Baseball team looks to knock off Mounties

What: Kutztown Golden Bears @ Mansfield Mountaineers
When: Saturday, April 5, 2008 @ 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: Shaute Field on the campus of Mansfield University
~and~
What: Mansfield Mountaineers @ Kutztown Golden Bears
When: Sunday, April 6, 2008 @ 1 p.m. (Doubleheader)
Where: North Campus Field on the campus of Kutztown University

Game Info
The Golden Bears are set for a pair of doubleheaders with the Mansfield Mountaineers this weekend. The teams will head to Mansfield for two games on Saturday before returning to Kutztown for another doubleheader on Sunday. Sunday’s games were originally scheduled for Friday, but were postponed due to the possibility of inclement weather.

KU enters the weekend after splitting four games with Bloomsburg this past weekend. The Golden Bears stand at 2-2 in the PSAC East and are 12-12 overall this season.

The Mounties enter the game at 19-8 overall this season, which represents the second best record in the East. They are 3-1 in the division after taking three out of four from East Stroudsburg this past weekend.

Last season, KU won all four games between the teams. The Golden Bears won 5-4 and 2-0 at home before taking 9-8 and 5-2 wins on the road.

Probable Starting Lineups
Kutztown:
1. Mike Kacelowicz – SS
2. Mark Renda – 3B/2B
3. Chad Lightcap – LF
4. James Quigley – DH/3B
5. Jared Frey – 1B
6. Matt Kulbacki/Scott Kacelowicz – CA
7. Corey Buletza – LF/RF
8. Garrison Rausch – CF
9. Mike Dugan/Jeff Kistle/Brett Wigder – UT
SPs: Phil Rummel, Darin Gorski, Garrison Rausch, Derek Reis

Mansfield:
1. Matt Young – 2B
2. Ryan Giblin – SS
3. Abram Yeakel – 1B
4. Justin Garcia – DH
5. Chris Miller – CF
6. Ryan Riley – LF
7. Nate Grove – RF
8. Drew Bair – 3B
9. Tony Battisti/Justin Baer – CA
SPs: Justin Garcia, Shane Ryan, Irvin Sleighter, Eric Rosenberger

Scouting Report
The Golden Bears do have the pitching to match up with the Mounties, but the starters are going to have to be on top of their games if KU hopes to win a few of the games.

Darin Gorski [Pictured] (4-2 3.11), Phil Rummel (4-1 4.15), Garrison Rausch (0-2 5.40), and Derek Reis (0-1 2.49) were the starters against Bloomsburg last weekend and are likely to get the nod again this weekend.

James Quigley (.440-0-4) has been outstanding since his return from early-season injury problems, and leads the team with a .440 average. Chad Lightcap (.416-4-19) is not far behind in the hitting department and leads the offense with 19 RBIs and 24 runs scored. Matt Kulbacki (.328-5-17) is tops in the homerun department, while Mike Kacelowicz (.292-1-10), Corey Buletza (.270-1-13), and Mark Renda (.263-0-13) have been running all over opposing catches, each tallying 11 steals. Jared Frey (.404-0-7) has been streaking since the start of divisional play, while freshmen Mike Dugan (.339-1-9) and Brett Wigder (.308-0-14) round out the Golden Bears hitting over the .300 mark.

The Mansfield pitching rotation is led by Justin Garcia (3-1 2.25), who leads the team’s starters in ERA. Shane Ryan (2-0 2.45), Irvin Sleighter (2-1 2.67), and Eric Rosenberger (3-2 3.45) are likely to get the other starts. In nine appearances, Tyler Noel (4-0 2.18), who heads up the bullpen, leads the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts (20).

The Mounties top hitter is Abram Yeakel (.515-3-32), who leads the team in RBIs, batting average, doubles (10), and steals (8). Justin Garcia (.311-4-27) leads the team in homeruns and is second in RBIs. Ryan Giblin (.443-0-22), Nate Grove (.362-0-7), and Chris Miller (.343-3-21) are each hitting above .340 and could cause problems for the KU pitching staff.

Outlook
The Golden Bears will have their hands full with Mansfield—one of the top teams in the PSAC East. The Mounties enjoy some excellent depth in their pitching staff and have eight regulars hitting over .500. As a team, Mansfield is hitting a whopping .347.

It won’t be easy, but KU does have the talent to at least split with the Mounties. Mansfield is the obvious favorite, but manager Chris Blum and company won’t go down without a fight. Quigley and Lightcap are a dangerous duo in the middle of a respectable lineup that most certainly can put up a bunch of runs at any given time. The MU lineup is stellar, but can be dealt with. I’d expect KU to win at least one of the four games, but I have no doubt they can win three. This series should tell us a lot about the Golden Bears chances to compete for this year’s PSAC crown.