Baseball | 5/2/2019 2:07:00 PM

 
GAME COVERAGE
• LIVE STATS (FRIDAY)
• LIVE VIDEO (FRIDAY)
• LIVE STATS (SATURDAY)

RELATED LINKS
• Bloomsburg: Schedule • Roster • Statistics
• West Chester: Schedule • Roster • Statistics

THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University baseball team wraps up the regular season with a pair of doubleheaders against West Chester. Both teams have clinched a spot in the PSAC tournament but the series has seeding and regional playoff implications. One win by the Huskies in the series clinches no worse than second place in the Eastern Division. Meanwhile, Bloomsburg is third in the latest NCAA regional rankings while the Golden Rams are seventh - on the outside looking in.

SERIES HISTORY
• West Chester leads the all-time series against Bloomsburg, 65-32. Last season, the Golden Rams won three out of four meetings against the Huskies, including a sweep in West Chester. Bloomsburg won the final game of the series, 5-4, at Danny Litwhiler Field. West Chester has won 12 of the last 14 meetings between the two schools.

MILESTONE WATCH
• Senior Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) has put together quite a career on the mound and is quickly climbing all-time leaderboards in several different categories. This season, Raines is 6-1 with a 2.19 ERA in nine starts and has struck out 42 batters in 53.1 innings. He became the school's all-time leader in career strikeouts with a seventh-inning punchout at Lock Haven on Saturday as he broke the previous record of 182 set by Sean Holden from 1997-99. Raines is 15 strikeouts away from 200 for his career. The senior now has 18 victories - third in school history and three away from tying the school record. He also ranks fifth in appearances (50), fourth in innings pitched (216), and tied for third in shutouts (3).

• Meanwhile, head coach Mike Collins became only the second coach in program history to reach 300 career victories after the Huskies' game two victory over Lock Haven on Monday. Collins, who has a career record of 301-332 in his 14th season, trails only Matt Haney's 314 career wins from 1991-2005. Collins does have the most conference victories in school history with 155.

THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• The Huskies have climbed to third in the PSAC with a .297 team batting average, trailing only Millersville (.307) and Seton Hill (.304). The Huskies are tied for second in the league in home runs (42) and tied for first in the conference in on-base percentage (.412). Senior Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South), the reigning PSAC East and NCBWA Atlantic Region Player of the Week, is on a tear as he leads the team with a .369 batting average - seventh in the PSAC. He is currently on a 17-game hitting streak where he is hitting .551 (27-of-49). Sophomore Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) is up to .342 on the year and has driven in 19 runs. He is 11 for his last 19 at the plate (.579). Junior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) is third with a .336 batting average. He leads the team in runs (36), slugging percentage (.636), and on-base percentage (.497). He has posted career bests in home runs (8) and RBI (32). Redshirt freshman Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) is up to .333 on the year with a team-high 17 stolen bases while junior Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Home School) sports a .317 average, ranking second on the team with 40 hits. Sophomore Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) has raised his average to .275 and leads in both home runs (10) and RBI (38). His 10 home runs are tied for third-most in school history.

• Bloomsburg enters the weekend with a team ERA of 3.95 - second only to Mercyhurst's 3.72 mark in the PSAC this season. The Huskies are limiting opponents to a .229 batting average - also second only to Mercyhurst's .210. Bloomsburg pitchers have also struck out 335 batters in 303.1 innings of work. Raines, the reigning PSAC East Pitcher of the Week, leads the starters with a 6-1 record and a 2.19 ERA - fourth among starters in the PSAC. He has thrown back-to-back shutouts and has not allowed a run in his last 15.2 innings of work. Junior Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) is 6-3 with a 3.08 ERA. He leads the team with 59 strikeouts in 49.2 innings and is holding opponents to a .199 average. Junior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area) is 5-2 and has a 3.92 ERA while sophomore Nick Stoner (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) is 5-2 with a 5.16 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, seniors Trey Hinkle (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) and Zach Newmyer (New Cumberland, Pa./Red Land) have been sensational. Hinkle is 4-0 with two saves and has not allowed an earned run in 16.2 innings while striking out 17. Newmyer, meanwhile, is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA and a PSAC-leading seven saves. He has 37 strikeouts in 22 innings of work.

SCOUTING WEST CHESTER
• The Golden Rams are fourth in the PSAC in hitting with a .296 team batting average. Jared Melone is, once again, a favorite for PSAC East Player of the Year as he leads the entire conference with a .446 batting average to go along with eight home runs and 44 RBI. He is second in the league in RBI (44), hits (58), and on-base percentage (.525), while leading the league in slugging percentage (.785). Three others are hitting well above .300 on the season for West Chester. Kyle Feaster is second on the team with a .394 average and leads the team with six stolen bases. Justin Horn sports a .340 average with a team-high 41 runs scored while Joe Zirolli is tied for the PSAC lead in home runs (13) and leads the PSAC in RBI (51) while posting a .333 average.

• On the mound, West Chester is sixth in the PSAC with a 4.49 team earned run average. Of the team's starters, David Mervis has the best overall numbers as he is 4-0 with a 3.50 ERA in nine starts. He has struck out 51 batters in 46.1 innings. Jon Fisher is 5-3 with a 3.62 ERA in nine starts and has a team-high 53 punchouts in 49.2 innings. Zach Rice is 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA and a team-best three complete games. Out of the pen, Nick Picariello is tied for the team lead with 12 appearances and is 2-2 with a 2.14 ERA. He has struck out 26 batters in 21 innings and is holding opponents to a .203 average.

LOOKING AHEAD
• The Huskies will make their second consecutive appearance in the PSAC tournament beginning next Wednesday, May 8, in Johnstown. It is the first time in program history that the team has been in the conference playoffs in back-to-back years. Stay tuned to buhuskies.com for further information as it becomes available.