PHILADELPHIA -- The spring break portion of the college baseball season can feel like its own strange universe.
Teams scatter across Florida and the South. Schedules blur together. Box scores pile up faster than most fans can keep track of them.
But every so often, something happens that demands attention — even in the middle of March.
That moment arrived Thursday afternoon when Swarthmore sophomore Leor Kedar delivered one of the most extraordinary individual performances the Centennial Conference has ever seen.
Kedar launched four home runs in a single game, powering the Garnet to a 17–10 victory over SUNY Cobleskill and setting a new Centennial Conference record. No player in conference history had previously hit four home runs in a game.
The Garnet leadoff hitter finished 5-for-6 with five RBI, five runs scored, and a walk, capping what may be one of the most productive weeks any player in the program has ever produced.
Over a seven-game stretch, Kedar went 23-for-33 (.697) with six home runs, 15 RBI, 16 runs scored, and four walks, recording three separate five-hit games during that run.
A day earlier, he went 5-for-5 and finished a home run shy of the cycle.
And Kedar wasn’t the only hitter fueling Swarthmore’s offensive surge.
Alessandro Propper-Bowring collected two home runs and a triple, while Aidan Sullivan went 4-for-6 with two doubles and three runs scored. Nathaniel Kittredge added four RBI as the Garnet improved to 11–3.
Swarthmore returns home Tuesday to face Misericordia.
Groen delivers historic day for La Salle
While Kedar was rewriting the record book in Division III, La Salle’s Carter Groen was putting together a historic performance of his own.
The redshirt sophomore matched the program’s single-game RBI record with eight during a 16–11 victory over Lafayette Wednesday at Hank DeVincent Field.
Groen finished 3-for-6 with a single, double, and grand slam, tying the mark previously set by Mike Fuchs (1999) and Josh Savakinus (2015).
Remarkably, Groen reached the eight-RBI total by the fourth inning, leading an offensive surge that helped the Explorers pull away early.
Groen now leads La Salle with 27 RBI as the Explorers prepare to open Atlantic 10 play this weekend at VCU.
While Kedar was rewriting the record book in Division III, La Salle’s Carter Groen was putting together a historic performance of his own.
The redshirt sophomore matched the program’s single-game RBI record with eight during a 16–11 victory over Lafayette Wednesday at Hank DeVincent Field.
Groen finished 3-for-6 with a single, double, and grand slam, tying the mark previously set by Mike Fuchs (1999) and Josh Savakinus (2015).
Remarkably, Groen reached the eight-RBI total by the fourth inning, leading an offensive surge that helped the Explorers pull away early.
Groen now leads La Salle with 27 RBI as the Explorers prepare to open Atlantic 10 play this weekend at VCU.
Abington keeps rolling
Few teams in the region are playing better baseball right now than Penn State Abington.
The Nittany Lions extended their winning streak to nine games Thursday with a 9–6 win over Penn State Altoona at the RussMatt Invitational in Florida.
Trailing 5–4 entering the seventh inning, Abington erupted for five runs to take control of the game.
Senior Zach Bauers delivered the key blow with a two-run home run, giving the Nittany Lions their first lead since the opening inning. Mike Brocco added a two-out RBI hit later in the inning to cap the rally.
Reliever Zachary Dennis secured the victory with two scoreless innings, striking out two while earning his second save of the season.
Abington improved to 9–3.
West Chester returns home with momentum
West Chester (9–2) will open its home schedule Saturday against Gannon, bringing one of the region’s most productive lineups back to Pennsylvania.
Sophomore Luke Strawhecker has been the catalyst.
Strawhecker enters the weekend batting .438 (14-for-32) with four home runs, 14 RBI, and 18 runs scored, producing a staggering 1.475 OPS with an .875 slugging percentage and .600 on-base percentage.
Christian Michak has also been a steady presence in the lineup, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three doubles and a triple, while scoring nine runs and driving in five.
Meanwhile, Stalker leads the club with five doubles and two triples, batting .359 with 13 RBI.
On the mound, Julian Costa continues to anchor the Golden Rams’ rotation.
The veteran left-hander is 3–0 with a 1.50 ERA, limiting opposing hitters to a .129 batting average while striking out 18 in 18 innings. Costa also delivered the highlight of West Chester’s season last weekend when he threw a no-hitter in Maryland.
West Chester (9–2) will open its home schedule Saturday against Gannon, bringing one of the region’s most productive lineups back to Pennsylvania.
Sophomore Luke Strawhecker has been the catalyst.
Strawhecker enters the weekend batting .438 (14-for-32) with four home runs, 14 RBI, and 18 runs scored, producing a staggering 1.475 OPS with an .875 slugging percentage and .600 on-base percentage.
Christian Michak has also been a steady presence in the lineup, hitting .429 (9-for-21) with three doubles and a triple, while scoring nine runs and driving in five.
Meanwhile, Stalker leads the club with five doubles and two triples, batting .359 with 13 RBI.
On the mound, Julian Costa continues to anchor the Golden Rams’ rotation.
The veteran left-hander is 3–0 with a 1.50 ERA, limiting opposing hitters to a .129 batting average while striking out 18 in 18 innings. Costa also delivered the highlight of West Chester’s season last weekend when he threw a no-hitter in Maryland.
Penn faces another test at East Carolina
Penn’s 2–8 record might not tell the full story of its early-season schedule.
The Quakers opened the year with a road series against No. 24 Texas A&M before traveling to Mercer, two programs that have combined for a 30–3 record to start the season.
Penn now heads to East Carolina (10–7–1) for another challenging weekend series.
Despite the results, the Quakers’ pitching staff has been competitive.
Right-hander Jake Moss enters the weekend with a 1.17 ERA across 15.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while holding opponents to a .217 batting average.
Marty Coyne has also been effective, striking out 18 batters in 16 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .258 average.
If the early season has been a trial by fire for Penn, the Quakers hope the experience against high-level competition begins to translate into results as the schedule unfolds.
Penn’s 2–8 record might not tell the full story of its early-season schedule.
The Quakers opened the year with a road series against No. 24 Texas A&M before traveling to Mercer, two programs that have combined for a 30–3 record to start the season.
Penn now heads to East Carolina (10–7–1) for another challenging weekend series.
Despite the results, the Quakers’ pitching staff has been competitive.
Right-hander Jake Moss enters the weekend with a 1.17 ERA across 15.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while holding opponents to a .217 batting average.
Marty Coyne has also been effective, striking out 18 batters in 16 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .258 average.
If the early season has been a trial by fire for Penn, the Quakers hope the experience against high-level competition begins to translate into results as the schedule unfolds.
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