MEDIA COVERAGE

Ithaca Journal - Homegrown Talent Boost Bombers
Ithaca Journal - Linfield Puts No. 1 Ranking On The Line

1160 ESPN Radio - Interview With Bomber P Matt Colbert
1160 ESPN Radio - Ithaca Bombers All-Access

D3baseball.com - Coaches Are Confident

WORLD SERIES HISTORY NOTES

Tournament History: Ithaca last qualified for the Division III World Series in 1994. This victory puts an end to the 18-year drought between appearances, which was the longest in program history. This is Ithaca's 12th World Series appearance. Ithaca won national titles in 1980 and 1988, and has three second-place finishes (1976, 1981, 1986) and two third-place finishes. Ithaca's all-time record in the World Series round is 21-20.

Silver Anniversary: The Ithaca College baseball team won the national championship 25 years ago. The 1988 title was the second national championship in school history. Paired with Wisconsin-Oshkosh for the third time during World Series week, the Bombers rallied from a 5-2 deficit to beat the Titans, 7-5.

Ithaca began its rally in the seventh inning when sophomore outfielder Vince Roman drove in two runs with a two-out single. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, senior catcher Fritz Hamburg and sophomore outfielder Dan Eckert drew walks to give Ithaca the lead, and Roman added to the margin with another RBI single. Sophomore Joe Sottolano pitched on one day's rest in relief of starter Brian DeLola and went two-and-a-third innings without yielding a run. With two outs in the ninth inning, sophomore closer Carl Graetz retired the final batter for his third save of the week.

Ithaca opened World Series play in 1988 with a 6-4 victory over Methodist. Sottolano then pitched the Bombers past Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 3-2, on a complete-game seven-hitter. The Bombers then fell to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 11-3. Facing elimination, Ithaca overcame a 2-0 Marietta lead to beat the Pioneers, 7-3.

Century Mark: The regional championship victory was Ithaca's 100th all-time win in NCAA Division III Tournament play. Only three other programs -- Marietta (154, entering the 2013 tournament), Eastern Connecticut State (115, did not qualify in 2013) and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (104,did not qualify in 2013) -- have reached 100 wins since the Division III tournament was created beginning in 1976. Ithaca also totaled 28 wins in NCAA events prior to the establishment of Division III.

Playing With The Big Boys: Before the NCAA established Division classifications, the 1962 Ithaca College baseball team went to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Ithaca defeated Missouri 5-1 in the opening round before losing its next two games to Florida State by a 5-4 score and to Texas by a 3-2 count.

2013 TEAM NOTES

Wins Record: With 38 victories entering the World Series, the Bombers have tied the school record for wins in a season, previously achieved by the 1985 team that finished 38-12-1.

Winning Streak: The 2013 Ithaca Bombers had an 18-game winning streak that began with a March 14 victory over and continued through an April 14 doubleheader sweep of Utica College. The streak was snapped with an 8-6 loss at the University of Rochester on April 16. It ranks as the second-longest single-season win streak in program history. The Bombers carry a 13-game winning streak into the NCAA championship weekend.


2013 PLAYER NOTES

Locastro Leads The Way: Junior shortstop Tim Locastro is having a record-setting season at the plate for the Bombers. He has set program single-season records for runs scored (65), being hit by pitches (27), and stolen bases (36). He leads the Bombers in most offensive categories.

Ace: Senior pitcher Pat Lemmo (Syracuse, N.Y.) has earned several postseason honors this season. He was Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year and a member of the All-Empire 8 First Team. He was the New York Region Pitcher of the Year and a member of the First Team by D3baseball.com. He is 11-1 with a 1.44 earned-run average in 13 starts and has thrown five complete games. He leads the team with 66 strikeouts and has yielded just 16 earned runs in 100.1 innings pitched.

