Live Stats (Friday) | Live Video (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday)
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Sitting one game out of the current playoff picture, the sixth-place Kutztown University baseball team faces off with last-place Mansfield University on April 27-28. First pitches from the Mountaineers' Shaute Field on Friday and KU's North Campus Field for Senior Day on Saturday will be at 1 p.m.
Mansfield Matchup Preview
KU is hitting the final stretch of its 2018 regular season schedule with eight games remaining in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. The Golden Bears (15-17, 9-11 PSAC) are neck-and-neck in the Eastern Division standings with both Lock Haven (20-17, 10-10) and Shippensburg (20-13,10-10), but the message in the Maroon and Gold dugout remains clear: Just keep winning and the rest will take care of itself.
Kutztown has earned a split in 4-of-5 conference series this season, suffering its lone series defeat to first-place Bloomsburg. While this has allowed KU to keep pace in the playoff race, manager
Chris Blum and his squad understands it must notch its first series win of the season against MU to keep its postseason hopes alive.
Mansfield (9-26, 3-17) has lost 10 straight overall, swept by Shippensburg and Bloomsburg in its last two conference series. The Mountaineers rank second-to-last in the PSAC in both batting average (.259) and ERA (8.72) and have yet to win a road game this season. Despite this, the Golden Bears know MU is not a side to be taken lightly as Mansfield, in a similar rut prior to its series with KU in 2017, took 3-of-4 games from Kutztown.
At the dish, MU's Colby Shearer holds a team-high .353 average with 41 hits and 19 RBI in 116 at-bats. Tyler Guidos sits right behind Shearer with his .330 batting average and team-high nine doubles. On the bump, KU can expect to see Luke Hils, Hunter DePrimo and Evan McAndrew, whom have all made seven or more starts for Mansfield. Kutztown is also likely to see Bryce Zaparzynski, a recent bright spot for the Mountaineer pitching staff, going six or more innings in his last three starts and giving up four earned runs or less.
For Kutztown, its offense continues to be fueled by the combination of
Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)) and
Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood), whom hold batting average of .373 and .404, respectively. Cox reached the 100 career hits milestone against Wilmington on Tuesday and Lafferty sits on the brink of it, needing just five hits heading into the weekend. Lafferty's .404 average ranks seventh in the PSAC and his 31 RBI are tops on KU.
Tanner Miller (Elizabethville, Pa./Upper Dauphin Area) has also performed well since stepping into a starting role, primarily as a designated hitter, batting. 354 with three RBI and two walks against West Chester last weekend.
With opponents hitting .341 against the MU pitching staff, it can be expected that the Maroon and Gold offense will be able to score at a reasonable clip. With this understanding, a series win and possible sweep lies firmly in the hands of the Kutztown pitching staff, which has been a strength this season. KU's 5.57 team ERA ranks fourth-best in the PSAC East, a trend which must continue against a struggling Mountaineer offense this weekend. If the Maroon and Gold arms can deliver solid pitching performances, the Golden Bears will not only be poised for their first PSAC series victory, but also to position themselves favorably in the playoff picture heading into the final conference series with Shippensburg (May 4-5).
Live stats and video will be available via the links above, which can also be accessed on www.kubears.com.
Senior Day Preview
Kutztown's 2018 senior class will be honored pre-game on Saturday, a group of nine Golden Bears whom have been an integral part of the KU baseball program. The following players will make up the 2018 senior cohort:
David Brown (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham),
Brady Carras (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville Area),
Ryan Cox (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell (St. Bonaventure)),
Zack Delp (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall),
Anthony DeVito (Philadelphia, Pa./Central (Mercer County C.C.)),
Josh Houser (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock (Harford C.C.)),
Mike Kammerer (Allentown, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic),
Dariel Richardson (Reading, Pa./Reading) and
Kevin Sell (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights).
Brown has been a four-year member of KU, making 46 appearances, predominantly as a reliever. The Hatboro native has pitched a total of 58.0 career innings, striking out 48 batters. In his first career start, on Tuesday vs. Wilmington, Brown was excellent in 2.0 innings of work, striking out two and allowing just one earned run.
Carras, a corner outfielder, has played four seasons in Maroon and Gold, starting in 48 games and making a total of 86 appearances. The Coatesville native has collected 31 career hits with five doubles, two triples, one home run and 13 RBI.
Cox has been a part of the Golden Bear roster since the 2015 campaign, playing a total of three seasons due to a redshirt-year in 2016. The Aliquippa-native has amassed 100 career hits and a .326 career batting average with 18 doubles, one triple and one home run, knocking in 54 runs. Cox has played in 92 games for KU, starting 87 of those, and has struck out just 31 times in 307 career at-bats.
Delp, whom was a four-year member and All-PSAC performer for the KU football team, has made the smooth transition to the baseball diamond, playing two seasons under Blum. The Whitehall-prep has played in 43 games, starting in 31, and totaling 19 career hits with three triples, four home runs and 15 RBI.
DeVito has played three years at KU, appearing in 34 games and making 10 starts on the mound. The Philadelphia native has collected eight career wins and pitched in 90.2 innings, throwing two complete games.
Houser has been a two-year member of the Golden Bear baseball team, appearing in 17 games and making nine starts. The New Freedom-native has thrown 48.1 career innings, striking out 46 batters, and has one career win along with one career save.
Kammerer has been a regular on the rubber for KU as a four-year member of the baseball team, making 39 appearances and 24 starts. The Allentown Central Catholic-prep has pitched 137.0 career innings, striking out 128 batters and collecting nine total wins including a career-high four in 2018.
Richardson, a four-year member of the Kutztown baseball program, has had a breakout senior season with career-highs in each of the major offensive statistical categories. The Reading-native leads KU with five home runs this season, appearing in 27 games and starting in 25 of those. For his career, Richardson has collected a combined 32 hits with 25 runs scored and 23 RBI.
Sell has played three seasons as a Golden Bear, a position player during the 2016 season before making the move to the pitcher's mound for his final two years. At the plate, the Mertztown-native has totaled nine career hits with four doubles and nine RBI. As a pitcher, Sell has thrown 19.0 innings, making 12 total appearances and one start.
