5/10/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Region XIX Championship will be decided today, May 10^th, when the two-time defending champion Lackawanna College takes on Mercer County CC for the region tournament crown at 12:00pm ET in Georgetown, DE at Delaware Tech CC. Since the Falcons are 2-0 in the tournament, they need only to win and they are Region XIX champions for a third tournament in a row. To win their first region title since 2018, the Vikings (2-1), would have to win this game to force a winner-take-all championship game at 3:00pm ET.
 
In the first round last week, Lackawanna College defeated Mercer County 6-3, riding a strong outing from Kyle Scott to victory. You can read the recap to that game, and their win over Delaware Tech HERE.
 
The Region XIX Championship game(s) will be livestreamed on the Delaware Tech CC Athletics YouTube Channel, via the link HERE.
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (24-17) won both of their games last week in the Region XIX tournament. First, the Falcons knocked off Mercer County on Friday afternoon in the first round by a 6-3 score. The Falcons scored five runs early, while Kyle Scott threw a strong seven innings, giving up one run on three hits, while striking out eleven. Mercer hit a two-run homer in the eighth on Samuel Daniels, but he rallied to get the Falcons the win. In game two, the Falcons played the hosts, Delaware Tech, and held a 5-0 lead heading late into the contest, before the Terry Hawks rallied to tie things up and send it to extras. The Falcons scored five runs in the tenth inning, and got a 1-2-3 bottom half from Keon Burkholder to secure the win and advance to the championship round.
 
Lackawanna is hitting, as a team, .343 so far this season, with a combined .978 OPS. They have 152 extra base hits, including 96 doubles and 37 homeruns this season. They're slugging .544 as a team, and have stolen 109 bases so far this year. The Falcons have a .434 OBP on the year, and are averaging just over eight runs per contest this season.
 
On the mound, the Falcons are holding their opponents to a .262 batting average, and have a staff ERA of 6.18 this year. In 281 combined innings, the Falcons have given up 294 hits and 226 runs, 193 earned, while striking out 322 batters and walking 174. The Falcons have held their opponents to three or less runs in 17 games, picking up three shutouts on the year. The Falcons have picked off nine base runners so far this season, while turning ten double plays and committing 65 errors as a team.
 
Quinn Hanafin is the team leader in batting average, hitting .491 so far this season in his 37 appearances. Hanafin has a 1.253 OPS, and is tied for the team lead with 55 hits on the year. Hanafin also leads the Falcons with 15 doubles so far this season, and he has 19 total extra base hits. He's first on the Falcons with 40 RBIs, and is second on the team in total bases, with 81. His .723 slugging is second on the team, among players who have played in 27 or more games. Quinn also has a .530 OBP, first on the team. Hanafin has 15 multi-hit games so far this year, and has recorded a hit in 28 of his 36 appearances so far this year. Hanafin was 0-for-3 with a run scored and a pair of walks against Mercer County. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the win over Delaware Tech on Friday.  
 
Cody Fleischer has a .440 batting average so far this year, and has a 1.265 OPS, second among players who have played at least 27 games. Fleischer has 55 hits so far this season, tied with Hanafin for the team lead, and leads the Falcons with 52 runs scored on the year. Fleischer's 33 RBI are second on the team, and he's got a team-high 23 extra base hits on the season, including six homers, first on the team. Fleischer's .521 OBP is second among players who've played in 27 or more games for the Falcons, and he leads the team with 18 walks this year, while also pilfering nine bases on the year. Fleischer's 93 total bases this season leads the Falcons, and he has 17 multi-hit games on the season. Fleischer was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI on Friday afternoon against Mercer. Fleischer also went 3-for-5 against Delaware Tech, scoring two runs and driving in two more, while also walking against the Terry Hawks on Friday.  
 
Daniel Keenan is hitting .333 so far this year in his 35 appearances, with an .887 OPS. Keenan has 57 total bases, good for third on the team, and has driven in 31 RBI, also putting him third. Keenan has 13 extra base knocks, including eight doubles, three triples, and two homers. He's scored 27 runs, third on the Falcons, and is also third on the team with 37 total hits this year. Keenan has six walks on the season, and a .373 OBP on the season. He has twelve multi-hit games on the year, and went 0-for-4 with a walk and an RBI on a ground out against Mercer on Friday. Against Delaware Tech, Keenan was 1-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, coming on a sac fly in the second inning, the first run of the game.  
 
Eli Riley, in 27 games of work for the Falcons, is hitting .378 on the year, and has a 1.090 OPS. Riley has 31 hits, fourth on the Falcons, and 30 runs scored, ranking him second on the team. Riley has a .585 slugging percentage, and has ten extra base hits on the year. He also has 17 stolen bases, tops on the squad. Riley is tied with Zachary Walsh for fourth on the Falcons with 22 RBI so far this year, and has 48 total bases. Riley has a .505 OBP on the year, and has eight multi-hit games. Riley was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk against Mercer County on Friday, and was 1-for-5 with two runs scored against Delaware Tech in the second game. 
 
