sapp at home

Baseball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon Faces Clarion for Four PSAC West Contests This Weekend

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (16-9, 7-5 PSAC West) vs. CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (8-20, 4-8 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME:  Friday, April 15, 2022 (at Clarion) I 1:00 p.m. / Saturday, April 16, 2022 (at Gannon) I 11:00 a.m.
FACILITY/LOCATION:  Pullman Park I Butler, Pa. / McConnell Family Stadium I Erie, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO (at Clarion) I LIVE VIDEO (at Gannon)
LIVE STATS (at Clarion) I LIVE STATS (at Gannon)
 
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon baseball team will face Clarion in a four-game set on Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16. Clarion will host the first doubleheader, which has been moved to Pullman Park in Butler, Pa. The teams will play the first game at 1:00 p.m., followed by the second game. Gannon will host Saturday's twinbill at McConnell Family Stadium. First pitch on Saturday is set for 11:00 a.m.
 
Gannon, under first-year head coach DJ Cannon, comes in with a 16-10 record and is 7-5 in the PSAC West after dropping a 12-5 decision at Ashland in a non-conference game. They entered the week ranked ninth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region rankings. Before the Ashland game they split a four-game series with Slippery Rock last weekend. The Golden Knights won game one of Saturday's doubleheader at SRU 7-4 thanks to a six-run rally in the top of the seventh inning before dropping game two 13-6. They are tied for third place in the PSAC West. Clarion has a 9-20 record and is 4-8 in the PSAC West. The Golden Eagles have won two straight games and have victories over Mercyhurst and Seton Hill.
 
First-year head coach DJ Cannon has received strong pitching at the top of the rotation and the bats are showing promise after a strong showing on the spring trip was followed by a slump. Cannon can call on one of the best one-two punches in the PSAC in right-hander Deven Judy (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon Area) and left-hander Eric Sapp (Deerfield, Ohio/Southeast).
 
Judy, a redshirt senior, is rewriting the record book. He was an NCBWA preseason honorable mention All-Atlantic Region honoree and a two-time All-PSAC West performer. Judy recently broke the school record for career strikeouts, now with 277, and is also tied for the career lead in shutouts (5). The right-hander is tied for second in career victories with 18, two shy of the school record, along with fourth in career innings pitched (225), sixth in games started (36), and seventh in complete games (12) and appearances (46). Judy has pitched in five games this year, showing a 3-1 record with a 4.04 ERA. He has 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, including a 12-strikeout, complete-game win over Mercyhurst.
 
Sapp saw his string of three straight shutouts snapped in his last start against Slippery Rock, but after a slow start he battled his way to an 8-5 win to improve to 5-0 on the season. The graduate student owns a 2.75 ERA and has 50 strikeouts in 36 innings after striking out 10 batters against Slippery Rock. He struck out a career-high 15 batters against Mercyhurst. His three straight shutouts began with a five-hitter against D'Youville, followed by a three-hitter vs. Cal. He allowed just two hits in his gem against Mercyhurst, a 1-0 win. Sapp was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week and later in the week was selected the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week for his performance.
 
While Judy and Sapp pace the pitching staff, Miguel Vega (Florida, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy), Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) and Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) have fueled the Golden Knights at the plate. Vega leads the Golden Knights with a .380 batting average and is third in the PSAC in stolen bases with 19 in 21 attempts. He adds a team-high eight doubles.
 
After a scorching start in Florida Kalbfus is now at .299, but the redshirt junior leads Gannon with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, adding six doubles. The redshirt junior has also played outstanding defense at third base.
 
The big story of late has been the hot bat of Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan). The redshirt junior has rebounded from a slow start to boost his average to .280. He went 13-for-28 last week, driving in 13 runs and hitting five home runs to be named the PSAC West Baseball Athlete of the Week and NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week. Hess then went 2-for-4 with an RBI at Ashland. The left-handed hitting first baseman is second on the team with six home runs, adding four doubles, and is second in RBIs with 18. Hess stands second in career home runs at Gannon with 24, now three shy of Nate Cardy's school record of 27.
 
Trey Zeroski (Clinton, Pa./West Allegheny) plays an outstanding shortstop, committing just two errors with a .977 fielding percentage. The redshirt junior's bat is coming around, as well, with a 4-for-4 outing at Ashland to raise his average to .247.
 
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Players Mentioned

Ian Hess

#13 Ian Hess

INF
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/L
Deven Judy

#9 Deven Judy

RHP
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Ryan Kalbfus

#35 Ryan Kalbfus

INF
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Eric Sapp

#23 Eric Sapp

LHP
6' 4"
Graduate Student
L/L
Miguel Vega

#3 Miguel Vega

INF
5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R
Trey Zeroski

#2 Trey Zeroski

INF
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Ian Hess

#13 Ian Hess

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
R/L
INF
Deven Judy

#9 Deven Judy

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
RHP
Ryan Kalbfus

#35 Ryan Kalbfus

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
INF
Eric Sapp

#23 Eric Sapp

6' 4"
Graduate Student
L/L
LHP
Miguel Vega

#3 Miguel Vega

5' 8"
Sophomore
L/R
INF
Trey Zeroski

#2 Trey Zeroski

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
INF