THE BOYS ARE BUZZIN

• The Blue Jays are trying to follow a similar path to the 2020 shortened season. After dropping a season-opening doubleheader, Johns Hopkins won nine of 10 to end the season. After dropping a seson-opening doubleheader in 2021, the Blue Jays have won seven of eight to put themselves into a tie atop the Centennial Conference with Franklin & Marshall. Taking on the Bullets this past weekend, the Blue Jays completed their third straight doubleheader sweep. Johns Hopkins scored 28 runs, including a season-high 15 in Game Two, en route to its highest-scoring DH total since 2019 vs. Muhlenberg. 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME(WOOD)

• Homefield advantage is a real thing on the Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus and it shows at Babb Field. In the last three seasons (2019, 2020, 2021), the Blue Jays hold a home record of 36-6. Hopkins is off to a 4-0 start at home in 2021 after going 7-3 last year and 25-3 back in the College World Series season of 2019. Babb Field is unique and there is no doubt that Johns Hopkins has used it to its advantage. 

OFFENSIVE ERUPTION

• The Blue Jays scored 28 runs in the DH vs. Gettysburg this past weekend, scoring a season-high 15 goals in Game Two after 13 in Game One. It was the highest total in a Blue Jay DH since March 30th, 2019 vs. Muhlenberg when the Jays outscored the Mules 30-1. Hopkins scored in 14 of 18 innings on Saturday, scoring multiple runs in six different innings. In Game One, Hopkins scored in eight of nine innings, pushing three runs across the board in the 4th and the 9th innings. The Blue Jays racked up 15 hits, eight walks and 10 RBI. Barrett Smith, AJ King, Austin Sacks, James Ingram and David Harding all had multi-hit games. Smith & Harding doubled for the Jays while Ingram and Tripp Myers homered for the Jays.

• In Game Two, the Blue Jays topped their effort with 15 runs, 18 hits, six walks and 11 RBI. Matthew Ritchie, AJ King, Dai Dai Otaka & Jack Walters all had 3 hits. Ritchie, Harding, Otaka, Walters and Dillon Bowman each drove in a pair of runs. 

LAST MEETING

• The last meeting between Hopkins & Ursinus took place back on April 6th, 2019 with the Bears pulling off a rare DH sweep of the Blue Jays. Hopkins allowed seven runs in the first two innings of an 11-8 loss in Game One. Austin Sacks HR'd and drove in three for the Blue Jays in the loss. The Bears offense stayed hot in Game Two, scoring 15 runs in a 15-9 victory over JHU. Mike Eberle and Chris DeGiacomo each had two hits and three RBI in the contest for the Jays. 

GET ON EM EARLY

• In ten games this season, Johns Hopkins has scored in the first inning six times. JHU opened their season, manufacturing a Dai Dai Otaka leadoff walk into an RBI ground out from Barrett Smith. The Blue Jays failed to score in the first inning of Game Two against F&M, but scored in the first inning of both games against Dickinson. Austin Sacks & Matt Ritchie both drove in runs in the top of the first inning against Dickinson this two weekends ago. This past weekend, Isaiah Winikur hit a solo shot in the first inning of Game Two. Dating back through last season, the Jays have scored in nine of 20 first innings. The Blue Jays crossed home plate twice in Game Two of Saturday's DH with Gettysburg, getting a sac-fly from Jared deFaria and an RBI single from Austin Sacks. 

• The strong starts aren't only in the first inning for the Blue Jays in 2021. Hopkins is outscoring opposing teams 30-5 in the first three innings this season. The Blue Jays outscore their opponents 7-1 in the first inning, 14-3 in the second and 9-1 in the third. 

STREAKIN'

• As we are closing in on the end of the regular season for JHU, there are some streaks still alive. Matthew Ritchie has reached base in 15 straight games dating back to last season. The senior second basemen has reached base in 24 of his last 25 contests, only failing to reach in a single contest in 2020.. Jared deFaria has reached base in six straight contests for JHU while James Ingram and AJ King are off and running on five-game hitting streaks. 

