Baseball Seeks Regular Season Title Against Lehigh and Lafayette

Saturday, May 4

West Point, N.Y.

12 PM

Army West Point

Lehigh

Baseball Seeks Regular Season Title Against Lehigh and Lafayette

May 03, 2024 | Baseball

Game Notes

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Baseball concludes its regular season this weekend, with a doubleheader against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Saturday and the Lafayette Leopards on Sunday.

The Black Knights enter the weekend 25-19, and 14-7 in conference play.

Postseason ramifications are on the line for all participating teams. Army's magic number to clinch the Patriot League regular season championship—and home field throughout the Patriot League Tournament—is one.

First pitch from Doubleday Field is 12:00 p.m. on both days. Game 2 of each doubleheader will start roughly 30-45 minutes after the completion of Game 1.

ESPN+ will broadcast each game.

Notes and Storylines

» Army needs to one of four games this weekend to secure the Patriot League regular season title, and home-field advantage throughout the conference tournament. 2024 would mark the program's third consecutive regular season league crown, and the fourth straight regular season title in either conference or division (Army won the Patriot League North Division title in 2021). At least one win OR at least one Holy Cross loss would secure a tournament first round series at home.

» Army secured a thrilling series win over Navy April 26-28, in a series Baseball America described as the best in the country last weekend. Game 1 saw Justin Lehman deliver a complete-game, 129-pitch shutout with eight strikeouts as the Black Knights scored their only run on a fifth-inning squeeze bunt from Coleson Titus. It was enough to win 1-0.

After falling in Game 2, Army rallied in Sunday's Game 3 to claim the Baseball Star. Addison Ainsworth doubled in the tying run in the ninth inning before Chris Barr's walk-off base knock to the right-center gap to score pinch-runner Zak Farrell. Army allowed just eight total runs in the series win. In addition to Lehman's gem Friday, Mike Ruggieri (Saturday, 6.0 IP) and Matthew Ronnebaum (Sunday, 7.0 IP) had quality starts.

Army has won the Star three years in a row. Dating back to 2022, Army has won 12 of the past 15 over Navy. The all-time series, which dates back to 1901, is 130-130 stalemate.

» On March 2, Army had a 13-2 win over Air Force, in Sugar Land, Texas. Matthew Ronnebaum got the complete game win with seven strikeouts. Army is 15-4 in its past 19 games against service academy rivals, and have won three of its past four against Air Force.

» Army will wrap up its pair of season series against Lehigh and Lafayette at home. The Black Knights visited Lehigh for three games March 30-31, taking two of three. Returning to the region April 13-14, the club once again took two of three games.

» Army plays each Patriot League foe five times in 2024, spread out among a variety of series lengths. The Black Knights have yet to lose a series or season series in 2024.

» Justin Lehman has enjoyed a breakout season on both the mound and at the plate. In both his pitching starts at Navy, Lehman has excelled.

In March 24's doubleheader Game 2 win at Navy, the native of Fort Mill, S.C. (Charlotte suburbs) earned the win with 6.1 innings pitched, three strikeouts and just one run allowed. He then moved to first base for the remainder of the matchup and drove in a run in the eighth inning.

On April 26 against Navy at home, Lehman gave up just three hits and induced a trio of double plays in the first three innings. He went 21 batters without allowing a hit in the first through eighth innings, and had five innings where he sat the Midshipmen down in order.

Each of Lehman's seven starts on the mound have lasted five innings or longer. He also has five starts of six fames or longer. The junior has also pitched two of Army's complete games in 2024.

Having pitched in eight games and started in seven, Lehman's 1.39 ERA and 0.95 WHIP are both best in the Patriot League, with his ERA also slotting fourth-best nationally.

» Sam Ruta made history April 7 against Holy Cross, tying a program single-game record with eight RBIs, and hitting two home runs (including a grand slam) to break the program record for career home runs. The senior currently stands at 38 home runs across his career.

In April 20's doubleheader against Bucknell, the Yardley, Pa. native also broke the program career total bases record, eclipsing the 415 career total bases milestone previously set by Kevin McKague from 2008-12. Ruta also is closing in on both the program and Patriot League record for career RBIs, needing just eight more RBIs to stand alone at 186. His

13 home runs are complimented by his 44 walks, a mark that leads the conference and is 12th in the nation. Ruta drew six walks in the series win over Navy.

