May 27, 2005
KU’s
KELLER, COSTELLO EARN ALL-REGION HONORS
KUTZTOWN, PA – Matt Keller (jr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) and
Kyle Costello (jr. Plains/Coughlin) of the Kutztown
University baseball team have been selected to a pair of
all-region teams.
Costello |
Keller |
Keller, as a starting pitcher, and Costello, as a third baseman,
were named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings
and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA)
Division II All-North Atlantic Region first teams.
Additionally, Keller was chosen as the region’s Pitcher of the
Year by the ABCA.
Keller makes his first appearance on the all-region squads
after an impressive junior year. He was 11-2 with a 3.47 earned
run average and four saves in 72.2 innings of work. He also
struck out 52, while walking only 19. His win and save totals
paced the Golden Bears and his 11 wins tied for the second
winningest season at KU. Keller also established the school’s
career save record, which currently stands at 15 and is fourth
all-time with 20 victories. A two-time All-Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC) East pick, he was selected as the
2004 North Atlantic Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player and
was named to the all-tournament team.
Costello emerged as one of the Golden Bears’ best hitters in
2005. He led the team with eight home runs and 57 runs batted
in, and ranked second with a .366 batting average. His RBI
total was the third best season in Kutztown history. Costello
is making his first appearance on the all-region teams, and was
named to the All-PSAC East first team earlier this spring.
The
Golden Bears finished the 2005 with a 39-18 record, setting
school record for wins in a season. KU was 10-8 in the PSAC and
won the PSAC Championship tournament. The squad also advanced
to the North Atlantic Regional, placing third.
May 26, 2005
KLINE,
FULKERSON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University’s Laura Kline (jr.
Reading/Reading), of the field hockey team, and Greg
Fulkerson (sr. Towanda/Towanda), of the men’s swim team,
have been selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic
All-District II team.
Kline |
Fulkerson |
Kline was named to the women’s at-large first team, while
Fulkerson earned a place on the men’s at-large second team.
Kline has a 4.0 grade point average as a special education
major. This fall she was selected to the second team All-PSAC
in field hockey after helping Kutztown to a 14-6 record and a
berth in the conference playoffs. On the season, Kline tallied
a pair of goals and four assists for eight points, while
starting all 19 games in which she played. In her field hockey
career, she has two goals and six assist as a two-year starter.
Kline is also a member of the KU track & field team and last
spring was part of Kutztown’s PSAC champion 4x400-meter relay
team at the conference championships. This spring, she won the
400 hurdles at the PSACs with an NCAA provisional time and
stadium record and helped the Golden Bears to the conference
title. The junior was selected to
the 2004
PSAC Fall Academic Top Ten, the
National Field Hockey
Coaches’ Association All-Academic squad each of the last two
years and was also a 2003-04 PSAC Scholar-Athlete.
With her selection to the first team, Kline is now on the ballot
for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americaâ
Women’s At-Large Team, that is scheduled to be announced on
Thursday, June 16.
Fulkerson is an elementary education/social studies major
with a 3.89 GPA. A team co-captain, he placed 11th at the PSAC
Championships in the 200 free and was 12th in the 500 free. He
also swam on three relays that finished in the top six.
Fulkerson was named the 2004-05 KU Male Senior Scholar-Athlete
of the Year and has qualified for the Dean’s List in each of his
seven semesters at Kutztown (spring 2005 dean’s list has not
been announced). He is a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and a
four-year letterwinner. He has been involved in the
Student-Athlete Mentor program for three years.
The District II College Division consists of all NCAA
Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA colleges and
universities in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. To be eligible, a
student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2
cumulative grade-point average and a starter or significant
reserve on her team.
May 26, 2005
KU’s
NANDAKUMAR NAMED EAST REGION SENIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Golden Bears Finish Year Ranked among Nation’s Best
KUTZTOWN, PA – Mukundan Nandakumar (sr. Chennai, INDIA) of the
Kutztown University men’s tennis team was named the ITA (Intercollegiate
Tennis Association) East Region Senior Athlete of the Year.
|
Mukundan Nandakumar was named ITA East Region Senior of
the Year |
Nandakumar posted a 16-2 mark in singles play, and was 19-2
in doubles competition this season, helping the Golden Bears to
both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and NCAA
East Regional titles. He was also selected as the PSAC Athlete
of the Year and was named to the All-PSAC first team. A
four-time All-PSAC pick, Nandakumar is the only athlete in KU
history to help his team to a regional title in each year of his
career. His 141 career singles and doubles wins are tied atop
the Kutztown career list (Michael Rohrbach, 1997-2000). The
former PSAC Rookie of the Year finished his career with an
overall mark of 63-18 in singles play and 78-21 in doubles.
The
Kutztown men finished their most successful season with a 20-2
record, setting school records for most wins and tying the mark
for fewest losses. The team won its fifth PSAC title in six
year and fourth-straight NCAA East Regional. The men finished
the year ranked 40th in NCAA Division II by ITAtennis.com.
Kutztown’s women’s tennis team ended the year ranked #24 by
ITAtennis.com, while #1 player Kerstin Kleoffer (so. Ludwigs
Hafen, GERMANY) was ranked #38 among NCAA Division II
singles players. KU was 14-3 in 2004-05, winning the NCAA East
Regional for the first time in school history.
May 20, 2005
HORONZY,
WILLMER NAMED ALL-REGION
KUTZTOWN, PA –
Tarin Horonzy (fr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) and Adriane
Willmer (so. Kitchener, ONT/Resurrection) of the Kutztown
University softball team have been named to the National
Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Mid-Atlantic Region second
team.
Horonzy |
Willmer |
Horonzy earned a place on the second team after an
impressive first season with KU that included a selection to the
All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) first team.
She led the team with five homers and 18 walks, and tied for the
team-lead with 35 runs batted in. Her .323 batting average
(43-for-133) ranked third on the Golden Bears. Horonzy is a
versatile defender earning a utility spot on the all-region
second team, after playing all five infield positions and
spending time in the outfield.
Willmer gains selection to the second team after earning a
spot on the All-PSAC second team and the All-Mid-Atlantic
Regional tournament squad earlier this season. The
centerfielder batted .375 (66-for-176), second on KU. She
finished fourth in the PSAC in runs scored with 46 and
her 13
steals ranked fifth. Willmer tied for the team-lead with four
triples.
