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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Slippery Rock University baseball team will begin the stretch run of its year with eight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division games over the next six days.
 
The Rock will first play a doubleheader Tuesday at No. 7 Seton Hill University followed by a four-game series Friday and Saturday against Mercyhurst University with The Rock hosting the Lakers on Friday and traveling to Mercyhurst Saturday before hosting Clarion University for a home doubleheader Sunday. First pitch of game one on all four days is 1 p.m.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK SPECTATOR POLICY
Per the Slippery Rock spectator policy that was updated April 5 (available HERE), only a limited number of pre-approved SRU and visiting fans will be admitted at outdoor events with each student-athlete and coach receiving a set number of tickets. SRU students and staff may also attend with proper SRU ID. No other fans not on the pre-approved lists will be admitted.
 
All fans will be temperature checked at the gate and will be required to wear masks the entire duration of their time inside SRU facilities.
 
SETON HILL SPECTATOR POLICY
Seton Hill will allow spectators for all 2021 spring sporting events. Please review the following guidelines set forth by the Athletic Department and Seton Hill University. Failure to abide by these guidelines will result in dismissal from the facility. Masks must be worn at all times. Social distancing (six feet) must be maintained outside of the family group. No Tailgating or gatherings pre or post game in the Boyle parking lot (Baseball/Softball) or in any university parking lot or building. Following the conclusion of play, all spectators should proceed to the parking lot and refrain from meeting the players.
 
Additionally, at baseball and softball, Spectators are asked to refrain from retrieving any foul balls and/or home runs in their vicinity, as student-athletes and game management staff will be responsible for collecting the balls.
 
MERCYHURST SPECTATOR POLICY
No visiting team spectators will be permitted at the site of the competition.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Video and live in-game statistics for all eight games this week will be available at the below
 

Slippery Rock Weekly Schedule
Date	Location	Coverage
Tuesday	Seton Hill	Stats/Video
Friday	Critchfield Park	Stats  |  Video
Saturday	Mercyhurst	Stats  |  Video
Monday	Critchfield Park	Stats  |  Video
Tuesday	Critchfield Park	Stats  |  Video

WATCH ON YOUR TV - "ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
• Fans can watch this Friday's and Sunday's games live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU athletic communication office.
 
• Search for Rock Athletics Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple RV, Roku and Android TV devices. The streaming web player linked above will also integrate with Chrome Cast devices to allow viewers to cast the game to those devices.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
In a series that dates back to just 2008, Seton Hill holds a narrow 22-16 lead over The Rock in the all-time series. The two schools last played in 2019 when The Rock and Griffins split a doubleheader in Butler, Pennsylvania.
 
Mercyhurst has won 16 of its last 18 games against The Rock to improve its record in the all-time series to 51-34.
 
Slippery Rock holds a 142-40 record vs. Clarion all-time. SRU has won five of the last six games in the series dating to the 2019 season.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Overall Record: 16-7
PSAC West Record: 7-5
Home Record: 15-2
Away Record: 1-5
PSAC West Standings: Third
NCBWA Regional Rankings: Fourth
Streak: W2
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Jeff Messer | 36th season (1,032-671-5 / .606)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock swept a PSAC West doubleheader from Pitt-Johnstown with 2-1 and 9-6 victories April 24 at Jack Critchfield Park to earn a series split with the Mountain Cats.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Slippery Rock is an impressive 210-113 (.650) at home since Jack Critchfield Park opened in 2002. SRU has been nearly unbeatable at home this season with a 15-2 mark at the friendly confines of Critchfield Park. The program record for home victories in a season is 22, set by the 2003 squad that advanced to the College World Series before finishing the year at 48-13.
 
A LOOK AT THE PSAC WEST STANDINGS
The PSAC West standings can best be described as fluid. While Slippery Rock has played just 12 conference contests this season compared to 20 by the majority of the league, SRU still enters the week slotted third in the league standings by way of its .583 conference winning percentage. However, the trio of Cal U, Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown are all on The Rock's heels with matching .550 winning percentages.
 
The top four teams in the PSAC West standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the conference tournament. SRU last earned a PSAC Tournament berth in 2028.
 
ROCK REMAINS FOURTH IN NCBWA REGIONAL RANKINGS
Slippery Rock remained fourth in the NCBWA Atlantic Region poll for a second consecutive week behind Seton Hill (20-2), Charleston (28-4) and Millersville (19-9). Mercyhurst (20-12) sits one spot behind The Rock in fifth place with Shepherd (18-10), West Virginia State (21-7), West Chester (14-8), Cal U (20-12) and Wheeling (21-8) making up the back half of the poll.
 
