Tournament Facts for Fans

MAY 10, 2017

KING'S BASEBALL SET FOR FREEDOM CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Official Tournament Web Page

WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College baseball team will look to secure a berth into the NCAA Division III National Tournament when the Monarchs compete in the 2017 MAC Freedom Conference Championships Friday-through-Sunday at Owls Field in West Lawn.

Tickets will be sold as all-day passes each day and are listed at $6 for adults and $3 for students, while children under age-six are free. A game program will be provided free with the purchase of tickets.

Fans can follow all the games online via Live Video and Live Stats. Those links are as follows:

Live Video:  http://athletics.desales.edu/watch/?Live=219&type=Live

LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/desales/baseball/

King's enters the tournament as the third-seed and finished the regular-season with a 20-16 overall record while finishing 13-8 in the final Freedom Conference standings.  King's will face second-seeded defending conference champion Misericordia University (28-12/16-5) in the second tournament game at 7:30 PM.  The first game will pit top-seeded DeSales University (25-5/17-4) against fourth-seeded Manhattanville (18-22/10-11) at 4:00 PM.

King's is making its second straight appearance in the Freedom Conference Tournament and its ninth since the Middle Atlantic Conference formed the Freedom and Commonwealth conferences in 1999-2000 and created two separate tournaments.

The Monarchs won the Freedom Conference in 2006 and qualified for the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  King's qualified for the league tournament from 2004-through-2007, and then again from 2009-through-2011 before missing the post-season from 2012-through-2015.

Monarch head coach Jerry Greeley is in his 15th year at King's and owns a current career record of  282-254-3 and has led the Monarchs to all nine Freedom tournament berths.  King's is hoping to improve upon last season's result as the Monarchs dropped both games it played.

In its regular-season three-game series against Misericordia, the Monarchs came up short two-games-to-one. The Cougars rallied in the first game to win 9-8 in 10 innings; King's rallied to claim the second contest 3-2; before Misericordia won the third game 7-2.

Against the two other tournament participants, King's also dropped a two-to-one series to DeSales. King's lost the opener 16-6 before winning the second game 11-8. The Bulldogs then took the deciding game 7-2.  King's won its series against Manhattanville two-games-to-one. The Monarchs dropped the opener 5-4 before rallying to win the next two games 11-1 and 3-0.

Sophomore shortstop Christian Pack (Hanover Twp./Hanover Area) was one of 10 King's players to earn a spot on the All-Freedom squad. Pack earned first-team honors after leading the Monarchs with a .431 (47-109) batting average with eight doubles, 19 RBI, and 29 runs scored, along with a .977 fielding percentage. Sophomore catcher Shawn Stone (Runnemeade, NJ/Camden Catholic), a second-team pick, follows at .424 (25-59) with five doubles, 14 RBI, and has scored nine runs since earning the starting spot after splitting time behind the plate the first half of the season.

Junior designated hitter Kyle Lupas (Laflin/Coughlin), a first-team All-Freedom selection, is hitting .398 (49-123) with nine doubles, one home run, 32 RBI, and has scored 17 runs. Junior first-baseman Chris Rebar (Scranton/Mid Valley), another first-team All-Freedom choice, owns a .377 (43-114) average with eight doubles, three triples, and a conference-leading eight home runs. His .711 slugging percentage is the best in the conference and ranks 30th in the nation.

Sophomore Dan Hartson (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) has developed into a major contributor as both an outfielder and pitcher. At the plate, Hartson is batting .348 (23-66) with three doubles and seven RBI.  As a pitcher, he is 4-2 with a 3.92 earned run average with 26 strikeouts in 41 and one-third innings. His dual role earned him a second-team All-Freedom berth as a utility player.

Junior outfielder Bruce Breithaupt (Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg) rebounded from a mid-season injury to earn  honorable mention All-Freedom status. Breithaupt missed seven games but hit .308 (30-97) with six doubles and 16 RBI. Junior third-baseman Sean Padden (Scranton/Scranton) was also an honorable mention pick, posting a .287 (33-115) batting average with seven doubles, one home run, and 23 RBI. Right fielder Tom Gibbons (Harleysville/Lansdale Catholic) is the team's lone senior starter and batted .243 (28-115) with eight doubles, one triple, 21 RBI, and stole 10-of-11 bases.

