May 6, 2002
LHU Baseball to Challenge for PSAC Title

   
  (Lock Haven, Pa.) -  The Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania baseball team (23-18-1, 14-5-1 PSAC West) will compete in the 2002 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Baseball Tournament from Thursday, May 9 through Saturday, May 11, at Boyertown Bear Stadium in Boyertown, Pa.
            The Bald Eagles are 23-18-1 overall and finished second in the PSAC Western Division with a 14-5-1 mark against conference teams.  California (Pa.) University is the top seed from the West after posting a 16-3-1 ledger in divisional play along with a 27-14-1 mark overall.  The top team from the Eastern Division is 16th-ranked Mansfield University, who enters play with a 39-10 overall and 18-6 PSAC East record.  Kutztown University earned the second seed from the East, boasting an overall mark of 29-21 while going 16-8 in the conference.
            This year’s PSAC baseball tournament is played using the double-elimination format.  California will play Kutztown in Game One at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, while Lock Haven will take on Mansfield at 7 p.m. that same evening.  The losers of Games One and Two match-up on Friday at noon (Game Three), and the winners of Games One and Two tangle at 3:30 p.m. in Game Four.  The winner of Game Three and the loser of Game Four will battle to stay in title contention in Game Five at 7 p.m. that evening.  On Saturday, the winners of Game Five and Game Four square off at noon with another game immediately following if necessary.  
            Lock Haven’s appearance in the PSAC championships marks the Bald Eagles’ sixth crusade for the coveted conference crown.  The only team in the race that does not have a PSAC title on its resume, LHU’s most recent appearance came two years ago in 2000, when the team went 2-2 and fell just one win shy of the title.  That year’s squad posted a school-best wins total with a 30-22-0 record and had finished second in the PSAC West with an 11-9 mark.  The four other occasions that Lock Haven diamondmen have made title runs were in 1996, 1989, 1983, and 1976.  
            This is the third appearance in the PSAC Championships for 11th-year head coach Paul “Smokey” Stover.  Stover also led the 2000 and 1996 Crimson and White clubs to the conference tournament, where both times they went 2-2 and finished as the tournament runners-up.  The veteran coach’s overall record at Lock Haven stands at 232-208-6 (.527).  He has guided 31 players to All-PSAC status over the course of his career, including a school-record eight in 1997.  

PSAC Baseball Tournament

Thursday, May 9
Gm 1 - 3:30 p.m. - 
California vs. Kutztown
Gm 2 - 7 p.m. - 
Mansfield vs. Lock Haven

Friday, May 10
Gm 3 - noon -
 loser gm 1 vs. loser gm 2
Gm 4 - 3:30 p.m. - 
winner gm 1 vs. winner gm 2
Gm 5 - 7 p.m. - 
winner gm 3 vs. loser gm 4

Saturday, May 11
Gm 6 - noon - 
winner gm 5 vs. winner gm 4
Gm 7 - 3:30 p.m. - 
if necessary to complete double-elimination format

 
 
              The Haven holds a 1-4-1 record against teams in the PSAC tournament, posting a 1-2-1 mark against California while losing in two one-run games early to Kutztown.  Lock Haven and Mansfield were scheduled for a non-conference doubleheader late in the season but were rained out.
            Lock Haven has the usual mix of veteran and new players on its roster, but the starting lineup leans heavily to the side of experience.  All three starting outfielders are seniors, while the infield features two talented rookies along with three seniors.  The Haven pitching staff is one aspect of the roster where the talent is spread evenly among the class years, with two seniors, a junior, and two sophomores appearing regularly in the rotation.
            Senior right-hander Ryan Varga (Edgewater Park, N.J./Burlington City) has been LHU’s top hurler this season, sporting a 3.46 earned run average.  He set a new school mark for innings pitched with 83.1 so far, and has tied the school record for wins with his 9-4 ledger.  Varga leads Lock Haven with six complete games and 69 strikeouts.  Fellow senior Dan Sowash (State College/State College) owns a 4.04 ERA and a 4-5 record, and is second on the team with 58 strikeouts.  
           Junior Chad Schell (Lewistown/Lewistown) and sophomore Heath Repard (Hughesville/ Hughesville) have both been solid in the Haven lineup.  Schell is 3-1 with a 3.56 ERA, and has two complete-game shutouts along with 48 strikeouts.  Repard, Lock Haven’s top left-hander, is 0-2 but has made 10 total appearances, sporting an ERA of 4.05 along with 17 strikeouts.  Sophomore Andy Leakey (State College/State College) has been the Bald Eagles’ top closer, making a team-high 18 mound appearances with a 4-2 season mark and two saves. He is fourth on the team with 44 strikeouts and is holding opponent batters to a .228 average.  
            Catcher/designated hitter Ernest Woods (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Thomas Edison) leads the Bald Eagles with a .336 batting average along with nine doubles and four home runs.  Woods is also second on the squad with 28 RBI.  Also dividing time behind the plate is Matt Isnor (State College/State College), who also fills in at first base.  Isnor is fourth among Bald Eagles with a .299 average including nine doubles and 18 RBI, and owns a share of the team-best fielding percentage with a .983 (265 PO-26A-5E).  When Isnor is behind the plate, junior Greg Aument (Quarryville/Solanco) takes over at first base.  Aument hits.250 clip with five RBI.  
            A pair of freshmen guard the middle infield, as second baseman Eric Waltz (State College/State College) and short stop Brett Kelley (Williamsport/Williamsport) have been the regular starters all season long.  The duo has also had a role in the majority of LHU’s season-record 39 double plays.  Waltz has a .983 fielding percentage on 115 attempts, and is hitting .293 with 24 hits and five RBI.  Kelley has a .280 batting average including seven doubles, a triple, and two home runs.  
          Experience takes over at third base with senior Butch Rudolph (Mill Hall/Lock Haven) guards the hot corner.  Rudolph is third on the team with a .312 batting average and has cranked out eight doubles, two triples, and three homers to match his team-leading 32 RBI.  
           The Haven outfield consists of three seniors – Kevin Conklin (State College/State College), Rich Miller (Mill Hall/Bald Eagle-Nittany), and Brian Eberly (Landing, N.J./Roxbury).  Conklin starts in centerfield for the Bald Eagles and maintains LHU’s leadoff slot.  He is currently second with a .325 batting average, and has eight doubles, four triples, and three home runs to his tally.  Miller has been a regular in right field this season and is having the best offensive performance of his career, hitting .294 including six doubles and two triples.  Eberly mans left field for the Bald Eagles.  He hits .260 along with 13 RBI.  Another trio of players rotate into outfield positions on a normal basis, John Hanna (Lock Haven/Lock Haven), Mike Vogt (Centre Hall/Penns Valley), and Cody Caris (Lock Haven/Central Mountain). 
 

 

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