Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Baseball enters the first week of May and their final week of the regular season with five games on the slate. They begin with Notre Dame (Oh.) on Tuesday, May 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. followed by the Griffins of Seton Hill on Thursday and Friday with the Lakers set to host on Thursday before rounding out their schedule on the road at 1:00 p.m.

Three of the team's last five games are at home, giving the team confidence that they will be able to grab a few wins. The Lakers have been nearly perfect at home this season, going 14-2 when on the Mercyhurst Baseball Field. They have played well especially of late, winning nine of their last 10 tries at home with a run margin of +27 with all but two games being decided by three runs or less. 

2. Pitching Gems

Mercyhurst's pitching staff has gotten it done all season long and has really found their groove over the last 10 games. The Laker's staff has allowed just 26 runs over that span for an average of 2.6 runs per game. Teams have had only one game over that run where they have had five or more runs with Mercyhurst holding the opposition to two or less in five straight games to begin the stretch. The Lakers have had one of the better PSAC staffs all season long with a team ERA of 4.14 and that has only gone down as the season continues to dwindle.

3. Grosch's Big Week

Mitchell Grosch proved monumental in the final week of April for the Lakers, putting together one of the better weeks of his career. He hit for a .500/.563/1.643 triple slash line for an OPS of 2.206 with all seven of his hits going for extra bases including one home run, one triple, and five doubles. Three of his five doubles came in game two of the series against IUP last Thursday, proving to be a day he won't soon forget. The native of Warren, Pa. has put together a strong season up to this point, batting .333 with a trio of home runs and coming in first on the team in doubles with 12. He has found his groove over the course of April, hitting for a .390 average in 20 games with 11 of his 12 doubles coming in that time.

4. Scouting the Falcons

Notre Dame (Oh.) comes into the Tuesday contest with a record of 10-32, dropping each of their last seven games with last Wednesday's bout with the Lakers being the third defeat in that stretch. They found it tough sledding this past weekend against Frostburg State when they fell by a combined 35-5 over four games including a 15-0 loss in game two.

5. Scouting Seton Hill

The Griffins have been one of the top teams in the country to this point with a 38-8 overall record while sitting atop the PSAC at 24-0. They hope to continue their winning ways as they have won each of their last 14 games, outscoring opponents by 72 runs over that span. Their pitching staff has been a big reason for their success as they have the best ERA in the conference (3.20) while fanning 389 for tops in the PSAC. Their bats have been stellar as well with a team batting average of .319 for first in the conference, as are their 97 doubles and 457 hits.