BEHREND EARNS TOP SEED AS BASEBALL TOURNEY KICKS OFF ON SUNDAY

The AMCC Baseball Championship Tournament begins this weekend with first round games when No. 5 Hilbert College travels to No. 4 La Roche University and No. 3 Alfred State College hots No. 6 Penn State Altoona on Sunday afternoon. for Top seed Penn State Behrend has earned hosting rights for the Championship Round on May 12-14. Penn State Behrend and No. 2 Mount Aloysius College will each receive first round byes.

With a 14-2 record in conference play, Penn State Behrend has earned the No. 1 seed and will be looking for their seventh AMCC title. Junior INF Zac Bogats leads the Lion offense with a .417 batting average, which includes 12 doubles and 21 RBIs. Isaac Stouffer and Juston Jones are tied for fifth in the conference with 34 RBIs, while Stouffer's six home runs are tied for fourth in the league. Zack Bowen's 20 stolen bases rank him second in the conference. Junior pitcher Jeff Zick leads the AMCC with a 2.23 ERA while junior Derrick Shields has racked up 48 strikeouts ay afnd a 4.09 ERA.

Mount Aloysius has earned the No. 2 seed with an 11-5 record in conference play. Freshman P/INF Tyler Quade finished tops in the conference with a .435 batting average, while also leading the AMCC with seven wins on the mound. Quade also racked up 51 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA, both second-best in the league. Freshman C/INF Aidan Bell ranks third in the conference with 36 RBIs and is tied for fourth with six home runs, while sophomore INF Tyler Suder's 15 stolen bases rank him fourth. Junior RHP Douglas Cannon ranks second with six wins while topping the conference with four saves.

Also with an 11-5 record is No. 3 Alfred State College. Senior RF Matteo Avallone leads the Pioneer offense with a .404 batting average. He leads the conference with nine home runs and is second with 39 RBIs. Junior P/1B Nick Serce ranks second with seven home runs and carries a .348 batting average. On the mound, freshman Jack Josephson boasts a conference-leading 55 strikeouts, while ranking third with five wins and a 3.17 ERA.

La Roche University, with an 8-8 conference mark, enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Junior outfielder Kyle Weitzel leads the Redhawks with a .341 batting average, while his five triples rank second in the AMCC. Junior C Nathan Stutz's 35 RBIs rank fourth in the conference, while his six home runs are tied for fourth. On the mound, senior Jackson Rogers leads the Redhawks with a 4.37 ERA and 49 strikeouts. 

Hilbert enters the tournament with an 8-8 record and the No. 5 seed. Sophomore 1B Thomas Evans leads the Hawks offense with a .391 batting average, while Patrick Whelan's 31 RBIs rank seventh in the AMCC. Freshman John Riviere-Vejas leads the conference with 29 stolen bases on the season, while his 35 runs scored is third in the league. Sophomore pitcher Michael Contini leads the Hawks, and ranks fourth in the AMCC, with a 3.63 ERA, while also recording 28 strikeouts. Freshman Griffin McAndrews is tied for second in the conference with three saves on the season.

Rounding out the field is No. 6 Penn State Altoona, also with an 8-8 conference record. Senior C Richard Carey ranks second in the conference with a .419 batting average. Sophomore UTIL Jake Hillard tops the AMCC with 46 RBIs and is tied for second with seven home runs. Sophomore Kyle Glass is tied for third in the conference with five wins, while also recording 37 strikeouts.

AMCC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:

First Round: 
Best 2 of 3 game series

Sunday, May 8 - 1pm
Doubleheader:
#6 Penn St. Altoona at #3 Alfred State College
#5 Hilbert College at #4 La Roche University
(Note: If a third game is required, it shall be played Monday, May 9 at 11am)

Championship Round: May 12-14, 2022 at #1 Penn State Behrend                   

Thursday, May 12
1pm - Game 1: #1 Penn St. Behrend vs. Winner 4v5
4pm - Game 2: #2 Mount Aloysius College vs. Winner 3v6

Friday, May 13
10am - Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
1pm - Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
4pm - Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Saturday, May 14
11am - Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

2pm - Game 7 (if needed): Same as Game 6

NCAA Championship Tournament:  June 3-8 (Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium | Cedar Rapids, IA)