Kutztown finished the 2005 season at 27-24 overall and 13-11 in
the PSAC East. The Golden Bears placed fourth at the PSAC
Championships and tied for fifth at the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
May 19, 2005
TRIO
HEADED TO NCAA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
KUTZTOWN,
PA – Three members of the Kutztown University track & field
program have qualified for the NCAA Division II Track &
Field Championships to be held May 26-28, at Elmer Gray
Stadium at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.
Dan Wilson (so. Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham)
will compete in the men’s javelin, Elizabeth Lord (sr.
Shillington/Governor Mifflin) in the women’s discus and
Alison Maurer (jr. Lewisberry/Northern York) in the
women’s hammer throw.
Wilson is making his first trip to the
NCAAs as a sophomore. His winning throw of 209-1 at last
weekend’s PSAC Championships earned him the 10th seed at
nationals. He defeated four other national qualifiers at
the competition. Wilson is also a member of the KU men’s
soccer team.
Lord also qualified for her first trip to
the NCAA Championships this season. She will be seeded 13th
in the discus based on a throw of 151-10 at the Lehigh Games
earlier this spring. Last weekend, Lord was second at the
PSAC Championships with a mark of 142-9.
Maurer will be making her second trip to
nationals after competing in the hammer last season as
well. A throw of 174-5 1/2 at Bucknell in April was good
enough to earn her the 12th seed at the NCAAs. At the 2004
NCAA Championships, Maurer placed 11th with a throw of
168-8. Maurer competed at the 2005 NCAA Indoor
Championships in the weight throw in February, placing 10th.
A total of 620 athletes qualified for the NCAA
Division II Championships by reaching either provisional or
automatic standards in their respective events.
The women’s discus is scheduled for the
afternoon of Thursday, May 26, while both the men’s javelin
and women’s hammer are slated for the afternoon of Saturday,
May 28.
May 18, 2005
SIX
GOLDEN BEARS MAKE ALL-PSAC BASEBALL SQUAD
KUTZTOWN, PA –
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion Kutztown
University Baseball team placed six members on the All-PSAC
Eastern Division squad, as voted by the conference coaches.
Third baseman Kyle Costello (jr. Plains/Coughlin)
and outfielders Jeff Craig (so. Wilkes-Barre/Bishop Hoban)
and Ryan Loper (so. Boiling Springs/Cumberland Valley)
were named to the first team, while catcher Clay Kuklick (sr.
North Wales/North Penn), outfielder Paul Koropchak (sr.
Pottsville/North Schuylkill) and pitcher Matt Keller (jr.
Fleetwood/Fleetwood) were picked to the second team.
Costello is batting .373 (37-for-153) at third base. His
seven home runs are tied for the team lead with and his 56 runs
batted in are a team-best and the third best single-season total
for a Golden Bear.
Craig, a transfer, leads the team with a .379 (69-for-182)
batting average in his first year with the Golden Bears. His 16
doubles are tied for the second most in a season at Kutztown.
The leftfielder also leads KU with 43 runs scored.
Loper is tied with Costello with seven homers to lead
Kutztown. He is batting .329 (48-for-146) and has driven in 43
runs, second on the team. The centerfielder is a perfect
12-for-12 in stolen base attempts to lead the Golden Bears.
Loper also pitches for Kutztown and went 3-1 with a 2.93 earned
run average in 30.2 innings. For his career, he has hit 14 home
runs, fifth all-time for the Golden Bears.
Kuklick was named the most valuable player at the PSAC
tournament last week and is currently hitting .312
(44-for-141). He has scored 34 runs and driven in 23. He is
the KU career leader in times hit by pitch with 42 and his 173
career hits rank fifth.
Koropchak earns a spot on the second team this season after
being named to the first team in 2004. This season, the right
fielder is batting .312 (40-for-128) with nine steals and 25
RBI. His 102 career RBI are fifth all-time at Kutztown.
Keller leads the PSAC with 10 wins and has four saves,
splitting time between the starting rotation and bullpen. He
has a 3.34 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. Keller is the
Kutztown career record holder with 15 saves and his 19 wins rank
fourth. This is his second-straight selection to the second
team.
The
baseball team is 38-18 and will head to Institute, West Virginia
for the NCAA North Atlantic Regional beginning on Thursday with
a contest against West Chester.
May 18, 2005
KU PUTS
EIGHT ON ALL-PSAC TENNIS SQUADS
KUTZTOWN, PA – Five members of the Kutztown University men’s tennis team and
three players from the women’s team were selected to the
All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams in
voting conducted by the league’s coaches.
Nandakumar |
Hlubinski |
Sharma |
Appineni |
Semjonovs |
For the PSAC and Regional Champion men, Mukundan Nandakumar
(sr. Chennai,
INDIA) was named the Athlete
of the Year and gained selection to the All-PSAC first team for
the fourth time in his career. Radoslaw Hlubinski (jr.
Warsaw, POLAND)
and Harsh Sharma (jr. Calcutta,
INDIA) joined him on the
first team, while Somdeep Appineni (so.
Hyderabad,
INDIA) and Ilja
Semjonovs (jr. Liepaja,
LATVIA) were picked to the
second squad.
For the PSAC runner up and regional champion women, Kerstin
Kloeffer (so. Ludwigs Hafen,
GERMANY), Jharna Nansi
(so. Maharashtra,
INDIA) and Amy Withers
(fr. Essendon,
AUSTRALIA) represent the
Golden Bears on the All- PSAC East team. Kloeffer was
also named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, while Withers was
named the PSAC East Rookie of the Year.
Nandakumar posted a 16-2 mark in singles play, and was
19-2 in doubles competition. He has been selected to the all
conference first team in each of his four seasons and is the
only athlete in KU history to help his team to a regional title
in each year of his career. His 141 career singles and doubles
wins are tied atop the Kutztown career list (Michael Rohrbach,
1997-2000). The former PSAC Rookie of the Year finished his
career with an overall mark of 63-18 in singles play and 78-21
in doubles.
Hlubinski earns his first selection to the first team
after being picked to the second team a year ago. He posted a
12-5 singles record, including 8-1 at third singles, and was
16-6 in doubles play. Hlubinski was named the 2003 PSAC Rookie
of the Year. He is 33-18 in singles action in his career and
43-20 in doubles.
Sharma was picked to the first team in his first season
after transferring to KU. He compiled a 16-4 singles mark
between first and second singles, and went 20-2 in doubles
matches.
