Baseball | 5/7/2018 5:00:00 PM

ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst baseball team readies up for the 2018 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Baseball Tournament to be held May 9-12 at Point Stadium in Johnstown, Pa.
 
The Lakers will be the top seed out of the West Division after winning the division title for the fourth straight season. They will play the East Division fourth seed, Shippensburg, in the first round on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
 
Mercyhurst looks to build on its runner-up finish in 2017 with a goal to win its first PSAC Tournament Title since 2011. The Lakers were one of four PSAC teams to finish the regular season with 31 wins, making this field one of the most competitive tournament fields in recent memory.
 
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Visit PSAC Tournament Central for the complete tournament schedule and bracket, directions to Point Stadium, ticket prices, and more.
 
LAKER OUTLOOK
Mercyhurst enters the tournament with a 13-5 record in its last 18 games. The Lakers are a combined 6-6 in 2018 versus teams in they have played who also made the tournament (Seton Hill, Slippery Rock, Gannon).
 
The Lakers have both the pitching and hitting to make a deep run in the tournament. Its starting rotation is led by Chris Vallimont, who continues to lead Division II in strikeouts per nine innings ( ) by a large margin. Tyler Garbee has had a strong season as well with a 5-0 record and a 2.57 ERA in 42.0 innings pitched.
 
The Lakers pitching staff also features a young and effective bullpen. Freshman arms Adam Jeannette, Nicholas McRandal, Hunter Treece, and Ryan Smerkar have combined to throw 67.2 innings in 50 appearances with a 3.86 ERA and 73 strikeouts.
 
Meanwhile, Mercyhurst's lineup seems to be hitting its stride of late having scored 100 runs in its last 14 games for a 7.14 runs per game average.
 
Drew Delsignore went 10-for-14 last weekend to up his season batting average to .362. He also hit two home runs to bring his season total to four. At last season's PSAC tournament, Delsignore batted .400 (10-for-25) with 12 RBI and five runs scored.
 
Daniel Elliott has been one of the best hitters in the PSAC this season with 24 extra base hits, including 10 HR, and 47 RBI. He too had a great performance at last season's PSAC tournament with a .450 batting average (9-for-20) with 3 doubles, 1 HR, and 6 RBI.
 
SCOUTING THE FIELD
#1 East Division: West Chester (31-13, 20-8 PSAC)
The defending national champion Golden Rams enter this postseason poised for yet another deep run into May and beyond. They have won five-straight games and narrowly edged out Millersville for the top spot in the very competitive East Division.
Top Hitters
-Jared Melone: 44 games, .444 BA (79-for-164), 27 XBH, 67 RBI
-Nick Ward: 44 games, .372 BA (55-for-148), 68 runs, 27 XBH
Top Pitchers
-Mike Cipolla: 11 app, 10 starts, 6-2 W/L, 62.1 IP, 4.48 ERA
-Andrew Scarpelli: 15 app, 2-0 W/L, 23.0 IP, 1.57 ERA, 30 K, 2 SV
 
#2 East Division: Millersville (31-17, 19-9 PSAC)
The Marauders return to the PSAC Tournament after failing to qualify last season though they did make it to the Atlantic Regional. They took three-of-four games in their final series against Bloomsburg to leap to second in the East Division standings.
Top Hitters
-Kaylor Kulina: 42 games, .401 BA (55-for-137), 7 doubles, 30 runs
-Cole Friese: 48 games, .316 BA (54-for-171), 16 XBH, 49 runs, 18 SB
Top Pitchers
-Eli Nabholz: 12 starts, 8-3 W/L, 70.0 IP, 2.31 ERA, 4 CG, 3 SHO
-Cordell Shannon: 12 starts, 7-2 W/L, 64.1 IP, 3.22 ERA, 2 CG
 
#3 East Division: Bloomsburg (29-16, 17-11 PSAC)
The Huskies make their return to the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2014 when they finished second in the East Division. They compiled 29 wins playing one of the toughest schedules in Division II this season.
Top Hitters
-Austin Edgette: 41 games, .454 BA (64-for-141), 23 XBH, 39 RBI, 45 runs, 21 SB
-Cole Swiger: 45 games, .364 (59-for-162), 18 doubles, 47 runs, 11 SB
Top Pitchers
-Ashton Raines: 13 app, 10 starts, 6-2 W/L, 60.1 IP, 4.48 ERA
-Trey Hinkle: 18 app, 5-1 W/L, 25.2 IP, 2.81 ERA, 5 SV
 
#4 East Division: Shippensburg (26-22, 15-13 PSAC)
The Raiders put together a clutch final weekend of the regular season to qualify for its fourth-straight PSAC Tournament. Mercyhurst's first-round opponent won all four of their games against Kutztown last weekend to leap them in the standings.  
Top Hitters
-Dalton Holies: 48 games, .360 BA (58-for-161), 10 HR, 29 XBH, 36 RBI
-Drew Bene: 47 games, .344 BA (53-for-154), 15 XBH, 31 RBI, 26 runs
Top Pitchers
-Zack Sims: 15 app, 11 starts, 9-3 W/L, 75.1 IP, 2.27 ERA, 4 CG, 81 K
-Gabe Mosser: 12 app, 11 starts, 7-4 W/L, 67.0 IP, 3.49 ERA, 6 CG, 86 K
 
#2 West Division: Slippery Rock (29-17, 19-9 PSAC)
The Rock qualified for its 29^th PSAC Tournament in program history with its most wins since 2015. SRU entered last weekend as the PSAC West leader before Mercyhurst unseated them and lead the conference with 59 home runs as a team.
Top Hitters
-Tyler Walters: 45 games, .390 (55-for-141), 26 XBH, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 10 SB
-Christian Porterfield: 46 games: .353 (55-for-156), 26 XBH, 12 HR, 45 RBI, 45 runs
Top Pitchers
-Alex Pantuso: 10 starts, 7-2 W/L, 55.0 IP, 4.75 ERA, 80 K
-Wyatt Daugherty: 19 app, 3-4 W/L, 27.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 8 SV
 
#3 West Division: Gannon (31-16, 18-10 PSAC)
The Golden Knights return to the PSAC Tournament after missing the field in 2017. They tied program record in overall wins and conference wins this season and enter having won 6-of-8 games against Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst.
Top Hitters
-Nate Cardy: 44 games, .419 BA (57-for-136), 19 XBH, 42 RBI, 29 runs
-Kyle Cox: 47 games, .329 BA (54-for-164), 22 XBH, 34 RBI, 35 runs
Top Pitchers
-David Cricks: 11 starts, 4-1 W/L, 48.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 58 K
-Deven Judy: 14 app, 8 starts, 3-4 W/L, 48.0 IP, 4.31 ERA, 57 K, 3 saves
 
#4 West Division: Seton Hill (27-20, 17-11 PSAC)
The defending PSAC Tournament Champion Griffins look to repeat their conference title from the same tournament seeding they had a year ago. They have won six-straight games to clinch their current spot in the field.
Top Hitters
-Tom McCarthy: 46 games, .354 BA (46-for130), 22 XBH, 32 RBI, 37 runs, 15 SB
-Chris Law: 42 games, .351 BA (40-for-114), 16 XBH, 22 RBI, 26 runs
Top Pitchers
-Perry DellaValle: 11 starts, 5-6 W/L, 57.1 IP, 4.24 ERA, 84 K, 3 CG
-Patrick Monteverde: 11 starts, 2-2 W/L, 52.0 IP, 2.94 ERA, 64 K