BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh junior right-handed pitcher Mason Black and junior infielder Gerard Sweeney were named Patriot League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, when the League announced weekly honors on Tuesday. Navy freshman infielder Eduardo Diaz earned rookie of the week.
Black was named Patriot League Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season. He tossed his second-consecutive 7.0-inning, complete-game shutout in Lehigh’s 5-0 win over Holy Cross on Saturday.
Sweeney claimed Patriot League Baseball Player of the Week honors by driving in six runs to help the Mountain Hawks take three out of four games against Holy Cross to earn the top seed in the Patriot League Baseball Championship.
Diaz collected Patriot League Baseball Rookie of the Week honors after driving in the game-winning runs in extra innings with a three-run double to help the Mids clinch the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Baseball Championship.
Army West Point junior RHP Anthony LoRicco, Holy Cross senior LHP Luke Dawson and sophomore OF Ben Dellacono, Lafayette junior RHP Kyle Subers and junior SS Justin Johnson, and Navy junior 1B Zach Stevens and sophomore Charlie Connolly all received weekly honorable mentions for their performances last week.
PATRIOT LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gerard Sweeney, Lehigh, Jr., INF, Havertown, Pa./The Shipley School
*Sweeney batted .476 (7-for-15), slugged .800 and reached base at a .529 clip while scoring five runs and driving in six with two doubles and a home run to help Lehigh win three-of-four games against Holy Cross to earn the No. 1 seed in the Patriot League Baseball Championship.
*The junior infielder drove in the game-winning run with a two-run double in the fifth inning in Lehigh’s 5-4 win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
*His seventh-inning home run broke a 1-1 tie, helping the Mountain Hawks to a 4-1 win over Holy Cross in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader.
PATRIOT LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP, Archbald, Pa./Valley View
*Black tossed his second-consecutive 7.0-inning, complete-game shutout in the Mountain Hawks’ 5-0 decision over Holy Cross in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
*The junior right-hander held the Crusaders’ lineup to a .182 batting average while striking out 10 and walking four. He has struck out 10 or more in six starts this season.
*He is 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 11 starts spanning 64.2 innings this season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE BASEBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Fr., IF, Miami, Fla./Miami Coral Park Senior
*Diaz drove in Navy’s game-winning runs with a three-RBI double in extra innings in the Mids’ 10-5 to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Championship field.
*The freshman infielder went 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs in the decisive third game to help the Mids win the season series against the Black Knights.
*He also went 1-for-2 with a run scored in the Mids’ loss in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (listed alphabetically by school)
Anthony LoRicco, Army West Point, Jr., RHP, Holliston, Mass./Dexter Academy
*LoRicco earned a victory over Navy in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader by allowing one run on five hits over 6.1 innings, while striking out 12 and walking two.
Luke Dawson, Holy Cross, Sr., LHP, Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast
*Dawson permitted one unearned run over 4.2 innings while scattering two hits and striking out nine in a no-decision against Lehigh in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.
Ben Dellacono, Holy Cross, So., CF, Stonington, Conn./Avon Old Farms
*Dellacono hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of the Crusaders’ come-from-behind victory in the second game of the doubleheader against Lehigh on Sunday. He slugged .667 on the week with three runs.
Kyle Subers, Lafayette, Jr., RHP, Somerset, N.J./St. Joseph
*Subers earned a 7.0-inning, complete-game victory in the Leopards’ 4-3 decision over Bucknell on Saturday to improve to 3-0 this season. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking four.
Justin Johnson, Lafayette, Jr., SS, Glen Gardner, N.J./North Hunterdon
*Johnson batted .500 (5-for-10), slugged .900 and reached base at a .615 clip while scoring four times and driving in four runs to help the Leopards win two-of-three games from Bucknell to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Baseball Championship.
Zach Stevens, Navy, Jr., 1B, Lexington, Mass./Lexington
*Stevens batted .300 (3-for-10) and slugged .900 with two home runs and four RBIs to help Navy win two-of-three games against Army West Point to clinch the No. 4 seed in the Patriot League Baseball Championship. He went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Charlie Connolly, Navy, Sr., RHP, Wayne, Pa./Radnor
*Connolly allowed one run on two hits and struck out three in through 4.1 innings of a no-decision against Army in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Player of the Week
2.23 – Joe Simourian, Navy, Jr., OF
3.2 – Eric Cichocki, Lehigh, Sr., OF
3.9 - Eric Cichocki, Lehigh, Sr., OF
3.16 – Gerard Sweeney, Lehigh, Jr., 3B
3.23 – Grant Voytovich, Bucknell, Fr., INF
3.30 – Chris Cannizzaro, Bucknell, Jr., OF
4.6 – Anthony Giachin, Army West Point, Sr., 3B
4.13 – Casey Rother, Lehigh, Jr., 1B
4.20 – Caleb Broughton, Bucknell, Jr., 2B
4.27 – Cam Meyer, Holy Cross, Sr., SS
5.4 – Adam Retzbach, Lehigh, So., C
5.11 – Gerard Sweeney, Lehigh, Jr., INF
Pitcher of the Week
2.23 – Ray Bartoli, Army West Point, Sr., RHP
3.2 – Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP
3.9 – Jordan Yoder, Lafayette, So., RHP
3.16 – Matt Stamford, Lehigh, So., LHP
3.23 – Jake Bloss, Lafayette, So., RHP
3.30 – Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP
4.6 – Jack DiLauro, Holy Cross, So., RHP
4.13 – Chris Difiore, Bucknell, So., LHP
4.20 – Jordan Yoder, Lafayette, So., RHP
4.27 – Luke Dawson, Holy Cross, Sr., LHP
5.4 – Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP
5.11 – Mason Black, Lehigh, Jr., RHP
Rookie of the Week
2.23 – Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Fr., 2B
3.2 – Logan Keller, Navy, Fr., INF
3.9 – Justin Grech, Lafayette, Fr., CF
3.16 – Jacob Corson, Bucknell, Fr., INF
3.23 – Sam Kirkpatrick, Holy Cross, Fr., 2B
3.30 – Anthony Sherwin, Bucknell, Fr., INF
4.6 – Andrew Nole, Lehigh, Fr., DH
4.13 – Justin Grech, Lafayette, Fr., OF
4.20 – Alex Bryant, Holy Cross, Fr., RHP
4.27 – Thomas Latham, Holy Cross, Fr., 3B
5.4 – Alex Bryant, Holy Cross, Fr., RHP
5.11 – Eduardo Diaz, Navy, Fr., INF
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.