ABOUT THE SERIES

• Millersville baseball is back at Cooper Park on Friday against PSAC East foe Kutztown for one nine-inning game. The Marauders have won 11 of the last 12 and are a spotless 10-0 at home. In addition to ranking No. 1 in the NCBWA Atlantic Region Poll, the Marauders ranked No. 8 in the national poll, climbing to its highest ranking since May of 2019. The Marauders are No. 14 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Poll, which is voted on by coaches. 
• Millersville opened PSAC East play last weekend with two wins over Mansfield. Friday marks Kutztown's first PSAC East game. The Golden Bears are having a resurgent season. After winning just 11 games in 2022, Kutztown is off to a 10-5 start, winning six of its last eight games. 
• Every game in the PSAC East matters this season, as seven of the nine teams currently boast winning records. Millersville, West Chester and East Stroudsburg are currently ranked as the top three teams in the NCBWA Atlantic Region poll. The NCBWA Division II Poll has East Stroudsburg ranked No. 18 and West Chester No. 25. The coaches poll has East Stroudsburg at No. 13.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville's run of three-straight PSAC East Hitter of the Week awards finally came to an end this week, but the Marauders continue to produce at the plate. Six Marauder regulars are hitting over .340. Millersville has piled up 79 extra-base hits--41 more than its opponents. Keegan Soltis has yet to win a hitter of the week award, but he's been arguably the Marauders' most consistent performer throughout the season. He's tied for the team lead in average (.417) and has hit safely in 13 of the last 15 games. He also leads the team with nine doubles, 16 walks and a .557 on base percentage. Soltis ranks third in the PSAC in OBP and sixth in average. Bren Taylor has eight multi-hit games through 22 starts, tying Soltis for the team lead in average.
• Cole Houser returned to the starting lineup for the first time in nearly a month last weekend, starting two games against Mansfield. Injuries have limited him to nine starts, but the Marauders are 9-0 in those games.
• Carson Kulina has made an immediate impact in his first year with the Marauders. He stands at 5-0 through six appearances and three starts. He owns a 1.00 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and has walked just five batters over 27 innings. His three earned runs were spread out over three different appearances. Over his last two outings, he's totaled 11 1/3 innings with just four hits, one walk and no runs allowed. Similarly, Ben Wilchacky has allowed just three earned runs over his last three starts and has pitched six-plus innings in each of those games. 
• The Marauders' high-usage relievers have also been dominant. The Marauders have six relievers with at least three appearances and more than five innings pitched, and five of those six own an ERA of 2.57 or lower, and five of the six boast a batting average against under .200. Kris Pirozzi has struck out 13 in 5 23 innings.
   

SCOUTING OPPONENT

• Kutztown's bats have scored 63 runs in the last five games, including single-game totals of 16, 11, 20, and 13. Six Golden Bears with at least nine starts are hitting over .300 and four boast an OPS over 1.000. Ethan Martini is off to a fast start, hitting .414 with a .707 slugging percentage and four home runs. Mitchell Peers boasts a team-best 1.257 OPS and also has four home runs. Peers' .550 OBP is the best on the team. Kutztown ranks fourth in the PSAC in on base percentage. Don't expect Kutztown to test the Marauders on the base paths. Kutztown has attempted just 12 steals in 15 games.
• While the Kutztown bats have been rolling, it's been a different story on the mound. The Golden Bears' 6.67 team ERA ranks 15th in the 17-team PSAC. Kutztown has walked--on average--the third-most batters in a game. There have been highlights, however. The top two starters, Dominic Proietto and Jake Skrocki have been outstanding. Proietto is 3-0 in four starts spanning 19 innings. He's allowed a .162 batting average against and just two earned runs. Skrocki is 4-0 in four starts totaling 22 innings. He owns a 0.95 WHIP, 2.45 ERA and a .173 batting average against.

SERIES HISTORY

• Millersville is currently enjoying an historic run of success against Kutztown, winning 12 in a row and sweeping three consecutive season series. Kutztown has not won a series against Millersville since 2007. Since Jon Shehan's arrival in 2008, the Marauders have won 10 series and split four. Kutztown's last win at Cooper Park was in 2018 by a 3-2 score, using a Bo Rottet RBI single in the seventh to take the lead. No current Marauder played in that game. Millersville has done a remarkable job in limiting Kutztown's runs over the last 15 years. Over the last 53 games, Millersville has held Kutztown to three runs or fewer 42 times. Millersville has held Kutztown to three runs or fewer in eight-straight games and in 12 of the last 13. Meanwhile, the Marauders have scored seven or more runs in seven of the last nine games.