002 against Lehigh.
• Since the Patriot League Tournament's inception in 1993, the championship host has come away with the title 11 out of the 14 years. Navy was awarded the league title in 1995 when weather forced the cancellation of the league's postseason tournament.
• The higher-seeded team in the Patriot League Championship series has come away victorious in each of the last-six years. The last lower-seeded team to win the league title was Bucknell in 2001, when it defeated Navy in Annapolis. Navy was the first lower-seed to win a league championship, as it defeated Bucknell in Lewisburg in 1999.

NAVY-BUCKNELL BATTLE FOR THE TITLE YET AGAIN
• The Navy-Bucknell matchup in the Patriot League Championship series has become a familiar one in the course of league history. The two teams will square off for the league title for the sixth time this weekend, marking the most matchup in league history.
• Bucknell holds a slim 7-6 edge in the league championship series against Navy. In Annapolis, the Midshipmen are 2-2 against the Bison in championship play. Navy won the league title in 1998 over Bucknell and fell to the Bison on its home field in 2001.

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNEY REGULARS
• The Navy baseball team is in its 13th and second-straight visit to the Patriot League Tournament this year since joining the league during the 1993 campaign. In their previous 12 trips, the Midshipmen have come away as the league champion five times.
• The Mids are 16-14 (.533) all-time in Patriot League Tournament contests, including a 8-5 (.615) mark on their home field in Annapolis. Navy has won the Patriot League Championship three times at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium (1994, '98 and '02).
• This year marks the first year in which the Patriot League has employed a four-team tournament. The winners of each semifinal series will meet next weekend in a best-of-three championship series. The 2008 Patriot League Champion will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, which starts with regional play on May 30-June 2.

SUCCESS IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
• The Navy baseball team has enjoyed significant success since joining the Patriot League in 1993. Over that span, Navy has gone 191-131 (.593) in league play and advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times. The Midshipmen have won the league postseason title five times, more than any other school in the league.

NAVY PRESEASON PATRIOT LEAGUE FAVORITE IN MANY CIRCLES
• The Navy baseball team was tabbed to win the Patriot League Championship and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by a slew of preseason publications.
• The Midshipmen were picked to finish first in the Patriot League by the league's coaches and sports information contacts in the preseason poll. The Mids claimed 43 points and four first-place ballots to lead the way, while Lafayette came in a close second with 42 points and four first-place votes.
• Navy has also been picked to win the Patriot League according to Baseball America, CollegeBaseballInsider.com and CSTV.com. In CSTV.com's preseason prediction, the Mids will advance to the NCAA Tournament and compete in the Columbia, S.C., regional against No. 8 national seed South Carolina.

SIX MIDS NAMED ALL-LEAGUE
• The Navy baseball landed six of its own, five of which were first team, on this year's All-Patriot League teams. The five first-team selections were most in the league and tied for the most by a Navy team in school history, as the 1996 Midshipmen also had five first-team picks.
• Three of the five First-Team All-Patriot League infield positions were filled by the Midshipmen - first baseman Thomas Hamilton, second baseman Mike Guadagnini and third baseman Kendall Bolt. Relief pitcher JD Melton was named a first-team all-league member, as was outfielder Michael Speciale. Fellow Navy outfielder Renaldo Hollins earned Second-Team All-Patriot League kudos.

THREE-STRAIGHT 30-WIN SEASONS
• For the first time in school history, the Navy baseball team has won 30 games in three-consecutive years -- all under Navy third-year head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. In fact, prior to Kostacopoulos's arrival, Navy had posted just three 30-win campaigns in 110 years of the program.
• Coming into this week, the Midshipmen are one of just 47 Division I teams in the nation to have won 30-plus games in each of the 2006, '07 and '08 campaigns. Among that elite list, only four teams are located within the Northeast and East Regions, as declared by the NCAA (Navy, UNC Charlotte, St. John's and Louisville).

FOUR-YEAR WINS RECORD...
• The Navy baseball team has won more games over the last-four seasons than any four-year stretch in school history. Since the start of the 2005 season, the Midshipmen have won 111 games, surpassing the previous mark of 106 victories by the 1980-83 squads.

