CALIFORNIA (May 9) - The California University of Pennsylvania baseball team opens play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament with a first-round elimination game against (E1) Millersville at Jack Critchfield Park in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, May 11.

Tickets: All students from PSAC institutions will be admitted free with a valid student ID. Tickets are available for purchase online by clicking HERE and are at the gate.  For May 11-12, adult tickets are priced at $15 and students are $7. Prices will be adjusted for May 13-14 with adult tickets costing $10 and students are $5. There will not be multiple-day passes offered.

Live Coverage: Slippery Rock will provide live statistics and video for all the games. For additional information about the tournament, please click HERE.

Regional Rankings: West Chester remained No.1 in the latest Atlantic regional rankings with Gannon, Slippery Rock, Millersville and Seton Hill rounding out the top five. East Stroudsburg was ranked sixth, while Mercyhurst, Charleston (W.Va.), and Cal U completed the top nine in the rankings. The NCAA regional rankings are scheduled to be released again on Wednesday afternoon during the first day of the PSAC Tournament before the field for the NCAA Tournament is released on Sunday, May 15.

Scouting (W4) Cal U: The Vulcans (31-16, 16-12) eclipsed the 30-win mark this year for the ninth time since the 2004 campaign. Senior Jacob McCaskey leads the team and ranks among the top 10 in the PSAC in multiple offensive categories, including a .380 average, 51 runs scored, 46 RBI, 10 home runs and a .687 slugging percentage. Senior Louden Conte is tied for second in the conference with four triples while recording a .353 average, 35 RBI and a 1.054 OPS (on-base plus slugging). On the mound, senior Dylan Brosky leads the conference and ranks seventh in the country with a 0.93 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), while sitting third in the PSAC with a 2.27 ERA. He has tossed three complete games and recorded a career-high 68 strikeouts in 63.1 innings.

Vulcans in the PSAC Tournament: Cal U returns to the league tournament for the 18th time under head coach Mike Conte, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history and eclipsed the 700-win milestone earlier this season.

Scouting (W1) Gannon: The Golden Knights (29-14, 20-8) claimed the top seed in the PSAC West. Sophomore Miguel Vega leads the team with .343 average and redshirt junior Ian Hess paces the team with a 1.023 OPS (on-base plus slugging), 41 RBI, 11 home runs, and 35 runs scored. Graduate student Eric Sapp and redshirt senior Deven Judy have posted a 15-1 combined record this season. Sapp is tied for first in the PSAC with nine victories while recording a 2.57 ERA, 87 strikeouts and six complete games. Judy registered a 6-1 mark while ranking sixth in the conference with a 4.68 strikeout-to-walk ratio and three complete games this season.

Scouting (W2) Slippery Rock: The Rock (32-14, 17-11) is making its first appearance in the conference tournament since the 2018 season as they lead the conference in multiple categories. The Rock features two players hitting over .400 this season in Joel Spishock and Connor Hamilton. Spishock leads the team the sits second in the conference with a .426 average, including 16 doubles, 36 RBI and a 1.261 OPS. Hamilton ranks four in the conference with a .419 average, fourth with 16 homers and third with an .818 slugging percentage. Redshirt junior Alex Robenolt leads the team with 51 RBI and has posted a 1.113 OPS. Slippery Rock leads the PSAC with nine shutouts and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Junior Devin Dunn is tied for the conference lead with nine wins, while ranking third with five complete games this season and a 2.55 ERA.

Scouting (W3) Mercyhurst: The Lakers (29-16, 16-12) enter the tournament featuring one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. Mercyhurst is tallying 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks seventh in the country. The Lakers pace the conference with 7.46 hits allowed per nine innings and sit in the top ten in NCAA Division II with a 3.72 ERA. Sophomore Jarret Meilman paces the team with a 7-0 record, while classmate Daniel Thomas has registered four complete games and ranks third in the PSAC with a 1.05 WHIP. Graduate student Josh Surowiec is one of the premier hitters in the conference as he paces the league and ranks eighth in the country with a .443 average. He ranks third in the conference with 17 home runs while ranking among the top five in the country with a .556 on-base percentage and an .866 slugging percentage.