Daniel Helfgott is hitting .330 on the year, and is fifth on the Falcons with 29 hits so far this season. Helfgott has scored 19 runs on the year, and has an OBP of .439. Helfgott has three doubles on the year, and has driven in eleven runs this season. Helfgott has also drawn 13 walks this season, tied for second on the team with Eli Riley. Helfgott has nine multi-hit games so far this season, and went 0-for-3 with a walk against Mercer County on Friday. Helfgott also went 1-for-5 with a run scored against Delaware Tech in the second game on Friday.  
 
Zachary Walsh is hitting .383 so far this season in his 27 appearances, with an OPS of 1.303. Walsh has 23 hits in 60 at-bats, with 15 extra base hits, including four homers, and has driven in 22 runs so far this season, tied for fourth on the team with Riley. Walsh is slugging at .817 on the year, first on the Falcons, and has also stolen 14 bases this season, tied for second on the team. Walsh has drawn twelve walks this year, fourth on the team this season, and has a .486 OBP. Walsh has seven multi-hit games this year, and went 0-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk against Mercer on Friday. In the second game, Walsh was 1-for-3 with three walks and three runs scored, plus two stolen bases, against Delaware Tech.  
 
George Castro is hitting .268 on the year, has an .889 OPS, and is slugging at .524 on the year. Castro has 20 RBI this season, and has five homeruns this season. Castro has six steals on the year, and has scored 16 runs for the Falcons. Castro has been hit by five pitches this season, and has drawn eight walks. He's got a .365 OBP on the year, and has 22 hits for the Falcons. George has four multi-hit games this year, and went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in the fourth inning against Mercer County last Friday. Castro was also 1-for-3 with three RBI on a two-run single and a sac fly against Delaware Tech.  
 
Aiden Starn leads the Falcons with 41 innings pitched so far this season. Starn is 2-2 in eight starts, giving up 48 hits and 34 runs, 27 earned, while striking out 32 batters. He has a 5.93 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .274 against him. Starn got the start, but ended up without a decision, against Delaware Tech on Friday, going 6.2 innings and giving up four runs on eight hits, while striking out a batter and walking two.  
 
Kyle Scott has pitched 34 innings so far this year, holding a 2.38 ERA and a 3-1 record in eight appearances, seven starts. Scott has struck out a team-high 59 batters, and has allowed 24 hits and nine runs in his action. Scott had his best start against Morris, where he went a complete seven innings, giving up just one hit, a homerun, while striking out a season best 14 batters in a 12-1 win for the Falcons. Scott's last appearance was his seven innings against Mercer County on Friday, where he gave up one run on three hits, while striking out eleven, eventually picking up the win.
 
Jason Carpenter has pitched 24 innings so far this season, making six starts in eight appearances. Carpenter is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA. Carpenter has given up 28 hits and 21 runs, 18 earned, while striking out 19 batters on the year. Carpenter pitched well in his last start, going four innings against Montgomery County CC two weeks ago, allowing just two hits and striking out three, but not getting a decision. In his last appearance, Carpenter had to come on in relief late in the loss to Harford CC a week ago. He pitched 1.1 innings, giving up five runs on five hits, while striking out three and walking four.  
 
Marc DeNunzio has pitched in 24 innings this season, holding a 10.88 ERA and a 2-2 record. DeNunzio has nine appearances, third-most on the team, with four starts, and has given up 29 runs and 37 hits, while striking out a 36 batters, second on the staff. DeNunzio has also walked a team-high 21 batters. DeNunzio pitched 3.2 innings of relief in his last appearance, against Harford CC last week. He gave up seven runs on five hits, striking out and walking five batters, apiece.  
 
Samuel Daniels has appeared eleven times, twice as a starter, and has allowed 13 hits and nine runs in 19 innings of work, all while striking out 25 batters. Daniels has a 4.26 ERA so far this season, and is 2-0. Opponents are hitting just .181 on the year against Daniels, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief against Delaware Tech last week, striking out a pair of batters. He pitched two scoreless innings of relief last Friday against Mercer, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out three batters to preserve the win.  
 
Cameron King is 2-0 with a 4.43 ERA in six appearances, four starts, this season. King, in 20.1 innings of work, has surrendered 13 runs on 21 hits, while striking out 20 batters, and walking eight. Opponents are hitting .266 against King this season. King didn't a decision in his last game, a start against Delaware Tech last Sunday. King went three innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while striking out a pair.
 