Appineni is a first time All-PSAC honoree after
completing his season 16-5 in singles play, including 9-1 at
fourth singles, to earn spot on the second team. He was also
19-6 in doubles action. For his career, he is 19-8 in singles
and 30-11 in doubles.
Semjonovs’ second team selection is his first
all-conference honor. He was 10-5 splitting time between third,
fourth and fifth singles and went 15-3 in doubles matches. He
split time betOverall, he is 28-16 in singles action and 28-8 in
doubles.
The Kutztown men finished their most successful season with a
20-2 record, setting school records for most wins and tying the
mark for fewest losses. The team won its fifth PSAC title in
six year and fourth-straight NCAA East Regional.
Kloeffer becomes the first Golden Bear woman to earn the
Player of the Year award in tennis. She also earned All-PSAC
East honors after posting an 11-1 mark at first singles. She
was also 15-1 at No. 1 doubles. For her career, she is 21-3 in
singles and 25-4 in doubles.
Nansi completed her season at 9-3, playing anywhere from
second through fifth singles, to gain an all-conference spot.
In doubles, she went 15-4, appearing mainly at No. 2. She is
17-10 in her career in singles matches and 28-7 when playing
doubles.
Withers was named All-PSAC East after an impressive first
season at Kutztown. She was 9-2 in singles, including a perfect
8-0 mark at the No. 2 seed. The Australian also posted a 13-1
doubles mark between first and second doubles. She
is KU's first-ever women's tennis PSAC Rookie of the Year.
The KU women finished 14-3 in 2004-05, with their first NCAA
East Regional crown, and finished second in the PSAC tournament.
May 17, 2005
KUTZTOWN
PLACES 2ND IN 2004-05 PSAC DIXON TROPHY STANDINGS
KUTZTOWN, PA – Kutztown University finished second in the race for
the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s (PSAC) F. Eugene
Dixon, Jr. Trophy. KU’s second place finish among the 14
schools matches last year’s runner-up showing as the best in
school history.
The
Dixon Trophy is awarded annually to the PSAC member institution
that accumulates the most points based on the results of
conference playoffs and/or regular season records. Each
institution’s finish is calculated by the top six men’s and top
six women’s finishes in 22 conference sports. The trophy has
been awarded annually for the past 10 years.
Shippensburg won this year’s title with a record 135.5 points.
It is the Red Raiders’ fifth overall, and third-straight
trophy. Kutztown had 125 points, ahead of third place Indiana
(PA) at 120.5. Lock haven (114) and West Chester (109.5)
rounded out the top five.
Kutztown’s 125 points, just 1/2 point below last year’s school
record point total of 125.5, consisted of a league high 69.5
points from the six women’s teams and 55.5 from the six men’s
teams that contributed toward the Dixon Trophy standings.
The
Golden Bears’ 2004-05 season was highlighted by PSAC
championships in women’s indoor and outdoor track &
field, baseball and men’s tennis. Runner-up
performances were turned in by women’s soccer, women’s
tennis and men’s outdoor track & field. Women’s
cross country was third in the conference, while men’s
indoor track & field placed fourth. Men’s cross country
(5th), men’s basketball (4th-PSAC East) and women’s
softball (4th-PSAC playoffs) also contributed to Kutztown’s
total.
Dixon Trophy
Standings
1.
Shippensburg 135.5, 2. Kutztown 125, 3. Indiana (PA)
120.5, 4. Lock Haven 114, 5. West Chester 109.5, 6. Bloomsburg
105, 7. (tie) Edinboro and Slippery Rock 100, 9. East
Stroudsburg 94.5, 10. (tie) California (PA) and Clarion 87.5,
12. Millersville 87, 13. Mansfield 63, 14. Cheyney 17.5
KU BASEBALL EARNS TRIP TO NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL
KUTZTOWN, PA –
The Kutztown University baseball team will continue its 2005
season with a trip to the North Atlantic Regional tournament at
West Virginia State University on May 19-21.
The
Golden Bears (38-16) earned the third seed in the
double-elimination tournament, and will face the second seed,
West Chester (36-12) in the opening round on Thursday at 12:30
PM. Top
seeded West Virginia State (39-13) will face the fourth seed,
Slippery Rock (31-13) in the other opening round contest at 4:00
PM.
Games continue all day Friday and Saturday with the championship
round. The winner of the regional advances to the Division II
College World Series in Montgomery, AL, May 28-June 6.
The
Golden Bears are led by head coach Chris Blum, in his
third season at KU. Blum holds a career record of 100-47, the
fastest KU coach to 100 career victories in program history.
Blum led the Golden Bears to the Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC) Championship last Wednesday, the team’s fourth
conference title (1966, 1999, 2002, 2005).
Kutztown is making its fifth-straight, and sixth overall,
appearance in the North Atlantic Regional. Kutztown won the
tournament in 2001, 2002 and last year, while finishing third in
1999 and 2003. (note-due to later administrative action,
Kutztown’s 2004 regional title was vacated).
Kutztown features a balanced pitching and hitting attack. KU
has a .309 team batting average and a 3.74 team earned-run
average.
Starting pitchers Matt Maradeo (jr. Nesquehoning/Panther
Valley) and Kyle Sadlowski (jr. Reading/Central Catholic)
anchor the staff. Maradeo is 7-5, with a team-best 2.04
earned run average and 79 strikeouts in 75.0 innings.
Sadlowski is 9-3, with a 3.34 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 77.0
innings. Both pitchers won games during KU’s PSAC Championship
tournament.
Mike McCardell (so. West Chester/Henderson) is the third
starter. He sports a 5-3 record, with a 4.07 ERA and 54
strikeouts in 55.1 innings. Matt Keller (jr.
Fleetwood/Fleetwood) has split time between starting and
serving as KU’s closer. Keller leads the PSAC with a
10-1 record and has four saves. He has started seven of his 20
appearances this year, with a 3.34 ERA and 47 Ks in 64.2
innings. Keller, who had two saves and a complete-game
victory in the PSAC Championship game, holds the career record
with 15 saves.
Ryan Loper (so. Boiling Springs/Cumberland Valley) (3-1,
2.93 ERA), Marshall Mirarchi (sr. Springfield/Springfield)
(0-2, 4.10), Kevin Morganti (fr. Muhlenberg/Muhlenberg)
(1-0, 5.48), Phillip Rummel (fr. Exeter/West-Mont Christian)
(1-0, 5.57) and Justin Jachowicz (fr. Summit Hill/Panther
Valley) (2-1, 7.12) have also seen time on the mound for KU.
