April 25, 2013

Looking Back: Well, they never said it'd be easy. The No. 3 Johns Hopkins baseball team (30-5, 12-3 CC) has hit a bit of a snag in recent games, falling to conference foes Gettysburg and Washington College on Monday and Tuesday. It was the first time the Blue Jays had lost back-to-back games all season. Despite the recent downswing, Hopkins still controls its destiny in the Centennial Conference as it holds a one-game lead over Gettysburg.

Weekend Preview: Hopkins has some added pressure this weekend as it closes out its conference slate with a road game against Washington College and then a home double-header against Muhlenberg. The Jays would do well to win the final three games, as a slip up could give Gettysburg the regular season title (Gettysburg holds the tie-breaker).

In the News: Senior Jeff Lynch was recognized by multiple publications last week for his efforts on the diamond, being named the D3baseball.com First Baseman of the Week and the Centennial Conference Player of the Week. Lynch batted .444 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and nine runs from April 15-21.

Nationally Ranked: With a 4-1 week, Hopkins remained at third in the American Baseball Coaches Poll and fell from second to third in the D3Baseball.com poll. The Blue Jays have the best winning percentage among all Division III schools thus far in 2013.

JHU Baseball Capital Project: The program is in the middle of its largest fund raising campaign in history as it looks to significantly upgrade the facilities at the JHU Baseball Diamond. The proposed $4.2 million campaign is geared exclusively to the playing facility utilized by the team on campus. For more information, contact Blue Jays Unlimited at bju@jhu.edu or click here.

Staying in Front: The Blue Jays have been phenomenal this season holding a lead late in games, accumulating an astonishing record of 27-0 when leading after six innings. Sophomore Justin Drechsel has led the way, allowing just two earned runs in 19 innings (0.95 ERA), while striking out 19 batters on just two walks.

Fireworks: Hopkins has broken out the big bats in recent games, hitting 11 home runs over its last nine contests. Chris Wilhelm leads the team with seven dingers, while Jeff Lynch is just behind with six. The Jays currently rank fifth in the nation in home runs (21) as of games played through April 21.

Among the Best in the Nation (through 4/21):

• Home Runs: 21 (5th)
• Hits allowed/9: 7.67 (9th)
• WHIP: 1.18 (13th)
• Base on Balls: 155 (13th)
• ERA: 2.76 (14th)
• Runs: 249 (23rd)

Closing in on 1,000: Head Coach Bob Babb is quickly inching towards the 1,000-win plateau, currently sitting at 983 career victories. Entering the season, Babb was tied for third among active DIII coaches in winning percentage (.734) and fifth in wins (953).

Streaking: Sophomore Colin McCarthy has reached base in all 32 games he has started this season. Meanwhile, Mike Denlinger holds the longest reached base streak with 19, followed by Christopher Casey (11). Jeff Lynch has a nine-game hit streak.

In the Hopkins Career Record Books:

• Walks: Neverman (8th)
• Doubles: Lynch (8th)
• Total Bases: Lynch (13th), Neverman (17th)
• Home Runs: Lynch (T-16th)
• RBIs: Lynch (19th)
• Runs: Neverman (19th)
• At-Bats: Neverman (23rd)
• Hits: Lynch (T-25th), Neverman (T-27th)

In the Hopkins Single-Season Record Books:

• Sacrifices: Weiner (T-2nd)
• Doubles: Lynch (T-4th)
• Walks: Neverman (19th)
• Saves: Augustine (T-4th)

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