While the NCBWA rankings have no official bearing on which teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament; the NCAA will begin releasing its regional rankings next week, it does provide a snapshot as to what teams will likely be in contention for the six spots from the region that earn NCAA Tournament berths at the end of the season.
 
ROCK AMONG THE BEST IN THE PSAC WEST
Through its first 23 games, Slippery Rock finds itself at or near the top in a variety of statistical categories. The Rock, which averages 6.2 runs per game, leads the Western Division in team batting average (.340) as well as hits per game (9.9), doubles per game (2.9) and slugging percentage (.542) in addition to posting the second highest on-base percentage in the division (.399).   
 
As a pitching staff, SRU possess the highest strikeout per game total in the PSAC West at 8.6 in addition to ranking second in team ERA (4.02), second in opponent batting average (.238), second in hits allowed per game (6.3), second in walks surrendered per game (3.2) and third in runs per game allowed (4.2).
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK'S HITTERS
• Jon Kozarian enters the week as the PSAC's leader in batting average (.500) and ranking second in slugging percentage (.921), second in on-base percentage (.545), second in doubles (15) and fourth in hits (38) to go with team-highs of five home runs and 24 RBI during what has been a career-year for the second baseman that has started 76 consecutive games.
 
• Nationally, Kozarian ranks second in all of Division II in batting average, third in doubles per game and sixth in slugging percentage.
 
• No. 3 hitter, Connor Hamilton has batted .436 in 23 starts this year while scoring 21 runs, hitting two home runs and driving in 19 RBI with a .654 slugging percentage, a .494 on-base percentage and nine doubles in addition to playing excellent defense behind the plate.
 
• Alex Robenolt will carry a 14-game hitting streak into the Seton Hill doubleheader. A hit in game one against the Griffins will move him into a tie with Joe Campagna (2019) and Mitchell Wood (2018) for the seventh longest hitting streak in the program since 2009.
 
• Robenolt, The Rock's cleanup hitter, is hitting .425 on the season with 11 runs scored, 18 RBI and a team-high four stolen bases while slugging .588 and producing a .435 on-base percentage. Robenolt's 13 doubles are the third most by any PSAC athlete.
 
• Leadoff hitter Abraham Mow had a great series against Pitt-Johnstown, going 5-for-12 (.417) with three runs, two home runs, one double and one triple. His big series against the Mountain Cats increased his season average to .341 with 23 runs, a team-best five home runs and 14 RBI. Mow, who is slugging .671 with a .413 on-base percentage, has had 15 of his 28 hits on the year go for extra bases as he has eight doubles and two triples to go with his aforementioned home run total.
 
• Luke Trueman continues to be one of the hottest hitters in Slippery Rock's lineup in addition to being one of its primary starting pitchers. Trueman collected hits in all three of his starts in the outfield against UPJ and is now batting .356 in 2021 while scoring 11 runs with two home runs and 11 RBI. 12 of Trueman's 16 hits this season have come over The Rock's last 25 at-bats.
 
• Colin Cain has four hits in his last nine at-bats. Overall, he is batting .333 with eight runs, one home run and seven RBI.
 
• Evan Knaus had his best game to date in a Slippery Rock uniform during SRU's 9-6 win against Pitt-Johnstown. Knaus was 2-for-4 with one run, two RBI and a double.
 
• The trio of Kozarian (13-for-19), Hamilton (17-for-34) and Robenolt (14-for-35) are hitting .500 (44-for-88) with runners in scoring position.
 
SCOUTING THE ROCK'S PITCHERS
• The pitching duo of Andy McClymonds (4-0) and Travis Holman (1-0) were pivotal to The Rock earning a series split against Pitt-Johnstown. McClymonds threw the first complete game of his career while giving up just one run as part of SRU's 2-1 win while Holman came out of the bullpen to throw 6.2 innings in a 9-6 Rock win.
 
• McClymonds has done it all for The Rock this year on the way to tallying a perfect 4-0 record, three saves and a 3.04 ERA over 26.2 innings pitched. He has struck out 25 batters while walking a PSAC-low three batters.
 
• Holman has logged 17.2 innings pitched over seven appearances out of The Rock's bullpen, producing a 1.53 ERA and matching McClymonds for the team-lead in saves with three of his own while holding opponents to a .172 batting average against.
 