Outfielder Jeffrey Craig (jr. Wilkes-Barre/Bishop Hoban)
leads seven regular starters batting over .300. Craig, a
transfer from Rowan University, has made an immediate impact in
his first season. Craig is hitting .379, with 43 runs
scored, 27 RBI and 16 doubles. Loper, KU’s starting
center fielder when he’s not on the mound, is hitting .329 with
30 runs, 43 RBI, seven home runs and is 12-of-12 on stolen
bases. Fellow outfielder Paul Koropchak (sr.
Pottsville/North Schuylkill) hits .312 with 28 runs and 25
RBI.
Kyle Costello (jr. Plains/Coughlin) fronts the infield at
third base. Costello is hitting .373, with a team-high
56 RBI and shares the team lead with seven homers. His .601
slugging percentage leads the team. Tony Riegel (sr.
Exeter/Exeter) platoons with Costello at third and
designated hitter. He hits .360 with 18 RBI. Second baseman
Josh Fink (jr. Hatfield/North Penn) bats .347 with 35 runs
scored, and has been hit by pitch a school record 13 times this
season. Catcher Clay Kuklick (sr. North Wales/North Penn)
is hitting .312 with 34 runs and 23 RBI. Kuklick was
named PSAC tournament MVP, hitting .533 in KU’s four games.
First baseman McCardell (.288, 20 RBI) and short stop
Gary Stricker (.250, 34 runs, 19 RBI) round out the
infield.
Kutztown’s first round opponent is West Chester, which
the Golden Bears defeated 10-2 to clinch the PSAC title. The
Golden Rams are making their second-straight trip to the North
Atlantic Regional after placing fourth last year. WCU is 36-12
under first-year head coach Matt Brainard. WCU’s
pitching staff ranks among the best in Division II. Jeff
Brennan is the ace of the staff, with a 3.58 ERA and a 9-2
record in 14 games. He has 55 strikeouts in 78.0 innings.
Frank Gailey (7-1, 1.28 ERA, 59 K), Kyle Frees (7-2,
2.21, 76) and Justin Hanley (5-3, 4.26, 45) round out the
starting rotation. 2B Mike LaRosa leads the team with a
.399 batting average and 45 runs scored. Catcher Brett
Wallace hits .349 with 27 BI and 14 doubles. SS Joey
Yeager is hitting .326 with 28 runs batted in and DH Mark
Gilliford has a team-high 48 RBI and a .318 batting average.
West Virginia State has the nation’s top offensive attack.
The Yellow Jackets hit .374 as a team and score 10.3 runs per
contest, both are the best among Division II teams. WVSU,
under veteran head coach Cal Bailey, won the West Virginia
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship. This is
WVSU’s second-straight regional appearance and seventh in the
last eight years. OF Josh Miller leads the team with a
.448 average and has 64 RBI, 13 homers and 61 runs. Catcher
Jonathan McDowell is hitting .444 with a team-high 74 RBI
and 17 home runs. 2B Ryan Taylor is hitting .440 with 59 RBI,
74 runs and 12 homers. 1B Kevin Goode rounds out the heavy
hitters with a .403 average, 52 RBI and 12 home runs. Zach
Baldwin heads the pitching staff with an 8-0 record and a
1.84 ERA. He has 57 Ks in 63.2 innings. Marc Atkins
(7-0, 2.56 ERA, 46 K in 56.1 innings) also leads the staff.
Slippery Rock makes its fourth regional appearance in six
years. The Rock, under head coach Jeff Messer, qualified for
the regional despite not playing in the PSAC tournament based on
their 31-13 regular season. The Rock enters the tournament with
a team batting average of .317 and a team ERA of 3.96. 2B Chase
Rowe leads the team, hitting .418 with 37 RBI, 35 runs and six
homers. OF Matt Kozusko hits .369 with 28 RBI and 38 runs.
Rocky D’Angelo tops the pitching staff with a 7-1 record and a
2.20 ERA, with 41 strikeouts in 61.6 innings. Troy Wilson (3-1,
3.02 ERA, 41.2 IP, 37 K) and Dan Herisko (5-1, 5 saves, 2.17
ERA, 45.2 IP, 37 K) round out the top pitchers.
Notes: Kutztown is 2-3 vs. West Chester and did not face
Slippery Rock or West Virginia State this season…KU’’s last
games vs. Slippery Rock came in the 2003 North Atlantic
Regional, in which SRU won 2-1 and 3-1 decisions…KU last faced
West Virginia State in last year’s regional, winning 13-2 and
6-4 decisions…West Virginia State did not face any of the other
qualifiers this season…Slippery Rock and West Chester split a
pair of contests in March, with SRU winning 11-10 and West
Chester winning 10-1...Kutztown will not be doing live Webcasts
of its games, however, in-game updates after each inning of
Kutztown’s contests will be available on the Golden Bear Hotline
at 610-683-1515, option 1…Slippery Rock and West Chester are
expected to Webcast their games, links to any live Webcasts by
opponents will be provided on kubears.com.
May 11, 2005
GOLDEN
BEARS PREPARE FOR PSAC TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
KUTZTOWN, PA – The Kutztown University track & field teams will
travel to Mansfield for the Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference Outdoor Championships, Thursday, May 12 – Saturday
May 14.
The competition kicks off on Thursday morning at 10 am with the first day
of the decathlon and heptathlon. Friday features the conclusion
of the decathlon and heptathlon, along with the start both the
track and field events. The finals of the women’s pole vault,
high jump, long jump and shot put will be decided Friday along
with the men’s discus and long jump.
Saturday is championship day with opening ceremonies being held
at 11 am followed by the final of all the remaining men’s and
women’s events.
The Kutztown men will be looking to improve upon their fourth
place in each of the past two outdoor championships. The women
will try to move up from their third place finish. Slippery
Rock won both the men’s and women’s championships last season.
KU
is under the guidance of head coach Brian Mondschein, in
his 11th year at the helm of the Golden Bears' track & field
program. During the indoor season, he guided the women to their
second PSAC Indoor Championship in as many years. Kutztown’s men
won the outdoor title three straight years from 2000 to 2002,
while the women have won titles in 1997 and 2000.
