California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Coinciding with Cal U’s baseball team’s rise as one of the premiere teams in the PSAC this decade was the consistently impressive play of Bryan Hartung, a record-setting right fielder for the Vulcans from 2000-03.

He earned first-team all-conference honors each of his final three seasons and still holds career school records in five different categories—home runs (39), RBI (168), runs scored (133), hits (204) and at-bats (575). Hartung’s 37 stolen bases are 15th best in the school record book. His career home run and RBI totals still rank third and sixth respectively in PSAC history.

After batting .361 with seven home runs and 36 RBI as a freshman in 2000, Hartung helped the 2001 Vulcans and fifth-year head coach Mike Conte win the program’s first PSAC West championship in 16 years. He batted .368 his sophomore season with eight home runs and 49 RBI while the Vulcans won the division crown with a 16-4 overall record.

In 2000 despite a strong start, Cal U won only six of 20 PSAC West games. Hartung attributed the 10-game divisional improvement to experience.

“We were all freshmen and sophomores and after the spring trip there was a big build-up but we just let things slip away,” Hartung said about his freshman season. “By my sophomore season (2001) we had played together, knew what we had and just played with more confidence. We were just able to put it together and won the conference games which we knew we had too.”

Making their first PSAC Final Four appearance in four years, Cal U finished third at the state tourney. The Vulcans’ finished with a 29-17 overall record which tied the 2000 and 1979 PSAC title team for the most wins in single-season school history to that point. Cal U’s .800 winning percentage against the PSAC West tied the 1977 team that went 8-2.

During his junior season, Hartung clubbed nine home runs with 47 RBI and batted .343. Cal U repeated as PSAC-West champion with a 16-3-1 divisional mark.

In 2003, Cal U changed venues and began playing home games at Falconi Field in Washington, Pa., now called CONSOL Energy Park.

“It was real different,” said Hartung about the relocation. “You were used to driving five minutes up the hill and then you were taking a 35-mile drive to play. But it’s a very nice facility to play in and that made up for the drive.”

Playing in a state-of-the-art facility suited Hartung. He hit a single-season school record 15 home runs, which is still the sixth-highest total in PSAC history. Hartung batted .349 and also produced 47 RBI, 42 runs, five doubles, two triples and 14 stolen bases.

Despite re-writing the school’s individual record books, Hartung looks at his own achievements modestly.

“I never really even thought about it until my senior year,” said Hartung. “One of my roommates was looking at the record books and said I was dead-on for some of these records. I just kind of shrugged it off.”

According to Hartung, setting records came about from his simply carrying out his on-the-field duties.

“I’ve looked at the records list before but I just tried to go out and do my job,” he said. “I batted fourth and my job was to put the ball over the fence so I just tried to do that and just do my best every time I went out on the field.”

Hartung’s memorable season concluded with the Vulcans winning their final four games of the season to clinch a third-consecutive PSAC playoff spot under Conte, who will begin his 13th season as Cal U’s baseball coach this spring.

“It was very intense to play under Mike to say the least,” said Hartung. “We were always focused, had a lot of fun but we were serious and got the job done when we had to.”

He becomes the 22nd baseball player and the first from the Conte coaching era to be inducted into the Cal U Hall of Fame that began in 1995.

“This was very unexpected and something I never really thought of,” Hartung said. “Cal U has had a lot of great baseball players and it’s a really nice feeling to receive this honor.”

Originally from Plum, Pa., and a graduate of Plum High School, Hartung earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Cal U in 2003. He credits longtime history professor Dr. Sean Madden for being a positive influence.

“I was close to Dr. Madden and I always tried to pick his brain,” Hartung said. “I must have had him four or five times in class because I liked the way he approached teaching, his curriculum and he was definitely one guy that stuck out. He’s intense like Mike.”

During his scholastic days, Bryan was a star outfielder and Plum won the 1998 WPIAL Class AAA championship. The Mustangs outscored four playoff opponents by an average of 11-4 and capped the title with a 9-2 win over North Catholic. Plum also reached the PIAA semifinals and Hartung was also a standout scholastic football player, playing running back and linebacker.

Bryan and his wife, Cal U alumna Jennifer, reside in Forward Twp., Pa. with their four-month old son, Nicholas. He is a foreman with Banks Gas Services and when time permits plays baseball in the Daily News League.

He looks back fondly at his Cal U days and lived in Binns Hall his freshman season.

“I’ve been back a few times and the campus is night-and-day from what it was,” he said. “I have gone to a few games and try to keep in touch. I have a lot of good memories. I am very happy I went to Cal U and if I would not have gone there I would have never met my wife.”