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. Saint Anselm
The Rock (6-2)	Hawks (5-8)
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach Jeff Messer	Coach Harry Oringer
Program Records	Program Records
PSAC Standings
PSAC Leaders
PSAC Schedule
Jack Critchfield Park

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Winners in six of its first eight games this year, the Slippery Rock University baseball team returns to competition this weekend when it hosts Saint Anselm College for a three-game series Saturday and Sunday at Jack Critchfield Park.
 
SCHEDULE FORMAT
The Rock and Hawks will play a doubleheader (7/9) Saturday with first pitch of game one set for 12 p.m. Slippery Rock and Saint Anselm close out the series 11 a.m. Sunday with a single nine-inning game.
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV - "ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
• Fans can watch all three games this weekend 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 TV, 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.
 
SERIES DETAILS
Opponent: Saint Anselm
Games 1-2: Saturday (12 p.m. / 2:30 p.m.)
Games 3: Sunday (11 a.m.)
Venue: Critchfield Park
Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter/X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: SRU leads 4-0
Last Played: March 20, 2022 (SRU won 18-8)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock swept a four-game series against the Hawks during the 2022 season in the only games played between the two schools prior to this weekend. SRU outscored Saint Anselm 52-10 over the four games with 5-1, 22-0, 7-1 and 18-8 victories.
 
Eight current Slippery Rock athletes played in the 2022 series while Saint Anselm has 13 from its 2022 roster on its current team.
 
Top Rock Performers vs. SAC
Eddie Morris: 4 Games, .438 (7-16), 7 R, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 2 HR
Koby Bubash: 2 Games, .375 (3-8), 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B
Robert Herr: 2 Games, 1.000 (1-1), 2 R, 2 Walks
Braden Olson: 2 Games, 1.000 (1-1), 1 R, 1 RBI
Ethan Edkins: 1.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 K, 1 BB, .250 Opp. Avg.

SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Overall Record: 6-2
NCBWA Regional Ranking: 8th
Home Record: 3-1
Away Record: 0-0
Neutral Site Record: 3-1
Streak: L1
Last Five Games: 3-2
Head Coach: Jeff Messer | 39th season (1,101-725-5 / .603)
 
SRU'S RECENT RESULTS
March 1 – Pace – W, 3-2 (12 Inn.)
March 2 – Dominican – W, 11-0
March 3 – St. Thomas Aquinas – L, 10-0
March 8 – West Virginia State – W, 4-2
March 8 – West Virginia State – L, 5-2

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock split a non-conference Atlantic Region doubleheader with West Virginia State University. The Rock took the opener, 4-2, before WVSU earned the split with a 5-2 game-two victory.
 
ROCK CLIMBS TO 8th IN REGION
The Rock's split with a tough West Virginia State team – combined with other results throughout the region – moved SRU up one spot from last week to eighth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region poll.
 
NCBWA Atlantic Region Top-10
1. Millersville (13-3)
2. West Chester (9-0)
3. East Stroudsburg (11-3)
4. Seton Hill (9-5)
5. Charleston (10-4)
6. California (7-4)
7. Shippensburg (7-4)
8. Slippery Rock (6-2)
9. Concord (6-5)
10. Frostburg State (7-5)

ANOTHER GREAT START ON DECK
Slippery Rock needs to sweep, or at least take two games, in this weekend's series to continue a trend inside the program of great starts to a season. Over the last three years, SRU has gone no worse than 8-3 through its first 11 games of a season.
 
11-game record to start season
2023: 8-3
2022: 11-0
2021: 9-2
2020: 7-3*
(Since 2020)
*Season canceled after 10 games due to COVID-19.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Slippery Rock, which is currently in the middle of a season-long seven-game homestand, has gone 3-1 at Jack Critchfield Park this year. The solid start to the year in home games continues a trend of strong play by The Rock when playing at Critchfield Park.
 
Since its opening during the 2002 season, Slippery Rock is an impressive 245-141 (.635) 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 55-28 (.663) over the last three years.

CLOSE CALLS
Of The Rock's first eight games of 2024, ## have been decided by three runs or less including four one-run decisions.  

THE ROCK'S ARMS
• Slippery Rock has allowed more than five runs in a game just once since its season-opening doubleheader against Dominican – a span of six games.
 
• The Rock enters the weekend ranked third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in runs allowed per game at 4.1. SRU's pitching staff also ranks second in the PSAC in team ERA (3.49) and sixth in opponent batting average (.261).
 
• Gage Gillott has anchored Slippery Rock's pitching staff early on. Through three starts, the transfer from USC Upstate is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. Over 17 innings, Gillott has struck out 18 batters while giving up just two walks with a .206 opponent batting average.  
 
• Gillott has posted back-to-back seven-strikeout games with just two runs allowed in his last 13 innings pitched.
 
• The trio of Parker Hogge (1-1), Michael Kitko (1-0) and Robert Herr (1-0, 1 Save) have all made three appearances on the mound this season primarily in relief roles.
 
• Of Hogge's three outings, two have come as a reliever. Hogge, who is second on the team in innings pitched at 9.2 and third in strikeouts with 10, will take a 1.86 ERA into the weekend.
 
