MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University baseball team's time at the 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament came to an end Wednesday night following a 2-0 loss to No. 6 Millersville University at Cooper Park in Millersville, Pennsylvania.
 
The loss drops The Rock's record to 31-19 overall while the nationally ranked Marauders improve to 39-7. Millersville now advances to the double elimination portion of the PSAC Tournament beginning with a 1 p.m. Thursday game against California (Pa.), which defeated West Chester University earlier in the day.
 
With five hits and eight walks, Slippery Rock had a plethora of opportunities against the Marauders, but ultimately matched a season-high with 14 runners left on base.
 
The Rock used two pitchers in the loss as starter Nate Malak and reliver Mark Wilbur both turned in outstanding performances on the mound. The two runs allowed by Malak and Wilbur matched a single-game season low for Millersville, which entered the game averaging 8.6 runs per contest.
 
Malak (6-3) displayed why he was named to the All-PSAC West Team by giving up just two runs on one hit and four walks over 4.1 innings pitched. SRU's junior ace took a no-hit shutout against the PSAC's highest scoring offense into the fifth inning.
 
Wilbur pitched the final 3.2 innings without being charged with a run while striking out two batters and working around three hits.
 
Slippery Rock's batting order was paced by Robert Herr, who went 2-for-3 with one walk. Brandon Butler and Michael Kitko both reached base three times as well with Butler going 1-for-3 with two walks and Kitko being issued three walks.
 
Stone Powell and Clay Wiesen rounded out The Rock's top contributors with one hit apiece.
 
SRU put multiple runners on base in each of the first four innings - including bases loaded situations in the second and fourth – but it was Millersville that eventually broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning.
 
A high pop up that got lost in the lights before falling for a single sandwiched between a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out for Millersville in the decisive inning. A four-pitch walk to Donis Rodriguez followed, bringing in the game's first run and forcing Malak from the contest for Wilbur.
 
Wilbur would yield a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced in Jeff Sabater, but a great defensive play off the hit limited any further damage. Centerfielder Cam Panyko Morris quickly fielded Sabater's hit and firied the ball into catcher Treston Nemeth, who in turn tagged out Amani Jones at home before rifling off a throw to Wiesen which beat a sliding Sabater attempting to take second to get out of the inning trailing just 2-0.
 
However, Slippery Rock was unable to build off the momentum-grabbing defensive play and breakthrough in the game's late stages as Millersville stranded four more Rock baserunners over the final four innings en route to the two-run victory.
 
Three Marauder pitchers combined for the shutout. Starter Connor Cook struck out eight batters while allowing three hits and six walks in 3.2 innings. Matt Shamany (2-0) took over for Cook in the fourth and went on to pitch four shutout innings with six strikeouts before giving way to Evan Rishell, who earned his sixth save of 2025 with 1.1 scoreless innings of work.
 
The loss more than likely ends The Rock's 2025 season as SRU entered the game ranked eighth in the Atlantic Region rankings, the top six teams in final regional rankings that will be released Sunday night qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
 
If Wednesday's result was the final game of the year for SRU it closes another great year for the program which made the PSAC Tournament for a third consecutive season in addition to posting the 20th 30-win campaign under head coach Jeff Messer.




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