Liam O’Hearen locks down Patriot League Pitcher of the Week award

After a 12-3 loss in the first game of a doubleheader against Army, sophomore pitcher Liam O’Hearen’s position as the starter of the second game came with pressure. 

But junior relief pitcher David Andolina said when the Lehigh baseball team needs O’Hearen most, he steps up. 

O’Hearen pitched a complete-game shutout in the second game on March 2, tallying 11 strikeouts while allowing only five hits and no walks. After juniors Dom Patrizi and Ryan Cochran drove in runs, Lehigh won with a final score of 2-0, giving O’Hearen his third win of the season. 

Following the game, O’Hearen earned the Patriot League Pitcher of the Week title — an achievement he attributed to the game-by-game approach he brings to each outing he starts.

“My goal for this season has been, and continues to be, trying to put together quality appearance after quality appearance, going into each game with the same mindset,” he said. 

O’Hearen said all season, both the team and pitching staff have emphasized setting the tone early and coming out strong. 

But after losing to Army in the first game of the doubleheader, he said not dwelling on the loss was the key to the team’s success.

“I knew I had to go out, trust my preparation, set the tone, lock it down and get our guys rolling,” O’Hearen said.

He also said much of his success on the mound comes from his changeup — a pitch he had the confidence to throw in any count, which allowed his other pitches to complement each other.

Andolina said O’Hearen’s confident demeanor makes him a better pitcher and spreads throughout the team.

“When he gets rolling, the mood of the game shifts completely, just because of his body language,” Andolina said. “He pitches with emotion and confidence, and those two things with his level of stuff are a dangerous combo.”

O’Hearen pitched all nine innings on March 2, and he said consistently getting ahead in the count helped put himself in a position to finish off batters. 

He also said his ability to avoid deep counts, long at-bats and allow zero walks kept his pitch count low to effectively finish the game. 

Sophomore catcher Matt Tsiaras said after spending a lot of time with O’Hearen, he’s seen him grow as both a player and a person.

“Liam’s a guy who is going to get his work in and bring good energy every day,” he said.

O’Hearen said he wouldn’t have been able to achieve what he has without the help from his coaching staff, especially his pitching coach, Pat Knight. 

“I have had a lot of help from Coach Knight on honing in on different feels on the mound and understanding where to throw pitches and when,” he said.  

The support from Leary, O’Hearen said, has also helped him find confidence on the mound, keeping his adrenaline high during each outing. 

With a long season ahead, Andolina said O’Hearen’s role in the rotation will only become more important.

“He has always been one of the most talented kids on the team, and he’s put in a ton of work, so it’s awesome to see it all clicking,” he said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time, and we’re going to be leaning on him to keep doing him the rest of the year.”

The Mountain Hawks currently sit in fourth place in the conference with a 14-13 record. 

After defeating Delaware State 36-1 on Tuesday, the team will face Bucknell University in a Saturday doubleheader, followed by another doubleheader against Navy on Sunday, for an opportunity to move up the Patriot League standings.