GAME PROGRAM INFO
Slippery Rock has moved away from printed game programs for all sports in 2023-24. This page will serve as the "Digital Game Program" for this week's game. To navigate to all gameday info for any SRU home events this year, simply visit rockathletics.com/gameday or scan the QR code on the "Gameday Info" posters hanging in each facility.
 

Slippery Rock vs. Dominican
The Rock (0-0)	Chargers (0-0)
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach Jeff Messer	Coach Rick Giannetti
Program Records	Program Records
PSAC Standings
PSAC Leaders
PSAC Schedule
Jack Critchfield Park

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team will open its 2024 season with a non-conference doubleheader Sunday against Dominican University (N.Y.) at Critchfield Park. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m.
 
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
The Rock and Chargers will play a doubleheader Sunday with game one set to go seven innings followed by a nine-inning game two. If the first game were to go to extra innings, game two will revert to a seven-inning affair.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
In-game statistics for Sunday's games will be provided at the below links.
 
SERIES DETAILS
Opponent: Dominican (N.Y.)
Date: Sunday – 12 p.m. / 2:30 p.m.
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Venue: Jack Critchfield Park
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter/X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: SRU leads 5-1
Last Played: March 8, 2020 (SRU won 9-4)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock owns a 5-1 record against Dominican. All six of the previous games in the series were played in a four-year period between 2017-20 in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The Rock and Chargers last met during the abbreviated 2020 season with SRU coming away with a 9-4 victory.
 
Tanner Esposito earned the win after scattering four runs over 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts before giving way to Rickey Mineo, who tossed 2.1 shutout innings in relief. At the plate, Vince Donato drove in three runs while Abraham Mow collected two hits along with a pair of RBI.
 
Koby Bubash is the only active Rock player to have played in the game. In what was just the fifth appearance of his collegiate career, Bubash scored three runs and drew two walks.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Roster: Link
2023 Final Stats: Link
2024 Schedule: Link
Overall Record: 0-0
PSAC West Preseason Poll: Sixth
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-0
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Five Games: N/A
2023 Final Record: 23-27
Head Coach: Jeff Messer | 39th season (1,095-723-5 / .602)
 
MESSER OPENS YEAR 12th ON WINS LIST
Slippery Rock head coach Jeff Messer, a 2023 ABCA Hall of Fame inductee, will begin his 39th season in charge of the SRU baseball program with a career record of 1,095-732-5.
 
In addition to being the fourth winningest active coach in Division II, Messer also ranks 12th in D2 history for wins in a career. If Slippery Rock sweeps Dominican this weekend, Messer would move into a tie alongside Jack Smitheran (Emporia State 1970-73 / UC Riverside 1974-04) for 11th place on the Division II career wins ledger.
 
2023 RECAP
Slippery Rock is coming off a 2023 season in which it went a respectable 23-27 overall, but just 8-20 inside the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. Nine of The Rock's conference losses a season ago were by two runs or less.
 
THE ROCK IN SEASON OPENERS
Historically speaking, Slippery Rock has thrived in its season-openers as SRU is 24-14 (.632) in its 38 season-openers under Messer. SRU has also won, or split, its last five season-opening series. A year ago, The Rock took two of four games on the road at Shippensburg to open the 2023 season.
 
ROCKING THE JACK
Since its opening during the 2002 season, Slippery Rock is an impressive 242-140 (.634) in games played at the friendly confines of Jack Critchfield Park. SRU has been particularly tough to beat at home as of late as SRU is 52-27 (.658) over the last three years.
 
In addition to once again hosting the PSAC Tournament, Slippery Rock will play 28 of its 48 regular season games at home this year.
 
ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT PROGRAMS IN THE REGION
Slippery Rock has been one of the most consistent programs in the Atlantic Region over the last 38 years under head coach Jeff Messer. Dating back to the 1986 season, Slippery Rock has recorded 34 seasons with a .500 or better record. None of the other 31 teams currently competing in the Atlantic Region have exceeded The Rock's amount of .500 or better seasons over that time.
 
NEXT MAN UP
While The Rock will be tasked with replacing former All-Americans Luke Trueman and Jon Kozarian as well as four-year starting outfielder Alex Robenolt, SRU does return 20 athletes from last year's roster, including four position players which started at least 35 games and three starting pitchers who closed last season in The Rock's weekend rotation.
 
TOP RETURNING ARMS
Joey Purcell, Parker Hogge and Nate Malak are all back after concluding last season occupying three spots in Slippery Rock weekend starting rotation.
 
Purcell started 11 games on the mound, pitching 58 innings and posting a 4.19 ERA to go with 52 strikeouts and a .276 opponent batting average. Purcell ranked second for SRU in innings pitched, complete games (three) and strikeouts.
 
As freshmen a season ago, Hogge and Malak partnered to make 19 total appearances and nine starts. Hogge went 1-2 with a 4.78 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 32 innings while limiting opponents to a .256 batting average. Malak was 1-2 in 28 innings with a .255 batting average against.
 
Ethan Edkins missed last season due to injury, but had a promising start to his collegiate career in 2022 when earned PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors after logging a 6-1 record with a 3.08 ERA. Edkins walked just 17 batters as a rookie with opponents hitting only .201 off the Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
 
As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Mark Wilbur Jr. spent time as both a starter (four games) and in The Rock's bullpen (seven games). He won one game and collected two saves in 23.2 innings. Wilbur allowed earned runs in just one of his seven relief appearances.
 
Robert Herr and Eoin Rossman made the majority of their appearances in non-conference competition last season.
 
