Baseball vs. Cal U 4-4-22

Baseball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon, East Stroudsburg Meet Again in First Round of NCAA Atlantic Regional

Golden Knights Come in as Number Three Seed

No. 3 GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (29-15) vs. No. 6 EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS (37-17)
2022 NCAA DIV. II ATLANTIC REGIONAL 2
DATE/TIME:  Thursday, May 19, 2022 I 2:30 p.m.
FACILITY/LOCATION:  Cooper Park I Millersville, Pa.
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THE 2022 NCAA ATLANTIC REGIONAL 2 SCHEDULE (double elimination)
Thursday, May 19
Game 1 – No. 2 Millersville (41-12) vs. No. 7 Charleston (36-16) – 11 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 3 GANNON (29-15) vs. No. 6 East Stroudsburg (37-17) – 2:30 p.m.
Friday, May 20
Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 11 a.m.
Game 4 – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 5 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – 11 a.m.
Game 6 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Game 7 (if necessary) – 12 noon
 
 
GANNON IN THE NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Gannon is making its second appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships after appearing for the initial time in the Atlantic Regional in 2019. The Golden Knights were seeded third that year, as well. Gannon faced Charleston(WV), the sixth seed, in the opening round and dropped a 12-2 decision. They knocked host and second seed West Chester out of the tournament, 6-4, in an elimination game behind the 14-strikeout pitching effort of Deven Judy (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon Area). Charleston ended Gannon's first tournament with a 6-1 decision.

2019       vs. Charleston(WV)         L, 2-12
               at West Chester              W, 6-4
               vs. Charleston(WV)         L, 1-6
 
GANNON VS. THE ATLANTIC REGIONAL AND NCAA FIELD
Gannon's strength of schedule was buoyed by facing seven teams that made the NCAA Championships. The Golden Knights have not faced Charleston or Millersville this year, and are 0-1 against East Stroudsburg following last week's PSAC Tournament opening round game. In the other Atlantic Regional pod, the Golden Knights won three of four games against Seton Hill, the fifth seed, and split four games with fourth-seeded Slippery Rock, Gannon did not face West Chester this year. In addition, Gannon split a pair of games against Ashland, the sixth seed in the Midwest Region, and also played Walsh, the seventh seed in that region.  On their southern trip to start the season, in addition to defeating Ashland the Golden Knights dropped a 5-4 decision in 11 innings to Davenport, the number one seed in the Midwest Region, and fell 7-2 to Rollins who is seeded third in the South Region.
 
 
ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon baseball team makes its second appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Championships as the number three seed in the Atlantic Region. The Golden Knights, with a 29-15 record, face a familiar foe in East Stroudsburg (37-17) in their opening game on Thursday, May 19. The Warriors, the sixth seed, eliminated Gannon 11-3 in the first round of last week's PSAC Tournament. The contest was tight until ESU scored six times in the top of the ninth.
 
Gannon and East Stroudsburg meet in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader at 2:30 p.m., with second seed Millersville (41-12) hosting Charleston (WV) (36-16), the sixth seed, in a meeting of conference champions at 11:00 a.m. Millersville won the PSAC title while Charleston emerged as the Mountain East Conference champion. Millersville is hosting the Atlantic Regional 2 at Cooper Park.
 
The Atlantic Regional 1 is hosted by top seed West Chester. The three-team regional also features fourth seed Slippery Rock and Seton Hill, the fifth seed. The winners of the two regionals will meet in a Super Regional on May 27-28, with the winner of the best of three series advancing to the NCAA Division II Championships in Cary, N.C. on June 4-11.
 
Gannon made its only other appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, also as the number three seed. The Golden Knights were eliminated in three games, losing to Charleston (12-2), then eliminating host West Chester (6-4) before dropping a 6-1 decision to West Chester.
 
Head coach DJ Cannon is in his first season in charge of the Golden Knights and guided his squad to its second PSAC West regular season championship in three years. They finished with a 20-8 record in league play along with going 29-15 overall.
 