• Trueman serves as The Rock's No. 1 weekend starter. In six starts this year, he is 2-3 with a 4.35 ERA in a team-high 31 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .237 off of Trueman, who has allowed more than four runs in a start just once this year.
 
• Opponents hit only .183 against Christian Seelhorst, who is 2-2 with a 5.18 ERA in six outings this year. Seelhorst, who ranks second in the PSAC in opponent batting average, also has 39 strikeouts which is second on the team next to only Ricky Mineo.
 
• Mineo has been great in nearly every start this season for The Rock as the local product has put together a season in which he is 4-0 with a 3.08 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a .224 batting average against. Mineo is eighth in the PSAC in both ERA and strikeouts.
 
• Drew Delaney made two appearances out of The Rock's bullpen against Pitt-Johnstown, striking out two batters while surrendering one hit and no runs over two innings of work. In three appearances this year, Delaney is yet to allow a run.
 
• Prior to what was a rough start against Pitt-Johnstown, JT Wolke (2-2) had surrendered just two earned runs in his previous five outings out of The Rock's bullpen.
 
• Andrew Shivak has started four games this year and is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA and a .212 batting average against.
 
SETON HILL PRIMER
Overall Record: 20-12
PSAC West Record: 12-2
Home Record: 15-0
Away Record: 5-2
PSAC West Standings: First
NCBWA Regional Rankings: First
NCBWA Top-25: Seventh
Collegiate Baseball Top-30: 15th
Streak: W3
Last Five Games: 4-1
Head Coach: Marc Marizzaldi | 18th season (591-310 / .656)
 
TOP GRIFFIN HITTERS
Tommy Pellis: .485 (32-66) – 32 runs – 6 HR - 24 RBI – 9 SB - .602 OBP
Derek Orndorff: .400 (22-55) – 24 runs – 8 HR - 24 RBI – 10 SB - .522 OBP
Isaiah DiAndreth: .317 (13-41) – 9 runs – 3 HR – 20 RBI – .439 OBP
 
MERCYHURST PRIMER
Overall Record: 20-11
PSAC West Record: 11-9
Home Record: 13-4
Away Record: 6-7
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
PSAC West Standings: Tied for fourth
Streak: L3
Last Five Games: 2-3
Head Coach: Joe Spano | 22nd season (674-395-3 / .630)
 
TOP LAKER HITTERS
Josh Surowiec: .313 (31-99) – 22 runs – 5 HR - 30 RBI – .410 OBP
Philip Ferranti: .358 (38-106) – 21 runs – 5 HR - 19 RBI – .409 OBP
Jack Elliott: .243 (25-103) – 29 runs – 9 HR – 28 RBI – .378 OBP
 
TOP LAKER PITCHERS
Michael Krauza: 6-2 – 35.2 IP – 2.52 ERA –  39 K / 4 BB - .198 OBA
Michael McDonough: 1-2 – 30.1 IP – 3.56 ERA – 51 K / 13 BB - .194 OBA
Brett Whiteman: 3-0 – 23 IP – 5.09 ERA – 21 K / 12 BB - .282 OBA
 
CLARION PRIMER
Overall Record: 7-16
PSAC West Record: 5-9
Home Record: 2-2
Away Record: 4-14
Neutral Record: 1-0
PSAC West Standings: Seventh
Streak: W2
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Doc Neiman | Second season (10-28 / .263)
 
TOP GOLDEN EAGLE HITTERS
Thomas Lavin: .349 (22-63) – 13 runs – 7 HR - 19 RBI – .442 OBP
Alex Ficorilli: .341 (28-82) – 14 runs – 2 HR - 10 RBI – .391 OBP
Nick Fugh: .328 (22-67) – 8 runs – 2 HR – 13 RBI – .387 OBP
 
TOP GOLDEN EAGLE PITCHERS
Logan Schlegel: 2-1 – 16.2 IP – 6.48 ERA –  12 K / 10 BB - .265 OBA
Trevor McGee: 2-1 – 22.2 IP – 7.15 ERA – 21 K / 13 BB - .318 OBA
Jeremy Frazier: 0-4 – 21 IP – 8.14 ERA – 14 K / 14 BB - .326 OBA
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock hosts Seton Hill for two games to finish off its season series with the Griffins May 4 at Jack Critchfield Park. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
 
 


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