Baseball Set to Meet Alvernia in MAC Commonwealth Championship Opener

2019 MAC COMMONWEALTH BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
FIRST ROUND
No. 3 Arcadia (24-15, 14-7 MACC) vs. No. 2 Alvernia (25-13-2, 15-6 MACC)
Date: May 2, 2019
Time: 7:15 p.m.
Location: York, Pa. | PeoplesBank Park
Online Broadcast: Video
Live Stats: Stats
Twitter: @Arcadia_Knights & @Arcadia_BASE | #GoKnights #MACBaseball

The Arcadia baseball team will play its first game in the 2019 MAC Baseball Championship on Thursday, May 2, when the third-seeded Knights take on No. 2 seed Alvernia at PeoplesBank Park in York, Pa. First pitch is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live via internet live stream.

SCOUTING ALVERNIA
• The Golden Wolves are 25-13-2 on the year, holding a 15-6 record in the conference, as well as a 6-3 tally in neutral site games.
• Alvernia won a three-game series against Arcadia to close out the regular season Apr. 27-28.
• The team is led by the 2019 MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year, senior shortstop Nathan Sides. Sides carries a .503 batting average with 76 hits into the postseason.
• Junior infielder Mike Cirilli complements the offensive punch batting .350 with 48 hits.
• On the mound, senior Nicholas Marotta (6-3) has been the ace of the staff as he has worked 48.2 innings in nine starts, going the distance twice. The right-hander has amassed a 4.44 ERA with 49 hits allowed and 19 walks to go with 42 strikeouts.

HOW WE GOT HERE
• Arcadia entered conference action on March 16, having gone 5-4 in a challenging non-conference slate, playing Messiah down in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
• The Knights swept the Falcons, outscoring their opponent 14-5 in the three-game set.
• When AU returned from is southern trip, it reeled off three-straight series wins, defeating Widener (2-1), Albright (3-0) and Stevenson (2-1).
• Hood put up a road block in the Knight's season, shutting out Arcadia twice as the Blazers took three from the Knights.
• The Scarlet & Grey responded with a three-game sweep of its own over Lebanon Valley.
• To close out the regular season, Arcadia and Alvernia faced off with seeding on the line, however, the Golden Wolves took two of three to secure the No. 2 seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.

ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
• Looking back on the season, Arcadia failed to win just two series during the conference, winning five of seven.
• When the conference announced all-league honors, Arcadia was well-represented with eight Knights getting nods.
• Arcadia's first-team selections were senior pitcher Joel Bartoni, senior outfielder Bryan Gillen and junior catcher Dylan Towey.
• The Scarlet & Grey's second-team honors were comprised of senior outfielder Sean Carew, sophomore first baseman Trevor Mattson, senior utility man Phil Pierfy and junior third baseman Zak Thomas.
• Senior second baseman Nick Ponente earned an honorable mention selection for AU.

GILLEN FILLIN' UP RECORD BOOK
• The veteran outfielder set four program-bests this season, including career hits (248), games played (165), runs scored (183) and total bases (345).
• The South Plainfield, N.J., native was a menace at the plate this year as he recorded 18 multiple hits games, including eight two-hit games, eight three-hit contests and tallied four hits twice.
• Gillen also led the squad in streaks as he went on a 17-straight game tear of recording a hit, as well as reaching base safely in 22 consecutive contests.

WEEKLY AWARDS
• Arcadia received five weekly awards this season, with three being named Player of the Week and two Pitcher of the Week nods.
• Players of the Week honors went to Trevor Mattson (Feb. 25), Bryan Gillen (Apr. 1) and Phil Pierfy (Apr. 22).
• Tyler Showers (Mar. 18) and Jeremy Sabathne (Apr. 1) were selected as Pitcher of the Week for their respective weeks.

A DAY WITH SHOWERS IS (ALMOST) PERFECT
• Junior pitcher Tyler Shower was near perfect in a 6-0 win over Messiah on March 16.
• Showers threw the program's second-ever no-hitter to lead the Knights to victory.
• The right-hander needed just 87 pitches over seven innings to accomplish the feat.
• He struck out six batters with his only blemish coming on a lead-off walk in the fourth inning.

ARCADIA BASEBALL GOES STREAKING
• The Knights enter their third straight MAC Commonwealth Championships as the two-time defending conference champions, the only team to repeat since Messiah in 2011 & 2012.
• Elizabethtown (1999-2001) was the last conference team to take home three-straight conference crowns.
• AU has finished above .500 in conference play in five consecutive seasons dating back to 2015.

TORRENT PACE
• In his first two seasons at the helm of Arcadia's baseball program in 2017 & 2018, Torresani led the Knights to back-to-back MAC Commonwealth Championships, and the program's first two trips to the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
• In three seasons on the bench, Torresani holds an overall record of 88-44 (.667) and a conference record of 43-20 (.683).
• Arcadia's 33 wins in 2017 set a new single-season record, overcoming the 2004 team's 28 victories, and the Knights nearly replicated the feat with 31 wins in 2018.

THE MAC RANK AND FILE
• At the end of the season, Arcadia was the third-best team according to the standings, but Arcadia has been near the top in many of the league's top categories. Here is where Arcadia fills in the MAC rankings:
• The Knights are second in the conference in batting average with a team mark of .331.
• The Scarlet & Grey enter this tournament having the second-best team ERA with a mark of 4.67 as a staff.
• Arcadia is second in the league in hits, behind Alvernia, with 423 total knocks.
• AU pitchers have also been among the league best with a mark of opponent batting average, yielding just a .285.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Zak Thomas: Util.; 5' 8"; Junior; L/R

#34 Trevor Mattson: 3B; 5' 11"; Sophomore; R/R

#46 Tyler Showers: P; 6' 3"; Junior; R/R

#14 Sean Carew: OF/1B; 5' 11"; Senior; R/L

#18 Phil Pierfy: 1B/OF/P; 6' 5"; Senior; R/R

#1 Dylan Towey: C; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#7 Nick Ponente: INF; 5' 8"; Senior; R/L

#22 Jeremy Sabathne: P; 6' 3"; Junior; R/R

#24 Joel Bartoni: P; 5' 11"; Senior; R/R

#12 Bryan Gillen: OF; 5' 8"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#10 Zak Thomas
: 5' 8"; Junior; L/R
: Util.

#34 Trevor Mattson
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; R/R
: 3B

#46 Tyler Showers
: 6' 3"; Junior; R/R
: P

#14 Sean Carew
: 5' 11"; Senior; R/L
: OF/1B

#18 Phil Pierfy
: 6' 5"; Senior; R/R
: 1B/OF/P

#1 Dylan Towey
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: C

#7 Nick Ponente
: 5' 8"; Senior; R/L
: INF

#22 Jeremy Sabathne
: 6' 3"; Junior; R/R
: P

#24 Joel Bartoni
: 5' 11"; Senior; R/R
: P

#12 Bryan Gillen
: 5' 8"; Senior; R/R
: OF