INDIANA, Pa. – IUP baseball begins play in the 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships this week. The Crimson Hawks face Millersville in a rematch of last year's postseason on Wednesday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m. from Slippery Rock's Critchfield Park.
 
IUP is making consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since the 2010-11 seasons. The tournament begins with a single-elimination opening round on Wednesday (four games). From there, the advancing teams will move into a double-elimination bracket for the remainder of the tournament.
 
The Crimson Hawks pulled the biggest upset of the tournament by seeding last season, knocking off then No. 8 Millersville by an 8-1 margin behind a rock-solid start from Jeremiah Williams. The Marauders went on to win the regional last season, but have faltered a bit down the stretch run of 2024.
 
The winner of Wednesday's game between IUP/Millersville faces the winner of East Stroudsburg/Slippery Rock on Thursday, May 9 at 10 a.m.
 
TICKETS/ADMISSION INFORMATION
Purchased online via Hudl Tickets (links coming soon). Cashless event.
 
Day Pass Only
DAY 1 and 2 $15 Adults / $7 (K-12) students / Free for PSAC Students
PSAC passes honored | No complimentary tickets
 
DAY 3 and 4 $10 Adults / $5 (K-12) student age / Free for PSAC Students
PSAC passes honored | No complimentary tickets
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 8 (loser eliminated)
>> Game One -- (W2) IUP vs. (E3) Millersville (9:30 a.m.)
>> Game Two – (E1) East Stroudsburg vs. (W4) Slippery Rock (1 p.m.)
>> Game Three – (E2) West Chester vs. (W3) Mercyhurst (4:30 p.m.)
>> Game Four – (W1) Seton Hill vs. (E4) Shippensburg (8 p.m.)
 
IUP POSTSEASON HISTORY
>> Wednesday marks IUP's 17th PSAC Tournament appearance since 1973.
>> The Hawks are making consecutive PSAC Tournament appearances for the first time since 2010-11.
>> IUP boasts five PSAC Championships in program history, but have not hoisted the conference crown since 1990.
>> The Hawks enter the tournament right on the fringe of a potential berth in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region Tournament, listed seven in the numerical rankings last week. The winner of the PSAC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
>> IUP is vying for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990.
 
SERIES NOTES
>> IUP has won consecutive meetings against Millersville since 2022, posting wins of 13-9 and last year's 8-1 PSAC Tournament victory.
>> Millersville holds a slight 12-11 edge in the head-to-head series since 2011.
>> IUP took out Millersville as the top seed in the PSAC East last season. Zach Miller had three hits and an RBI in the victory.
>> Millersville claimed a pair of victories in the PSAC Championship against IUP back in 1974 and 1975.
 
IUP NEWS/NOTES
>> IUP enters the postseason with an overall record of 31-13, going 19-9 in the PSAC West.
>> The Hawks were in contention for the number one seed in the PSAC West until the final day of the regular season. IUP closed the regular season by taking three of four games against Mercyhurst.
>> The 31 wins are the most in a season for IUP in over a decade, matching the 2010 squad.
>> IUP's second place finish in the PSAC West regular season standings is also its top finish since winning the regular season in 2010.
>> IUP head coach Steve Kline has played a key role in orchestrating the turnaround of the IUP baseball program. The third-year head coach and former Major League pitcher is 83-64 (.565) at the helm of the Crimson Hawks.
>> Kline is enjoying his best season yet with IUP in 2024. He posted 27 wins his first season with the Crimson Hawks in 2022, a 25-win turnaround from the previous season (2-35) in 2021.
>> IUP has gotten great longevity from its starting pitching staff in 2024. A rotation that features better depth than years past, the Hawks have 11 complete games in 2024, a mark that leads the PSAC and ranks second nationally.
>> IUP is second in the league with 29 double plays this season and fifth in runs scored (283).
>> Mark Edeburn is the reigning PSAC West Pitcher of the Week. Edeburn delivered another complete game effort on the mound last week for IUP, helping the Crimson Hawks to a 3-1 victory at Mercyhurst on May 2.
>> Edeburn, expected to get the start on Wednesday morning, became the program's all-time leader in career innings pitched in his last start. He's fourth nationally with five complete games in 2024, ranking 12th in the PSAC in ERA, ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.00), ninth in WHIP (1.13) and third in walks allowed per nine innings (1.52). 
>> Edeburn is continuing to climb up the program record books as one of the best pitchers in school history, ranking fifth in wins (18), seventh in strikeouts (182), tied for seventh in appearances (46) and tied for fourth in complete games (17).
>> Other key starters for IUP in 2024 have been Derrick Shields (4-4, 54.2 IP, 51 K) and Jake Black (5-3, 4.21 ERA, 46 K). Black has been strong over the last half of the season, surrendering three or fewer runs over his last five starts an pitching at least six innings four times since April 7.
>> Harrison Pontoli is the veteran presence of the infield for the Crimson Hawks in his fifth season. He became the seventh player in program history to reach 200 career hits, slashing a double last weekend against Mercyhurst.
>> Pontoli is among the program leaders in career hits (201; T5th), at-bats (644; 2nd), doubles (38; T5th), triples (12; 6th), home runs (17; T7th), RBI (135; 4th), total bases (314; 5th) and walks (100; T2nd).
>> Pontoli had a reached base streak of 19 consecutive games this season, cracking a team-high six home runs.
>> Ricardo Apnote (.333 AVG, 50 H, 32 RBI) has been a driving force in the heart of the lineup for IUP with a team-best 16 multi-hit games in 2024. He has reached base safely in nine consecutive games for IUP.
>> Brady Yard provides a power option for IUP with a .545 slugging percentage and a team-high .343 batting average.
>> Davin Landers is in his third season as a starting catcher for IUP in 2024, including his second straight season as a full-time starter. He boasts a .305 career batting average and a .412 slugging percentage as a key defensive option behind the plate.
>> Peyton Johnson, Au'sean Owens and Zach Miller are other veteran options in the lienup for IUP. Both Johnson and Owens have over 100 career hits, with Owens providing outstanding range while patrolling center field.
 
FOLLOW
For coverage of the IUP baseball program, follow the Crimson Hawks on X (Twitter) and Instagram @IUPBaseball and online at IUPathletics.com. 
 

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