• Herr and Kitko have shined out of the bullpen early on. Over six combined appearances (13.1 innings), the duo have paired to allow just four runs while posting 12 strikeouts, four walks, a 2.70 ERA and a .213 opponent batting average.
 
• Ethan Edkins is the only other Rock arm outside of Gillott who has made multiple starts in 2024. In his last appearance – a start against Pace on March 1 – Edkins scattered two runs over five innings while striking out six.
 
• Joey Purcell (1-1) and Hunter Loomis have started one game apiece early on for The Rock as well.
 
• After throwing two shutout innings to earn the win out of the bullpen in SRU's 7-6 victory against Dominican, Purcell pitched well in his first start of the year against St. Thomas Aquinas despite the loss as he matched his career-high with nine strikeouts in addition to giving up just three runs in seven innings of work.
 
• Loomis went 3.2 innings with one allowed in The Rock's game-one victory over Pace on March 1.
 
• Mark Wilbur Jr., who led SRU with two saves a season ago, opened his 2024 season with a strong appearance in The Rock's extra-inning victory over Pace as he scattered five hits and a walk over four scoreless innings of work.
 
THE ROCK'S BATS
• Centerfielder Cam Panyko Morris drove in five of Slippery Rock's six runs against West Virginia State off a pair of home runs. Panyko Morris is currently hitting .333 (7-21) to go along with team-highs of six runs scored, two home runs, nine RBI, two stolen bases and a .714 slugging percentage.
 
• In addition to his role as The Rock's ace on the mound, Gillott has been one of the team's top hitters. Entering the Saint Anselm series, Gillott is batting .412 (7-17) with two runs scored and two RBI. Two of his seven hits have gone for triples.
 
• Like Gillott, Kitko has also excelled early on in his dual role as a pitcher and left fielder. Kitko, who has three multi-hit games already this season, hits .467 (7-15) with three runs, three RBI and a team-best .529 on-base percentage.
 
• Shortstop Tyler Cerame is tied with Gillott, Panyko Morris and Kitko for the team-lead in hits at seven. Cerame has also scored five runs while driving in three more. Three of his seven hits have gone for extra bases (one triple / two doubles).
 
• Purcell and Noah Ross have produced 31 percent (7-of-22) of The Rock's walks in their first eight games with Purcell drawing a team-high four free passes and Ross close behind at three. Purcell has also scored five runs.
 
• Second baseman Koby Bubash ranks second for SRU in RBI with four.

• As a team, SRU averages 7.6 runs scored per game with a team batting average of .244 and a .330 collective on-base percentage.
 
ACTIVE ROCK STREAKS
Hitting
Gage Gillott: 5
Cam Panyko Morris: 2
Noah Ross: 1
Michael Kitko: 1
Brandon Butler: 1
Brett Galcik: 1
 
Reached Base (Top 5)
Gage Gillott: 5
Michael Kitko: 4
Darryn Callahan: 3
Tyler Cerame: 2
Eddie Morris: 2
Cam Panyko Morris: 2

SAINT ANSELM PRIMER
Overall Record: 5-8
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-4
Neutral Site Record: 5-4
Streak: L1
Last Five Games: 2-3
Head Coach: Harry Oringer | First season (5-8 / .385)

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
• Under the direction of first-year head coach Harry Oringer, Saint Anselm has opened its 2024 season going 5-8. Most recently, the Hawks played four games in Cary, North Carolina – sweeping a doubleheader against Dominican combined with losses to Saint Rose and Barton.
 
• Through 13 games, Saint Anselm has averaged 4.7 runs per game on a .258 team batting average and a .345 on-base percentage while allowing 6.2 via a staff ERA of 4.78 and an opponent batting average .277.
 
TOP SAC HITTERS
Nolan  Elmore: .429 (18-42) – 9 runs – 3 HR - 14 RBI - .500 OBP
Aidan Dow: .298 (14-47) – 10 runs – 1 HR - 8 RBI - .365 OBP
Zack Clough: .298 (14-47) – 9 runs – 2 2B - 6 RBI - .340 OBP
Mavrick Bourdeau: .271 (13-48) – 10 runs – 1 HR - 4 RBI - .352 OBP
 
TOP SAC PITCHERS
Matt Michel: 1-1 – 18.0 IP – 1.50 ERA –  11 K / 5 BB - .203 OBA
Jared Reminder: 2-1 – 17.0 IP – 2.12 ERA –  9 K / 3 BB - .284 OBA
Dallas Vaughn: 0-3 – 16.2 IP – 5.94 ERA –  12 K / 8 BB - .329 OBA
Marko Gibbons: 0-1, 2 Saves – 7.1 IP – 2.45 ERA –  10 K / 2 BB – .077 OBA

SAC RECENT RESULTS
March 4 – East Stroudsburg – L, 3-1
March 9 – Saint Rose – L, 12-6
March 10 – Dominican (NY) – W, 3-1
March 10 – Dominican (NY) – W, 4-3
March 12 – Barton – L, 19-3
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock begins Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division competition March 22-23 in a four-game series against Pitt-Johnstown. SRU hosts the Mountain Cats March 22 for a doubleheader before heading to UPJ for two games on March 23.




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