In 2024, the Patriot League saw the rise of several notable names who went pro, as well as an Army team that finished first in the conference for the third-straight regular season. Here’s a look at how the six teams fared in 2024, and how each shakes out heading into the 2025 Patriot League season.
Army
We’ll start with Army, the Patriot League’s representative in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Black Knights had a strong year in 2024, at 31-23, thanks to great production from the likes of hitters Sam Ruta and Derek Berg. Both are no longer with Army, and Berg’s 2024 campaign (1.009 OPS) earned him a 10th-round selection by the Pirates last July.
There are, however, some notable returners for the Black Knights in 2025. Junior Chris Barr finished second on the team in hits (58) and is back, as is two-way player Justin Lehman. Lehman posted a strong 2.68 ERA last season over 74 innings, despite only striking out 49.
Bucknell
The Bucknell Bison only went 22-24 last season, despite a strong offense. Their offensive leader, Sean Keys, is no longer with Bucknell, as the Blue Jays grabbed him in the fourth round last July. Keys followed up a .339 campaign in 2023 by hitting .405 (1.133 OPS) with 13 home runs and 35 extra-base hits.
The 2025 campaign won’t get off to an easy start for Bucknell, who will open up the year against the Virginia Tech Hokies. However, Bucknell returned two of their big names from 2024: junior two-way player Michael Trommer and senior pitcher Tyler O’Neill (no relation to the Oriole). Trommer hit .336/.440/.496 (.936 OPS) as a sophomore, while O’Neill struck out 71 over 70.1 IP in 2024. The 21-year-old O’Neill posted a 7.15 ERA with Cotuit in the Cape last summer.
Holy Cross
The Holy Cross Crusaders made the top-four of the Patriot League last year, with a 14-11 record in conference play. However, it wasn’t an easy road to that record, especially since the Crusaders had one of the worst slugging offenses in 2024. Holy Cross ranked 237th in the nation in slugging percentage (.398), a tough blow given their on-base percentage (.390) ranked in the top half of the NCAA.
Familiar names from last year’s team are back. Their pitching staff will be led by Danny Macchiarola, who struck out 67 over 69 frames last year for the Crusaders and earned time in the Cape Cod League. Macchiarola struck out 10 over 12.2 IP with Harwich but got hit around a bit, and posted a 5.68 ERA in limited time.
Lafayette
The Lafayette Leopards were the worst team in the Patriot League last year. Lafayette finished with a 14-35 overall record and 8-16 record in conference play, the latter of which was 0.5 games worse than Lehigh. Among the 295 qualified Div I schools last year, the Leopards finished 265th in OBP (.354) and 288th in team ERA (9.47).
The one bright spot from 2024 was now-junior C/1B Ethan Swidler, who hit .327/.460/.572 (1.033 OPS) with nine home runs and 21 extra-base hits over 49 games.
Lehigh
The 2024 campaign was an odd one for Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks finished with an above-.500 overall record (24-23-1) but went 9-16 in the Patriot League, finishing in fifth. Lehigh obviously did well in non-conference play, headlined by a win against 20th-ranked Iowa in February. Their non-conference schedule won’t be kind in 2025, as Lehigh begins the year against Oklahoma.
Lehigh lost two players to the pros, in Rafe Perich (7th round, Rangers) and Alex Bouchard (14th round, Red Sox) last July. However, the Mountain Hawks return two of their weekend starters, Marcus Danchision and Cole Leaman, for 2025. Leaman, in particular, is a name to watch, as he struck out 49 over 46.2 IP as a sophomore in 2024.
Navy
We’ll finish out our 2025 Patriot League preview with Navy. The Midshipmen finished second in the Patriot League regular season standings, thanks to one of the better pitching staffs (119th in NCAA) in the college baseball circuit last year. Not to mention, hitting from Logan Keller and Brock Murtha, the latter of whom is back for 2025.
However, one area to watch this year for Navy is how much power the Midshipmen can produce. Last season, Navy only had 20 home runs last season, third-fewest in Division I, behind only Alcorn and CSU Bakersfield. Their team slugging percentage of .382 (265th) also ranked as below-average.
Be sure to check out some of our other previously-released 2025 previews, including the Mountain West and Oregon State.