D1 Baseball slotted Ruta as the No. 19 third baseman nationally in its Midseason Player Position Rankings.

» In Game 2 of March 26's twin bill at Bucknell, William Parker drive in eight runs, tying a program single-game RBI record, matching a total set by Anthony Giachin vs. Air Force on Feb. 15, 2019. Parker had the team's first grand slam since Andre Walden in 2019 in the first inning. Parker was named Patriot League Player of the Week March 26.

Parker was 5-for-6 with two homers at Holy Cross April 17. He was the first Black Knight to have five hits in a game since Kevin Debrule vs. Bucknell May 22 last year. One day after native of Hopedale, Mass. saw his 39-game on-base streak snapped, Parker went 4-for-5 in Army's series-clinching win over Navy.

» Army features the Berg brothers in RHP Andrew Berg and C/INF Derek Berg. The brothers have been batterymates 11 times this season, most recently vs. Navy April 28.

Derek Berg was a combined 7-for-13 in Army's weekend series win over Bucknell. The senior from Conroe, Texas hit five home runs in the three-game set, including two multi-homer games. The senior was named Patriot League Player of the Week two weeks in a row, on April 16 and 23.

Andrew Berg meanwhile made two bullpen appearances in the series win over Navy, and was the winning pitcher in Sunday's rubber matchup.

» RHP Tanner Gresham made his first appearance in 372 days on Saturday, after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The 2023 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year had a scoreless ninth inning Saturday, with one strikeout.

» 21 games into Patriot League play, Army has:
- Allowed six or fewer runs in all but two league matchups, and three or fewer runs in 12 games across that stretch.
- A league-leading team ERA of 4.54, and 3.50 across conference games.
- A conference-best .245 opponent batting average, and has allowed fewer runs (214) than any other league foe.
- Had its starting pitcher go five innings or longer in all but four league contests.

» Army leads the Patriot League in home runs across all games (53) and league games (29) and batting average in league games (.307).

» Army has won six games, including five in the Patriot League, by the 10-run rule.

» D1 Baseball released it's latest NCAA Tournament projection May 1, with Army heading to the Clemson Regional to face Clemson, Georgia and College of Charleston.

Baseball America's NCAA Tournament projected field of 64 also released May 1 has the Black Knights going to East Carolina's bracket, to be paired with host ECU, NC State and Utah.

Behind Enemy Lines

» Both Lehigh (22-22-1, 7-14) and Lafayette (14-32, 8-13) are on the outside looking in for postseason play. Each team needs to win not only both of its respective games at Army, but also both games at Holy Cross (Lafayette plays Holy Cross twice Saturday, Lehigh plays Holy Cross twice Sunday). Lehigh and Lafayette would also need each other to sweep Holy Cross to give the other team a chance.

On top of that, Lehigh would need Army to sweep Lafayette to have a chance at making the four-team bracket.

» Lehigh is second in the Patriot League in overall pitching, with a 5.59 team ERA and a .275 opponent batting average. Earlier this season, Army needed to win each of its last two games in Bethlehem to win the series after the Mountain Hawks won a 2-1 pitchers' duel to open the teams' set March 30.

Two Mountain Hawks hit .300 or higher. Rafe Perich leads the squad with a .384 average and is second with six home runs. Jake Whitlinger follows with a .317 average. Justin Butler (.283) is Lehigh's home run leader, with 10.

» Lafayette sits in the conference cellar in both batting average (.247) and ERA (9.45). Against Army, the squad did salvage a win April 14 after the Black Knights swept a doubleheader the previous day. Ethan Swidler leads the Leopards in both batting average (.345) and home runs (9).

Next Up

Army will begin postseason play next Saturday, with Game 1 of the Patriot League Tournament semifinals.

The Black Knights need a combination either one win this weekend, or one Holy Cross loss to secure home field for the best two-of-three semifinal series.

Follow the Black Knights

Follow Army Baseball on X @ArmyWP_Baseball and on Instagram @armywp_baseball. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.