SO WHAT, SO WHAT, SO WHAT'S THE SCENARIO

• There are two scenarios in which the Centennial Conference Championship is decided this weekend. First, if the Blue Jays sweep Muhlenberg to improve to 11-3 and Franklin & Marshall drops at least one contest to Gettysburg, the Blue Jays are the 2021 Centennial Champions. Second, if the Blue Jays split with Muhlenberg, F&M gets swept by Gettysburg and Washington College drops one to Dickinson, JHU is your champion. If both Hopkins & F&M sweep this weekend, a champion will not yet be decided as F&M will have two remaining regular season contests. 

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 38-6. Hopkins was a perfet 6-0 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

• After not scoring more than nine runs in any of the first eight games of the season, Hopkins has scored 11 or more in three of the last four contests. Two weekends ago, JHU scored 28 runs en route to a doubleheader sweep of the Gettysburg Bullets, the most runs scored in a Blue Jay DH since scoring 30 in a DH vs. Muhlenberg in 2019. They continued the strong offensive efforts with 16 runs, including 11 in Game 1, vs. Ursinus on Saturday. 

• In Game 1, the Blue Jays totaled 13 hits and drew six walks. Jared deFaria and Mark Lopez both collected three hits with Lopez leading the team with 3 RBI. deFaria and Austin Sacks both drove in 2 runs in the contest. Nine different players had hits for Johns Hopkins. 

LAST MEETING

• These teams last met in the Centennial Conference tournament in 2019. The Blue Jays won the contest 14-4 at Babb Field. The Mules got on the board early getting an RBI single in the first inning, but the Blue Jays scored the next 9 runs to pull away and advance to the Centennial semifinals. Mark Lopez went 2-3, homered and drove in five runs for the Blue Jays. Matthew Ritchie scored four runs and added two stolen bases in the victory. 

GET ON EM EARLY

• In ten games this season, Johns Hopkins has scored in the first inning seven 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. Against McDaniel, Isaiah Winikur hit a solo shot in the first inning of Game Two. 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. Most recently, Hopkins scored three in the first inning of Game Two vs. Ursinus. deFaria drove in two with a double and Sacks brought him home with an RBI single. Dating back through last season, the Jays have scored in 11 of 24 first innings.

• The strong starts aren't only in the first inning for the Blue Jays in 2021. Hopkins is outscoring opposing teams 35-7 in the first three innings this season. The Blue Jays outscore their opponents 10-1 in the first inning, 15-3 in the second and 10-3 in the third. 

THEY COME IN BUNCHES

• 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 nine of ten to put themselves atop the Centennial Conference just ahead of Franklin & Marshall. 

• Johns Hopkins has put together no shortage of win streaks in recent memory. With an eight-game winning streak currently, it marks six straight seasons with at least a seven-game winning streak. 2015 is the last season in which the Blue Jays didn't win seven or more games in-a-row. 

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 17 straight games dating back to last season. The senior second basemen has reached base in 26 of his last 27 contests, only failing to reach in a single contest in 2020. Jared deFaria has reached base in eight straight contests for JHU. James Ingram & AJ King both had six-game hitting streaks come to an end in Game Two on Saturday. After an 0-8 weekend vs. Washington College, Dai Dai Otaka has put together a four-game hitting streak, going 7-15 (.467) at the plate. 

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• For the first time since 4/22/19, the Blue Jays swept the Centennial Conference Player of the Week awards. For their performances against Ursinus, Jared deFaria and Peter Schaefer were honored by the conference. Schaefer, now a back-to-back winner, was dominant against the Bears, throwing eight strong innings, allowing just four hits and two runs, and striking out a career-high 12. Schaefer earned the same honor for his efforts at Gettysburg the week prior. For deFaria, it was a 5-7 (.714) weekend with a pair of homers, a double, five runs scored and five RBI. 

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 .302. Ritchie leads the team with four doubles and has the second highest OBP of .444. Ritchie has the third-most total bases with 17.

 - 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. This past weekend, the Baltimore native went 3-4 in Game One with 3 RBI. Lopez leads the team with 11 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. 

SECOND YEAR STUDS

• 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 73 of the team's 105 innings this season. The trio have a combined ERA of 1.85 while striking out 85 batters. 

• The Centennial Conference pitcher of the week, Schaefer leads the Jays with 33.0 innings pitched and 46 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting .202 off the righty. Schaefer has struck out at least five in every game this season. Schaefer has pitched to an ERA of 1.91 and holds a WHIP of 1.03

• After coming out of the bullpen for the first two contests, Collins has made four starts for the Jays. Collins is second on the team with 25.1 innings pitched and 24 strikeouts. Collins has pitched to a 2.49 ERA w/ a WHIP of 1.11. Opponents are hitting .234 against the righty. 

• After starting a pair of contests, the righty has made four straight scoreless relief appearances. McRae has totaled 14.2 innings this season, striking out 15 and allowing opponents to hit just .160. The sophomore has compiled a team-best 0.61 ERA. 

RISPY BUSINESS

• 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 12 games this year, Johns Hopkins is 51-156 w/ RISP, good for an average of .327. 11 different Hopkins hitters have multiple hits with RISP. AJ King leads the way with eight hits in 17 tries. Austin Sacks (7-16) and Jared deFaria (7-14) are second on the team in hits w/ RISP. Opponents are just 22-110 against Blue Jay pitching with RISP, good for a batting average of .200. Opposing teams are just 3-19 against Blue Jay pitching with the bases loaded this season (.158).