MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville right fielder Sam Morris squeezed the ball in his glove for the final out of a grueling PSAC Tournament, and the Marauders' celebration of the 8-3 win over California (Pa.) was rather subdued. Aside from a few cups of water tossed on reliever Matt Shamany, there was no dog pile. There was no jubilant rushing of the field to crown the 2025 PSAC Champions. Millersville had played 31 innings in roughly 24 hours, including 18 on Saturday against the Vulcans, and these Marauders have even more unfinished business. 

"These guys aren't done," said Millersville head coach Jon Shehan, who has now led the Marauders to three PSAC titles. "They have big aspirations."

That, most certainly, refers to the upcoming NCAA Atlantic Regional, which Millersville will undoubtedly host at Cooper Park. The conference championship, won on home turf the very first time it had ever been hosted at Cooper Park, was the first check mark on Millersville's list of postseason goals. And to fend off the scrappy Vulcans, Millersville needed a seriously resilient performance in Saturday's do-or-die late game. Earlier on Saturday, California did what no other team had done all season in shutting out the Marauders, 4-0. It was the Marauders' third home loss in 29 games. A pair of Vulcan rookies, Coleman Fletcher and Colin Watson limited the PSAC's top-scoring offense to just four hits, making the "if necessary" game entirely necessary. 

Millersville even fell behind 2-0 in the deciding game and was staring down the barrel at Cal's ace, Michael Valente, who the Vulcans brought out of the bullpen in the fourth inning after three shutout innings from Jackson Miller. 

"The conversation in between games was about freedom," said Shehan. "That freedom comes from loving each other and playing for each other all year. These guys love each other. The staff loves the players, the players love the coaches, and it's a selfless group. That gives our guys freedom to go out and let the outcome take care of itself."

Senior Keegan Soltis and PSAC Tournament MVP Matthew Williams woke up Millersville's sleepy offense with back-to-back singles, and Jimmy Kirk battled for a full-count walk to load the bases. Sam Morris, just as he did in the 13th inning of Friday's semifinal game, drove in a run, and freshman catcher Troy Chamberlin followed with another run-scoring single--the first of his three RBIs--tying the game at 2-2. Millersville pieced together a five-run inning, getting a two-run single from Amani Jones, and a Chamberlin swipe of home on a first-and-third double steal. 

"I felt like early we hit some balls right on the screws," said Shehan. "It's one of those days where you see zero, zero, zero, and we had a lot of poor at-bats in game one. The at-bats got better before we started scoring runs. You could start to feel the momentum build, and we broke it open...It's the part of the tournament when things get risky. We did a good job scouting (Valente), and our guys did a good job getting pitches to hit."

The five-run frame led to another RBI single from Jones in the sixth, and after Cal cut Millersville's lead back to three in the top of the seventh, Millersville responded with a single from Bren Taylor, a two-run double from Morris, and a timely single up the middle from Chamberlin that brought both runners home. For the first time, seemingly all tournament, Millersville had some breathing room. 

The Millersville bullpen answered the bell once again. After Joe Morrissey went 3 2/3 in his start, Rece Ritchey, providing his longest outing of the season, pitched three shutout innings before giving up a run in the seventh. Zeb Hufnagle, Gavin Lill and Matt Shamany, returning after four shutout innings against Slippery Rock on Wednesday, combined to close out the championship. Cal loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, but Shamany dug it and forced a fly out to end it. 

Millersville's bullpen worked 20 innings in the tournament and surrendered just one run. 

"They've been inconsistent all year. Guys have been hurt, haven't thrown strikes, but they came in out of the pen this week and got the job done," said Shehan. "We told Morrissey that he'd be a game-five guy, and he'd have to be patient all week. He came out and gave us enough. Ritchey has had some leverage outings recently, and that was probably his best. Shamany has been nails all year--probably the most improved player on the team...They answered the call."

Millersville also received a workmanlike performance from early game starter Garet Blankenbiller. While he took the loss and allowed four runs, he held the fort and preserved Millersville's bullpen for the late game. 

Williams earned MVP honors for hitting .381 with two homers, two doubles, four runs and four RBIs. His game-tying home run in the ninth inning of the semifinal game forced extra-innings and kept the Marauders' title run alive. 

"If you are going to win a championship, you have to have someone who steps up and hits," said Shehan. "Matthew has gotten hot the last three or four weeks. Somebody has to get hot. Matthew was that guy this weekend and did a fantastic job."

The championship was Millersville's seventh. The Marauders, who receive an automatic qualifying berth to the NCAA regional, are now 42-8 and 27-3 at home with wins in nine of their last 10 postseason home games. The seeding for the Atlantic regional will be announced Sunday evening at 10:30 p.m., as  part of the NCAA Selection Show.