GRANTHAM, Pa. - With a doubleheader split with the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Saturday, the Messiah baseball team punched their ticket to the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. The Falcons earned the fifth seed in the Tournament and will travel to Chester, Pa. on Tuesday to take on the Widener Pride in a Play-In Game at 3:30 p.m.
The winner of Tuesday's Play-In Game will take on the top-seeded Lebanon Valley Dutchmen in a three-game Semifinal series (May 6-7) with a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Championship Series (May 13-14) on the line.
In the other semifinal series, No. 2 York will host No. 3 Alvernia in a three-game series slated for May 6-7.
Please note that all MAC Tournament events are ticketed with the prices as follows: Adults - $5 | Senior Citizens - $4 | Students - $2 | Children (under 6) - FREE. All tickets will be available for purchase on gameday at the gate.
See below for a quick preview of Tuesday's Play-In Game:
No. 5 Messiah University Falcons - 20-19 overall, 9-7 conference
The Falcons have had a bit of an up and down season, but ended the year on a high note and claimed a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament thanks to a tie-breaker with Widener and Stevenson. All three teams finished with conference records of 9-7, but due to their record against top-seeded Lebanon Valley, Messiah and Widener claimed the final two spots.
Early season victories over Methodist, Washington, and Rowan along with tight games against tough foes like Johns Hopkins and Randolph-Macon showed the Falcons could compete with top teams in the region. Messiah took that into conference play and started the MAC Commonwealth slate with their best conference record in over a decade, winning six of their first seven games. The Falcons picked up early season sweeps of Albright and Hood, but split series against Lebanon Valley, Eastern, and Widener to sit at 7-3 in the conference midway through April. After dropping both games against York, Messiah rallied for splits against Stevenson and Alvernia to punch their ticket to the Tournament.
Hitters to Watch
#4 -
Dustin Isanogle - Catcher - Fr. - .352 average, 21 RBI, 16 SB, 47.1% caught stealing %
#5 -
Kasey Caras - Left Field - Sr. - .345 average, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 1.059 OPS, 13 SB
#10 -
Sam Zercher - Third Base - Jr. - .309 average, 4 HR, 31 RBI, .844 OPS, 32 R
No. 4 Widener University Pride - 20-18 overall, 9-7 conference
The Pride looked like the team to beat in the conference after holding a 7-3 record in late April. Particularly after a sweep of Lebanon Valley by scores of 11-8 and 9-5, but the Pride faltered in the final week of the season, dropping three of their final four games with a sweep by Alvernia and a walk-off winner against Hood on Saturday. Despite the quieter finish to the season, Widener can certainly swing it. The Pride hold a .337 batting average as a team with ever player with at leads 60 at bats hitting over .300.
On the mound, the Pride are pitching to a 6.85 ERA on the season, the third-highest mark in the conference. Joey Norton leads the way with a 3.32 ERA, but he just pitched a one-run complete game against Hood on Saturday. Look for key reliever Kyle Laing to play a part in the Play-In Game, he's appeared in 15 games this season and pitched to a 3.90 ERA.
Hitters to Watch
#7 - Anthony Boccio - Center Fielder - Jr. - .416 average, 3 HR, 30 RBI, 42 R, 14 SB, 1.073 OPS
#34 - Justin Costanzo - Designated Hitter - Jr. - .395 average, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 47 R, 1.375 OPS
#9 - Kyle Brex - Short Stop - Jr. - .373 average, 26 RBI, 16 SB, 2 HR, 1.006 OPS
#1 - Matt Samson - Right Fielder - Sr. - .392 average, 26 RBI, 4 HR, 11 SB, 1.125 OPS
When They Met
The Falcons and Pride split a doubleheader on Apr. 16 in Chester with the Falcons taking Game One 11-6 and the Pride winning Game Two 10-7. In Game One, Messiah trailed 6-5 heading into the eighth inning, but scored six runs in the final two frames to earn an 11-6 victory.
Jarrett Gordon tied things up with an RBI single before
Kasey Caras drove home two and
Clayton Roberts followed with an infield single.
In Game Two, Messiah and Widener fought punch for punch, with the Falcons tying the game at 7-7 thanks to a three-run eighth inning.
Sam Zercher and Joushua Ammons delivered the big hits in the frame to tie the game. Widener responded with a three-run inning of their own and the game was called for lighting after eight innings of play with the Pride earning a 10-7 victory.
Conference Championship History
The Falcons are playing in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament for the second-straight season. In 2021, all nine teams in the conference made the tournament due to COVID-19. The Falcons were bounced in the quarterfinals by Alvernia.
In their history, Messiah baseball has qualified for the Conference Tournament 16 times (including 2022). All 16 appearances have come since the 1997 season. Messiah has claimed five Conference Championships, earning their titles in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2012. The Falcons have also earned four runner-up finishes in 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2016. Overall, the Falcons hold a record of 26-21 in the Conference Tournament.
