2009 NCAA Division II Softball Tournament

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THE GAME
    The Bald Eagles (3-7, 1-4 PSAC West) return home to the friendly confines of Hubert Jack Stadium for their final game of the 2003 campaign, a PSAC Western Division match-up against No. 20-ranked Edinboro University (8-2, 4-1 PSAC West). The game can be heard locally on WBPZ-1230 AM and online at www.nsnsports.com. 

THE SERIES
     The Fighting Scots own the historical advantage over Lock Haven, taking a 30-14-1 series lead with their 37-14 victory in 2002. A Lock Haven win in 2000 at Jack Stadium broke what had been an 18-game Edinboro win streak. Prior to Lock Haven’s 2000 victory on its home turf, the Fighting Scots had also assembled a nine-game streak in Jack Stadium.

First Meeting:  1958 - Lock Haven 33, Edinboro 36
The Last Time Edinboro Won: 2002; 37-14 at Sox Harrison Stadium
The Last Time LHU Won: 2000; 20-16 at Hubert Jack Stadium
The Last Time LHU Won at Jack Stadium: 2000; 20-16
The Last Time Edinboro Won at Jack Stadium: 1999; 38-7

THE LAST TIME VERSUS EDINBORO
         Edinboro improved to 5-6 overall and 2-4 in the Western Division while Lock Haven wrapped up its season at 4-7 and 1-5 in the PSAC West with the 37-14 Fighting Scot victory at Sox Harrison Stadium. 
         The Fighting Scots held the Bald Eagles to a season-low of eight yards rushing despite 147 yards passing, while Edinboro boasted two 100-yard rushers in Alonzo Roebuck and Brandon Munson for a total 270 yards on the ground in addition to 164 through the air.
        The scoreboard showed a 7-7 tie following the close of the first quarter. Edinboro’s Alonzo Roebuck scored from 12 yards out at 6:05 into the game, but The Haven responded with 0:14 remaining when Nate Eck scooped up the loose ball after a blocked punt at the Edinboro 16-yard line and escorted it into the endzone.
         Edinboro scored twice in the second period, Roebuck scoring his second touchdown while Munson tacked on a two-yard scamper for score. Geoff Heyl hit a 42-yard field goal to move EUP into a 24-7 lead, then Justin Bouch found Sean Hess in the endzone to move ahead, 31-7. 
         Lock Haven’s Justin Marshall gave the visitors their only points in the second half, driving through the middle of the line for the one-yard score to bring the margin to 31-14.
        Edinboro’s Heyl hit two more field goals, however, stretching out the gap for the final 37-14 result. 

SCOUTING EDINBORO
       The Fighting Scots of Edinboro University, ranked #20 in the latest AFCA national poll, bring an 8-2 overall and 4-1 PSAC West mark into Jack Stadium. Edinboro is on a five-game win streak and has won its last four conference games.
       The Fighting Scots own the third most productive offense in the PSAC, averaging 30 points a game. That output is nearly balanced, boasting 21 touchdowns and 194.9 yards per game rushing in addition to 15 touchdowns and an average of 179.2 yards passing. 
       Sophomore quarterback Justin Bouch ranks third in the PSAC in pass efficiency with a 143.7 rating, connecting on 137 of 211 attempts for 13 touchdowns. Last weekend Bouch threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the win over California (Pa.). 
       Junior wideout Justin Lipscomb heads up a deep receiving unit, averaging 57.5 yards a game with six touchdowns including a 16-yard score last weekend. Senior Sean Hess has two touchdown catches and accounts for 34.8 yards per game. Jordan Bobitski (24 recep.,24.3 ypg, 1 TD), C.J. Trivisonno (13 recep., 16.4 ypg, 1 TD), Nate Elmer (4 recep., 5.5 ypg, 2 TD) and Ryan Valasek (14 recep., 14.7 ypg, 1 TD) are all regular contributors to the air attack. 

Wide receiver Scott Anderson makes a catch against Edinboro last season

THE COACHES

Lock Haven is led by fourth-year mentor Head Coach Mark Luther (Penn State, ‘92). The 2002 PSAC West Coach of the Year, Luther’s Bald Eagles went 4-7 last season -- the first four-win season since 1998.           He owns a 10-23 overall mark in three seasons at the helm of the Lock Haven gridders. Luther assumed the head role following five years of service as an LHU assistant from 1994-1998, acting as defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and administrative assistant to former head coach Nick Polk.

Edinboro’s fourth-year Head Coach Lou Tepper (Rutgers, '67) has 30 years experience at the Division I level, including a five-year stint as head coach at the University of Illinois.  Tepper joined the Edinboro staff in 2000 after previously serving as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana State University. He has had coaching stints at Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, and Colorado in addition to his time at Illinois and LSU.

