Welcome back, Hopkins faithful, to another week of Hopkins Sports in Review! This was a big week for Men's and Women’s Basketball, who both played through the Centennial playoffs and competed in the Centennial Conference Championship. Baseball also had a full slate, playing four games throughout the week. Men’s lacrosse continued their season with a big come-from-behind win. Here’s everything to know about Hopkins sports in the past week:
Men’s Basketball: W (83–71), L (47–51)
The Blue Jays opened their week with a victory over Ursinus in their first game of the Centennial Conference playoffs. Senior Guard Charlie Jackson led the way with 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The Blue Jays played close but pulled away in the second half, en route to a 12-point victory.
That win punched the Blue Jays a ticket to the Centennial Conference Championship. Hopkins faced off against the Gettysburg Bullets but came up just a little bit short in a 47–51 loss. A couple of clutch threes kept the game close, but it was too little too late for the Blue Jays as the top-seeded Bullets claimed the conference crown.
Women’s Basketball: W (62–60), L (59–68)
Women's Basketball began their week with a win over McDaniel in the opening round of the Centennial Conference playoffs. Senior Forward Grace Soltes led the scoring for the Blue Jays with 13 in a defensive battle that needed overtime to decide a winner. In overtime, Junior Guard Lauren Knudson knocked down a huge three-pointer and then tacked on a pair of clutch free throws to seal the game.
Unfortunately, Hopkins came up short in the Centennial Conference Championship against Gettysburg. The Blue Jays struggled offensively, shooting only 59 for 68 as a team. However, this was the first loss on the season for Hopkins Women’s Basketball, so they will still certainly get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Baseball: W (21–6), W (21–1), W (18–6), W (17–3)
It would be hard for Blue Jay Baseball to have had a more dominant week, as they took care of all four of their opponents by double digits. An offensive onslaught was the key to success for Hopkins, led by Graduate Student First Baseman William Jaun and Senior Second Baseman Jacob Harris. William Juan batted .470 with two home runs and four doubles throughout the week. Jacob Harris hit a home run in all four games, including grand slams in the final two, while batting .560.
On the pitching side, the Blue Jays were led by Senior Pitcher Thomas Cancian and Sophomore Pitcher Michael Yousef. Cancian delivered a strong 5.2 innings in a win, while Michael Yousef took charge from the bullpen, throwing 4.2 innings across two games while only allowing one run and punching out six.
The Blue Jays are back in action next week with a home game on Tuesday, March 3, against Penn College.
Men’s Lacrosse: W (14–13)
Blue Jays Men’s Lacrosse pulled off an extraordinary comeback win over Virginia. Hopkins was down 4–11 in the third quarter before an otherworldly run that spanned throughout the third and fourth quarters. Within only a little more than a full quarter of game time, the Blue Jays managed to even the score at 12 with only four minutes on the clock. Junior Attacker Hunter Chauvette put the Blue Jays ahead with two and a half minutes remaining, and after a pair of goals by both sides, Hopkins walked away with a 14–13 victory.
Chauvette and Junior Midfielder Jimmy Ayers did the scoring for the Blue Jays in the contest, tallying six and three goals respectively. Senior Midfielder Brooks English also had a strong performance with a goal of his own to go along with four assists.
The Blue Jays are back in action this Saturday, March 7 at home against Syracuse.