The men’s team is lead by Dave Bartolomucci (sr.
Exeter/Exeter) and Tony Hegedus (so. Coopersburg/Southern
Lehigh). Bartolomucci placed second in the 400-meter
last season and enters the championships with a conference-best
time of 48.45, which he ran earlier this season at UNC-Wilmington.
Hegedus will be the top seed in the 400m hurdles after running
an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 52.66 at Bucknell, the
fastest PSAC time this year. Both runners will also compete on
the 4x400m relay team, which won the PSAC indoor title in
February.
In
the shot put, Steve Tyson (fr. Bridgeport/Upper Merion)
has the second seed after a throw of 52-8 at the Lock Haven
Qualifier. The distance was an NCAA provisional mark for the
PSAC indoor champion in the shot put. Jim Dart (so.
Havertown/Haverford) earned the No. 2 seed in the discus
with a mark of 150-3 at the Lehigh Games.
De’Andre Pearson (sr. Norristown/Norristown) will be seeded
third in the 100m with a time of 10.89. Vonkurt Redley’s (fr.
Elkins Park/Cheltenham) time of 15.01 in the 110m hurdles
last weekend at the Lock Haven Qualifier earned him the third
seed in that event.
Dan Wilson (so. Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham) has an NCAA
provisional mark of 199-2 in the javelin, but will be competing
in a very deep PSAC field that features at least nine potential
NCAA competitors.
On
the women’s side, the Golden Bears have four top seeds.
Laura Kline (jr. Reading/Reading) heads a strong group of KU
hurdlers that earned the top three seeds in the 400m hurdles and
five of the top eight. Kline is the top seed in the event with
an NCAA provisional time of 63.05. Sara Otis (sr.
Wyalusing/Wyalusing Valley) is the No. 2 seed with a time of
63.62 and Jaci Pfeiffer (jr. Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough)
is third at 64.05. She is also third in the 110m hurdles with a
15.25 at the PSAC East Challenge.
Elizabeth Lord (sr. Shillington/Governor Mifflin) is the top
seed in the discus with an NCAA provisional mark of 151-10 at
the Lehigh Games. Renee Marchand (so. Hawley/Wallenpaupack)
posted a score of 4,168 at the Golden Bear Multis to earn the
top seed in the women’s heptathlon. Danielle Mousley’s (sr.
Manheim Twp./Manheim Twp.) 4:45.04 in the 1500m at Lafayette
earned her the top seed in that event.
In
the 800m, KU will have the third seed in Madonna Patterson
(so. Philadelphia/William Penn) who ran a 2:17.09 at the
PSAC East Challenge. Patterson won the 800 at the indoor
championships and was named the Outstanding Track Athlete at the
meet. Steph Sukal (sr. New Tripoli/Northwestern Lehigh)
cleared 11-3 3/4 in the pole vault at Bucknell and will be
seeded third.
Molly Lare (so. Bethlehem/Liberty) ran a 17:47.03, and NCAA
provisional time, in the 5,000m, but will be competing against
four other athletes with NCAA provisional times.
Admission to the PSAC Outdoor Championships at Mansfield is $7
per adult and $2 per student for each day Friday and Saturday.
May 11, 2005
THREE
NAMED TO ALL-PSAC SOFTBALL SQUAD
KUTZTOWN, PA –
Tarin Horonzy (fr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood), Stacy Bricker
(sr. Kutztown/Kutztown) and Adriane Willmer (so.
Kitchener, ONT/Resurrection) of the Kutztown University
softball team earned selection to the All-Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference
(PSAC) squads.
Horonzy was selected to the All-PSAC East first team as a
utility player, while Bricker and Willmer were
named to the second team.
Horonzy came on strong late in the season to become one of
the Golden Bears’ top run producers and earn her first all
conference honor. She has a team-high five homers and her 34
runs batted in are second on KU. For the season, the Fleetwood
native is batting .339 (43-for-127). Horonzy is a versatile
defender, having played all five infield positions and spending
time in the outfield, as well.
Bricker earned a spot on the second team, despite missing
the final 19 games of the season with a leg injury. A Kutztown
native, she had 14 doubles, 30 RBI and a .398 batting average
(37-of-93), all of which led Kutztown at the time. It marks
Bricker’s first selection to the All-PSAC team, after earning a
selection to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament team in
2004.
Willmer, KU’s centerfielder, earned second team honors after
being selected to the first team as a second baseman last
season. She ranks third in the PSAC in stolen bases with 13 and
fourth in runs with 45. Willmer is also batting .373
(63-for-169), second on the team to Bricker. Her four triples
tie her for the team lead.
Kutztown is 27-22 overall this season and travels to the NCAA
Mid-Atlantic Regional on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Golden
Bears get underway with a contest against Indiana (PA) at 10:00
AM.
May 9, 2005
SOFTBALL
EARNS REGIONAL BERTH
KUTZTOWN, PA –
The Kutztown University softball team’s 2005 season will
continue this week at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional playoffs at
Shippensburg University Thursday-Sunday, May 12-15.
The
Golden Bears (27-22) are the No. 5 seed in the six-team regional
bracket. Shippensburg (40-3), which won the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference (PSAC) title, is the No. 1 team, followed by
No. 2 Lock Haven (33-8), No. 3 Bloomsburg (40-3), No. 4 Indiana
{PA} (22-15), Kutztown and No. 6 Elizabeth City State (12-10).
Kutztown will face IUP in the first game of the
tournament, Thursday at 10:00 AM.
Bloomsburg plays Elizabeth City State at noon. The winner of
that game plays Lock Haven at 4:00 PM, while the winner the of
KU/IUP contest will play Shippensburg at 2:00 PM.
Games in the double-elimination tournament continue all day
Friday and Saturday with the final elimination game and
championship round. If a second championship game must be
played, it may be on Sunday.
Kutztown is coached by Judy Lawes, who owns a 472-309-1
career mark through 18 seasons. This will be KU’s eighth
appearance – and fifth straight – in the NCAA Championships
since the inception of the softball program in 1977 (1994, 1995,
1996, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005).
Kutztown has
used a balance of pitching and hitting to post its 12th straight
20-win season. The Golden Bears are eighth in the PSAC in
pitching (2.58 earned run average) and ninth in hitting (.274
batting average).
