THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (7-7) vs. Lock Haven (8-4)
Saturday, March 22 – 1:00 p.m. (Doubleheader)
STORYLINE
The Huskies open their home and PSAC East schedules on Saturday with a doubleheader vs. Lock Haven scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Danny Litwhiler Field. Bloomsburg defeated Trevecca Nazarene, 5-4, on Monday in Nashville.
Tim Kurucz (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick)'s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth proved to be the difference as the Huskies beat Trevecca Nazarene, which had won 14 of its previous 15 games. Saturday's games begin a four-game series over the weekend with the Bald Eagles.
SCOUTING LOCK HAVEN
Though Saturday will mark the first official conference action of the season, it is not the first time the Huskies and Bald Eagles have met. Lock Haven scored a 16-5 win at the Builder Invitational in Newport News, Va., on Feb. 21.
The Bald Eagles have the second-best team batting average in the PSAC thus far, hitting .322 as a team while scoring an average of over eight runs per game. Six players are hitting over .300 while two – Austin Botts and Ryan Koch – are hitting over .400 at .435 and .419 respectively. Botts has been one of the strongest hitters in the conference in the early going, batting .435 with four doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI while recording a .500 on-base percentage and .652 slugging percentage.
Lock Haven has a 5.23 team ERA led with their top starter so far being left-hander Joe Nestor, a redshirt junior who has posted a 2-0 record with an 0.78 ERA in four appearances and 23 innings of work with 16 strikeouts. The rotation also includes Jacob Belinda (2-0, 4.08), Parker Watson (1-1, 6.75) and Madison Neddo (1-1, 9.22).
Fresh off a trip to Florida playing games in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, the Bald Eagles scored wins over Ohio Valley (12-1) and Minnesota-Crookston (12-5) while suffering setbacks vs. Hillsdale (16-5), Franklin Pierce (7-4) and Mansfield (15-9).
PITCHING REMAINS STRONG
After 14 games the Huskies have a 3.02 team ERA, the second-lowest mark in the PSAC. Only Millersville's 2.66 staff ERA is lower. The Bloomsburg starting rotation has been extremely strong –
Matt Jaskolka (Warren/Warren Area) is 2-1 with an 0.92 ERA and 17 strikeouts in four starts to pace the staff while
Tyler Hill (Lehighton/Lehighton) (2-1, 2.66) and
Casey Cooperman (Allentown/Parkland) (1-2, 2.70, staff-leading 18 strikeouts) have given the Huskies a potent top three in the rotation.
MUTH MOVES TO THE TOP
Freshman catcher
Damin Muth (Breinigsville/Parkland) remains red hot at the plate in his debut season, leading the PSAC with a .533 batting average. Muth also paces the conference in on-base percentage (.641) and is among the league leaders in slugging (.633). He is 16-for-30 at the plate with eight RBI and also leads the team by taking seven walks.
NEW MAN AT THE TOP
Newcomer
Eric Frain (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan), a junior transfer from Gloucester County CC, has led off for the Huskies in all 14 games this season and has been a strong table setter. He is hitting .407 when leading off innings this year.
TWO-OUT THUNDER
A number of Huskies are thriving with two outs this season. Muth leads the team by batting .444 with two outs while Frain (.375) and
Brad Smith (Morgantown/Twin Valley) (.333) are each also pulling through to keep innings alive.
BY THE NUMBERS
4: Brad Smith (Morgantown/Twin Valley) and Corey Baiada (Harleysville/LaSalle) are tied for the team lead in doubles, each with four.
5-0: Bloomsburg is 5-0 on the season when leading after six innings.
16: The 16 runs scored this year in the eighth inning are the most of any inning this year for the Huskies. The eighth has been an exciting inning this year as opponents have also scored 16 runs. The best inning statistically for the Huskies is the second – they're outscoring opponents 13-4.
24: The Huskies have 24 stolen bases this season and have been caught stealing only three times.
.317: Bloomsburg is batting .317 as a team thus far with runners on base.
.571: Freshman Damin Muth (Breinigsville/Parkland) has a .571 batting average with runners in scoring position.
