Baseball | 5/8/2018 10:43:00 AM

PSAC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT PAGE

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. - For the first time since 2014 - and just the third time since 1997 - the Bloomsburg University baseball team will be taking part in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament which is slated to get underway on Wendesday, May 9, at Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Huskies, who enter as the third seed in the Eastern Division, will open the tournament against the second seed from the Western Division, Slippery Rock University, on Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Following the opener between Bloomsburg and Slippery Rock on day one, West Chester will tangle with Seton Hill at 12:30 p.m., Millersville battles Gannon at 3:30 p.m., and Mercyhurst will square off against Gannon at 6:30 p.m.

Bloomsburg and Slippery Rock met for a doubleheader back on Wednesday, April 18, with the Huskies taking both games from The Rock at Danny Litwhiler Field. Bloomsburg took game one by a 12-5 final and then completed the sweep with an 8-4 victory in game two. The Huskies have now won three of the last four meetings between the two schools but Slippery Rock leads the all-time series, 14-12.

Ticket prices for the tournament are $15 for adults and $7 for students each day.  Students from PSAC schools are admitted free with an ID.

RELATED LINKS
#3E Bloomsburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

#1E West Chester - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
#2E Millersville - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
#4E Shippensburg - Roster | Schedule | Statistics

#1W Mercyhurst - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
#2W Slippery Rock - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
#3W Gannon - Roster | Schedule | Statistics
#4W Seton Hill- Roster | Schedule | Statistics

The Huskies enter the tournament with a 29-16 overall record and finished 17-11 in the PSAC Eastern Division. The 29 victories mark the most in a single season under head coach Mike Collins, who is in his 12th season at Bloomsburg. In fact, the 29 wins are the most since the 1997 Huskies won 30 games and are the third-most in program history behind the 1995 (37 wins) and 1997 squads.

Offensively, the Huskies are fifth in the PSAC with a .318 team batting average. Bloomsburg leads the conference with a .428 team on-base percentage and ranks fourth in the league with a .488 team slugging percentage. Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) is second in the PSAC with a .454 average (64-of-141) and has hit safely in 37 of his 41 games played this season. Edgette also leads the team, or is tied for the team lead, in hits (64), triples (2), home runs (6), total bases (101), on-base percentage (.547), slugging percentage (.716), and stolen bases (21). His .547 on-base percentage leads the conference while his .750 slugging percentage is fifth in the league. He is also second in the conference in stolen bases. Shane Woelfel (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) is second on the team with a .432 average (38-of-88). He is second on the team in on-base percentage (.509) and slugging percentage (.636). Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) has posted a .364 average (59-of-162) which has him third on the team. He leads the team in doubles (18) and runs scored (47). He ranks second in hits (59), total bases (91), and stolen bases (11). His 18 doubles are tied for second in the league. Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury), Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton), and Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) also have averages above .300 on the season. Cooperman is hitting .323 (31-of-96) with one home run and 19 RBI while Newbert is batting .302 (39-of-129) with a team-high tying six home runs and a team-leading 40 runs driven in. Krizan comes in with a .301 (40-of-133) average on the season. The sophomore has two home runs and 24 RBI.

On the mound, the Huskies are tied for seventh in the PSAC with a 5.61 team earned run average. Nick Stoner (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) leads the Huskies' starters with a 3.10 ERA in ten appearances (eight starts). He is 5-1 and has allowed only 28 hits in 40.2 innings while striking out 36. His .188 batting average against is tied for seventh in the conference. Cooperman is second among starters with a 3.77 ERA in nine starts while posting a 2-3 record. He has struck out 49 batters in 45.1 innings. Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) is 6-2 on the season with a 4.48 ERA in 13 appearances (ten starts). He has struck out a team-high 54 batters in a team-high 60.1 innings. JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) and Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) have each started six games this season. Spehrley is 6-2 with a 5.63 ERA while Newmyer is 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA. Out of the bullpen, Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) has emerged as the leader. He is 5-1 with five saves and a team-best 2.81 ERA in a team-high 18 appearances this season. He has struck out 21 batters in 25.2 innings and is tied for fourth in the conference in saves. Ed Herbener (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School), Mike Warren (Garnerville, N.Y./St. Joseph Regional), Zach Meyer (Muncy Valley, Pa./Sullivan County), Jeremy Zezza (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area), James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), Brett Alaimo (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township), and Mark Bobko (Metuchen, N.J./St. Joseph Metuchen) have also been called upon this season and could play important roles at the tournament.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

