MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville University alumni Tim Mayza '18 and Chas McCormick '17 are no strangers to October baseball, and the two former Marauders are again playing in the MLB Postseason, starting Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Mayza, a relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, helped his team to a third-straight season with at least 89 wins and a second consecutive playoff appearance while McCormick, an outfielder for the Houston Astros, is playing in his third straight postseason after winning the World Series in 2022.
"It's been a privilege to see Tim and Chas compete at the world's highest level and have so much success,{ said Millersville head baseball coach
Jon Shehan. "Both of them had career years—they are literally two of the best at their respective positions in the game right now. And now they get to compete on the big stage. Both are incredible team guys. They both would rather win a ring than have individual success. I'd like to think they're both big reasons why their teams are where they are right now."
Mayza's Blue Jays earned a wild-card spot after finishing in third place in the loaded American League East, and they will take on the AL Central Division winning Minnesota Twins in the wild-card round starting Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 4:38 p.m. in Toronto. Should the Blue Jays advance through the best-of-three series, a Marauder vs. Marauder battle awaits in the American League Division Series. McCormick's Astros rallied down the stretch to win the AL West and as the No. 2 seed, they play the winner of the Blue Jays-Twins series.
Mayza, an All-America selection with Millersville in 2013, is in his sixth Major League season, and has been among the best relievers in baseball in 2023, boasting a 1.52 ERA with 53 strikeouts over 53 1/3 innings and 69 appearances. Mayza ranked among the MLB leaders in appearances and in one stretch through the months of June and July, he made 19 consecutive appearances without allowing a run.
McCormick, an All-American and the 2017 PSAC East Athlete of the Year at Millersville is set to be inducted into the Millersville Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 14 in the midst of his best season as a pro. McCormick hit a career-high 22 home runs with 19 stolen bases while posting a slash line of .273/.353/.489. Despite playing just 115 games, McCormick has been one of the leagues' best outfielders, posting a 3.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), ranking 55th in all of baseball. Last season, McCormick was among the heroes of the Astros World Series run, totaling four hits and a memorable game five catch at the wall against the Phillies.
"Selfishly, I'd love to see them compete against each other in the division series," said Shehan. "It would be incredible for our program and our university."
Mayza and McCormick have gone head-to-head just three times, and Mayza has gotten the best of that match-up with McCormick going 0-for-3.
