Atlantic Regional Championship Central
 
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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University baseball team travels to nearby West Lawn, Pa. this weekend to compete in the 2014 NCAA Atlantic Regional, hosted by Kutztown University. The six-team tournament will commence with three games on Thursday, May 15 at Owls Field as KU takes on Millersville University at 3:30 p.m.
 
The Golden Bears (30-19) earned a spot in the regional after winning the seventh PSAC Championship in program history. Needing to win in single-elimination format to make the NCAA tournament, KU defeated both the PSAC West and East top seeds by one run each. This included a 1-0 victory in the title game against Millersville. The conference title run comes after being four games out of playoff positioning with just eight PSAC East games left.
 
Kutztown makes its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 16 years. It holds a 30-27 record in tournament-play and has won four NCAA Regional Championships. KU has never played Millersville in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Ticket Prices
        FREE for KU Students w/ ID
        $5.00 Student/Senior
        $10.00 Adult Daily
        $15.00 Tournament Pass Student/Senior
        $30.00 Tournament Pass Adult
        *The Tournament Pass will be available on the first day of the tournament only.
        
Spectator Access
There will be a handicapped parking inside gates.  Spectators may park in any of the surrounding parking lots or on the streets surrounding the stadium.  There are NO bleachers in the stadium.  Fans are asked to bring their own chairs or blankets.  There are terraces down each baseline for use for spectator seating.  NO coolers will be allowed in the stadium.
 
 
KUTZTOWN REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 2010 (Atl.), 2007, 2004, 2002, 2001 (No. Atl.)
 
LAST TIME OUT: Kutztown continued a remarkable and resilient late-season run by earning the 2014 PSAC Championship with a 1-0 win over Millersville in the title game on May 3. The Golden Bears used a Brandon Shimo (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland (Lackawanna)) complete game and a Brandon Martinez (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) sacrifice fly to take the win. It marked the seventh PSAC Championship in program history. Between the final eight PSAC East games and the conference tourney, KU owns a 10-1 record in "must-win" games over the past four weekends. Shimo earned MVP honors for his 11 scoreless innings in the tourney. Also, the Golden Bears became the first four seed to win the PSAC Championship Tournament.
 
NCAA DIVSION II ATLANTIC REGIONAL: As selected by the NCAA, Kutztown University will host the 2014 NCAA Division II Baseball Atlantic Regional. The double-elimination tourney takes place at Owls Field in West Lawn, Pa. from May 15-18. The Golden Bears get the hosting nod as the sixth seed and the automatic bid from the PSAC. Fifth-seeded Winston-Salem State got the other auto bid in the region. Meanwhile, Mountain East team Shepherd (second seed) while join three PSAC schools as at-large teams. Millersville (first seed) made it in from the PSAC East, while Seton Hill (third seed) and Mercyhurst (fourth seed) made it in from the PSAC West.

BRANDO-NAME QUALITY: Junior outfielder Brandon Martinez (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) made major moves this season, earning him All-PSAC First Team and Capital One Academic All-District 2 First Team honors. He owns a team-best .403 batting average (4th, PSAC) on 60 hits, including 22 multi-hit games. The junior has 26 hits over his last 17 games (.542 BA). Better yet, Martinez stole 34 bases (2nd, PSAC) in 35 attempts, setting a new single-season Kutztown baseball record that was previously set in 1983. He now ranks second on the program's all-time list with 56 career stolen bases (behind Bill Sassaman, who had 89 stolen bases in 1981-84).
 
STOUDT AT THE PLATE: Senior Kyle Stoudt (Mertztown, PA/Brandywine Heights) is making the most of his final season at KU. Stoudt ranks second on the team with a .378 batting average (10th, PSAC) and leads the team with a .477 on-base percentage (9th, PSAC) en route to earning All-PSAC East First Team honors. Batting clean-up in 33 of his 39 starts at the plate, Stoudt cashes in for KU with a team-leading 31 RBI. He bats .377 (23-61) with runners in scoring position. On the mound, Stoudt made four starts, going 1-1 with a 6.39 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.
 