KU
relies on the trio of Cheryl Griffith (sr. Bethlehem/Liberty),
Rachel Weidensaul (fr. Ashland/Cardinal Brennan) and
Stacey Denlinger (jr. Harleysville/Souderton) to handle the
pitching duties. Griffith leads the team with a 1.96 ERA
in 24 appearances. In 103.1 innings, she has allowed 107 hits,
while walking just 22, with 63 strikeouts. Weidensaul’s
116.1 innings are first on the team, while her 2.35 ERA and nine
complete games ranks second. She has allowed 136 hits, but has
shown good control issuing just 22 walks against 54 strikeouts.
Denlinger, meanwhile, leads the team with four shutouts
and her eight complete games are tied with Griffith for
second. In 92.2 innings pitched, she has surrendered 96 hits,
fanned a team-high 88, and walked 24.
The
Kutztown offense utilizes its speed, ranking second in the
conference in stolen bases with 44. The team has had to
reconfigure its lineup after losing shortstop Stacy Bricker
(sr. Kutztown/Kutztown) for the season due to injury.
Bricker led the team in batting average, doubles and runs
batted in at the time of her injury.
Second baseman Jackie Messina (fr. Allentown/Parkland)
and centerfielder Adriane Willmer (so. Kitchener, ONT/Resurrection)
rank first and third, respectively, in the PSAC in steals.
They are also third and fourth in runs scored.
Messina has swiped a league-high 16 bases and scored 46 runs
in her first season at Kutztown. An excellent bunter, she is
batting .305 (43-of-141) for the season. Messina has
replaced Bricker in the third spot in the lineup after batting
second for the early part of the season and has also taken over
at shortstop.
Willmer, the leadoff hitter, is batting .373 (63-of-169)
with 13 steals and 45 runs scored. An All-PSAC East pick a year
ago, she is tied with Messina for the team lead with four
triples.
Tarin Horonzy (fr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) has emerged as one
of the Golden Bears top run producers. She has slugged five of
the team’s 11 home runs this season and is second on the squad
with 34 RBI. For the season, she is hitting .339 (43-of-127).
A versatile defender, Horonzy has played all five infield
positions and has spent time in the outfield.
Third baseman/designated player Erin Livingston (sr.
Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll) leads KU with 35 RBI, has
12 doubles and a .292 (35-of-120) batting average.
Lindsay Bennett (fr. Rising Sun, MD/Rising Sun)
(.217, 11 doubles, 21 RBI) anchors the bag at first, but has
also played some shortstop. Dani Spalik (so. Johnson City,
NY/Johnson City) does the catching and is batting .264.
Sam Flowers (fr. Harleysville/Souderton) (.171, 1 homer, 7
RBI) and Megan Alexander (so. Mechanicsburg/Mechanicsburg)
(.210, 7 RBI) split time in left field. Dani Wunderlich (so.
Douglasville/ Daniel Boone) (.183, 17 runs) has moved up to
the second spot in the batting order and plays right field.
Most of KU’s opponents should be familiar to the Golden Bears.
Four of the other five teams in the East Regional are PSAC
schools, with Elizabeth City State of the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) rounding out the
field.
Shippensburg,
the No. 1 seed in the East Regional and tournament host, enters
the playoffs with a 40-3 record overall and won the PSAC
Championship two weeks ago. The Raiders are led at the dish by
Jamie Dacey (.556, 11 triples, 4 HR, 57 RBI) and Sarah
Costa (.458, 11 doubles, 7 triples, 6 HR, 49 RBI) and inside
the circle by Kelley Tiesi (0.64 ERA, 22-1 W-L, 171 K)
and Danielle Shields (1.07 ERA, 13-1 W-L, 131 K).
Shippensburg won the regional title in 2004, played at
Shippensburg.
Bloomsburg is 40-3 heading into the East Regional. Sara
Roba (.394, 16 doubles, 8 HR, 48 RBI) and Dee Wolfe
(.401, 18 doubles, 3 HR, 36 RBI) lead the Huskies at the plate
and Jaime Wilson (1.03 ERA, 11-2 W-L) and Amanda Smith
(1.31 ERA, 14-3 W-L, 143 K) anchor the pitching staff.
Lock Haven
earned a trip
to regionals after posting a record of 33-8. The Lady Eagles’
top hitter is Courtney Hughes (.388, 15 doubles, 8
homers, 35 RBI, 7 SB) and their top pitchers are Jean
Middlestead (0.82 ERA, 13-3 W-L, 117 K) and Shona Guevara
(1.27 ERA, 18-4 W-L, 127 K).
Indiana {PA} is 22-15 entering play this weekend. Sarah
White leads the team with seven homers, 35 RBI and a .396
batting average. Jodie Swavely pulls double duty as one
of the team's top hitters (.351, 4 HR) and IUP’s top pitcher
(1.54 ERA, 16-4 W-L, 147 K).
Elizabeth City State posted a 12-10 record in the regular
season and won the CIAA Championship to advance to the regional
tournament. Alicia Graham pitched in 17 of the team’s 22
games (3.52 ERA, 8-6 W-L, 100 K) and also batted .323.
Shortstop Tiffany Smith (3 HR, 26 RBI) hit .481 to lead
the Vikings.
May 9, 2005
TENNIS
TEAMS HEAD TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
KUTZTOWN, PA –
Both the Kutztown University men’s and women’s tennis teams will
travel to the NCAA Championships round of 16 in Altamonte
Springs, FL from Wednesday through Saturday, May 11-14.
The
KU men get underway on Wednesday at 8:00 AM against BYU-Hawaii.
The women face UC-San Diego at 1:30 PM on Wednesday.
The
men’s team advanced to Florida after defeating Millersville
(5-0) and Assumption (5-1) at the NCAA East Regional at Kutztown
last weekend. The women also hosted an NCAA East Regional, and
defeated Stonehill (5-0) and Bryant (5-1) to advance.
The
Golden Bear men are making their fourth straight trip to the
final 16. The team enters the tournament at 20-1, setting a
school wins record in the process. Mukundan Nandakumar (sr.
Chennai, INDIA) and Harsh Sharma (jr. Calcutta, INDIA)
pace the men’s team. In doubles action, the duo is a perfect
16-0 playing at first doubles. Nandakumar, KU’s No. 1
singles player, has also posted a 16-2 record. His 141 career
combined victories are tied for the most all-time at KU (Michael
Rohrbach, 1997-2000). Sharma is undefeated when playing
second singles (8-0) and is 17-4 overall on the season.
