EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team sets its sights on a berth to Cary, N.C. for the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships as the Warriors battle West Chester in the Atlantic Super Regional, with the three-game series beginning on Friday, May 27 at 10 a.m. from Serpico Stadium.
Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. and if necessary, a winner-take-all game will follow at approximately 3 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW: The NCAA Atlantic Super Regional three-game series between the Warriors (40-17) and the Golden Rams will be broadcasted on the PSAC Digital Network. Live stats will be provided via SideArm Stats. Live updates will be posted on @ESUWarriors social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
TICKETS: Adults: $10/day | Student Age/Seniors: $5/day | Children under 5 yrs. old: $2/day
There will not be a pass list for admission; there are no complimentary tickets for the championship.
HOW WE GOT HERE: The Warriors secured the No. 4 seed in the PSAC Tournament on the final day of the regular season before making a run to the championship game to help punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. In their opening round match up against Gannon, ESU found themselves trailing 5-1 before scoring the game’s next 11 runs to defeat the Golden Knights, 14-6.
The Warriors kept it rolling in game two, knocking off PSAC champion Millersville 12-7 to set a new program record for wins in a single season at 39. Need just one more victory, Charleston tripped up the ESU 16-3 to force an elimination game, which the Warriors were victorious in 6-3 following a nearly two-hour rain delay.
THE SERIES: Friday will be the 132nd meeting between the Warriors and Golden Rams in a series that dates back to 1941 but for the first time in the postseason since the PSAC Tournament back in 2013.
CH‘ACE’ NOWAK: Graduate student right-handed pitcher Chase Nowak has been the ace of a dominant ESU pitching staff all season, compiling a perfect 9-0 record and 2.14 ERA in a school record 15 starts. The Wilkes-Barre, Pa. native becomes the first pitcher in school history since Matt Festa in 2016 to earn first team honors from the PSAC, D2CCA and NCWBA during a season.
Nowak surpassed the 200 strikeout mark in his career, becoming just the sixth pitcher in program history to reach that milestone, while also ranking tied for second all-time with 215.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: First baseman Jack Rothenhausler is producing one of the best freshman seasons in school history as he was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year on May 13. The Bethlehem native holds ESU freshman records in hits (55), doubles (17), home runs (7), extra base hits (26), total bases (97) and is tied for RBI (34) as well as runs (34). Rothenhausler leads the team this season in batting average at .359 and slugging percentage .634.
ESU PITCHING NOTES: The ESU pitching staff as been one of the best units in the country, posting a 3.72 ERA which ranks seventh in all of Division II and atop of the PSAC during the regular season. Redshirt sophomore Brent Francisco has been the Warriors No. 2 pitcher, earning First Team All-PSAC East and D2CCA All-Atlantic Region honors as well as honorable mention with the NCBWA All-Atlantic Region.
After a tough stretch during the year, the bullpen has turned a corner with 15th-year head coach John Kochmansky leaning on right-handers Justin Guidos, Nate Fiala and Tommy Dunleavy. Guidos has pitched in 19 games, recording one save and a 2.74 ERA in 46.0 innings. Fiala set the new program record for appearances in a single season with 24 on his way to a 5-1 record and 3.40 ERA over 45.0 innings of work. Since May 5, Dunleavy has thrown 10.1 scoreless innings, allowing zero hits and just three baserunners while striking 18 batters.
ESU HITTING NOTES: The Warriors offensive lineup is a mix of power and speed paced by redshirt senior Brainy Rojas out of the leadoff spot. Rojas led the PSAC and ranks 12th in the country with 48 walks to increase his school record total to 133 and counting. By getting on base seven times in the double header last Sunday, Rojas set a new program record for times reached base at 332.
While setting the school records for doubles and runs batted in, three-time All-PSAC selection Brock Kauffman is hitting .337 with 26 extra-base hits and 43 RBI. Kauffman is at 223 career hits which is second all-time in school history and two from shattering the program record of 224, held by Jacob DeBoer (2004-07).
All-PSAC East First Team outfielder Ben Piripavel is batting .323 while leading the team in on-base percentage (.455) and stolen bases (31), while Jeremy Piatkiewicz continues to play exceptional defense and swing the bat well on the left side of the infield. The sophomore set the single-season record for assists with 163 while hitting .313 with a .429 on-base percentage.
Redshirt senior Anthony Torreullas earned D2CCA All-Atlantic second team honors after leading the team with 53 RBI and nine home runs to go with a .308 batting average and .518 slugging percentage.
CJ Peechatka has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Warriors, garnering All-PSAC East Second Team recognition at the designated hitter position. Peechatka is hitting .326 with a .625 slugging percentage to go with 23 extra base hits including nine home runs.
Redshirt sophomore Tim Haverstick has been a workhorse behind the plate for the Warriors this season, catching 42 of ESU’s 58 games while throwing out 13 base runners.
As a team, the Warriors set the single season record for stolen bases at 135 and counting while tying the mark for home runs with 55.
