University of Delaware Athletics
Baseball Season In Review
6/16/2022 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
The 2022 baseball season closed out the legendary career of UD head coach Jim Sherman, who led the Blue Hens to 25 wins during his final year leading the squad. The season’s opening weekend was highlighted by the 5-4 win over fourth-ranked Notre Dame, when Aidan Kane blasted a walkoff home run to give Sherman his 800th career victory. The win, coming over an Irish squad headed to the College World Series, was UD’s first over a top 10 ranked opponent since 2011.
Delaware picked up its second win over a ranked foe on Mar. 15, when the Blue Hens earned a 6-3 victory over Maryland at Bob Hannah Stadium. Jordan Hutchins and Joey Loynd both homered, while the pitching trio of Wyatt Nelson, Luke Pizzico and Mike Biasiello combined to allow just one hit in 7.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Starting with a home victory over James Madison on Mar. 27, the Blue Hens reeled off nine straight wins, the program’s longest since 2013. The final victory during the streak, a 14-0 shutout of Saint Peter’s, was Sherman’s 600th win at UD and saw the Blue Hens set a program record by hitting five triples.
Later in April, Delaware advanced to the Liberty Bell Classic final where the Blue Hens faced Villanova at Citizens Bank Park.
A retirement celebration honoring Sherman and longtime assistant coach Dan Hammer was held on May 7, as the coaches’ families, friends and former teammates packed the Whitney Athletic Center to honor the duo for their many contributions to the UD program.
Delaware rallied for a pair of wins over Northeastern during the final weekend of the regular season, but fell one win shy of qualifying for the CAA Tournament.
Third baseman Joey Loynd earned first team All-CAA honors after leading the team and ranking fifth in the CAA with 45 RBI. Joseph Carpenter, who started all 51 games at first base, was a second team selection. Carpenter led the league with 19 doubles while ranking second with 112 total bases, fourth with a .552 slugging percentage and tied for sixth with 63 hits.
Shortstop JJ Freeman and centerfielder Dominic Ragazzo were both named honorable mention All-CAA. Freeman led the Blue Hens with 40 runs scored, belted a walkoff homer vs. Georgetown and was selected the team’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Ragazzo batted a team-high .322 before missing the final five weeks with an elbow injury. He still managed to tie for the CAA lead with five triples and tie for fifth with 16 stolen bases, numbers that were equaled by rightfielder Bryce Greenly.
Greenly also had a solid season at the plate for UD, batting .316 with a 17-game hitting streak from Mar. 18 through Apr. 15. Jake Dunion, who batted .313 on the year, finished the season with 57 hits and 23 RBI.
Chris Ludman was the Blue Hens’ ace on the mound, going 4-4 with a 4.04 ERA before missing the final three weekends with an injury. Ludman allowed just one unearned run in seven innings of work during wins over Rider and Towson, and struck out a career-high 14 batters in seven frames vs. Saint Peter’s.
Ludman ended his UD career ranked seventh in program history with 268.1 innings pitched and tied for 18th with 58 appearances.
Zach Klapak led the Blue Hens and tied for fifth in the CAA with six wins, and ranked ninth in the league with a .233 opponents’ batting average. He earned the win with three hitless innings vs. Notre Dame, allowed just one hit in 5.2 frames at Towson, and fired seven scoreless innings during a victory over Northeastern.
Mike Biasiello posted a team-leading 2.76 ERA and recorded six saves, tied for fourth in the CAA and tied for eighth in a UD single season. Biasiello paced the Blue Hens with 62 strikeouts, tied for eighth in the league.
Following the end of the regular season, Greg Mamula was hired as the Blue Hens’ next head coach. Mamula, who served on the UD coaching staff from 2002-06, spent the previous seven years on the staff at Florida Atlantic.