The Monarchs also had three pitchers named to the All-Freedom squad. Junior John Wickiser (Hanover Twp./Hanover Area) was a first-team choice as a relief pitcher.  Wickiser posted a 6-2 record with with a 3.20 earned run average and three saves in 15 total appearances this season, 11 of which came in relief. He struck out 31 batters in 45 total innings.

Junior Nick Deno (Ashley/Hanover Area) was an honorable mention pick after finishing 5-4 with a 4.13 ERA and was fourth in the conference with 40 strikeouts in 56.2 innings of work. Sophomore Chris Lupole (Kingston/Wyoming Valley West) also made an impact out of the bullpen and received honorable mention honors. Lupole posted a 1-1 record in 10 appearances and posted a team-low 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings of work with 20 strikeouts.

Misericordia is led by Freedom Conference "Pitcher of the Year" Tim Burek. A senior, Burek (8-3) led the league in wins and was second in strikeouts with 62.  He was second among all starters with a 2.98 earned run average and opponent's batting average at .226. Second-team pitcher Jake Kurtz (6-1) led all league starters with a 2.84 earned run average and was tied for second in wins.  He struck out 37 batters in 44 and one-third innings and held opponents to a .245 batting average.

Sophomore Steve Weisenee was a second-team outfielder who topped the Cougars with a .381 (43-113) average with seven doubles and 19 RBI. Freshman first-baseman Tyler Holzapfel was the league "Rookie of the Year" and earned second-team honors after batting .359 (52-145) and was fourth in the league with 34 RBI. Sophomore shortstop Kenny Jarema hit .328 (45-137) with two home runs, 13 doubles, and 28 RBI to garner second-team honors.

DeSales had a Freedom Conference high 11 players named to the All-Freedom team. Senior Andrew Schuler was a first-team choice at pitcher, going 6-4 with a 3.96 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 72 and two-thirds innings. Sophomore second-baseman Preston Amato also earned second-team status after batting .403 (60-149)  with nine doubles, three triples, and 29 RBI sophomore third-baseman Tommy Epsaro is hitting .324 (48-148) with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 33 RBI.

The Bulldogs also had four second-team choices. Senior catcher Mike Kacergis hit .313 (30-96) with six doubles and 24 RBI while freshman designated hitter Sergio Diaz batted .342 (27-79) with three home runs, six doubles, and 19 RBI. Junior pitcher Adam Donovan was 3-2 with a 4.86 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 46 and one-third innings. Junior Konner Schneider was chosen as a relief pitcher after posting a 3-0 record and a 1.27 ERA  in 21 and one-third innings.

Manhattanville, meanwhile, had four All-Freedom picks. Junior Danny Gallagher earned first-team as a utility player, playing five different positions for the Valiants this season. Offensively Gallagher hit .338 (44-130) with 11 doubles and 11 RBI. Sophomore Luke Scoggins also earned first-team honors as an outfielder after batting .399 (57-143) with two home runs, eight doubles, and 17 RBI.

Senior third-baseman Robbie Lynch hit .306 (41-134) with six home runs, 10 doubles, and 33 RBI to earn second-team status. Senior designated hitter John Delahanty was an honorable mention pick after batting .331 (39-118) with 10 doubles and 19 RBI.


Tournament Schedule (Double-Elimination)

Friday, May 12
Game 1:  #1 DeSales vs. #4 Manhattanville, 4:00 PM
Game 2:  #2 Misericordia vs. #3 King's, 7:30 PM

Saturday, May 13
Game 3:  Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:00 AM (loser eliminated)
Game 4:  Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2, 3:00 PM
Game 5:  Winner Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4, 7:30 PM (loser eliminated)

Sunday, May 14
Game 6:  Winner Game #4 vs. Winner Game #5, 12:00 PM (Championship)
Game 7:  Same Teams (If necessary)