BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team captured its third straight regular season title as the top seeded Greyhounds will host the 2012 Landmark Conference Championship Tournament May 5th through 9th at Gillespie Field.
The tournament begins on Saturday, May 5th with the top seed Moravian taking on fourth seed Drew University at 11:00 a.m. Second seed The United States Merchant Marine Academy and third seeded The Catholic University of America are slated to take the field at 2:30 p.m. 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 click here.
The Greyhounds, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Paul Engelhardt, who as a career mark of 137-99, have posted a 26-14 overall record this spring, becoming just the fourth team in the 73-year history of Moravian's baseball program to win 20 games in a season, and all four seasons have been under coach Engelhardt.
Moravian had a 14-4 mark in Landmark Conference action during the 2012 regular season, and the Greyhounds are 42-11 at Gillespie Field over the last three seasons with a 29-4 mark against Landmark Conference opponents .
Moravian, which is making its fourth straight appearance in the Landmark Conference Tournament and third as host, is hitting .340 with 96 doubles, 12 triples and 13 home runs, and the team also has tied the school record with 88 stolen bases and a .966 fielding percentage this season.
The Greyhounds are led by senior shortstop Dave Zubia, who has a team-best .452 batting average, 52 runs and 18 stolen bases to go with his 13 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 35 RBIs while drawing 21 walks. Leading on the mound is classmate Brendan Close, who is 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched.
Senior pitcher Kyle Longernecker is 3-3 with two saves and a 1.79 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 40.1 innings pitched while freshman Chris Lansberry is 7-1 with a 3.15 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 40 innings.
Freshman outfielder Matt Hanson is batting .380 with 24 runs, 16 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and seven doubles while sophomore second baseman Daniel Seitzinger is hitting .367 to go with his 29 runs scored, 26 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Senior first baseman Kevin O'Keefe has a .365 batting average with 38 runs, 14 stolen bases and a team-high 15 doubles and 41 RBIs while classmate designated hitter Austin Rock is batting .362 with 38 RBIs, 31 runs, 14 doubles and a team-best four home runs.
Senior catcher Blake Shortall is perfect in the field with a 1.000 fielding percentage to go with his .330 batting average, 24 RBIs and 19 runs scored while classmate third baseman Gregg Steinman is hitting .323 with 31 RBIs, 17 runs scored and eight doubles. Sophomore outfielder Joseph Connell is batting .299 with 36 runs, 13 RBIs, 11 stolen bases and ten doubles while classmate outfielder Harrison Fonteix is hitting .304 with 16 runs, 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
Also helping on the mound is sophomore Thomas Mariano, who is 5-2 with a 3.91 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 53 innings while classmate Robert Solano is 2-1 with a 3.73 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Sophomore Benjamin Hammel has a 2.70 ERA and ten strikeouts in 13.1 innings while classmate Chris Soltys has 24 strikeouts and a 3.97 ERA in 22.2 innings.
Freshman middle-infielder Colin Case has ten hits and nine RBIs while classmate outfielder Justin Pilchman has 11 hits, eight runs and five RBIs. Sophomore catcher Matthew Gutkes is hitting .316 with 20 RBIs and 11 runs scored while Lansberry has 14 hits, 11 runs and eight RBIs.
