Lehigh University announces Gorla Named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Three Selected to All-Academic Team
From May 11, 2023 post.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For the second straight year, a member of the Lehigh baseball program has been selected as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This year, fifth-year first baseman, Joe Gorla, has been named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, voted on by the league's sports information directors and announced by the league office Thursday afternoon.
Gorla is the second Mountain Hawk in the program's history to achieve this honor, as Adam Retzbach received it in 2022. In addition, Gorla joins seniors Ben Christian and Ryan Deom on the Academic All-Patriot League team, marking the ninth straight season with multiple selections as a team.
Gorla garners All-Academic Team honors for the second straight year with a 3.95 grade-point average (GPA) as a fifth-year student in Technical Entrepreneurship after finishing his undergraduate career with a 3.54 GPA in Economics. Gorla wrapped up the regular season by earning Patriot League second team honors for the third time during his career. During his final season, Gorla hit .302 (39-for-129) overall in 40 games, making 37 starts with seven doubles, seven home runs, 26 runs scored and 18 RBIs with 11 walks. He had a .519 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .392. In league play, Gorla batted .292 (19-for-65) with a couple of doubles, three home runs and five RBIs with nine runs scored.
Christian has a cumulative 3.73 GPA in Accounting to make his first appearance on the Academic All-Patriot League Team. He recorded a 3-2 record with a save in 13 appearances and five starts during his senior season, boasting two wins and the first save of his career in the same week against league opponents. Throwing 35 innings of work, Christian struck out 27 batters, with a career-high of five Ks coming against rival Lafayette, and earned the final win of the season by going 5.1 innings and did not give up a hit in the game until the fifth frame with just one run allowed in the victory.
Deom also makes his first appearance on the Academic All-Patriot League squad with a 3.85 cumulative GPA in Biology and was selected as a finalist for the Lehigh Athletics Department's Sportsmanship Award. Deom had the lowest earned run average on the team while making a career-high 17 appearances and 24 innings with 19 strikeouts and a record of 1-1 and a save. His win came when he tossed three innings without allowing a run or a hit with one walk and one strikeout. The following weekend he followed up with a save after throwing 2.1 scoreless innings and giving up three hits with a couple of strikeouts.
Gorla's major award, along with the three members of the Academic All-Patriot League members adds to the four honors that the Mountain Hawks earned a day earlier, with fifth-year Casey Rother being selected to the Patriot League first team for the third time in his career while Gorla, fifth-year Luke Rettig and first-year Dom Patrizi garnered second team honors.
Lehigh wrapped up the 2023 season on a three-game winning streak, which its looks to take into next season. The squad finished with its third consecutive year recording 20 or more wins and reaching at least 10 wins in Patriot League competition.
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2023 Patriot League Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Joe Gorla, Lehigh, 5th, 1B
2023 Academic All-Patriot League Baseball Team
Brett Copeland, Army West Point, Sr., INF.
Sean Keys, Bucknell, So., 3B
Anthony Sherwin, Bucknell, Jr., SS
Ben Talbot, Holy Cross, Sr., RHP
Easton Brenner, Lafayette, So., OF
Alex Walsh, Lafayette, Sr., RHP
Michael Zarrillo, Lafayette, So., INF.
Joe Gorla, Lehigh, 5th, 1B
Ryan Deom, Lehigh, Sr., RHP
Ben Christian, Lehigh, Sr., RHP
Matthew Shirah, Navy, Jr., RHP
Colin Smith, Navy, Sr., OF
Original source can be found here.