Complete Game Notes

GAME INFORMATION
No. 1 Millersville (39-10) vs. No. 6 Concord (26-24)
NCAA Atlantic Regional - Friday, May 20 - 2:30 p.m.
Clipper Magazine Stadium - Lancaster, Pa.

MEDIA INFORMATION
Audio Broadcast (MSBN)
Live Stats
MSBN Blog

TICKET INFORMATION
Adults: All day pass $10
Seniors/Students: All day pass $5

SERIES INFORMATION
Millersville vs. Concord: First Meeting

ABOUT THE GAME
• Millersville's PSAC Tournament ended a little earlier than it had planned when Indiana (Pa.) handed it a 5-4 loss in the opening game, and Mercyhurst--the eventual champion--received a walk-off home run from Ethan Santora in the 12th inning. In between losses, the Marauders won two key games against regionally-ranked Slippery Rock and California (Pa.). The two victories likely sealed Millersville as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Atlantic Region. The Marauders, boasting a 39-10 overall record, are in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in school history and the first time since 2000. It is also the first time that the program has served as the host for a regional. In 2000, Millersville was the No. 1 seed, but the regional was held at Slippery Rock. The Marauders are 6-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and they won the regional in 1998.
• Millersville was one of three teams to earn at-large berths to the regional. No. 3 seed Seton Hill (WVIAC) and No. 4 seed East Stroudsburg (PSAC) gained the other two spots. Mercyhurst (PSAC), Winston-Salem State (CIAA) and Concord (WVIAC) all earned automatic berths by winning conference tournaments. Outside of East Stroudsburg, Millersville does not have much history with the other teams. It has never faced first round opponent Concord, and has also never played Seton Hill or Winston-Salem State. Mercyhurst and Millersville have met only four times (2-2).
• Before the PSAC Tournament, only five players on Millersville's roster had previous postseason experience. Derek Kline, Ryan McCormick and Corey Phelan all started for the 2008 team in its PSAC Tournament appearance. Zach Eckley made one start and Mike McMonagle made a relief appearance that year. A total of 15 players experienced their first postseason action last week. The postseason newcomers acclimated themselves nicely, though. Mike August hit .471 with four doubles. Ryan Chesler hit .385 with two doubles, and Carlos Medina drove in six runs while batting .286. Jeff Heisey hit two homers and a double. It was the veterans that struggled. Kline hit .211, McCormick hit .118 and Phelan was 1-for-14 (.071). On the mound, Eckley allowed four runs and six hits in four innings. Freshman Tim Mayza, however, threw 7.0 shutout innings and allowed just three hits against Mercyhurst. Classmates Adam Zipko and Tad Barton threw a combined 7.2 innings of scoreless out of the bullpen.
• Concord might be the hottest team in the regional. The 26-24 squad went 4-0 in the WVIAC Tournament, scoring at least 10 runs in each game. Since April 23, the Mountain Lions are 11-2 and have scored double-digit runs eight times. Concord and Millersville do have several common opponents. Millersville went 4-0 against Fairmont State and Davis & Elkins, and Concord posted a 5-0 mark against those teams. Concord also lost to Kutztown by a 6-3 score on March 6, and Millersville went 3-1 against Kutztown.
• Concord has a potent offense that is aggressive on the base paths. The team is hitting .329 with a .465 slugging percentage--both marks rank first in the WVIAC. It has produced a nation-leading 31 triples--25 more than Millersville. It has also totaled 97 doubles and swiped 117 bases in 134 attempts. Seven different players have stolen at least 10 bases.
• Pitching has been adventure at times, though. Despite scoring a WVIAC-best 367 runs, Concord's run-differential was -3. The team ERA is an inflated 6.92 and it allows 10.52 hits per game. The 193 walks allowed (3.9 allowed) was the second-most in the WVIAC.