THREE-YEAR WINS RECORD...
• The Navy baseball team has won more games over the last-three seasons than any three-year stretch in school history. Since the start of the 2006 season, the Midshipmen have won 99 games, surpassing the previous mark of 84 victories by the 1981-83 squads.

AND TWO-YEAR WINS RECORD
• The Navy baseball team has matched the school record for the most wins in a two-year span. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Midshipmen have won 67 ballgames, matching the mark set by the 2006-07 squads.

KOSTACOPOULOS GETS CAREER WIN NO. 600
• Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos claimed his 600th career victory in just 19 seasons as a head coach with a 17-5 victory over Delaware State on April 29. The third-year Navy skipper owns a career record of 603-396-4 (.603). Kostacopoulos has won 30-plus games in each of his last-eight seasons and 12 times in his career.

KOSTACOPOULOS NEARING WIN NO. 100 WITH NAVY
• Navy head coach Paul Kostacopoulos is approaching another milestone mark in 2008, attempting to become the fourth Navy coach to earn 100 career victories with the Mids. Over his first-two-plus seasons in Annapolis, he owns a career mark of 99-64-2 (.606).

MIDS ON A TEAR
• Navy has played some solid baseball over the last-13 games and have been rewarded with a 9-3-1 record over that span to carry itself into the Patriot League Championship series.
• During this stretch, the Midshipmen are collectively hitting .343 with a .472 slugging percentage and a .420 on-base percentage. As a result of that, Navy has averaged 7.0 runs per game.
• Four Navy starters are hitting over .400 during this span -- Thomas Hamilton (.500), Bill Maugeri (.419), Kendall Bolt (.415) and Mike Guadagnini (.411). Hamilton has also scored 14 times, driven in 14 runs and boasts a .576 on-base percentage.
• While the offense has done its part, the pitching staff has also held up its end. The Midshipmen own a 2.89 ERA and have limited the opposition to a .254 batting average. They have also only walked 27 and struck out 98 in 112.0 innings.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Navy owns a 21-14-1 (.597) record at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium this spring. The 21 home triumphs are one shy of tying the school record of 22 wins by last year's squad. Navy's win total at home in 2008 also marks the third 20-win home slate in program history.
• Navy has already played more home games this season than any other team in school history. This weekend's series against Bucknell will be Navy's 37th, 38th and possibly 39th home games of the spring. The previous mark of 33 games was set by last season's squad.
• Since the installation of FieldTurf at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium before the start of the 2006 season, Navy has gone 59-36-2 (.619) in its 97 home games.

NAVY ON SEVERAL NCAA LISTS
• The Navy baseball team ranks among the top-100 schools nationally in 11 categories -- triples (7th), hits (10th), triples per game (21st), walks allowed per nine innings (34th), hit batsmen (42nd), earned run average (67th), double plays turned (78th), batting average (86th), winning percentage (90th), doubles (92nd) and hits allowed per nine innings (92nd).
• Individually, five different Midshipmen rank among the nation's top-100 performers in nine different categories. Michael Speciale ranks among the top 100 in triples (21st), total bases (45th) triples per game (51st), hits (54th) and runs (74th). Thomas Hamilton ranks among the top 100 in hits (14th), hit by pitch (14th) and batting average (75th). Renaldo Hollins ranks among the top 100 in triples per game (67th) and triples (68th). JD Melton is among the list for saves (73rd), while Oliver Drake ranks nationally for strikeouts (78th).

RECORDS WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN
• The Navy baseball team has set seven school records as a team this spring -- games played, at bats, hits, doubles, home runs, saves and innings pitched. This year's squad also ranks among the top 10 in eight other categories -- strikeouts (2nd), wins (3rd), RBIs (3rd), runs (4th), triples (4th), slugging percentage (7th), batting average (8th) and stolen bases (9th).

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
• Coming into the 2008 season, the Navy single-season hits record had stood firmly at 71, a mark achieved by Andy Loferski in 1983. This year, two Mids have already surpassed that mark and a third could do so this weekend.
• Team captain Thomas Hamilton first broke the record and currently leads the way with 84 base knocks. Michael Speciale soon followed and ranks second on the team with 78 hits. Kendall Bolt enters the weekend with 68 hits, three shy of Loferski's total.
• Hamilton's hit total has also made waves in the Patriot League record book. His 84 hits are only four shy of matching the league record of 88 base knocks by Lehigh's Matt McBride in 2006. McBride was taken in the second round of the MLB draft following that season.

