The Holy Cross baseball team will host Army West Point in a crucial four-game Patriot League series on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 at Fitton Field. First pitch for each doubleheader is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
Senior Day:
Things to Know About the Crusaders (16-26, 10-7):
- Holy Cross hosted Hartford on Wednesday, April 24, posting a 12-6 win.
- Sophomore outfielder David Kale had three stolen bases during a 3-for-5 day to lead a slew of impressive performances. Sophomore Andrew Selima went 2-for-4 with three RBI, while McCormick (2-for-3) and Gionis (2-for-4, triple) also had multi-hit days.
- Selima has impressed for the Crusaders as of late – he enters the weekend on a six-game hitting streak. He has appeared in 13 straight games at first base, starting 12, with a .351 average and .519 on-base percentage in that span.
- Kale has reached base in 15 consecutive games, raising his season average to .294.
- This weekend's matchup will pit the top two pitching staffs in the Patriot League against one another. The Crusaders own the best conference ERA in the league at 3.46, while Army is close behind in second with a 3.57 ERA.
- The Crusaders have batted .273 in league play this year, second only to conference-leading Navy. Sophomore designated hitter Evan Blum has hit a team-best .364, which ranks sixth in the Patriot League, while junior center fielder Austin Masel ranks seventh with a .348 average in conference play.
- After hitting just seven home runs in their first 37 games of the year, Holy Cross has doubled its home run total with seven homers in the past five games. Junior infielder Alex Volpi and Masel each have two homers in that span, while Kale, Gionis and junior shortstop Chris Rinaldi each have one.
- Holy Cross has won eight of its last 10 games and 11 of its last 15; the Crusaders currently sit in third place in the Patriot League standings with eight conference games remaining.
Things to Know About the Black Knights (24-17, 11-6):
- Army comes off an 11-5 loss to Marist on Wednesday. Cam Cerruto went 3-for-3 in the matchup with two RBI, while Carter Macias was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
- Jacob Hurtubise has posted a .568 on-base percentage in league play with 23 runs scored; he owns a .407 average in conference games.
- Starter Daniel Burggraaf owns a 2.23 ERA in league games this year, third-best in the conference.
- As a team Army is batting .275 overall – the second-best mark in the league – while batting .272 in conference play, the third-best mark in the league.
- The Black Knights sit in second place in the Patriot League with one more win than the Crusaders in conference play.
Last Time They Met:
- Army got the best of Holy Cross in a back-and-forth battle in West Point, New York, on April 17 in an 8-5 win for the Black Knights, snapping a five-game winning streak for the Crusaders.
- After trailing 3-0 at the end of the first inning, Holy Cross stormed back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the third. Army regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth, however, with a three-run inning, and took an 8-4 lead by the end of the sixth inning. Masel hit a solo homer to lead off the seventh, but Holy Cross would not cut any closer into Army's lead.
- Kale had a 1-for-4 day with a two-RBI triple, while Rinaldi hit 2-for-5 on the afternoon.
