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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – One weekend remaining in the 2022 regular season separates the Lehigh baseball team from the Patriot League Tournament as the Mountain Hawks (24-20, 10-11 PL) hit the road for four games starting with a doubleheader Saturday at Army West Point and then a double header on Sunday at Holy Cross.
The Mountain Hawks saved their best baseball of the season for the tail-end of the campaign, winners of three straight and seven of their last nine games. Closing out the season at home last weekend, Lehigh took two out of three games from Holy Cross including a 17-6 win in the rubber game Sunday.
Senior Casey Rother has torn it up at the plate as of late and had a heck of a week for the Mountain Hawks during their 3-1 stretch with victories over Cairn and the Crusaders, ultimately being named Patriot League Player of the week for the second time for his performances. During his team-best 14-game hitting streak, Rother is hitting .492 (29-for-59) with seven doubles, six home runs, a triple and 24 RBIs. He’s also slugging .949 with an on-base percentage of .522 during the run. In his last 14 games, Rother has been a terror for opposing teams on the mound, going 3-0 with an ERA of 0.00 and striking out seven with one walk.
Rother heads into the final weekend of the regular season with a mission to both help the Mountain Hawks clinch a spot in the PLT and also earn Patriot League Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row. He is batting .369 this year overall with 66 hits, 18 doubles, eight homers, 44 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Rother is slugging .615 with 16 walks, striking out just 22 times with an on-base percentage of .424. As a pitcher, he continues to be one of the most dominant arms on the staff with an unblemished record of 3-0, two saves and a 0.75 ERA, allowing just one run (earned or unearned) with 11 strikeouts and two walks in 12.0 innings of work.
He isn’t the only big name that has been carrying the Mountain Hawks on offense this season as many other players have served as key contributors as of late. Sophomore Tyler Young has emerged in the starting lineup and has improved dramatically after his first year with the squad. Young is batting .340 with 49 hits, eight doubles, two triples, a homer and 30 RBIs in 43 games, reaching base at a clip of .430 with 22 walks and 10 stolen bases.
Senior Joe Gorla (.313), sophomore Riley Davis (.311) and first-year Jake Whitlinger (.309) are all hitting above .300 this season, while junior Adam Retzbach continues to pace the team and the Patriot League in home runs with nine in 2022.
Heading into his final start of the regular season, senior left-hander Luke Rettig (7-2, 2.04 ERA) has a chance to become just the third pitcher in program history to win at least eight games in a single-season and the first since Joe Matteo (8) in 2006. The program record for wins in a single-season is nine, held by program great Dave Cerminaro in 2002. Rettig is also just three strikeouts away from 200 for his career and would become just the fifth player in program history to reach the milestone. This season, Rettig has posted a 2.04 ERA in 61.2 innings, striking out 61 batters and walked 28 with two complete games and one shutout.
Fellow senior left-hander Matt Stamford (3-4, 5.27) will also be an important piece of the puzzle this weekend for the Lehigh rotation, striking out 40 and walking 19 in 54.2 innings. Junior right-hander Carlos Torres (3-1, 8.07) has been efficient as of late, earning victories over Lafayette and Holy Cross in the last few weeks. He struck out 39 and walked 16 in 29.0 innings. Junior right-hander Ben Christian (2-4, 5.06) could also make an appearance as a starter, striking out 24 and walking 14.
In the bullpen, senior righty Nick Pave (1-2, 6.00) has been magnificent in save situations, earning a team-high five in 14 appearances. First-year Jack Hamilton (2-1, 4.42), junior Ryan Deom (0-0, 4.86) and sophomore Tyler Thompson (0-1, 5.04) have been staples in late-game situations this season.
Army West Point heads into the final weekend of the regular season already knowing its own destiny, having clinched the Patriot League Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed following last weekend against Bucknell. The Black Knights (24-20, 15-6 PL) have won three straight games after taking a come-from-behind win over Manhattan on Wednesday, a win over LIU on Tuesday and two out of three games from the Bison.
Sam Ruta is Rother’s fiercest competitor for Patriot League Player of the Year this season, hitting .362 with 50 hits, six homers, eight doubles, four triples and 26 RBIs. He’s slugging .609 and has walked 33 times with an on-base percentage of .489. Kevin Dubrule is hitting .342 with 63 hits, while Ross Friedrick is batting .329 with three home runs and 11 doubles. Cam Cerruto has also been on a tear as of late, hitting in nine straight games.
On the mound, Brian Dawson (3-1, 2.35 ERA) and Connelly Early (5-3, 3.15) lead the way, while Tanner Gresham (1-1, 3.20) leads the team with five saves.
Army took two out of three games from the Mountain Hawks at Walker Field the last time the two teams met earlier this season. The Black Knights lead the all-time series, 92-54.
The Crusaders currently occupy last place in the Patriot League standings, but are no means out of the hunt despite needing to win nearly all of their remaining four games. Holy Cross plays Lafayette at home on Saturday before hosting the Mountain Hawks Sunday for the final two games.
Holy Cross is missing the services of talented first-year Nick Wang, who has not played since April 17. Wang leads the team with a batting average of .376 with 50 hits, 18 doubles and 26 runs scored. Other than Wang and Sean Scanlon (.315), no one else is hitting above .300 this season. Nate Wolf and Jake McElroy both totaled a team-high three home runs.
Luke Fox (2-1, 3.57) has appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen this season, while Alex Bryant (0-1, 4.00) and Nate Chudy (2-5, 5.13) have been two prominent starters this season for the Crusaders.
Holy Cross leads the all-time series over Lehigh, 70-63, although the Mountain Hawks have claimed six of the last eight meetings.
All four games this weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required). First pitch is scheduled to take place at 1:05 pm both days at West Point, NY and Worcester, Mass.
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