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Davidson Spectator Protocol
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – About to start the journey for its third Patriot League title in program history (and first since 2015), the Lehigh baseball team heads south to warmer weather to start its 2022 campaign. The Mountain Hawks head down to North Carolina to face Davidson for a three-game series starting Friday at 6 pm from Wilson Field.
The 2021 Mountain Hawks finished the season with a 24-19 overall record and 17-10 in Patriot League play, claiming the first outright Patriot League regular season title in program history. The 17 league wins were also a program-best total.
A highlight of last season’s team was the pitching and the Mountain Hawks enter the year without three of their top arms – two in the starting rotation and one from the bullpen – as both Mason Black and Matt Svanson were drafted by MLB organizations in July, while Sam Wurth graduated after being the top closer in the Patriot League for the 2021 season.
This year, senior lefty Luke Rettig, who was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection a year ago, as well as senior lefty Matt Stamford are both back in the fold to start as the season commences this weekend. Junior right-hander Carlos Torres is looking to be Lehigh’s key right-handed option in the rotation.
Rettig, who was named a Preseason All-Patriot League selection ahead of this upcoming year, earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors in 2021, going 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 appearances. He finished with the third most strikeouts (62) among his teammates last season and has the most of any returning player this season.
Looking into Lehigh’s returning lineup, three All-Patriot League players from a season ago including reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Casey Rother, third baseman Joe Gorla and catcher Adam Retzbach are back into the fold and looking even more improved and ready to go for the grueling campaign. In addition to those names, senior first baseman Gerard Sweeney is also a player that needs no introduction, who led the Patriot League in home runs with seven in 2021.
Preseason All-Patriot League selection Rother heads into the 2022 season after being named Lehigh’s first Player of the Year since 2016 and was one of eight All-Patriot League selections for the Mountain Hawks. He hit .329 over 42 games with 52 hits, six doubles, six home runs and 34 RBIs over the duration of the 2021 schedule. He also offers the most versatility to the Mountain Hawk’s defense and is expected to play outfield as well as see time on the mound for the upcoming year.
Sweeney returns after a stellar finish where he batted .393 (24-for-61) with five homers, five doubles and 15 RBIs in the final 15 games of 2021. He was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team after hitting .417 with 10 hits, three homers and five RBIs in six postseason games. Sweeney split his time last season starting between the two hot corners in the infield and this year will primarily play first base for Lehigh.
Gorla cemented himself as one of the most consistent offensive middle infielders in the Patriot League, splitting his time between second and third base and will start out the year playing the latter in a loaded Mountain Hawks infield. Gorla was one of two players for the Mountain Hawks to hit above .300 on the year, batting .322 and was another All-Tournament honoree, who hit .435 in six postseason games with 10 hits, three home runs and five RBIs with two walking
First years Rafe Perich and Jake Whitlinger have the potential to be immediately impactful for the Mountain Hawks in the infield and outfield, respectively. Perich is only the second switch-hitter in Lehigh’s lineup this year (aside from Sweeney), while Whitlinger has a mix of pop and speed and will play mostly center field to begin his collegiate career.
The Mountain Hawks’ first opponent of the new season, Davidson comes into 2022 after a 27-24 2021 season where the Wildcats finished 11-13 in the Atlantic 10 conference. Davidson was a tough out last season at Wilson Field where the Wildcats finished the year 19-7 in front of their home fans.
Davidson brings back talented returners in senior outfielder Trevor Candelaria and junior right-hander Nolan DeVos, who were both First Team All-Atlantic 10 selections in 2021.
Candelaria hit .285 with 17 doubles, 11 homers and 32 RBIs last season, while leading the team in total bases (99), runs scored (40), stolen bases (13), slugging percentage (.576) and OPS (.960 ).
DeVos led the A-10 with eight saves while posting a 1.48 ERA in 19 appearances over 30.1 innings. He went 5-0, struck out 39 while walking 14 and held opposing batters to a .191 average. He transitions from the bullpen to a starting role for the 2022 season.
Davidson holds a 6-5 all-time series lead against Lehigh all-time, last meeting for the 2020 season-opening series. The Mountain Hawks dropped all three games in the series and haven’t topped the Wildcats since 2018, where they claimed two of the three games on the road.
Live stats will be provided for all three games at Davidson this weekend.
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Story by Joey Dotta ’22
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