Baseball Set for Doubleheaders at Navy and Bucknell

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Patriot League play opens up for Army West Point Baseball in a big way Sunday.

The Black Knights face rival Navy Sunday for a doubleheader at Max Bishop Stadium, with Game 1 commencing at 1:00 p.m.

Army is in action for a pair of games against Bucknell Monday, with first pitch of Game 1 in Lewisburg, Pa. slated for 12:00 p.m.

ESPN+ will stream each game. Per Patriot League protocols, Game 1 of each doubleheader will be scheduled for seven innings, and Game 2 nine innings. Should the first game go into extra innings and last nine innings or longer, the second game will be shortened to seven innings.

Notes and Storylines

» Army secured a season series sweep last year against Navy, defeating the Midshipman twice at West Point (April 3) and three times in Annapolis (April 22-23) to secure the Star. Dating back to 2022, Army has won nine of the past 10 over Navy.

» On March 2, Army had a signature 13-2 win over Air Force, in Sugar Land, Texas. Matthew Ronnebaum got the complete game win with seven strikeouts. Army improved to 12-2 in its past 14 games against service academy rivals, and have won three of its past four against Air Force.

» The 2023-24 Star Series, Presneted by USAA is tied 9-9-1. Army has won three consecutive competitions, dating to Feb. 10 (WBB, MBB, Wrestling).

Saturday's doubleheader is NOT a Star Series matchup. The Baseball Star will be decided by a three-game series between the teams at West Point on April 26-28.

Each academy will look to take a lead in the series March 30, when the Women's Tennis Star is up for grabs in Annapolis.

» Senior Sam Ruta has continued his torrid pace at the place past week. In Friday's twin bill against Fordham and Fairfield, he homered in each game and went a combined 3-for-7 with five RBIs. The Yardley, Pa. native also went 2-for-3 with a home run Wednesday against Siena. Ruta leads the team in all major hitting categories.

Behind Enemy Lines

» Navy is off to a strong start in 2024 under first year head coach Chuck Ristano. The Midshipmen have won four of its past six, including a four-game series split at Bucknell last weekend, and a 17-7 win Wednesday at St. Joseph's.

The Mids are led by two-way sophomore Brock Murtha, who is hitting .375. Logan Keller and Zane Raba also hit north of .300 currently.

» Bucknell meanwhile sits at 8-11 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League, having faced Navy last weekend. The Bison were pegged to finish second in the conference in the preseason poll, behind Army.

Junior infielder Sean Keys leads Bucknell in AVG (.418), OPS (1.396) and home runs (6). Senior outfielder Jacob Corson is second in each category, hitting .303 with four homers.

Next Up

Army is back at home Wednesday, for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch against Monmouth.

Follow the Black Knights

Follow Army Baseball on X @ArmyWP_Baseball and on Instagram @armywp_baseball. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.

Baseball Set for Doubleheaders at Navy and Bucknell

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Ronnebaum

Sam Ruta

Army West Point Athletics