ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst baseball team begins postseason play in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament this Wednesday, April 10, at Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pa.
 
Mercyhurst's first game will be on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. against East Stroudsburg, the PSAC East Division fourth seed.

Scouting the Warriors
East Stroudsburg completed the regular season at 26-19-1 overall and 15-12-1 in conference. The Warriors are riding a six-game winning streak into the postseason which allowed them to leap past 2016 national runner-up Millersville for the fourth and final seed in the PSAC East Division. ESU seeks its first PSAC Tournament title since 2013. 

The Warriors could start senior starting pitcher Tyler Eckmann against Mercyhurst. Eckmann threw 63 1/3 innings this season with a 2.13 ERA. He was named PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Week in the final week of the regular season with a complete game shutout on May 6 against Mansfield. 

ESU also features a pair of dangerous hitters in its lineup. Dylan Tamecki leads the Warriors with a .392 batting average in 46 starts. He leads the team with 45 runs batted in and 60 hits. Ian Allen is batting .381 with team highs in home runs (8), runs (46), and doubles (17) also in 46 starts this season. 

As a team, the Warriors ranked 11th out of 16 in the conference with a .295 team batting average. The Warriors pitching staff ranked sixth in the PSAC with a 4.97 ERA. East Stroudsburg has scored 265 runs and allowed 223 runs for a run differential of +42.

Laker Outlook
The Lakers (34-4) are the top-seeded team out of the PSAC West Division with a 21-3 record in-conference. It is the third-straight season the Lakers won the PSAC West regular season title. Mercyhurst is seeking its first PSAC Tournament title since 2011.

Mercyhurst enters the tournament with one of the deepest pitching staffs in the nation. Russell Lamovec, Chris Vallimont, Vincenzo Lucente, and Matthew Minnick have combined for a 22-2 record in 29 starts this season and have struck out 220 batters in 165 1/3 innings. 

The Lakers also feature one of the conference's strongest lineups. Chris Gonzalez, Jimmy Latona, and Drew Delsignore are ranked first, second, and fourth respectively in batting average in the conference. Cameron Balego leads the Lakers with 10 home runs, and Dan Popio is hitting .500 (12-for-24) in his last eight games. 

As a team, Mercyhurst ranks first in the conference with a .351 team batting average. The Lakers also rank first in team ERA at 2.29. They have scored 330 runs while allowing just 98 for a run differential of +232. 
 
2017 PSAC Tournament Schedule -- Point Stadium, Johnstown, Pa. 
 

Wednesday, May 10
Game 1 - 9:30 a.m.	No. 3 Slippery Rock vs. No. 2 Shippensburg
Game 2 - 12:30 p.m.	No. 4 East Stroudsburg vs. No. 1 Mercyhurst
Game 3 - 3:30 p.m.	No. 3 Lock Haven vs. No. 2 IUP
Game 4 - 6:30 p.m.	No. 4 Seton Hill vs. No. 1 West Chester
Thursday, May 11
Game 5 - 9:30 a.m.	Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (loser eliminated)
Game 6 - 12:30 p.m.	Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 (loser eliminated)
Game 7 - 3:30 p.m.	Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 8 - 6:30 p.m.	Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Friday, May 12
Game 9 - 9:30 a.m.	Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 7 (loser eliminated)
Game 10 - 12:30 p.m.	Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 8 (loser eliminated)
Game 11 - 3:30 p.m.	Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9
Game 12 - 6:30 p.m.	WInner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 10
Saturday, May 13
Game 13 - TBA
Game 14 - TBA

 
To see the full tournament bracket, click here: 2017 PSAC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
 
Tournament Information
Daily tickets cost $15 per adult and $7 per student. PSAC Students with a valid institution ID are free. 

Point Stadium is located at the following address: 
100 Johns St, Johnstown, PA 15901

Live statistics are available for every PSAC Tournament game. They can be accessed here:  PSAC Tournament Live Stats

Additional information on the tournament can be found at this link: 2017 PSAC Baseball Tournament Central