Branden Myers
Bryce Dolak

Baseball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Gannon, Mercyhurst Renew Rivalry on the Diamond with Four-Game Series

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (10-12, 5-3 PSAC West) vs. MERCYHURST LAKERS (13-6, 7-1 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME:  Friday, April 7, 2023 (at Gannon) I 1:00 p.m. / Saturday, April 8, 2023 (at Mercyhurst) I 1:00 p.m
BALLPARK/LOCATION:  McConnell Family Stadium I Erie, Pa. / Mercyhurst Baseball Field I Erie, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO (at Gannon) I LIVE VIDEO (at Mercyhurst)
LIVE STATS (at Gannon) I LIVE STATS (at Mercyhurst)

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon and Mercyhurst baseball teams will renew their rivalry on the diamond this weekend with an important four-game series. Gannon will host the Lakers in a doubleheader on Friday, April 7. The next day Gannon heads to the Mercyhurst campus for the second doubleheader. Both twinbills start at 1:00 p.m.

Gannon comes in with a 10-12 record and is 5-3 in the PSAC West. The Golden Knights won three of four games against California (Pa.) last weekend, including a sweep on day two at McConnell Family Stadium by scores of 3-1 and 2-1. The four-game series was decided by a total of five runs.

Mercyhurst swept Clarion last weekend and has now won four straight games and seven of its last eight. The Lakers scored 34 runs in the four games with the Golden Eagles.

Second-year head coach DJ Cannon guided Gannon to the PSAC West regular season title last year after finishing at 20-8 in league play. The Golden Knights posted a 29-17 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in school history. Gannon was picked third in the PSAC West preseason poll while Mercyhurst was second.

A year ago Gannon won three of the four meetings with the Lakers. They won the first three games by scores of 4-3, 1-0, and 7-5 before Mercyhurst prevailed 3-0 in the final game.

The Gannon offense relies on corner infielders Ian Hess (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Jared Bielanin (Erie, Pa./McDowell). In fact they are the last two PSAC West Athletes of the Week, with Hess honored last week and Bielanin earlier this week.

Bielanin, a junior from nearby McDowell High School, has taken over at third base with Ryan Kalbfus (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) battling an injury. He went 5-for-13 with 6 RBIs a week ago, including his first two home runs of the season. He hit the game-winning three-run homer in a 3-1 win over Cal on Sunday.  He also walked four times in the five games.

Bielanin leads the Golden Knights with a .350 batting average and also holds the team lead with 21 RBIs. He has three doubles, two triples and two home runs.


Hess comes in with a .338 batting average with 18 RBIs. He leads the Golden Knights with five doubles and four home runs, along with a .575 slugging percentage. The redshirt senior first baseman holds the Gannon record for career home runs (33). In addition he is second in career RBIs with 123.

Junior second baseman Miguel Vega (Florida, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy) owns a .275 batting average but ranks second on the team with 19 RBIs along with a team-leading 12 stolen bases. He has moved into ninth place in career stolen bases with 52.

Six different pitchers have started game this season, with lefthanders Kevin Schott (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Jake Visha (Cleveland, Ohio/Trinity) stepping up of late. Schott, a junior, picked up his first win of the season while throwing his first career complete game against Cal. He gave up four hits and a pair of runs in the first inning, then allowed just one more hit over the final six innings, with not one Vulcan reaching second base. He is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA.

Visha is 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA. George Mason transfers Kieran Versaw-Barnes (Elkins Park, Pa./Cheltenham) (0-0, 1.50 ERA) and Dylan Crowley (Eden, N.Y./Hamburg) (0-1, 4.11 ERA) are other possible starters. Freshman Jacob Engel (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) has taken a regular turn in the rotation and is 1-0 with a 5.30 ERA.

Mercyhurst features a lineup with four batters hitting .300-or-better. Matt Christopher leads the way at .377. Chris Juchno is next at .328 with a team-leading 20 RBIs, while Eric Chorba is also at .328 with 14 RBIs. Both have hit two home runs.

Jarrett Heilman, a junior left-hander, comes off a week in which he was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week. Heilman is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 33 innings.   
 
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Players Mentioned

Jared Bielanin

#12 Jared Bielanin

INF
6' 2"
Junior
R/R
Ian Hess

#13 Ian Hess

1B
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
R/L
Ryan Kalbfus

#35 Ryan Kalbfus

INF
6' 2"
Graduate Student
R/R
Kevin Schott

#26 Kevin Schott

LHP
6' 2"
Junior
L/L
Miguel Vega

#5 Miguel Vega

INF
5' 8"
Junior
L/R
Jake Visha

#22 Jake Visha

LHP
6' 0"
Graduate Student
L/L
Dylan Crowley

#23 Dylan Crowley

LHP
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/L
Jacob Engel

#37 Jacob Engel

RHP
6' 4"
Freshman
R/R
Kieran Versaw-Barnes

#25 Kieran Versaw-Barnes

RHP
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jared Bielanin

#12 Jared Bielanin

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
INF
Ian Hess

#13 Ian Hess

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
R/L
1B
Ryan Kalbfus

#35 Ryan Kalbfus

6' 2"
Graduate Student
R/R
INF
Kevin Schott

#26 Kevin Schott

6' 2"
Junior
L/L
LHP
Miguel Vega

#5 Miguel Vega

5' 8"
Junior
L/R
INF
Jake Visha

#22 Jake Visha

6' 0"
Graduate Student
L/L
LHP
Dylan Crowley

#23 Dylan Crowley

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/L
LHP
Jacob Engel

#37 Jacob Engel

6' 4"
Freshman
R/R
RHP
Kieran Versaw-Barnes

#25 Kieran Versaw-Barnes

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP