Navy baseball looks to turn the tide against archrival Army

Navy baseball is set to play a pair of back-to-back Patriot League doubleheaders in Annapolis — Sunday versus archrival Army and Monday against Holy Cross.

All four games count the same in the Patriot League standings so it would be nice to say they are equally important. First-year coach Chuck Ristano knows that really isn’t possible.

“I don’t think it’s realistic to ignore the elephant in the room. I think our guys have had this weekend and the one up at West Point circled since the schedule came out,” Ristano said. “I’m OK with having a little extra juice or focus on this series. As long as it doesn’t manifest in a tight level of play, I think it’s OK for the guys to embrace the best rivalry in the sport.”

Senior outfielder Hudson Lehnertz agreed with Ristano’s assessment. Max Bishop Stadium will be backed for Sunday’s doubleheader and the fan support won’t be the same on Monday.

“I try to approach it like any other game. Obviously, it’s easier said than done. We know the stakes are high. You show up at the stadium and there’s a bigger crowd than usual,” Lehnertz said. “At the end of the day, we just have to go out there and play the style of baseball we always want to play and we believe that if we play our game we have a good shot of winning.”

This is not the Star Series, which will be three games and held April 26-28 at Johnson Stadium on the West Point campus. However, it’s the first opportunity for Navy to turn the tide against the archrival after losing nine of the last 10 meetings over the previous two seasons. The Midshipmen last won the Star Series in 2021.

“It really hurts going 1-9 over the last two seasons. That has been in the back of our minds and definitely motivated us this season,” Lehnertz said. “This isn’t the Star Series, but it’s big and it sure would feel good to sweep them this weekend.”

Ristano previously served as pitching coach at Notre Dame and Florida State. However, it did not take long for him to get indoctrinated into the mantra of the Naval Academy. Beat Army is a constant rallying cry and the first-year coach has already started the process of getting Navy baseball to the point where it can do so on a consistent basis.

“Of course it’s critically important to beat Army. We’ve got to find mechanisms in recruiting, development and game management to level the playing field and I feel we’re well on our way to doing that,” Ristano said. “At the moment my hyper focus is getting the most out of our guys against any opponent in any uniform.”

Navy (11-10) opened conference action by splitting a four-game series at Bucknell last weekend. The Midshipmen moved above .500 by routing St. Joseph’s, 17-7, in a mid-week matchup.

“I think after [21] games we have seen some surprises. There are some things I didn’t see coming, some of which are really good. Some of the freshmen have stepped up and accelerated their development and ability to help us perform,” Ristano said.

Ristano was referring specifically to pitcher Brady Bendik, designated hitter Andrew Manning and utility infielder Evan Brown. Bendik has become a reliable member of the starting rotation and boasts a 3-0 record with 15 strikeouts and six walks. Manning leads the team with 19 RBIs, while Brown has delivered nine hits and 10 RBIs in limited action.

“Andrew is still kind of young in terms of experience as it relates to college baseball at-bats, so he’s still learning,” Ristano said of Manning. “However, just the way he looks in the box stands out. There’s a saying that some guys look hitter-ish and that applies to Andrew. He’s strong, has bat speed and a real presence.”

Sophomore second baseman Brock Murtha, a transfer from Notre Dame, is batting .375 with nine extra base hits and 18 RBIs to lead the offense. Senior third baseman Logan Keller is hitting .333 with seven extra base hits and 15 RBIs, while senior right fielder and leadoff hitter Zane Raba is batting .317 with six extra base hits and 23 runs scored.

Ristano, who recruited Murtha to Notre Dame and coached him there for one season, is not surprised he’s been a catalyst of the offense.

“Brock can kind of do a little bit of everything on the field; He can hit for extra bases, he can leg out infield hits, he can steal bases. He just finds himself on base a lot,” Ristano said. “Brock has been a wonderful performer so far this season. He and Logan in the middle of that lineup have been a force in terms of run production.”

Sophomore righthander Tyler Grenn will likely pitch the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader against Army with senior Matthew Shirah set to start the nightcap. Grenn, who was just named Patriot League Pitcher of the Week, is 2-1 with a stellar 1.99 earned run average. Shirah is 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in five starts, but still has the trust of Ristano.

“Grenn has clearly pitched as well if not better than anybody so he’ll go against Army,” Ristano said. “Shirah has a career body of work that tells me can really help us against Army.”

Bendik has been the team’s second-best starter so far this season and will go against Holy Cross on Monday. Ristano isn’t sure how he’ll handle the other game with the Crusaders.

“I mean 32 innings of conference baseball in a two-day span is a pretty big test,” Ristanos said. “That fourth game we’re still trying to figure out. For any program in America to find a fourth starter in two days is a real challenge.”

Army has captured five consecutive Patriot League Tournament championships. The Black Knights boast a pro prospect in third baseman Sam Ruta, the Patriot League preseason Player of the Year. He leads the team with 24 RBIs.

Ristano believes Derek Berg, a first team All-Patriot League pick last season, is one of the finest catchers in college baseball. Mike Ruggieri and Matthew Ronnebaum are the top starting pitchers.

“It’s a team that should have a lot of confidence based on their recent history; They’ve been the class of the conference for a while now and they have a lot of returning pieces,” Ristano said. “It’s a relatively complete team and I expect them to come out firing on all cylinders. They’re going to be very good and a big challenge and my expectation is that we are up to it.”