Cannon has relied on strong top-end pitching and an offense that has improved as the year has progressed. The Golden Knights are ranked 13th in the PSAC in batting with a .271 average, while showing a team ERA of 5.05, which is tenth in the conference. That figure can be a bit deceiving, with the Golden Knights holding 16 opponents to three runs-or-less but allowing 10-or-more runs in seven games. Gannon is ninth in the PSAC in fielding at .964. Gannon has also excelled in close contests, showing an 8-3 record in one run games and 6-2 in two-run games.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
 
HEAD COACH DJ CANNON
DJ Cannon was named Gannon's head coach on August 6, 2021. He has proceeded to lead Gannon to just its second PSAC West regular season crown and the number three ranking in the NCAA's Atlantic Region and its second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Cannon took over at Gannon after serving as the head coach at Chatham University since 2019. He helped the Cougars reach new program highs for overall victories and conference wins in 2021. He is no stranger to the PSAC after beginning his coaching career as an assistant coach at Seton Hill in 2012. He was part of a Seton Hill program that enjoyed four straight 40-plus win seasons, with one WVIAC North Division Championships, two PSAC West Division Championships, two PSAC Tournament Championships, seven conference tournament appearances, six NCAA Division II Regional appearances, and a trip to the NCAA Division II World Series in 2014. In addition, he has been in ten NCAA Tournaments as a player or coach.
 
INFIELD
Corner infielders Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) pace an infield that has had to overcome the loss of slick-fielding shortstop Trey Zeroski (Clinton, Pa./West Allegheny) to injury, along with more recently second baseman Miguel Vega (Florida, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy). Hess is etching his name in the batting records. The redshirt junior got off to a slow start but has boosted his average to .305, third on the team. The slugging first baseman has twice been named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week and NCBWA Atlantic Region Hitter of the Week in recent weeks. Hess set the career record for home runs recently at IUP, with the record-breaking 28th a three-run shot that gave Gannon a 6-4 win over the Crimson Hawks. He added his 29th to end the regular season at UPJ.
 
Hess leads Gannon in runs (35), home runs (11), RBIs (41), and slugging percentage (.596). The 11 home runs are third in a season, three shy of Jared Beach's record of 14, and he also owns the second-highest figure with 12 in 2019. The 41 RBIs are tied for seventh in a season and give him 107 for his career. That figure ranks fifth all-time.
 
Kalbfus is hitting .319 while providing power at third base and a strong glove. The redshirt junior leads the team with 46 hits and is tied for the team lead in doubles (11), along with second in home runs (8) and RBIs (35) and tied for third in stolen bases with 10.
 
Vega, a sophomore, missed several games recently but did return at UPJ. The second baseman has a team-leading .339 batting average and also has 11 doubles. He has 28 stolen bases in 31 attempts, ranking third in the PSAC. He is fifth in a season in stolen bases.
 
With Zeroski out, Jared Bielanin (Erie, Pa./McDowell) has seen increased playing time at second base. The sophomore has taken advantage to hit .283 with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 16 RBIs.
 
The Golden Knights have used a pair of catchers in Cameron Vozel (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) and Brandan Rea (Washington, Pa./Canon-McMillan). Vozel is a junior who has started 24 games and is hitting .280 with a home run and 11 RBIs. He has also stepped in as the team's leadoff hitter. Rea is also a junior who is outstanding defensively while hitting .208 with 8 RBIs in 20 starts.
 
OUTFIELD
Jorge Mejia (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Jose) and Luke Callahan (Chardon, Ohio/Chardon) have been the constants in the outfield, with Mejia manning left field and Callahan center. A redshirt senior, Mejia is hitting .274 with a pair of home runs and is second on the team with 15 stolen bases. Callahan is hitting .234 and plays a strong center field. The senior has 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 22 RBIs.
 
Cannon has used several players in right field, including Brandon Wetherholt (Gibsonia, Pa./Mars Area). The lefty-hitting redshirt junior is either in the lineup in right field or at designated hitter. Like several of the Gannon hitters, he got off to a slow start but has now boosted his average to .287 and is third with 31 RBIs. He is tied for the team lead in doubles with 11 and has 6 home runs.
 
