INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Seven Moravian College baseball players are ranked in the latest NCAA Division III statistics released Tuesday.
Senior pitcher Brendan Close (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom HS) is ranked 17th in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.75. He is also tied for 12th with four complete games, tied for 22nd in victories with five and 86th in ERA at 1.75. Close is currently 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 32 strikeouts and just three walks allowed in 36 innings.
Senior pitcher Kyle Longernecker (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 11th in walks allowed per nine innings at 0.63, and he is 69th in ERA at 1.57. On the year, Longernecker is 3-3 with a save, a 1.57 ERA, 20 strikeouts and just two walks allowed in 28.2 innings.
Senior designated hitter Austin Rock (Arlington, Va./Flour Bluff (Tx.) HS) is tied for 12th with 12 doubles, tied for 42nd with 0.50 doubles per game and tied for 44th with 27 RBIs. Rock, who became the 21st player in school history to record 100 career hits, is batting .344 (31-for-90) this spring 18 runs scored, 12 doubles, two RBIs and a home run.
Senior shortstop Dave Zubia (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 21st in the nation after getting hit by a pitch ten times this spring, and he is 48th in hit by pitch per game at 0.42, tied for 23rd in runs scored with 30 and tied for 46th in runs scored per game at 1.25. Zubia is hitting .386 (34-for-88) to go with his 32 runs scored, 24 RBIs and ten stolen bases.
Senior first baseman Kevin O'Keefe (Alexandria, Va,./Bishop Ireton HS) is tied for 48th in doubles with ten this season, and O'Keefe, who became the school's all-time hits leader last week, has a .368 average (35-for-96) to go with 29 runs, scored, ten doubles, three triples and 26 RBIs.
Sophomore outfielder Joseph Connell (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic HS) is tied for 33rd in the country in runs scored at 29. Connell has a .324 average this spring (34-for-105) to go along with 29 runs, nine doubles and 12 RBIs.
Sophomore designated hitter/catcher Matt Gutkes (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North HS) is tied for 49th in the nation with three sacrifice flies this spring. Gutkes has contributed a .400 average (14-for-35) with eight runs scored, one home run and 13 RBIs.
As a team, Moravian is ranked in nine different categories. They are tied for nine with 60 doubles, 20th with 2.40 doubles per game, eighth in walks allowed per nine (2.21), 28th in batting average (.339), 20th in hits (295), tied for 17th in runs (205), 32nd in runs per game (8.2), tied for 30th in getting hit by pitches (35) and tied for 38th in stolen bases (50).
The Greyhounds, who are 16-10 this spring, return to action on Wednesday, April 4 as they close out a seven-game homestand versus Haverford College for a non-conference game at Gillespie Field. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
