Fisher Earns No. 2 Seed In NCAA Championship Mid-Atlantic Regional
St. John Fisher College has received an at-large bid to the 2016 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The Cardinals (34-11) will be the No. 2 seed in the Mid-Atlantic Regional and will face No. 7 seed Salve Regina University (26-16-1) at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday at PNC Park, the host park of the New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate, in Moosic, Penn.
The eight-team regional, hosted by Misercordia University, is a double-elimination format. The Cardinals will play either Salisbury University or Kean University on Thursday as well.
This is the fourth time that Fisher has advanced to the national tournament. The Cardinals made their first trip to NCAAs in 2007, and went back again in 2010 and 2012.
Led by seventh-year head coach
Brandon Potter, the College's all-time leader with 205 career victories, Fisher set a new a record for wins in season this year with 34.
Fisher's strength lies with its pitching staff. The Cardinals ranks second nationally in earned average in the latest national rankings with 2.76 ERA. Fisher's top four starters each have an ERA of 2.72 or better, led by senior southpaw
Stephen Lewis, who is 7-0 on the year with a 1.59 ERA.
Freshman pitcher
Jim Dawson is 8-1 on the year with a 2.00 ERA, while
Marc Iseneker (2.36 ERA, 76Ks) and
Terry Engels (2.72 ERA, 48K) are a combined 12-3 on the year and each pitcher has a no-hitter this spring.
Ryan Felske,
DJ Mendenhall and
Kevin Berge have been solid in their setup roles, while sophomore closer
Loukas Brigham set a new College-record for saves this season with eight.
Fisher features a balanced offensive attack. Senior
Mike Roman, who recorded his 200
th career hit last week, leads Fisher with 65 hits, including 19 doubles.
Classmate
Cody Wiktorski has scored a team-high 44 runs this year and has nine home runs. Sophomore
Scott Eisenmenger, who set a Fisher record by driving in 52 runs this spring, also has nine homers on the year. Senior
Joe Simmons has a team-best 18 stolen bases.
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Home Page