Coach Mike McCarry enters his fourth season at the helm for Lackawanna College. McCarry has helped elevate the Falcon program in his short time, guiding Lackawanna to a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances in his first three seasons, one of which was shortened and ultimately cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at Lackawanna, McCarry was the pitching coach at Stephen F. Austin and LaSalle Universities. As a pitching coach with both schools, he had multiple pitchers sign professional contracts, and, especially in his time at LaSalle, McCarry brought four NJCAA All-Americans to be a part of the Explorer program. Before that, McCarry spent his time in baseball in the Philadelphia Suburbs in Bucks County with Central Bucks West and the Colts Collegiate Summer Team. McCarry is a Keystone College graduate, where he played baseball for Jamie Shevchik and the vaunted Giants program. McCarry is 94-55 in his career at Lackawanna College.   
 
About Mercer County CC
The Vikings (28-17) were the two-seed in the Region XIX playoffs, and, after losing their opening game to Lackawanna College, have won their last two elimination games to make the championship round. Mercer dispatched County College of Morris on Friday in a 10-2 win, then knocked off top-seeded Delaware Tech in an impressive 8-2 victory just this past Monday in Delaware. The Vikings were impressive from the start, hitting a two-run homer within their first two batting attempts, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first four innings, and coasting to the win from there.    
 
Mercer is hitting .335 as a team so far this season, averaging around 8.5 runs per game. The Vikings have a collective OPS of .930, and have hit 140 extra base hits this year, including 75 doubles and 37 homeruns. Mercer has drawn 159 walks, and struck out 263 times, and they also have 94 successful steals on the season. The Vikings are slugging at .511, as a team.
 
Mercer County CC has a team ERA of 6.26 so far this season, giving up 269 runs, 222 earned, on 368 hits in 319 innings of work this year. They've struck their opponents out 276 times this year, averaging just under eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The Vikings have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in 14 games this year, including three shut-outs, and have turned seven double plays this year, while committing 63 errors in 45 games.
 
Josearmando Diaz leads the Vikings with a .470 batting average this season. Diaz also leads Mercer in OPS (1.276), OBP (.580), and also slugging (.696). His 54 total hits have him ranked third on the team this year, and he's scored 40 runs, fourth on the team. He's got 15 extra base hits and 36 RBI, ranking him third on the team. Diaz has drawn 20 walks, second on the Vikings, and has five stolen bases on the year. Diaz has 17 multi-hit games on the season, and was 1-for-2 with a run scored and a pair of walks against Lackawanna College. He was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI against Morris last Friday, and scored the first run of the game after a lead-off hit against Delaware Tech on Monday.  
 
Xavier Delgado has a .420 batting average this year, second on the team, and a 1.172 OPS. His .679 slugging percentage is second on the team, and Delgado has 19 extra base hits, including a team-high seven triples, while driving in 32 runs, good for fourth on the team.  Delgado leads the team in runs scored at 48 on the season, and has 55 total hits this year, good for second on the team. He's drawn 15 walks on the year, and has eight stolen bases this season. Delgado also has a .493 OBP this year, good for second on the team. Delgado has 19 multi-hit games this season, including his last six games before the tournament, where he'd gone 15-for-24 in that span. That streak was snapped against Lackawanna College, where he went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run scored, and a walk. Delgado was held without a hit in the 10-2 win over Morris, going 0-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout.
 
Matt Ervolina is hitting .379 so far this season, and leads the Vikings with 58 total hits. Ervolina has an OPS of .925, with a .441 OBP and a .484 slugging percentage. Ervolina leads the Vikings with 37 stolen bases on the year. He's second on the team in runs scored (45), and has eleven total extra base hits, including seven doubles and three triples, and has driven in 30 runs this year. He's also third on the team with 19 walks on the year. Ervolina has 16 multi-hit contests this season. He was 0-for-4 with an RBI and a strikeout in the loss to Lackawanna on Friday, then followed that up with a 1-for-3 performance against Morris, hitting a double, driving in a run, and scoring one, as well.  
 
Randy Steen is hitting .320 on the season, with 54 total hits, tied for third on the team with Diaz. Steen is second on the Vikings with 22 stolen bases this year, and has 13 extra base hits on the year. Steen has scored 43 runs, good for third on the Vikings, and has driven in 40 RBI this year, second on the team. Steen has twelve walks this season, but has also struck out 30 times, second-highest on the team. He has 14 multi-hit games on the season, and had a pair of hits in two games on Friday. Against Lackawanna College, Steen was 1-for-4 with a strikeout and was also caught stealing. Against Morris, he went 1-for-4 with a homerun and two RBI, as well as a run scored.   
 
Jarrett May has a .302 batting average, and leads the Vikings in RBI (41), walks (22), homeruns (11), doubles (10), and extra base hits (23). May has a 1.102 OPS, third on the team, and has scored 37 runs so far this season. May has also struck out a team-high 38 times this season. May has eight multi-hit games, and hit a two-run homerun against Lackawanna College on Friday. He was 1-for-4 with that homer and two RBI, as well as a strikeout. Against Morris, he was 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts and a run scored.   
 