Kutztown’s other four singles players all have double figures
win totals. Radoslaw Hlubinski (jr. Warsaw, POLAND) is
12-5 and will play third singles. Ilja Semjonovs (jr.
Liepaja, LATVIA) is 10-4 on the season and will suit up at
No. 4 singles. Somdeep Appineni (so. Hyderabad, INDIA)
will play fifth singles and is 16-4 in 2004-05. Lukas Beman
(so. Woodend, AUSTRALIA) brings an 11-6 record to sixth
singles.
Hlubinski and Appineni will team up at second
doubles. They are 13-3 in doubles play. Beman and
Semjonovs are KU’s team at third doubles and are 14-2
playing together.
BYU-Hawaii
enters the tournament at 22-5 overall and are the winners of the
Pacific West Conference. The Seasiders received byes into the
final 16. Dillon Porter and Dorian Porada are the top players.
Porter is 12-6 on the year and Porada is 13-9. The duo of
Porter and Junyoung Kim (16-3 singles) plays first doubles for
the Seasiders and is 16-5 on the year.
The
Kutztown women’s team is in its first appearance in round of 16
and is 14-2 overall on the season.
Five of Kutztown’s six singles plays
have three or fewer losses this season. Kerstin Kloeffer
(so. Ludwigs Hafen, GERMANY) will play first singles and is
11-1 since rejoining the squad this spring. KU’s No. 2 singles
player, Amy Withers (fr. Essondon, AUSTRALIA), is 9-2 in
singles matches. Priya Pachkawde (so. Nasik, INDIA) will
play at third singles and enters the PSAC Championships at
12-6. At fourth singles is Jharna Nansi (so. Maharashtra,
INDIA), who is 9-3. Lauren Losoncy (jr.
Shillington/Governor Mifflin) gets the start at fifth
singles. The transfer is 13-1 since joining the team for the
spring season. Bianca Blatz (fr. Ludwigs Hafen, GERMANY)
completes the Kutztown lineup at No. 6 singles. She has missed
much of the year with injury and is 3-3 in singles
play.
The doubles lineup for the Golden Bear women
features Kloeffer and Pachkawde at first doubles.
That duo is undefeated at 7-0 this season. At second doubles,
Nansi and Withers are 4-0 this season. Third
doubles has Losoncy and Blatz, who are 4-4 in
doubles play.
UC-San Diego has posted a 19-3 record this season,
winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association and an
NCAA West Regional. The Tritons are just 6-13 at first singles,
with Marsha Malinow winning all six matches. Jasmin Dao is 6-6
and played second singles in the regional. In doubles, Malinow
teams with Tara Saddiqui for a 9-7 record and will play at No. 1
doubles.
KUTZTOWN BASEBALL READIES
FOR PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
KUTZTOWN, PA –
The Kutztown
University baseball team is headed to Boalsburg, PA, for the
2005 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Playoffs next
Monday-Wednesday, May 9-11.
The Golden Bears are the third seed
from the PSAC East, and will face the PSAC West’s #1 seed,
Clarion, in game three of the six-team, double-elimination
tournament Monday afternoon at 12:30 PM. The tournament will
take place at the Shaner Sports Complex in Boalsburg, outside of
State College. This is the first year of the six-team format.
The first day will feature six games
on two adjacent fields. Game 1 features West Chester (PSAC East
#1) vs. Shippensburg (PSAC West #3), while Game 2 has Mansfield
(East #2) vs. California {PA}) (West #2) at 9:00 AM. KU and
Clarion play Game 3, while the losers of games 1 and 2 play at
12:30 PM. At 4:00 PM, The winner of game 1 and loser of the
KU/Clarion game meet, while the winners of game 2 and the
KU/Clarion game also square off.
The tournament continues at noon on
Tuesday, and will conclude with the championship game(s) at 1:00
PM Wednesday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students per
day. Tournament passes can be purchased, $20 for adults and $10
for students.
Kutztown has qualified for the PSAC
Playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and in six of the last
10 years. The Golden Bears won the PSAC title in 1999 and
2002. KU first won the PSAC title in 1966. Last year, KU
advanced to the championship game, before losing to California,
18-12. KU will enter the tournament with a record of 34-16
overall, finishing 10-8 in the PSAC East.
KU is under the direction of
third-year head coach Chris Blum, who has a career record
of 96-47. With four more wins, Blum can become the fastest KU
baseball coach to 100 career victories. Blum’s predecessor,
Matt Royer – KU’s all-time winningest coach with 270 wins,
needed 168 games to reach 100 victories in his fourth season.
Kutztown is currently ranked #28 in
the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Poll. Last
week, KU was ranked third in the North Atlantic Region. The top
four teams in the region advance to the NCAA Division II
Championship tournament. Note: there are no automatic
qualifiers for the conference champions in Division II
baseball.
The Golden Bears enter the
championship tournament with a balanced offensive attack and a
steady pitching corps. Kutztown has a .310 team batting
average, third-best among PSAC teams. KU also has a 3.78 team
earned-run average, which also ranks third.
Starting pitchers Matt Maradeo
(jr. Nesquehoning/Panther Valley) and Kyle Sadlowski (jr.
Reading/Central Catholic) anchor the staff. Maradeo
is 6-5, with a team-best 2.12 earned run average and 77
strikeouts in 68.0 innings. Sadlowski is 8-3, with a
3.41 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. Sadlowski is
tied for fourth at KU with 18 career wins.
Mike McCardell (so. West
Chester/Henderson) is the third starter. He sports a 4-3
record, with a 4.20 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 49.1 innings.
Matt Keller (jr. Fleetwood/Fleetwood) has split time between
starting and serving as KU’s closer. Keller leads the
PSAC with a 9-1 record and has two saves. He has started six of
his 17 appearances this year, with a 3.64 ERA and 42 Ks in 54.1
innings. Keller shares the team’s career record with 13
saves, and is tied with Sadlowski with 18 career wins.
Ryan Loper (so. Boiling
Springs/Cumberland Valley) (3-1, 2.93 ERA), Marshall
Mirarchi (sr. Springfield/Springfield) (0-2, 4.10), Kevin
Morganti (fr. Muhlenberg/Muhlenberg) (1-0, 5.48), Phillip
Rummel (fr. Exeter/West-Mont Christian) (1-0, 5.74) and
Justin Jachowicz (fr. Summit Hill/Panther Valley) (2-1,
5.82) have also seen time on the mound for KU.
