Baseball Ready for 5th Straight Postseason Appearance at 2013 Landmark Conference Tournament
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team has qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight year as the third seeded Greyhounds will begin the 2013 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 4th with a game versus second seed The United States Merchant Marine Academy at 2:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. on the campus of top seed The Catholic University of America.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team has qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight year as the third seeded Greyhounds will begin the 2013 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 4th with a game versus second seed The United States Merchant Marine Academy at 2:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. on the campus of top seed The Catholic University of America.
The tournament begins on Saturday, May 4th with Catholic taking on fourth seed The University of Scranton at 11:00 a.m. and followed by the Moravian vs. USMMA game. Action will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday while Monday's championship round is slated for 11:00 a.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors while children under 10 and all Landmark Conference students with ID are free. For more information on the tournament, visit http://www.cuacardinals.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/releases/2013_lc_base_tourney.
The Greyhounds, under the direction of seventh-year head coach Paul Engelhardt, who as a career mark of 160-118, have posted a 21-17 overall record this spring, becoming just the fifth team in the 74-year history of Moravian's baseball program to win 20 games in a season, and all five seasons have been under coach Engelhardt coming in each of the last five years that have seen the program in the postseason.
Moravian had a 10-8 mark in Landmark Conference action during the 2013regular season, which was tied for third with Scranton but the Greyhounds won the regular season series over the Royals to earn the higher seed.
Moravian, which is making its five straight appearance in the Landmark Conference Tournament after serving as the host the last three seasons is hitting .298 with 68 doubles, 17 triples and six home runs, and the team also has 60 stolen bases and a .947 fielding percentage this season.
Sophomore outfielder Matt Hanson has a team high .372 average with 45 hits, 12 doubles, five triples, 27 runs, 12 stolen bases, 12 walks and 17 RBI this season while freshman first baseman Charles Savite has 45 hits to go with a .336 average, 28 runs, eight doubles, two triples, a team high 15 walks and 23 RBI. Junior outfielder Joseph Connell has a team high 46 hits to go with 24 runs, six doubles, four triples, two homers, seven stolen bases, eight walks and 32 RBI, and he became the 23rd player in school history to reach the 100-career hit milestone earlier this season.
Sophomore third baseman Ryan Luke has a .318 average, 42 hits, 26 runs, 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs, nine walks, ten sacrifice hits including five sacrifice flies and a team high 35 RBI, and Luke has added 64 assists in the field. Sophomore shortstop Colin Case is hitting .296 with 40 hits, 28 runs, 5 doubles, a triple, a homer, 11 walks, six stolen bases and 14 RBI to go with a team high 96 assists in the field.
Freshman catcher Mike Roethke has 27 hits, nine runs, four doubles and 8 RBI in his debut season, and Roethke has thrown out 25 percent of stolen base attempts while behind the plate, catching eight of 32 runners. Freshman outfielder Jimmy McCarthy has 26 hits, 20 runs, eight doubles, a triple, nine stolen bases and 15 RBI while freshman infielder Alex Bull has added 19 hits, 17 runs, a double, a home run, eight walks and 14 RBI.
Junior second baseman Daniel Seitzinger has added 20 hits, 16 runs, a double and seven RBI this season but he has missed the last 20 games with an injury. Freshman outfielder Cameron Leon has 16 hits, seven runs, two doubles, a triple and four RBI while sophomore outfielder Justin Pilchman has added 16 hits, nine runs, three doubles, seven walks and nine RBI.
Sophomore second baseman Alex Longernecker has nine hits, nine runs, two doubles and six RBI while sophomore outfielder/pitcher Chris Lansberry has eight hits, seven runs, two doubles and two RBI at the plate. Junior catcher Matthew Gutkes has seven hits, four runs, two doubles, eight walks and nine RBI while also seeing time as a designated hitter. Junior outfielder Harrison Fonteix and sophomore first baseman Joey DiSarno each had six hits, two runs and a double this season with DiSarno adding two RBI.
On the mound, Lansberry is 3-3 with 22 strikeouts, 14 walks and a 4.72 ERA in 40 innings of action. Junior Thomas Mariano has tossed 46 innings with a 3.72 ERA, a 4-3 record, 29 strikeouts and nine walks while junior Chris Soltys is 3-1 with 4 saves, a 1.24 ERA, eight walks and 26 strikeouts in 29 innings of action.
Junior Ben Hammel has tossed 30.2 innings with five walks, 16 strikeouts, a 1.76 ERA and a 1-2 mark. Freshman Anthony Zaloga has a 3-4 record, 12 walks, 34 strikeouts and a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 innings while junior Robert Solano is 4-2 with a 3.67 ERA, 17 walks and 34 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.
Freshman Brett Wagner is 2-1 with 11 walks and11 strikeouts in 24.2 innings while Savite has 1 save and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Freshman J.J. Jordan has a 3.86 ERA and two strikeouts in 4.2 innings while senior Matthew Cordes is 1-0 with nine strikeout and five walks in 10.2 innings of action. McCarthy has also tossed 7.2 innings with four walks and five strikeouts this season.
