The Gannon University baseball team enjoyed plenty of success a year ago, compiling a 33-17 record and capturing the first NCAA Tournament win in the program’s history.
But the Knights’ 2020 campaign started out with a rough series in Greenville, Tenn., over the weekend, one that saw Gannon drop all four of its games against Tusculum.
The Knights were outscored 42-9, losing 11-2 and 11-3 in Friday’s doubleheader and then falling 14-4 and 6-0 Saturday to the same team.
In Saturday’s opener, Gannon took a 4-2 lead before surrendering 12 straight runs.
In the second game, the Knights could not find any offense and finished with just two hits.
Deven Judy, Eric Sapp, Benjamin Vinesky and Jacob Visha got their first starts of the season on the mound.
Judy made the start in Friday’s season-opener and went four innings, giving up three runs – all earned – on two hits and five walks while striking out three.
Judy was a key player on last year’s team as a sophomore, as he went 8-0 and set the Gannon single-game record for strikeouts with 96.
The 5-foot-8, 150-pound right-hander, a first-team All-Atlantic Region selection and first-team All-PSAC West selection a year ago, was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) Preseason All-America third team.
Elijah Quiceno is expected to be one of the Knights’ top offensive performers, but he managed just two hits in nine at-bats in the season-opening series.
Quiceno, who was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Region first team, finished last season with a team-best .359 batting average and 56 hits, including 11 doubles and 10 home runs, and drove in 41 runs.
Against Tusculum, Ian Hess banged out four hits, a home run and five RBIs to lead the Gannon offense and secure his first Student-Athlete of the Week award of the season.
The Knights start the season ranked 10th in the Atlantic Region, according to the NCBWA.
They are joined by seven other Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams in the Top 10, including crosstown rival Mercyhurst.
Looking ahead in their schedule, the Knights travel to Florida to take part in the Russ-Matt Invitational. They take on Tiffin at noon on March 1 before facing Minnesota Crookston at 4 p.m.
They also have games against University of the Sciences, Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State and face Minnesota-Crookston once more during the invitational.
On March 15, the Knights will travel to Philadelphia to face Thomas Jefferson University in a four-game series.
The Knights will have their home opener against PSAC rival Mercyhurst on March 20 at McConnell Family Stadium.

JUAN BATISTA ROSA
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