#1E West Chester (31-13, 20-8 PSAC East)
(2018 Series: West Chester 3-1 against Bloomsburg)
Offense: .329 (2nd in PSAC)
Pitching: 4.59 (4th in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Jared Melone (.482, 10 HR, 67 RBI), Nick Ward (.372, 13 HR, 48 RBI), Shane Dressler (.370, 6 HR, 50 RBI)
Pitchers To Watch: Mike Cipolla (6-2, 4.48 ERA), Zach Rice (7-2, 4.68 ERA), Jon Fisher (5-2, 3.58 ERA), Andrew Scarpelli (1-0, 2 SV, 1.57 ERA)

#2E Millersville (31-17, 19-9 PSAC East)
(2018 Series: Millersville 3-1 against Bloomsburg)
Offense: .287 (T-11th in PSAC)
Pitching: 4.14 (3rd in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Kaylor Kulina (.401, 0 HR, 16 RBI), Cole Friese (.316, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 18 SB), Ben Snyder (.313, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 12 SB)
Pitchers To Watch: Eli Nabholz (8-3, 2.31 ERA, 71 K), Cordell Shannon (7-2, 3.22 ERA, 60 K), Drew Miller (3-1, 3.12 ERA), Tyler Yankosky (4-2, 4.75 ERA)

#4E Shippensburg (26-22, 15-13 PSAC East)
(2018 Series: Bloomsburg 3-1 against Shippensburg)
Offense: .300 (9th in PSAC)
Pitching: 5.19 (6th in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Dalton Hoiles (.360, 10 HR, 36 RBI), Drew Bene (.344, 4 HR, 31 RBI), Tommy Baggett (.319, 6 HR, 35 RBI)
Pitchers To Watch: Zach Sims (9-3, 2.27 ERA, 81 K), Andy Crum (4-4, 3.16 ERA), Gabe Mosser (7-4, 3.49 ERA, 86 K), Michael Hope (2-3, 6 SV, 3.65 ERA)

#1W Mercyhurst (31-11, 20-8 PSAC West)
(2018 Series: DNP against Bloomsburg)
Offense: .302 (8th in PSAC)
Pitching: 3.64 (1st in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Drew Delsignore (.365, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 10 SB), Daniel Elliott (.360, 10 HR, 47 RBI), Matt Schneider (.340, 7 HR, 32 RBI)
Pitchers To Watch: Chris Vallimont (8-2, 2.20 ERA, 108 K), Tyler Garbee (5-0, 2.68 ERA), Russell Lamovec (4-3, 2.98 ERA, 66 K), Adam Jeannette (3-0, 5 SV, 4.32 ERA)

#2W Slippery Rock (29-17, 19-9 PSAC West)
(2018 Series: Bloomsburg 2-0 against Slippery Rock)
Offense: .319 (4th in PSAC)
Pitching: 5.61 (T-7th in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Tyler Walters (.390, 13 HR, 42 RBI), Christian Porterfield (.353, 12 HR, 45 RBI), Abraham Mow (.331, 10 HR, 41 RBI)
Pitchers To Watch: Matt Gordon (5-1, 3.81 ERA), Chris Anastas (5-1, 4.07 ERA), Alex Pantuso (7-2, 4.75 ERA, 80 K), Wyatt Daugherty (3-4, 8 SV, 3.00 ERA)

#3W Gannon (31-16, 18-10 PSAC West)
(2018 Series: DNP against Bloomsburg)
Offense: .311 (6th in PSAC)
Pitching: 4.79 (5th in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Nate Cardy (.419, 5 HR, 42 RBI), Matt Oruch (.350, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 9 SB), Kyle Cox (.329, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 8 SB)
Pitchers To Watch: David Cricks (4-1, 3.88 ERA), Deven Judy (3-4, 3 SV, 4.31 ERA), Jarod Morrison (6-4, 5.25 ERA)

#4W Seton Hill (27-20, 17-11 PSAC West)
(2018 Series: DNP against Bloomsburg)
Offense: .280 (13th in PSAC)
Pitching: 3.69 (2nd in PSAC)
Players To Watch: Tom McCarthy (.354, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 15 SB), Chris Law (.351, 4 HR, 22 RBI), Mark Colella (.281, 7 HR, 27 RBI)
Pitchers To Watch: Patrick Monteverde (2-2, 2.94 ERA, 64 K), Perry DellaValle (5-6, 4.24 ERA, 84 K), Don McWreath (3-3, 3.78 ERA), Neal McDermott (2-0, 3 SV, 2.89 ERA)