Herr led SRU in total appearances with 15 on the way to going 3-1 with a 4.08 ERA, a .229 opponent batting average and 25 strikeouts over 28.2 innings. Rossman started three of his seven games pitched, logging 20 innings and earning two wins.
 
KEY RETURNERS (POSITION PLAYERS)
Bubash, The Rock's veteran most player, has started 104 games in The Rock's middle infield over the last four seasons. A career .341 hitter, Bubash has recorded 41 hits in each of the last two year. In 2023, Bubash compiled a .409 on-base percentage while scoring 26 runs, driving in 22 more and hitting one home run. 
 
Purcell served as The Rock's primary first baseman last year when not on the mound. Over 36 starts, he drew a team-high 23 walks while registering 33 hits on the way to a .388 on-base percentage.
 
A true utility player, Braden Olson provided SRU with lineup flexibility a season ago as he made 18 starts at third base, seven at shortstop and seven more at second base.
 
Robby Barrientos and Noah Ross split time at catcher in 2023 with Barrientos earning 35 starts behind the plate. Ross, who was The Rock's designated hitter when not catching, set career-highs in every statistical category over his 41 games played including batting average (.296), runs (27), hits (37), doubles (eight), home runs (two) and RBI (16).
 
After not appearing in a game during his first two years in the program, Cam Panyko Morris made 23 appearances for Slippery Rock a season ago including 16 starts – 10 of which came in right field. Panyko Morris boasted a .424 on-base percentage to go along with 13 runs scored, two home runs, 15 RBI and four stolen bases.
 
Darryn Callahan appeared in 14 games as a rookie last season while making seven starts throughout SRU's lineup in right field (1), first base (1), third base (2) and as a designated hitter (3).
 
One of The Rock's multiple two-way players, Herr made eight starts between right field and centerfield a season ago. All told, he recorded a .353 on-base percentage while hitting .300 with eight runs, eight RBI and a pair of doubles.
 
TRANSFER HELP
Transferring into The Rock for the 2024 season are junior infielder Tyler Cerame, junior pitcher Hunter Loomis and redshirt sophomore pitcher Gage Gillott.
 
Cerame comes to SRU after a decorated two-year career at Finger Lakes Community College where he hit .393 over 107 games while slugging .526 with a .488 on-base percentage, 93 runs scored, 30 doubles, one home run, 66 RBI and 62 stolen bases.
 
Loomis began his collegiate career at Niagara County Community College where he pitched 42.1 innings. While at Niagara CCC, Loomis went 5-2 with two saves and 47 strikeouts.
 
Gillott, a former Division I recruit, returns to his native state after a stint at USC-Upstate. As a member of the Titans, Gillott pitched in four games as a reliever. He posted a .188 opponent batting average across 4.1 innings.
 
FRESHMEN ORIENTATION
The majority of Slippery Rock's 13-man recruiting class for the 2024 season is made up of 10 freshmen.
 
SRU's rookie class consists of catcher/infielder Steve Budash (Indiana Area), outfielder Brandon Butler (Apollo Ridge), pitcher Kyle Finnegan (Westerville), infielder Andrew Frye (Neshannock), infielder Brett Galcik (Slippery Rock), pitcher/infielder Gary Gubbings III (Arundel), pitcher Ron Harper (Riverside), catcher Mason Raup (Danville), infielder Josh Samluk (McDowell) and pitcher Joey Vanzin (Chartiers Valley).

A LOOK AT THE POLLS
Slippery Rock was picked to finish sixth in the PSAC Western Division by the league's coaches in the conference's annual preseason polls earlier in the offseason.
 
Reigning division champions Seton Hill was picked to repeat as PSAC West champions after earning seven first-place votes. Mercyhurst was the recipient of the remaining first-place vote and slotted second followed in the top half of the poll by Indiana (Pa.) and California (Pa.). The remainder of the PSAC West poll featured Gannon, The Rock, Pitt-Johnstown and Clarion.

GET USED TO DOMINICAN
This weekend's doubleheader will be the first and second of three games this season between Slippery Rock and Dominican as the two will also play a nine-inning game next weekend at the Cary Challenge.

DOMINICAN PRIMER
Roster: Link
2023 Final Stats: Link
2024 Schedule: Link
Overall Record: 0-0
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-0
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Five Games: N/A
2023 Final Record: 15-33
Head Coach: Rick Giannetti | 22nd season at DU (488-479-2 / .505)

TOP RETURNING HITTERS
Ty Gilligan: .344 (56-163) – 27 runs – 2 HR - 31 RBI - .420 OBP
David Knepper: .317 (45-142) – 24 runs - 23 RBI – 17 SB - .351 OBP
C. Fils-Aime: .309 (29-94) – 24 runs – 18 RBI – .405 OBP
Tyler Richman: .281 (39-139) – 28 runs – 1 HR - 21 RBI – .354 OBP

TOP RETURNING PITCHERS
Anthony Leak: 2-7 – 66.1 IP – 5.43 ERA –  77 K / 49 BB - .245 OBA
Robert Liriano: 3-5 – 32.1 IP – 7.24 ERA – 34 K / 16 BB - .348 OBA
Maverick Medina: 1-1 – 22.2 IP – 8.74 ERA – 8 K / 11 BB - .343 OBA
Vincent Giambona: 0-1 – 22 IP – 9.82 ERA – 16 K / 6 BB - .326 OBA
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock plays four games over three days at the Cary Challenge March vs. Pace (Doubleheader), March 2 against Dominican and March 3 versus St. Thomas Aquinas.





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