THIS WORLD IS MINE FOR THE TAKING, MAKE ME KING

• After an 0-8 start to the year, AJ King has bounced back in a major way. In Game 2 against McDaniel, King went 4-4 with a run scored and two RBI. In Game 1 against Washington College, King kept it going, finishing the day 3-3 with an RBI. The junior backstop picked up a hit in seven straight at-bats. Add in a walk and a sacrifice fly and it was nine at-bats in a row without being retired. Now, King has compiled a five-game hitting streak after the 0-8 start, totaling 13 hits in 20 at-bats. King has raised his average to a team-best .464 and has multi-hit games in four of his last five. The junior also has added an RBI in eahc of the last five games. 

CAPTAINS OF THE SHIP

• With the departure of key players, and 2020 captains, Mike Eberle and Chris Festa, the Jays have announced a quartet of captains for the 2021 season. Matthew Ritchie, Mark Lopez, Jonah Offman & Brian Linton will act as the team captains for the Blue Jays this season. 

• Each one of the captains has contributed to the team's success this season.

 - Jonah Offman earned the win out of the bullpen in Game One against McDaniel, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing just one run and striking out five. On the season, Offman has struck out 12 in 8.2 innings pitched.

 - Matthew Ritchie is third on the team among qualified hitters with a batting average of .306. Ritchie leads the team with four doubles and has the third highest OBP of .444.

 - Mark Lopez has crushed a pair of massive home runs this season. Against McDaniel it was a three-run HR to jump out to a nice lead for the Blue Jays and the next weekend, it was a grand slam against the Shoremen to break open the game early. Lopez leads the team with 8 RBI. 

 - Brian Linton has been fantastic out of the bullpen for JHU. The senior righty has appeared five times, throwing 8.1 scoreless innings. Linton has allowed an opponent's batting average of just .167 and has struck out 11. 

STOP TRYING TO MAKE FETCH HAPPEN

• *NOTE* The Three Soph-Migos nickname has not caught on quite as quickly as matt lawrence & i had anticipated. however, these three pitchers still rule. 

• Jack McRae, Peter Schaefer & Kieren Collins have eaten the brunt of the innings for JHU so far this season. The three right-handed sophomores have combined to throw 56.1 of the team's 87.0 innings this season. The trio have a combined ERA of 1.76 while striking out 68 batters. 

• The Centennial Conference pitcher of the week, Schaefer leads the Jays with 25.1 innings pitched and 34 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .214 off the righty. Schaefer has struck out at least five in every game this season. Schaefer has pitched to an ERA of 1.78 after seven scoreless vs. Gettysburg on Saturday. 

• After coming out of the bullpen for the first two contests, Collins has made three starts for the Jays. Collins is second on the team with 19.2 innings pitched and 18 strikeouts. Collins has pitched to a 2.29 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .219 against the righty. 

• After starting a pair of contests, the righty has made three straight scoreless relief appearances. McRae has totaled 11.1 innings this season, striking out 14 and allowing opponents to hit just .158. The sophomore has compiled a team-best 0.79 ERA. 

PITCHER PARADISE

• Opposing hitters have not had much success against Blue Jay pitching in 2021. Through six games, hitters have combined for a .225 average against Blue Jays with just 13 extra-base hits. Seven different Blue Jay pitchers have held opponents to a batting average of .250 or less. Against the three starting pitchers, Collins, McRae and Schaefer, opponents have hit .219, .158 and .214 respectively. In six-plus innings, Brian Linton has held opposing hitters to an average of .167.

GETTING IT DONE WITH RISP

• Success with runners in scoring position is key to winning at any level of baseball. The Blue Jays have performed admirably with RISP and have done an even better job of keeping opposing teams in check with RISP. Through eight games this year, Johns Hopkins is 42-132 w/ RISP, good for an average of .318. 11 different Hopkins hitters have multiple hits with RISP. AJ King leads the way with eight hits in 14 tries. Matthew Ritchie and Austin Sacks both have five hits with RISP while Dai Dai Otaka and Jared deFaria have four each. Opponents are just 20-101 against Blue Jay pitching with RISP, good for a batting average of .198. Opposing teams are just 3-19 against Blue Jay pitching with the bases loaded this season (.158).