With a 16-2 conference record, La Roche College is once again the AMCC regular season champion and has earned hosting rights to the conference championship tournament this weekend. In first round action, #3 Penn State Behrend swept #6 Hilbert College (4-1, 9-2) and #5 Penn State Altoona took the series with #4Pitt-Bradford in three games (3-9, 17-9, 17-5) to earn a trip to the championship tournament. Top-seeded La Roche and #2 Pitt-Greensburg received first round byes.
The Redhawks (31-8-1, 16-2 AMCC) lead the conference with a .350 team batting average and 325 runs scored on the season. Offensively, they are led by outfielder Jonathan Spina who ranks fourth in the conference with a .427 batting average and is second with 22 stolen bases. Fellow outfielder Jay Novak is ninth with 38 RBI while Spina is tenth with 37. La Roche has been stellar on the mound as sophomore Tre Thomas went 7-1 (6-0 AMCC) in eight starts, registering a 1.29 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched. Thomas' seven wins are tops in the conference, while his 57 strikeouts rank fourth. Senior Shane Emrich has a conference-best six saves on the season while junior Nick Tunstall is tied for second in the league with six wins and his 2.68 ERA ranks third.
Pitt-Greensburg (24-11, 14-4 AMCC) has secured the #2 seed and has been nothing short of dominant when it comes to the long ball. The Bobcats have belted an AMCC-best 44 home runs this season, almost 20 more than the next closest team. Freshman first baseman Reno Rainey leads the team and ranks third in the league with a .439 batting average, is fifth in the AMCC with seven home runs, and is tied for seventh with 41 RBI. Senior utility player Mike Parlak is second in the conference with 11 home runs while Tyler Holland is fourth with 45 RBI. Freshman Andy Prentice leads the Bobcats with five wins on the mound while freshman Ben Green has recorded three saves.
#3 Penn State Behrend (24-14, 12-6 AMCC) swept #6 Hilbert in the first round over the weekend to earn their spot in the championship tournament. The Lions rank fourth in the league with 298 runs scored this season. Junior Scott Sada has recorded a .462 batting average this season, which is second-best in the conference. Senior infielder David Boehme leads the AMCC with a commanding 57 RBI, while Sada has added 43. Senior Jack Herzing has been a force to be reckoned with on the mound all season. He carries a 2.49 ERA in 65.0 innings pitched while fanning a league-leading 105 batters. Senior Alex Hajduk is tied for first in the AMCC with seven wins on the mound, while junior Phil Myers has five.
#5 Penn State Altoona (17-9, 10-8 AMCC) enters the championship weekend after upsetting #4 Pitt-Bradford in the first round. The Lions rank second behind La Roche with 322 runs scored and have also recorded a .343 team batting average. Outfielder Jim Shomberg leads the Lions, and ranks fifth in the AMCC, with a .412 batting average, while also ranking third in the conference with 46 RBI. Hunter Breon and Tyler Manger have each recorded three wins on the mound
The tournament kicks off Thursday afternoon at 10am when #2 Pitt-Greensburg takes on #3 Penn State Behrend. Please see the Championships page for the full tournament schedule.