Connor Rakow (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) and Kieran Gagnon (Mono, Ontario/Westside) have also seen considerable action in right. Rakow, a redshirt sophomore, has started 24 games and is hitting .240 with 2 home runs and 15 RBIs. Gagnon, a junior, has started 19 games with a .231 average and 10 stolen bases.  
 
PITCHING
Gannon 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 career record book. He was an NCBWA preseason honorable mention All-Atlantic Region honoree and a two-time All-PSAC West performer. He broke the school record for career victories last Thursday with a 2-1 win over Pitt-Johnstown. It was his 21st career victory, breaking Josh Leslie's record of 20. Earlier in the year he broke the school record for career strikeouts, which now stands at 303. He set two other records recently against Clarion when he threw a three-hit, 12-strikeout shutout. He broke the career record for shutouts with his sixth and also set the career record for innings pitched, which now stands at 251.1. The right-hander is also second in games started (40) and fifth in complete games (14) and appearances (50). Judy has pitched in nine games this year, showing a 6-1 record with a 3.76 ERA. He has 61 strikeouts in 55 innings while walking just 13.
 
Judy owns Gannon's lone NCAA playoff win going seven innings in the 6-4 win over West Chester. He threw seven innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs with six walks while striking out 14.
 
Sapp has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the PSAC and is working on changing the season record book. The graduate student put together a string of three straight shutouts earlier in the year and comes off four more gems. He threw a three-hit, 10-strikeout outing vs. Clarion, followed by a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts in an 8-2 win over Seton Hill and another two-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 6-2 win over IUP. He has four double-figure strikeout games and has allowed three-or-fewer hits in five outings. Sapp is 9-0 with a 2.47 ERA. In 69.1 innings he has allowed 47 hits and 30 walks while striking out 92. He started the PSAC Tournament game vs. East Stroudsburg, going 6.1 innings and allowing four hits with five strikeouts. He departed with the score toed at 3-3.
 
Sapp's nine wins are tied for second for season victories, one shy of Josh Peterson's record of 10.
The 92 strikeouts are the second-highest season total, trailing only Judy's 96 in 2019. Sapp 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.
 
Jacob Visha (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity) has turned in four straight strong outings while serving as the third starter. The redshirt junior left-hander struck out a career-high 11 batters in six innings while allowing just four hits against Clarion. He followed that up by allowing just three runs in five innings against Seton Hill, and he allowed just two earned runs in 5.1 innings as Gannon posted a 9-5 win vs. IUP. In his last start, he went seven innings at UPJ, giving up three hits and an unearned run. Visha has a 2-1 record with a 4.63 ERA. He has struck out 52 in 46.2 innings.
 
Joseph Reitebach (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) has emerged as a dependable reliever. The sophomore right-hander has appeared in a team-high 19 games with a 3-2 record and 4 saves with a 5.73 ERA.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jared Bielanin

#12 Jared Bielanin

INF
6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
Luke Callahan

#4 Luke Callahan

OF
5' 10"
Senior
L/L
Kieran Gagnon

#24 Kieran Gagnon

OF
5' 11"
Junior
R/R
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
Jorge Mejia

#7 Jorge Mejia

OF
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Brandan Rea

#20 Brandan Rea

C
5' 10"
Junior
R/R
Joe Reitebach

#31 Joe Reitebach

RHP
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Eric Sapp

#23 Eric Sapp

LHP
6' 4"
Graduate Student
L/L

Players Mentioned

Jared Bielanin

#12 Jared Bielanin

6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
INF
Luke Callahan

#4 Luke Callahan

5' 10"
Senior
L/L
OF
Kieran Gagnon

#24 Kieran Gagnon

5' 11"
Junior
R/R
OF
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
Jorge Mejia

#7 Jorge Mejia

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
OF
Brandan Rea

#20 Brandan Rea

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
C
Joe Reitebach

#31 Joe Reitebach

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Eric Sapp

#23 Eric Sapp

6' 4"
Graduate Student
L/L
LHP