PHILADELPHIA -- La Salle opened its 2026 season in emphatic fashion, erupting for 27 runs in a historic Opening Day victory — tying the second-most in program history — before rolling through Maryland Eastern Shore the rest of the weekend. The Explorers followed their 27–10 opener with a 14–2 mercy-rule win Saturday and then closed out the sweep with a 7–4 victory Sunday, showcasing a potent combination of power and pitching across all three games.
That balanced, impactful performance set the stage for our first D1 Player of the Week honors, recognizing the weekend’s top contributors on both sides of the ball.
Offensive Player of the Week – Carter Groen, La Salle
Carter Groen was the connective tissue in La Salle’s Feb. 13–15 sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore, producing 11 RBI in the first three games while repeatedly landing the big swing when innings turned. On Opening Day, he drove in four runs, including a three-run double in the second inning that pushed La Salle back in front for good in a 27–10 win. On Saturday, he doubled down: after a sacrifice fly gave La Salle the lead in the fourth, Groen came back in the fifth and drove home three more with a double to center, finishing with four RBI in the 14–2 mercy-rule win. He capped the weekend Sunday by homering and driving in three again — and La Salle’s recap notes he had 11 RBI through three games.
Pitcher of the Week – Shawn Karpaitis, La Salle
Shawn Karpaitis set the tone for how La Salle survived the one messy inning of Opening Day and still turned it into a blowout. He delivered five innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen in the 27–10 opener, scattering three hits, walking two, and striking out three to earn the win. The defining moment came immediately after he entered: Karpaitis inherited a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third with La Salle clinging to a 13–7 lead, then escaped by inducing a double play and punching out the next hitter — the pivot that allowed the offense to keep piling on without the game swinging back.
Every week during the college baseball season, the Philadelphia Baseball Review honors the players who defined the weekend — recognizing the top Division I performances across the Philadelphia baseball landscape.
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