       Tailback Brandon Munson picks up an average of 97.1 yards per game to rate fifth among all rushers in the PSAC. Munson added 90 yards against California, and has four touchdowns over the season.    Junior running back Matt Phillips leads Edinboro scorers, crossing into the endzone on 12 occasions while averaging 56.7 yards per outing. 
       Defensively, the Fighting Scots have not allowed a touchdown in the last 18 quarters of action and rate second in the league in scoring defense after giving up an average of 15 points per game. 
      Senior inside linebacker Jermaine Hughley is the Edinboro tackles leader with 78 on the season, and also paces the Scots’ defense with nine tackles for loss. Linebackers Seth Fragale (68 TT, 6.5 TFL) and Brandon Banas (53 TT, 4 TFL) are second and third among Boro defenders. The fourth starting linebacker is senior Nick Roth, who has 33 stops.
      The Edinboro pass defense is ranked second in the conference after permitting only 143.3 yards per game through the air. Part of that prowess rests in the play of free safety Raji El-Amin and cornerback Chris Avery. El-Amin (51 TT, 8 PB, 7 INT) and Avery (20 TT, 5 PB, 7 INT) both have snared seven interceptions, El-Amin carting one back for a touchdown. Joining El-Amin and Avery in the secondary are cornerback Matt Birkett (27 TT, 7 PB) and strong safety Thomas Wallace (41 TT, 3 PB). 
        Up on the line, Edinboro fronts junior tackle Eric Neavins (49 TT, 2.5 TFL), senior nose guard Eugene Grooms (22 TT, 5 TFL) and sophomore end Kyle Thorne (20 TT, 2.5 sacks). 
        Placekicker Kody Robertson hit two field goals from 30 and 31 yards against California, and is four-of-nine on the season with a long of 31 yards. The Fighting Scots have also utilized Eli Visnick, who is six-of-11 with a long of 40 yards. 
        Justin Lipscomb handles kick returns, posting a 24.1 yard average on 18 returns. He is also the punt return specialist, averaging 10.5 yards after 13 run-backs.

BALD EAGLE NOTES...

THE OFFENSE 
         For the second-straight week, the Bald Eagle offense logged more yardage than its opponent but gave up scoring chances on costly turnovers. Lock Haven posted a total of 305 yards, including a season-high of 257 yards through the air.
        The passing yardage marked a career high for freshman quarterback Troy Wile (Fayetteville/Chambersburg), who threw the ball 39 times and connected on 18 attempts. On the season, Wile has completed 83-of-157 passes for 879 yards and six touchdowns. 
        Four players caught three or more passes against Clarion, led by Scott Anderson’s (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) career high performance of six catches for 87 yards. Rafael Smith (Pittsburgh/Woodland Hills) made five catches for 69 yards, while Adam Angelici (Bethel Park/Bethel Park) added four receptions for 75 yards. Anderson averages 22.3 yards and 1.4 catches per game, while Smith, who has five touchdowns, accounts for 44.8 yards and three receptions per game. Angelici adds 18.7 yards a contest and has caught two touchdown passes this season. 
        The Clarion defense all but silenced the Haven’s ground game last Saturday, allowing only 48 yards rushing. The sole Lock Haven touchdown, however, did come on a rush with junior running back Maurice Walker (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) notching his fourth of the year on a short, one-yard push into the endzone. Walker was able to come up with only 14 yards on 12 attempts, bringing his season average to 56.8 yards per game. Chelstan Anderson (Halifax/Halifax), who rates second among Haven rushers with three touchdowns, covered 19 yards on one take against Clarion to move his average to 29.8 yards a game.
       Tailback Justin Marshall (Luthersburg/DuBois) (15.7 ypg) and halfback Josh Stadulis (Willow Grove/Academy of the New Church) (3.0 ypg) have also been in the mix, Marshall catching three passes for 26 yards versus Clarion. 
       The young offensive line consists of a pair of red-shirt freshmen, Aaron Nicklas (St. Marys/St. Marys Area) and Steve Szoboscan (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown), at the offensive guard slots. Filling in at the two tackle positions are sophomores Kevin Scheidler (Millersburg/Millersburg Area) and Eric Scaife (Philipsburg/Philipsburg-Osceola). Sophomore Jason Scott (Linden/Williamsport) balances the line at center.


THE DEFENSE 
         Strong safety Matt Shealy (New Bethlehem/Redbank Valley) paced the Bald Eagle defense versus Clarion with a career-best 12 stops along with a fumble recovery and a blocked extra point kick. Rob Carey (North Braddock/Woodland Hills) has returned to cornerback after playing strong safety the past four games and totaled eight stops versus Clarion. On the season, Shealy has 32 tackles and four pass break-ups, while Carey is third among Haven defenders with 55 tackles. The Bald Eagles also start Will Jones (McKeesport/McKeesport) (35 TT) at free safety and Ngoyi Mukusa (Jim Thorpe/Jim Thorpe) (45 TT, 3 PB) at the right corner position.
        Derrik Metz (Roaring Spring/Central) is tied for 10th on the PSAC tackles chart with 78 total on the year including eight against Clarion. The senior inside linebacker is also among conference leaders with a total of 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Senior linebacker Dan Wissinger (Johnstown/Ferndale Area) made seven stops last weekend, upping his season total to 61 tackles including 4.5 for loss. Junior linebacker Charles Cannon (Braddock Hills/Woodland Hills) adds 43 tackles with 6.5 for loss.
         Junior left end Dustin Shaffer (Mayport/Redbank Valley) made eight tackles with 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage last weekend, placing him second on the team with eight stops for a loss and a total of 34 tackles. On the opposite side of the line, senior end Devin O’Rourke (Montgomery/Montgomery) dragged down the Clarion quarterback in the second quarter for his fourth sack of the season, a team high. O’Rourke has 33 stops on the year in addition to seven for loss.
        Junior defensive tackle Jarrod Hendricks (Rockton/DuBois Area) had seven stops against Clarion and enters the final game of the season with 29 total. Tackle Jason Kasheta (Carbondale/Carbondale Area) has 14 stops on the season. 


SPECIAL TEAMS 
         Maurice Walker and Chelstan Anderson will be deep for kickoff returns, with Anderson the expected choice to handle punt return duties. 
        Following a 31-yard field goal against Clarion, freshman Danny Hagerman (Scottdale/Southmoreland) remains fourth in the conference with eight field goals including a long kick of 37 yards. He is 12-for-15 on point after attempts. 

###LHU###