Scouting (E1) Millersville: The Marauders (37-12, 18-6) captured their third-consecutive PSAC East title and lead the conference in multiple offensive categories. Millersville boasts the top four players in total hits, led by redshirt senior Luke Trainer and junior Ben Taylor. Trainer sits third in league with a .425 average, including 74 hits, 60 RBI and a 1.128 OPS. Taylor is hitting at a .417 clip, which is fifth-best in the conference, while leading the PSAC with 75 hits, 1.56 hits per game, 71 runs and 1.48 runs per game. Both Trainer and Taylor sit tied for second in the conference with 20 doubles. Redshirt junior Thomas Caufield leads the team with 69 RBI and 14 home runs while posting a .374 average. On the mound, junior Ben Wilchacky leads the team with eight victories while posting a 2.47 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Senior Nate Young paces the Marauders with a 1.87 ERA in 16 appearances, while boasting a 6-0 record.

Scouting (E2) West Chester: The Golden Rams (29-10, 17-7) lead the PSAC and rank fourth in NCAA Division II in stolen bases this season. West Chester features five players hitting over .300 led by senior Mike Ferrara at .372, who ranks fourth in the conference with 58 RBI. He sits fifth in the nation at 0.50 doubles per games, while leading the PSAC with 19 hits by pitch. Graduate student Justin Horn hits at a .346 clip, while tallying 24 RBI and a .471 on-base percentage. Graduate student Zach Wright ranks third in the country with 38 stolen bases and sophomore Joe Kaleck has totaled 26 stolen bases, which is fourth in the conference. On the mound, graduate student Braeden Fausnaught leads the team with seven victories and ranks third in the PSAC with 88 strikeouts in 68.1 innings.

Scouting (E3) Shippensburg: The Raiders (26-22, 16-8) pace the eight-team tournament with 17 triples led by sophomore Jafari Williams, who leads the conference with five. Senior Justin Darden leads the team with 10 home runs and 42 RBI, while posting a .304 average. Sophomore Andrew Chronister sits second in the conference as the toughest to strike out at 15.9 after only striking out 10 times in a 159 at-bats. Shippensburg is led by a duo of pitchers in Nick Zegna and Noah Nabholz, who each have seven victories. Zegna sits second in the PSAC with 90 strikeouts in 93.1 innings, while sitting sixth in the conference with a 2.51 ERA. Nabholz leads the team and sits fourth in the league with a 2.37 ERA in 64.2 innings while collecting 50 strikeouts.

Scouting (E4) East Stroudsburg: The Warriors (34-15, 15-9) lead the conference and rank sixth in the country with a 3.51 ERA. Redshirt sophomore Brent Francisco is among the best pitchers in the country as he ranks seventh with 102 strikeouts, third in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 9.27 and 16th with 1.29 walks allowed per nine innings. Graduate student Chase Nowak leads the Warriors with seven victories, while posting a 1.95 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 74.0 innings. Freshman Jack Rothenhausler paces the team with a .364 average and a 1.107 OPS, while redshirt sophomore Ben Piripavel leads the Warriors with 48 runs scored. East Stroudsburg ranks second in the conference and seventh in the country with 126 stolen bases this season led by Pirpavel with 29.

Looking Ahead: The winner of the PSAC Tournament will receive an automatic qualifier (AQ) to the 2022 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament. The Mountain East Conference (MEC) will also receive an AQ, while the next top-five teams in the final Atlantic regional rankings will receive at-large bids.

2022 PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1: (W2) Slippery Rock vs. (E3) Shippensburg, 9:30 a.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 2: (E1) Millersville vs. (W4) Cal U, 1 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 3: (E2) West Chester vs. (W3) Mercyhurst, 4:30 p.m. (loser eliminated)
Game 4: (W1) Gannon vs. (E5) East Stroudsburg, 8 p.m. (loser eliminated)
 
Thursday, May 12
Game 5: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 2 p.m.
Game 7: Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, 7 p.m. (loser eliminated)
 
Friday, May 13
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 9: Loser of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 7, 3 p.m. (loser eliminated)
 
Saturday, May 14
Championship Round
Game 10: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9, 12 p.m.
(Tournament is complete if Winner of Game 8 wins Game 10)

Championship Round – If Game
*Only played if Winner of Game 9 wins Game 10
Game 11: Rematch of Game 10, 4 p.m.