Lemmo's Leaderboards: With 11 victories on the year, Lemmo is just one win shy of matching Ithaca's single-season record for pitching victories. He stands sixth all-time in career wins (24) despite making just four starts in his first two seasons. He is just one inning short of tying the school's single-season record for innings pitched (102.1, Chris Rauth, 1985).

Gimme The Ball: Lemmo pitched the Bombers to two victories at the NCAA New York Regional. He started Ithaca's opening game and threw an 84-pitch complete-game victory. He then came back on two days rest and earned the win over seven innings in the championship game against nationally-ranked Cortland. Lemmo was an all-tournament team member and was also named as the regional's most outstanding player.

Overshadowed: Sophomore pitcher John Prendergast has done stellar work in the second starter's spot behind Lemmo. Prendergast is 9-0 with a 2.11 earned-run average and has four complete games among his 10 starts. He has 44 strikeouts and has issued just 10 walks and has not yielded a triple or home run over 68.1 innings.

All-American Trio: Locastro, Lemmo and Prendergast earned American Baseball Coaches Association / Rawlings Division III All-America recognition on Thursday. Lemmo and Locastro were First Team selections, while Prendergast earned a spot on the Third Team. It is the first time since 1985 that Ithaca College has had two First Team picks by the ABCA and also the first time since 1985 that three Bombers have been named ABCA All-Americans.

Caswell Catches: Senior catcher Corey Caswell is a team captain and has had a career-best season. The workhorse catcher has started 41 of the team's 44 games behind the plate and has thrown out 22 base stealers on the season. At the plate, he leads the Bombers in home runs (3) and RBIs (40), and ranks second on the team in doubles (9) and slugging percentage (.503), and third in hits (52).

Late-Season Star: Senior pitcher Jasper Adams has emerged late in the season to earn a spot in the starting rotation. Adams, who missed the 2012 season due to surgery on his pitching arm, came on strong at the end of the year. In his last four starts, including one start in the regional, Adams is 3-0 with a 1.84 earned-run average. In 29.1 innings, he has allowed seven runs, six earned, on 25 hits. He has walked five batters and struck out 17. Over that stretch, just two of the 25 hits he has allowed have been extra-base hits.

New Closer: When Adams moved into the starting rotation, sophomore pitcher Jimmy Wagner moved to the closer's role for the conclusion of the season. Wagner has made 16 appearances this season, eight as a starter and eight as a reliever. As a closer in his last five relief appearances, Wagner has pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and four walks with five strikeouts. He has four saves in those five appearances, including three at the NCAA New York Regional.


Lots of Gloves: Sophomore infielder Matt Connolly has moved into the starting role at first base. He was Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after playing his freshman season as a member of the Ithaca junior varsity. Connolly has also started games at third base and designated hitter, and joined the program as a catcher. He took over a starting spot in late April and has been in the starting lineup for the Bombers' last 17 games. He has 23 hits in those 17 games, and has reached base safely in all but two of them. Connolly is second on the team with a .367 batting average.

Hitting Streak: Junior second baseman Tim Henry owns the Bombers' longest hitting streak of the season at 16 games, which came in the first 16 games of the season. He has hit safely in 32 of his 42 starts on the season.

Hot Hitter: Senior left fielder Andrew Turner was named to the NCAA New York Regional All-Tournament Team after going 7-for-11 in the regional with three doubles, three runs scored and an RBI.

Hot Corner: Junior third baseman Colby Gee was an All-Empire 8 First Team selection. The Bomber cleanup hitter has 11 extra-base hits among his 47 hits on the year. He has driven in 37 runs and scored 37 runs.

Center Of Attention: Junior center fielder Luke Stark was an All-Empire 8 First Team selection. Stark has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games, and has raised his batting average from .258 on March 22 to .305 entering the championship tournament.

Leadoff Man: Sophomore right fielder Christian Brown is the Bombers' leadoff hitter and ranks second on the team with 54 hits, 45 runs and 13 stolen bases, trailing only Locastro in those categories. Brown carries a team-high six-game hitting streak into the championship tournament.