TIME TO ROLL: In his final Kutztown campaign, senior right-handed pitcher Brandon Shimo (Jermyn, PA/Lakeland (Lackawanna)) kicked his game into a higher gear as conference play started. Shimo (7-1, 3.32 ERA) won four games and earned a save in PSAC East play. The highlights include six shutout innings of one-hit ball with a career-high nine strikeouts against West Chester (Mar. 22) and a complete game victory against Millersville (Apr. 1). However, the senior ascended even higher with 11 shutout innings and two wins over a start and a relief appearance in the PSAC Tournament. He was named tournament MVP after throwing a shutout in the title game.
 
DOMINANT DOWN THE HOLMES STRETCH: Senior left-handed pitcher Colin Holmes (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) gave a memorable pitching performance in the PSAC Quarterfinals against a ranked Seton Hill team, throwing just 98 pitches in 10 innings of one-run work against a deep (team .308 BA) and well-rounded lineup (10 batters w/ .290+ BA). That performance highlights a dominant past month for Holmes. Beginning with an April 6 complete game win against Ship, he owns a 4-2 record with a 1.76 ERA over his last seven appearances. This includes four complete games and the 10-inning affair. Since his last loss, Holmes is 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA in four games. The lefty won PSAC East Pitcher of the Week honors in late April for two wins against ESU.
 
CHO ME WHAT'S GOOD: Junior infielder Brandon Cholish (Peckville, PA/Valley View (Lackawanna)) immediately made an impact in the KU lineup as a transfer, owning a .281 batting average and ranking third on the team with 26 RBI. He also ranks third with a .370 (20-54) batting average with runners in scoring position. He leads the team with six multi-RBI hits. Defensively, the Lackawanna transfer owns a stellar .982 fielding percentage (three errors on 166 chances).
 
GOLDEN WAY TO KICKSTART THE GAME: An early start on offense could dictate KU's chances to win this tournament. Kutztown owns a 55-28 scoring advantage in the first inning this season. The team owns a 18-4 record when scoring in the first. The Golden Bears scored in the first inning only once in five games against Millersville (two runs in a 3-2 win) and did not score in that frame against Seton Hill (PSAC Quarterfinals) or Winston-Salem State (two games during Spring Break).
 
THEY NEED THE "O" TO BE GOLDEN: This year, the Golden Bears established some keys to victory. First, Kutztown must put together enough offense, especially in the pitching-heavy PSAC. The team owns a 20-3 record when scoring at least five runs. In sharp contrast, Kutztown owns a 4-11 record when scoring two runs or fewer. However, two wins of those wins came in the PSAC Championships.
 
OFFENSIVE PACKAGE: To further drive home the point about the team's need for offense, the Golden Bears are 14-2 when scoring at least four runs in a single inning. In both losses, Kutztown allowed at least four runs in a single inning. Kutztown owns a 3-11 record when allowing at least four runs in an inning. Two of those wins came with the Golden Bears scoring at least four runs in an inning of their own.
 
Looking in the Other Corner: NCAA Atlantic Region
 
#1 MILLERSVILLE MARAUDERS (36-14 / 21-7 PSAC-E): Millersville earns the Atlantic first seed for the third time in the last four years. In 2011, the team won the region to advance to the National Finals. With PSAC-best marks in ERA and batting average allowed, the pitching staff will be the team's hallmark.
 
#2 SHEPHERD RAMS (38-12 / 35-7 MEC): The Rams earned an at-large selection from the Mountain East Conference, who does own an automatic qualifying bid. In 2012, the team went two-and-done in the NCAA Atlantic Regional. This year's team ranks fourth in Division II with 143 stolen bases.
 
#3 SETON HILL GRIFFINS (36-15 / 22-6 PSAC-W): The PSAC West regular season champions, Seton Hill used a 17-game winning streak at one point to help earn the program's fifth consecutive NCAA postseason bid. The offense has balance (10 players hit .290 or better) and speed (142 stolen bases).
 
#4 MERCYHURST LAKERS (30-13 / 18-8 PSAC-W): The Lakers enters the region as the final at-large bid, making the NCAA postseason for fourth time in the Atlantic Region and 10th time overall. Pitching will be a major key to victory, as the team leads Division II with 12 shutouts on the season.
 
#5 WINSTON-SALEM STATE RAMS (36-17 / 16-4 CIAA): An NCAA regional participant for the fourth consecutive year, the Rams look to improve after going 1-2 in last year's NCAA Atlantic Regional. The 2014 squad ranks in Division II's top ten in walks (233, 9th) and batters hit by pitch (88, 9th).