Baseball | 5/19/2021 3:08:00 PM

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University baseball team will continue its quest for back-to-back Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles as it heads to Seton Hill University to battle the Griffins in the best-of-three, conference championship series. The teams are scheduled to play two games on Friday, May 21, with a third game – if necessary – set to be played on Saturday, May 22. Both days get underway at noon.
 
The series features the conference's past two champions as Seton Hill claimed the PSAC title in 2017 and 2018 while the Huskies won the program's first championship in 54 years in the league's most recent tournament in 2019. The 2020 postseason was not conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the 2010 season, the two teams have met five times on the diamond – all at neutral locations. The Griffins have won three of those five meetings, with the Huskies winning twice during the stretch – a 10-5 win in Hickory, North Carolina, on February 27, 2010, and a 9-2 victory in Thomasville, North Carolina, on March 5, 2017.

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HOW THEY GOT HERE
Bloomsburg was the only road team – east or west – to earn a victory in the quarterfinal round last Wednesday as it rode the right arm of redshirt sophomore Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) to a 5-2 win at second-seeded West Chester. The Huskies then eliminated the Eastern Division's top seed, Millersville, two games to one, in a best-of-three semifinal series on Sunday and Monday. Bloomsburg won the opener, 7-6 in ten innings, on a game-winning RBI single from senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin). Due to weather, the teams played twice on Monday, with Millersville taking game one, 12-2, before the Huskies won the decisive third game, 13-0, behind a complete-game, four-hit shutout from freshman Michael Standen (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner). Senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) posted a career-high five RBI in the game-three win.
 
Seton Hill, meanwhile, steam-rolled its way to the top seed in the Western Division as the Griffins won 31 of their 35 regular-season contests. In the quarterfinals, the Griffins blanked Gannon, 6-0, and then swept second-seeded Mercyhurst in the semifinals this past Sunday after posting 7-4 and 6-3 wins over the Lakers. Seton Hill trailed in both games against Mercyhurst but scored five times in the fifth in game one and four times in the ninth in game two.
 
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG (21-15, 18-14 PSAC East)
Bloomsburg averages just over 6.5 runs per game and comes into the championship series, hitting .292 as a team - the fifth-highest mark in the conference this season. The Huskies are near the top in the league in home runs with 48, and they take advantage of free passes as Bloomsburg hitters have walked 181 times for a team on-base percentage of .412. Against Millersville, the Huskies drew 32 walks in three games against Marauder pitching.
 
Redshirt junior Carter Chasanov (Magnolia, Del./Polytech) leads Bloomsburg with a .361 batting average (44-of-122) on the season. The All-PSAC Second Team centerfielder has seven home runs and 24 RBI while leading the team with eight stolen bases. He also leads the Huskies in runs scored (36) and hits (44) while ranking second in doubles (8) and total bases (73). All-PSAC First Team honoree, redshirt junior Kyle OFier (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area), is batting .331 (40-of-121) with a team-high tying eight home runs and a team-leading 40 RBI. He also leads the team in doubles (10) and total bases (74) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.612). Redshirt sophomore Anthony Viggiano (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven), senior Gianni Sinatore (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), and redshirt junior Jared Burcin (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) also have batting averages north of .300 on the season. Viggiano is a .314 hitter (38-of-121) with two home runs and 18 RBI, while Burcin is at .312 (24-of-77) with a home run and 16 RBI. Meanwhile, Sinatore has arguably been the team's hottest hitter as of late as he has his average up to .313 (31-of-99) with eight home runs and 25 RBI. He is currently on an eight-game hitting streak and is batting .462 (6-of-13) with three runs scored, two doubles, five RBI, and five walks in four postseason games. All-PSAC Second Team honoree, redshirt junior Ben Newbert (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton), is hitting .289 (26-of-90) with four home runs and 16 RBI. Senior Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin) is right behind at .287 (31-of-108) with six home runs and 29 RBI. Senior Andrew Holmes (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township) and redshirt junior Jake Reed (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) are expected to round out the lineup. Holmes is hitting .238 (20-of-84) with four home runs and 18 RBI. He is tied for the team lead in on-base percentage at .455. Reed, meanwhile, has reached base in 25 consecutive games and has an on-base percentage of .432.
 
On the mound, the Huskies have battled through numerous injuries during the season but have received strong contributions from several arms in the postseason. The team earned run average has dropped to 6.99 on the season, with the Huskies' staff striking out 280 batters in 248 innings. Freshman Michael Standen (Drexel Hill, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) is 3-2 with a team-best 3.06 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32.1 innings, while redshirt sophomore Jared Marshman (Berwick, Pa./Berwick) is 4-2 with a 5.86 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 43 innings. Also expected to start is senior JJ Spehrley (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville Area), who is 2-1 with a 6.87 ERA. He has struck out 42 batters in 38 innings. Senior Ed Herbener (Drums, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) could also start or provide long relief for the Huskies. He enters with a 1-2 record and 28 strikeouts in 22.1 innings.
 
Out of the bullpen, redshirt freshman Logan Hile (Winfield, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) has turned into the workhorse. He has pitched in a team-high-tying 12 games and is 2-3 with one save and a 6.75 ERA. He has struck out 20 in 18.2 innings. Redshirt freshman Nate Baranski (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) has appeared in 11 contests and sports a 4-1 record. Other relief options include sophomore Brandon Walters (York, Pa./Central York), redshirt freshmen Alex Cornell (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) and Brandon McGaw (Danville, Pa./Danville), and freshmen Nick Heubel (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), Dylan Lubinski (Levittown, Pa./Pennsbury), and Matt Vernieri (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat).
 
SCOUTING SETON HILL (34-4, 23-4 PSAC West)
Seton Hill enters the championship series on an 11-game winning streak and is 34-4 overall on the season. The Griffins have not lost at home this season as they are a perfect 22-0 at the Seton Hill Baseball Complex. As a team, Seton Hill is hitting .321 and has outscored the opposition, 321-103. The Griffins' pitching staff boasts a team ERA of 2.91 and is holding opponents to a .224 batting average.

At the plate, Tommy Pellis was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year. He leads the Griffins with a .415 batting average (51-of-123) while also leading the team in runs scored (49), hits (51), home runs (14), RBI (40), and total bases (102). Owen Sabol was the PSAC West Rookie of the Year and currently ranks second on the team with a .375 batting average (39-of-104). Sabol has four home runs and 25 RBI while leading the team in on-base percentage (.545) and stolen bases (22). Derek Orndorff is batting .364 (40-of-110) while tying Pellis in home runs (14) and RBI (40). Orndorff leads the team with an .836 slugging percentage. Three other regulars – Isaiah DiAndreth (.362), Vincenzo Rauso (.333), and Jordan Fiedor (.318) – also have averages north of .300.
 
On the mound, nine different pitchers have started a game for the Griffins. Jared Kollar has started five and is 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. In 21.1 innings, he has allowed only 13 hits while striking out 34. Marshall McGraw is 3-0 in four starts with a 2.25 ERA. Ben Vicini has made a team-high nine starts and is 4-1 with a 3.99 ERA. He has struck out a team-high 61 batters in 47.1 innings. The bullpen has had many arms throw, but Caiden Wood and Nash Bryan have been the leading horses. Wood is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in 12 appearances, while Bryan is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a team-best four saves in 12 games. The staff has issued just 76 walks in 284 innings of work this season.

UP NEXT
The winner of the championship series gets an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II tournament. Meanwhile, the runner-up will learn of its postseason fate when the NCAA hosts its selection show on Sunday night, May 23. Postseason teams will be announced on NCAA.com beginning at 10:00 p.m.