FOUR MIDS WITH 60+ HITS ... AND COUNTING
• Four Navy hitters -- Thomas Hamilton (84), Michael Speciale (78), Kendall Bolt (68) and Jonathan Wright (63) -- have surpassed the 60-hit mark this season. It second the first time in school history that four Mids have eclipsed the 60-hit mark in one season.
• Prior to this season, the 2006 Midshipmen had four of its own go over 60 hits in a year -- Jared Munde (64), Jonathan Johnston (64), Renaldo Hollins (62) and Ryan McGinn (62).
• In addition to the quartet this year, Mike Guadagnini (54) and Renaldo Hollins (52) are also eyeing the mark heading into this weekend's Patriot League Championship series.

BULLPEN SAVING THE DAY
• Navy's bullpen has racked up 15 saves this season, breaking the school record of 14 saves by the 2006 Midshipmen.
• Against Patriot League foes, Navy's corps of relievers have boasted a 2.57 ERA over 63.0 innings. The Midshipmen limited the opposition to a .235 batting average and issued just 17 walks. As a result, the relievers picked up five wins and recorded a save in six other games.
• Overall this year, Navy's relief pitchers on this week's active roster combined for a 3.55 ERA in 157.0 innings of work with 12 wins and 15 saves. The Midshipmen have held the opposition to a .263 batting average with just 48 walks and 100 strikeouts.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!
• One year after hitting just one home run in 33 home games, the 2008 Midshipmen have belted 13 home runs in their first-36 games on its home field. The most prolific shot came against Rhode Island on March 8, when Steven Soares smashed a 420-foot shot over the scoreboard in left-center. Mitch Harris has gone deep at home four times this spring, while Michael Speciale has homered three times in Annapolis.

THE YOUNG MIDS
• Navy's 2008 roster is comprised of a combined 31 freshmen and sophomores out of its 40 roster spots. The Midshipmen boast the youngest squad in the Patriot League with 15 freshmen and 16 sophomores, while Lehigh follows in a close second with its 13 freshmen and 12 sophomores.

MIDS GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM, TOO
• Being a member of a league that prides itself on maintaining high academic standards while pursuing athletic success, Navy certainly lives up to that standard in the most recent Academic Progress Rates released by the NCAA.
• The Midshipmen earned a mark of 981, which places them among the nation's top-10th percentile in baseball. Navy's athletic program also ranks among the premier institutions in each sport across the board. The Midshipmen boasted a mark higher than the Division I average in all-23 of their NCAA sports, including the nation's highest score in four sports (each with a perfect 1,000). The Midshipmen also led the nation with 12 of their teams ranking in the top-10 percent of their respective sports.
• The APR is the fulcrum upon which the entire academic-reform structure rests. Developed as a more real-time assessment of teams' academic performance than the six-year graduation-rate calculation provides, the APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic-eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the term at a given time divided by the total points possible.

ACCELERATING THEIR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION
• Each of Navy's seven seniors on this year's baseball team are going to serve their country in a variety of roles following commissioning in May. Graduates from the United States Naval Academy will begin their military careers as either an Ensign in the United States Navy or a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.
• This year, each of Navy's seniors will be commissioned as Ensigns in the United States Navy, entering the Surface Warfare, Aviation, Submarine (Nuclear) and Civil Engineering Corps communities.

ON THE WATCH LISTS
• Navy pitcher/designated hitter Mitch Harris and relief pitcher JD Melton have been named to a variety of national watch lists this spring.
• Harris was named a preseason candidate for the Brooks Wallace Award for the second-straight year, which is handed out to the top collegiate player in the country. For the third time in his career, the Navy right-hander has also been selected to the Roger Clemens Award Watch List, which is awarded to the best collegiate pitcher in the nation.
• Melton was among a group of just 45 relievers in the country to be named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. The Navy sophomore was also selected to the list during his rookie year at Navy in 2007.