EAST STROUDSBURG – Following one of the best regular seasons in program history, the PSAC East No. 2 seed East Stroudsburg University baseball team begins postseason action with the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against PSAC West No. 3 seed California (Pa.) at Slippery Rock’s Jack Critchfield Park.

How to Follow: All games of the PSAC Tournament will be broadcast on the PSAC Sports Digital Network and esuwarriors.com/watch. Live stats will be available here.

Tickets: All tickets will be digital tickets this year. No cash sales at the gate. Tickets are available here.

• Wednesday Prices: $15 adults, $7 children/students (good for all games)
• Thursday Prices: $15 adults, $7 children/students (good for all games)
• Friday Prices: $10 adults, $5 children/students (good for all games)
• Saturday Prices: $10 adults, $5 children/students (good for all games)
• Free admission for students from member institutions with valid ID
• All sales final. No refunds for rainouts (PSAC policy). The PSAC advises purchasing tickets the night before or day of after reviewing the weather forecast.
   

Last Time Out: The Warriors closed out the regular season by winning four of their last six games which included taking two-of-three from Kutztown and Lock Haven. Tom Reisinger helped the Warriors clinch the No. 2 seed in the PSAC East after the junior fired the first complete game shutout of his career. In 7.0 scoreless innings, Reisinger allowed three hits and matched his season-high with nine strikeouts.

The Series: ESU holds a 3-2 advantage over California (Pa.) in the all-time series with four of the five meetings coming at the PSAC Tournament. The teams most recently met at the 2019 PSAC Championships as the Vulcans eliminated the Warriors with a 6-3 victory at Point Stadium in Johnstown. 

About the Warriors: Getting off to their best 30-game start in program history, ESU entered postseason play 35-11 overall and 16-8 in the PSAC East to capture the No. 2 seed. The Warriors are the best pitching team in the NCAA Division II, holding a 3.13 ERA in 365.1 innings pitched while ranking as the second-best fielding team in the country with a 0.982 percentage. Smashing the single season record for stolen bases, the Warriors are third in the nation with 175 total and 3.80 stolen bases per game. ESU ranks at the top of the PSAC in numerous statistical categories including base on balls (247), double plays (39), double plays per game (0.85), ERA, fielding percentage, sacrifice flies (32), stolen bases and stolen bases per game. 

Victor Cruz leads the Warriors offensively as the graduate student owns a team-high .351 batting average, .439 on-base and .522 slugging percentage. He has recorded 47 hits, including 15 doubles, 35 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Mike Kelly has made an immediate impact since transferring as the junior has a .346 batting average, .449 on-base and .402 slugging percentage. Kelly notched 44 hits and ranks fourth in the PSAC for stolen bases, going a nearly perfect 31-of-32. Reigning PSAC East Freshman of the Year Jack Rothenhausler is putting together an impressive sophomore season as the Bethlehem native is hitting .344 with a .426 on-base and .522 slugging percentage. Rothenhausler leads ESU with 54 hits, 39 RBI and 82 total bases. 

Anchoring the top pitching staff in the country are starters Chase Nowak, Reisinger and Brent Francisco. Nowak is 8-3, holding a 2.31 ERA across a team-high 70.0 innings pitched to go along with 72 strikeouts. This season, Nowak set the program records for wins (27), strikeouts (292) and games started (50). Reisinger recorded a breakout junior campaign as the Kulpmont native holds a 6-2 record and 2.79 ERA to go along with a team high and PSAC leading 89 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched. Francisco sports an 8-3 record in 13 starts and has pitched to a 3.04 ERA in 68.0 innings while striking out 52 hitters.

Making 20 appearances out of the bullpen, Nick McAuliffe owns a 5-1 record and 2.40 ERA to go along with three saves and 58 strikeouts in 48.2 innings pitched during his first season with the Warriors. Redshirt senior Mike Yates has been brilliant in 14 appearances, pitching to a 1.81 ERA in 24.2 innings to go along with 19 strikeouts and three saves.

About the Vulcans: Winning their final six games, the Vulcans finished the regular season 28-19 overall and 15-13 in the PSAC West to secure the No. 3 seed. Offensively the Vulcans are led by sophomore infielder Santino Marra, who sports a .400 batting average, .468 on-base and .577 slugging percentage. He ranks second in the PSAC with 70 hits and ninth in RBI with 42. On the mound, California (Pa.) owns a 4.68 ERA as a team with Roman Gill serving as the Vulcans’ ace. In 10 starts, Gill is 3-3 with a 3.63 ERA over 52.0 innings pitched. 

All-PSAC: The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will announce the all-conference teams today at 2:30 p.m.

ESU in the PSAC Tournament: The Warriors return to the PSAC Tournament for the second straight season and fifth time in the last seven years. ESU will look to capture their sixth conference title in program history after last bringing home the PSAC Championship in 2013. The Warriors hold a 17-18 record all-time and finished as the runners-up in 2015 and 2022. After punching their ticket on the final day of the regular season last season, ESU advanced to the championship game before falling to Millersville

What’s Next: The tournament will be single elimination on day one to narrow the field from eight teams to four teams and then will be double elimination beginning on day two with the four remaining teams. 

If the Warriors win against California (Pa.), they will play on Thursday at 10 a.m. against Seton Hill (W1) or Shippensburg (E4).