BETHLEHEM, Pa. – No. 1 Lehigh will host No. 4 Navy and No. 2 Army West Point welcomes No. 3 Lafayette when the semifinal round of the 2021 Patriot League Baseball Championship begins on Saturday. The winners of the best two-of-three games series will meet the following week in the Patriot League Baseball Championship Series.
The first pitch at J. David Walker Field at Legacy Park in Bethlehem, Pa. between the Mountain Hawks (21-16, 17-10 PL) and Midshipmen (16-13, 11-12 PL) is scheduled for noon. Game two of Saturday’s doubleheader will follow at approximately 2:30 p.m. If necessary, game three will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Black Knights (24-21, 15-10 PL) and Leopards (13-15, 12-13 PL) begin play on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field in West Point, N.Y. Game two of Saturday’s twinbill is scheduled to follow at 4 p.m. First pitch for game three of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, if necessary.
SPECTATOR POLICIES: Spectator policies for the 2021 Patriot League Baseball Championship will be determined by the host institution. For up-to-date information on the spectator policies from around the Patriot League,
CLICK HERE.
For more information about the 2021 Patriot League Baseball Championship visit
Championship Central.
2021 PATRIOT LEAGUE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP – SEMIFINAL ROUND
NO. 4 NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (16-13, 11-12 PL) AT NO. 1 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (21-16, 17-10 PL)
J. David Walker Field at Legacy Park/Bethlehem, Pa.
GAME 1: Saturday, May 15, Noon | GAME 2: Saturday, May 15, 2:30 p.m. | GAME 3: Sunday, May 16, 1 p.m.
WATCH |
LIVE STATS
PREVIEWS:
NAVY |
LEHIGH
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Lehigh and Navy have met seven times in the postseason with the Mids holding a 5-2 series advantage. Navy got the best of the Mountain Hawks during 1996, twice in 2002 and 2003. Lehigh defeated Navy two games to one to claim the 2015 Patriot League title.
2021 REGULAR-SEASON SERIES (Lehigh won the series, 4-2)
April 3 – Lehigh 5, at Navy 1
April 3 – At Navy 4, Lehigh 3
April 4 – At Lehigh 3, Navy 1
May 1 – At Lehigh 2, Navy 0
May 1 – At Lehigh 8, Navy 4
May 2 – At Navy 7, Lehigh 2
ABOUT NAVY: The Midshipmen took two-of-three games against Army West Point during the final weekend of the regular season to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Championship. Navy’s .289 team batting average in League play is second among the Patriot League’s six teams. Junior first baseman Zach Stevens leads the League with four home runs and 24 RBIs, while batting .345 in League play. Freshman outfielder Logan Keller (.333), junior second baseman Nico Valdez (.329), freshman outfielder Zane Raba (.328) and junior catcher Christian Policelli (.320) all finished among the League’s batting leaders.
ABOUT LEHIGH: The Mountain Hawks claimed the Patriot League regular-season title for the first time since 2006 with a pitching staff that posted a 3.85 ERA in 27 League games. Junior RHP Mason Black was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year after going 6-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 68 strikeouts in eight starts against League competition. Senior RHP Matt Svanson, a First Team All-League honoree, posted a 3.07 ERA and 2-3 record in seven League starts. Junior first baseman Casey Rother was named Patriot League Player of the Year after batting .365 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in League play. Lehigh won five of its last seven League contests to clinch the No. 1 seed.
NO. 3 LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (13-15, 12-13 PL) AT NO. 2 ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (24-21, 15-10 PL)
Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field/West Point, N.Y.
GAME 1: Saturday, May 15, 1 p.m. | GAME 2: Saturday, May 15, 4 p.m. | GAME 3: Sunday, May 16, 1 p.m.
WATCH |
LIVE STATS
PREVIEWS:
LAFAYETTE |
ARMY WEST POINT
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: Army West Point and Lafayette have played 10 times in the postseason with the Black Knights holding an 8-2 advantage, including defeating the Leopards in the 2009 League championship series. The last met in 2012 with Army West Point sweeping a semifinal-round series from Lafayette. The Leopards’ two wins came on their way to a League title in 2007.
2021 REGULAR-SEASON SERIES (Army West Point won the series, 6-2)
April 3 – At Army West Point 12, Lafayette 3
April 3 – At Army West Point 5, Lafayette 4
April 4 – Army West Point 6, at Lafayette 1
April 4 – Army West Point 6, at Lafayette 5
April 23 - At Lafayette 14, Army West Point 13
April 23 - Army West Point 16, at Lafayette 1
April 24 – Lafayette 4, at Army West Point 2
April 24 – Army West Point 6, at Lafayette 5
ABOUT LAFAYETTE: The Leopards won six of their last 10 League games to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Championship. Junior shortstop Justin Johnson earned First Team All-Patriot League honors after batting .304 with 13 runs scored and 11 RBIs in 21 League games. Sophomore outfielder Peter Ciuffreda (.316, 2 HRs, 19 RBIs) and freshman outfielder Justin Grech (.270, 13 RBIs) were both second-team selections. Junior C Dylan Minghini finished second in home runs (3) and third in RBIs (22) in League play. Junior RHP Kyle Subers went 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA, while holding League opponents to a .198 batting average in five starts spanning 28.0 innings.
ABOUT ARMY WEST POINT: The Black Knights earned the second seed in the Patriot League Championship behind the League’s most potent offense. Army West Point led the League in team batting average (.304), runs (174), slugging percentage (.436) and on-base percentage (.414). Senior third baseman Anthony Giachin, a three-time All-League selection, led the Patriot League with a .371 batting average in League play. Sophomore shortstop Kevin Dubrule was third in the League, batting .347 in League play, while Patriot League Rookie of the Year Sam Ruta (Fr., OF) tied Navy’s Stevens with a League-leading 24 RBIs in League games. The Black Knights’ pitching staff also finished second in the League with a 4.80 team ERA in 25 League games.
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.