On the mound, Brett Mutz has made ten appearances, eight of which have been starts, and is 7-3 with a 4.31 ERA this season. Mutz, in 39.2 innings pitched, allowing 23 runs, 19 earned, on 34 hits, while striking out 30 batters. Mutz got the win in his last start, as the pitcher on the mound in the 8-2 win over Delaware Tech on Monday. He had a six inning start against Lackawanna College in the first game two weeks ago. He allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out eight batters in a 3-1 win over the Falcons.  
 
Charles Kelley has made eight appearances, all starts, and is 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA so far this season for the Vikings. In 33.1 innings pitched, Kelley has allowed 33 runs, 20 earned, on 36 hits, while striking out a team-high 36 batters this season. Kelley is averaging just under ten strikeouts per nine innings this year. Kelley was tagged with the loss in his last start, the game against Lackawanna College this past Friday. He went four innings, giving up six runs, three earned, on seven hits, striking out three, but also walking three.  
 
Clemente Orozco has made seven starts in nine appearances, going 1-1 with an 8.56 ERA. In 27.1 innings pitched for Mercer, Orozco has given up 30 runs, 26 earned, on 38 hits, while striking out 16 and walking 19 batters. Orozco pitched two innings of relief in his last appearance, allowing three runs on four hits against Monroe College.
 
Brenden Carter has made five starts in nine appearances, going 4-1 with a 6.23 ERA for the Vikings this season. He's pitched 26 innings, and giving up 25 runs, 18 earned, on 33 hits. Carter has struck out ten batters, and walked eleven. Carter got the start, but without a decision, in his last appearance against Lackawanna College, back on April 29^th. He allowed six run on five hits in just 2.1 innings, walking four batters, but the Vikings rallied to scored nine runs in the final two innings to win and get him off the hook for the loss.
 
Ryan Conover has made the most appearances for the Vikings, pitching in 16 games this season, all in relief. Conover is 0-2 with a 5.16 ERA this year, pitching 22.2 innings of work. He's given up 14 runs on 25 hits, striking out 19 batters and walking another nine. Conover pitched 2.1 innings against Lackawanna College on Friday, giving up just a hit and striking out four, and then came right back in the next game and pitched an inning of relief against Morris, giving up a run on one hit, while striking a batter out and walking another.
 
Collin McLaughlin is one of the main relievers for the Vikings this season, making the second most appearances for Mercer with 15 on the year. McLaughlin is 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA and four saves this year. In 19.2 innings of work, he's given up nine runs on twelve hits, while striking out a team-high 34 batters, but he's also walked a team-high 21 batters. McLaughlin averages 15.56 strikeouts per nine innings so far this season. McLaughlin was last in action against Monroe College over the weekend, pitching an inning of relief, and giving up a run on a hit, while walking three. McLaughlin got the save in the 3-1 win over Lackawanna two weeks ago, giving up just a hit and striking out the side to secure the win for the Vikings.  
 
The head coach for Mercer County CC is Fred Carella, now in his fourth season at the helm, but really in his 20^th season with the program. Carella had been an assistant with the Vikings since 2003, present for their run to the NJCAA World Series in 2003, as well as being a key assistant for six Region XIX titles, four district championships, and a total of four NJCAA World Series appearances. As the head coach, Carella got the Vikings into the Region XIX playoffs in his first year, before falling to Lackawanna College. Carella has a 92-49 career record in his four years at Mercer.
 
Game Information
The Region XIX Championship will be decided in one of three ways on Tuesday, May 10^th:
 

1. Lackawanna College wins at 12:00pm, becoming Region XIX champions
2. Lackawanna College loses at 12:00pm, but wins at 3:00pm, becoming Region XIX champions
3. Mercer County wins both at 12:00pm and 3:00pm, becoming Region XIX champions

 
The Region XIX Championship game(s) will be livestreamed on the Delaware Tech CC Athletics YouTube Channel, via the link HERE.
 
The Region XIX Champion will move on to the NJCAA East District Championship Tournament, set to begin on Friday, May 13^th in Saugerties, New York. The four-team field will be made up of two teams from Region XV (SUNY Ulster and SUNY Sullivan), UConn Avery Point from Region XXI, and the Region XIX champion.
 
The Region XIX champion will play Ulster, the Region XV champ, at 4:00pm ET on Friday, the second game, following the 1:00pm ET match-up between Sullivan and UCAP. The losers of each game will play in an elimination game on Saturday, May 14^th at 10:00am, and will then face the loser of the semi-final match-up on Saturday afternoon.
 
The District Championship is scheduled for Sunday, May 15^th, at 11:00am, with a second game at 2:00pm ET, if necessary.
 
Check lackawannafalcons.com for scheduling updates.