Erie, PA—The Mercyhurst baseball team is off to a 13-7 start in the first 20 games of the season. They also have a 4-4 conference record as they have split both conference series against Gannon and UPJ.
Laker Overview
The Lakers are in fifth in conference play in the PSAC West while having the fourth best overall record. Mercyhurst is also ranked fifth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region poll. Mercyhurst was able to split both their doubleheaders last weekend against UPJ. On Friday, after falling 2-1 to UPJ the Lakers bounced back with a 4-1 win over the Mountain Cats. In the victory, Chase Stewart earned his second win of the season after Frank Fraschetti went 3.2 innings while allowing four hits and just one run as he earned the start. Five different Lakers has hits in game two on Friday, Troy Banks went 2-3 with an RBI while Matthew Gibson went 1-2 with a walk and two RBI. Jack Goonan earned his fourth save of the season after he struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
After traveling to Johnstown on Saturday, the Lakers were unable to hold a 3-0 lead they gained in the first game. Mercyhurst recovered in the second game after falling 6-4. In game two, the Lakers exploded for 13 runs in the seven-inning game. Three Lakers were able to notch two hit games. Banks went 2-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk. Luke Jackson and Josh Surowiec were able to record two hits while Surowiec drove in to runs and scored a run. Gibson and Luke Baranchak each homered in game two while Brett Whiteman earned his second win of the season after pitching 4.1 innings and allowing just three hits and three runs. Josh Greggs and Robert Hartman combined for 2.2 innings of work and allowed just one hit and no runs.
The Mercyhurst pitching staff has held hitters to a .215 batting average which is second in the PSAC and tops in the PSAC West. The Mercyhurst hitters have a .277 average this season and have been able to hit 21 homers which puts them sixth in the PSAC. Goonan leads the PSAC in saves as he has four for the Lakers. Michael Krauza has made a team high 10 appearances and has a 1.61 ERA which is fourth in the PSAC.
Home Sweet Home
After not playing at home for close to two years the Lakers have been able to play on their brand-new turf. Mercyhurst has jumped out to a 9-2 record. In 2019, the Lakers jumped out to a 9-2 record at home and finished 15-8 at home while making their third College World Series appearance.
Scouting Cal
The Vulcans come into the series with a 14-6 record this season while coming off a four-game sweep of IUP. Cal has five hitters who are hitting over .300. Leading the way has been Jacob McCaskey who is hitting .360 this season while also leading the team in Slugging Percentage (.640), RBI (30), and is tied for the team lead with four homers. On the hill, Jackson Miller has been great out of the bullpen, he has posted a 1.26 ERA while appearing in 10 games. The pitching staff as a whole has a 4.47 ERA while holding opponents to a .269 batting average.
Up Next
After their four games series with Cal, the Lakers will start a series with IUP next Friday. IUP will host on Friday while Mercyhurst will host on Saturday.