Outfielder Jeffrey Craig (jr.
Wilkes-Barre/Bishop Hoban) leads six regular starters
batting over .300. Craig, a transfer from Rowan University, has
made an immediate impact in his first season. Craig is hitting
.389, with 41 runs scored, 22 RBI and 14 doubles. Loper,
KU’s starting center fielder when he’s not on the mound, is
hitting .341 with 26 runs, 40 RBI and a team-high seven home
runs. He leads the team with a .605 slugging percentage.
Fellow outfielder Paul Koropchak (sr. Pottsville/North
Schuylkill) hits .319 with 24 runs and 20 RBI.
Tony Riegel (sr. Exeter/Exeter)
and Kyle Costello (jr. Plains/Coughlin) form a
hot-hitting third base/designated hitter platoon. Riegel
is hitting .375 with 18 RBI. Costello bats .372, with a
team-high 51 RBI and five homers. Second baseman Josh Fink
(jr. Hatfield/North Penn) bats .342 with 29 runs scored.
First baseman McCardell (.291, 18 RBI), catcher Clay
Kuklick (.286, 29 runs, 17 RBI) and short stop Gary
Stricker (.231, 28 runs, 15 RBI) round out the infield.
Kutztown’s
first-round opponent is Clarion. Kutztown was 2-0 against
Clarion in the regular season, sweeping a doubleheader (7-4,
15-9) on April 10. The Golden Eagles are making their first
appearance in the PSAC Playoffs since 1984. CU won the
championship in 1967. The Eagles are coached by Scott Feldman,
in his sixth season at Clarion, and enter the tournament 25-20-1
overall, 12-8 in the PSAC West. Catcher Jason Warner leads the
team with a .415 average, 40 RBI and five home runs. Center
fielder/pitcher Jared Frey has a .387 average with 24 RBI, while
he is 6-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 41.0 innings on the mound. Chuck
Roller is 2-1 with nine saves in 22 appearances.
California
(PA)
heads to Boalsburg with a 29-18 overall record, including 12-8
in the PSAC West. Kutztown is 3-0 against the Vulcans this
season, with all three victories coming at the Savannah
Invitational in March (7-1, 11-2, 8-4). Cal, which won its
second PSAC title last year, is making its fifth straight
appearance in the PSAC Playoffs. Mike Conte is in his ninth
year coaching the Vulcans. Rightfielder Mike Larson is the
team’s top hitter with seven homers and 48 runs batted in. His
.360 batting average is second on the team and he also has 13
steals. Patrick Sadler, the catcher, is hitting .342 with six
home runs and 27 RBI. Ian Heisel has a 2.10 ERA, but is just
4-5, in 64.1 innings with 69 strikeouts. Chris Doerschner is
5-4 in 61.1 innings with a 2.79 ERA and 64 strikeouts.
Mansfield is 28-16 overall and finished its PSAC East slate at 15-4. Head coach
Harry Hillson is in his 19th year at the helm of MU. Mansfield
has won eight PSAC titles, but MU’s last title was in 1997. The
Mountaineers took three of four from Kutztown in divisional play
this season. MU swept a doubleheader in Mansfield (4-3, 4-3)
and split in Kutztown (7-4, 1-2). Second baseman Eric Baker
leads the PSAC with a .514 batting average and also has nine
homers, 50 RBI and 16 steals. First baseman D.J. Hoshauer
paces the conference in homers (14) and RBI (56), while batting
.391. Pitcher Kane Stein is a perfect 7-0, with a 2.30 ERA in
43 innings of work. Adam Lorson has a 3.40 ERA and is 7-3 in
55.2 innings.
The Raiders of
Shippensburg dropped a pair of nine inning single games to
Kutztown, one at KU (4-2) and one at SU (10-6). Ship enters the
tournament with a 30-23 mark on the season and 12-8 in the PSAC
West under 10th-year coach Bruce Peddie. Shippensburg has won
11 conference titles, the last in 2003. Centerfielder Chad
Stecker is an all-around threat at the plate, with five homers
and 23 steals to go with a .331 average. OF/DH Nick Erdman
leads the team with a.378 batting average. Lee McClintock has a
6-2 record with a 1.82 ERA in 74.1 innings on the mound. Frank
D’Agostino also has six wins and has a 3.26 ERA in 66.1
innings.
West Chester
won three of the four meetings against Kutztown this season.
The teams split in Kutztown (6-1, 2-5) and the Golden Rams swept
a twinbill in West Chester (11-0, 2-1). First-year coach Matt
Brainard has guided West Chester to a 33-10 record overall and
17-3 in the PSAC East. The Golden Rams are ranked second in the
North Atlantic Region and No. 15 in the nation. WCU has won five
PSAC titles, the last coming in 1985. Second baseman Mike
LaRosa’s .397 batting average paces WCU and first baseman Mark
Gilliford has seven homers and 38 RBI. The Golden Rams pitching
staff features Frank Gailey with a 1.16 ERA and 6-1 record in
62.1 innings. Kyle Frees is 7-2 with a 1.64 ERA and 74
punchouts in 65.2 innings. Jeff Brennan leads the team with
nine wins.
Notable:
Kutztown
will broadcast its games in the tournament on its campus radio
station and on the web…the radio broadcast is on KUR, 883. FM,
1670 AM in Kutztown…the Webcast can be heard at kubears.com…KU
was 7-0 against the PSAC West playoff teams, and 2-6 against the
other teams from the PSAC east…Clarion was 0-2 vs. KU,
1-1 vs. Mansfield, 1-3 vs. Shippensburg and 3-1 vs. California…California
was 0-3 vs. Kutztown, 1-1 vs. Mansfield, 4-0 vs. Shippensburg
and 1-3 vs. Clarion…Mansfield was 1-1 vs. California, 3-1
vs. Kutztown, 1-1 vs. Clarion and 2-2 vs. West Chester…Shippensburg
was 1-1 vs. West Chester, 0-4 vs. California, 0-2 vs. Kutztown
and 3-1 vs. Clarion…West Chester was 1-1 vs. Shippensburg, 3-1
vs. Kutztown and 2-2 vs. Mansfield...fans
who will be attending the tournament may want to bring a lawn
chair with them, as bleacher seating is limited at the Shaner
complex….the Shaner Complex is located east of State College on
Route 322. It is easily visible from the road.
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