May 1, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

The Centennial Conference Tournament
After finishing the regular season with a mark of 30-5, 16-2 in the Centennial Conference the Johns Hopkins baseball team has earned the right to host the Centennial Conference Tournament. The tournament is played in double elimination format and the conference's automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA Tournament is at stake.

Action starts on Friday, May 2 as Hopkins hosts the #4 seed Muhlenberg and #2 Franklin & Marshall plays host to #3 Haverford. All of the action then moves to Hopkins on Saturday with the results of Friday dictating who plays in the winners bracket and the losers bracket. Hopkins will play at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning regardless of Friday's results.

Scouting Muhlenberg: Hopkins and Muhlenberg will renew its rivalry on Friday afternoon. The Blue Jays and Mules split a doubleheader earlier this season in Allentown. Hopkins is 4-0 against Muhlenberg in Centennial Conference Tournament play and 27-12 all-time.

The Mules will be led at the plate by Centennial Conference Player of the Year Christian Conti. Conti is leading the league in triples (11) and home runs (10).

Scouting Franklin & Marshall: Hopkins could face Franklin & Marshall on Saturday morning pending the outcome of Friday's action. Earlier this season, the Blue Jays took two from the Diplomats in a doubleheader in Baltimore. Hopkins holds a slim one-game advantage in the all-time series at 29-28.

First Team All-Centennial selections Jason Anderson and Shea Moriarty lead the Diplomats into the weekend. Anderson has 10 doubles while Moriarty is currently on a 14-game hit streak.

Scouting Haverford: Haverford and Hopkins could be headed for a rematch one week after their doubleheader split. The Fords snapped the Blue Jays' 12-game win streak in the first game before the Blue Jays pulled out the victory in game-two. Hopkins holds a 60-16 advantage in the all-time series.

Freshman Charlie Carluccio earned First Team All-Centennial honors after hitting .371 for the Fords. He earned his spot at shortstop but also proved reliable on the hill for the Fords with six saves.

Team/Individual Notes

I'm Honored: The Centennial Conference office released the All-Centennial Baseball Team on Wednesday and the Blue Jays were well represented. Seniors Rob Pietroforte, Tony Margve, Todd Emr and junior Ryan Biner all were named First Team All-Centennial. Sophomore Brian Youchak earned Second Team All-Centennial honors while senior Joe Zaccaria was All-Centennial Honorable Mention.

I'll Take Three: Pietroforte tied the JHU career triples record with his 13th at Montclair State on April 22. Pietroforte is currently tied with Tom Finegan, who had 13 triples from 1985-1988.

Streaking: Four Blue Jays will take a hit streak of 10+ games into Friday's action. Pietroforte has hit in 22 straight while Youchak has connected in 17 consecutive games. Emr is the owner of a current 14-game streak while senior Jon Solomon has an 11 game streak.

To Run or Not to Run: The Hopkins pitching staff and catchers have done a solid job of holding runners this season. Opponents are just 13-for-30 in stolen base opportunities. That group is led by Margve and Zaccaria. Runners have stolen just four bases in 14 attempts on Margve while Zaccaria has not allowed a stolen base in six attempts from the mound.

Hosting the Tournament: This will be the fourth time the Blue Jays have hosted the Centennial Conference tournament. The Blue Jays captured the title in each of the previous three times they hosted.

Feasting on Lefties: The Blue Jays have found a lot of success against left-handed pitching this season. Hopkins is 7-1 in games where opponents send a left-handed starter to the mound. As a team the Blue Jays are hitting .421 against lefties with seven of the nine starters hitting over .400. That group is led by Youchak, who is hitting .640 against left-handers and Emr, who is hitting .563 in those situations.

Trio of Stoppers: Senior Ryan Kealy, junior Pete Smith and sophomore Matt Wiegand have been the three most called upon arms out of the Blue Jay bullpen. Kealy has a 4-1 record with two saves as right-handers are hitting just .214 against him. Smith has stranded six of 10 inherited runners as lead-off men are hitting just .143 against him. Wiegand leads the staff with 13 appearances with opponents hitting just .161 against him with men on base.

Double Your Pleasure: Of the Blue Jays' 518 hits so far this season, 110 of them have been doubles. Hopkins needs just 16 more doubles to tie the Centennial Conference single-season record it set last year. Of those 110 doubles, 51 of them have come against Centennial Conference opponents. Youchak leads the Blue Jays with 17 doubles, eight of which have come in Centennial Conference play while Pietroforte has 16, half of which have come in Centennial play.

Leading the Nation: The Blue Jays find themselves at the top of several categories in the national ranks. Entering this week, the Blue Jays led the nation in batting average (.394), slugging percentage (.608) and scoring average (11.7).

Fifth Inning Fancy: The biggest inning for damage has been the fifth as the Blue Jays are out scoring opponents 89-23 in that frame.

Scoring Double: Hopkins is 22-0 this year when scoring 10+ runs in a game. The Blue Jays have accomplished that feat 10 times at home this year.