5/6/22
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The two-time defending Region XIX tournament champion Lackawanna College Falcons will look to add a third to their title reign when the Region XIX Playoffs begin on Friday, May 6^th, at 9:00am ET. The Falcons, the three-seed, will take on the two-seed Mercer County CC Vikings at Sussex Central HS in Georgetown, DE, while the top-seed and host Delaware Tech Terry Hawks play the County College of Morris Titans at Delaware Tech's home baseball field at the same time.
 
The Region XIX Tournament is double-elimination, so teams are guaranteed at least two games. A win against Mercer puts the Falcons into the semi-final match-up at 1:00pm ET against the winner of Del Tech and Morris, while a loss puts the Falcons into an elimination game at 1:00pm ET against the loser of Del Tech and Morris.
 
All the Region XIX Tournament games will be livestreamed via the Delaware Tech CC Athletics YouTube Channel, via the link HERE.
 
The Falcons went 0-2 against Mercer County this season, dropping the doubleheader against the Vikings in Scranton last week. Mercer took game one 3-1, then came back from a 10-3 deficit in game two to win 12-10. Read the recap HERE. Against Morris, the Falcons went 2-0 this year, knocking off the Titans on the road in a doubleheader back on April 2^nd. Lackawanna won the first game 12-1, then overcame a rally from Morris to take the game in extras, 11-7, in game two. You can read the recap HERE. The Falcons earned a split with Delaware Tech this season, falling in game one 4-2, then rallying to win in game two at 8-4. You can read the recap from those games HERE.
 
 
About The Falcons
The Falcons (22-17) enter the tournament on the wrong side of a slump, having lost five of their last six games. The most recent was a loss on the road to the #7 team in the NJCAA DIII rankings, the Northampton CC Spartans, 15-11, back on Monday. It was an offensive showcase for both teams, but the Spartans proved the more opportunistic of the two, taking advantage of five Falcon errors and hitting a huge go-ahead grand slam in the fourth inning to take a lead they'd never surrender. You can read the recap HERE.
 
Lackawanna is hitting, as a team, .348 so far this season, with a combined .994 OPS. They have 147 extra base hits, including 91 doubles and 37 homeruns this season. They're slugging .557 as a team, and have stolen 103 bases so far this year. The Falcons have a .437 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 .264 batting average, and have a staff ERA of 6.35 this year. In 262 combined innings, the Falcons have given up 277 hits and 218 runs, 185 earned, while striking out 301 batters and walking 167. The Falcons have held their opponents to three or less runs in 16 games, picking up three shutouts on the year. The Falcons have picked off seven base runners so far this season, while turning eight double plays and committing 64 errors as a team.
 
Quinn Hanafin is the team leader in batting average, hitting .500 so far this season in his 35 appearances. Hanafin has a 1.277 OPS, and leads the Falcons with 52 hits on the year. Hanafin also leads the Falcons with 14 doubles so far this season, and he has 18 total extra base hits. He's first on the Falcons with 38 RBIs, and is second on the team in total bases, with 77. His .740 slugging is second on the team, among players who have played in 25 or more games. Quinn also has a .537 OBP, first on the team. Hanafin has 14 multi-hit games so far this year, and has recorded a hit in 27 of his 34 appearances so far this year. Hanafin was a combined 7-for-13 on the weekend, driving in three runs, scoring a pair, and hitting a double. Hanafin was particularly good against Delaware Tech, going a combined 4-for-5 with three RBI, a run scored, and a double. Hanafin was 3-for-7 with a run scored in his two games against Mercer County last week. He did not play against Northampton.
 
Cody Fleischer has a .426 batting average so far this year, and has a 1.250 OPS, third among players who have played at least 25 games. Fleischer has 49 hits so far this season, second on the squad, and leads the Falcons with 48 runs scored on the year. Fleischer's 30 RBI are second on the team, and he's got a team-high 21 extra base hits on the season, including six homers, first on the team. Fleischer's .511 OBP is tied for second among players who've played in 25 or more games for the Falcons, and he leads the team with 17 walks this year, while also pilfering nine bases on the year. Fleischer was a combined 5-for-17 in four games last weekend, scoring four runs, driving in two more, and hitting a double and a homerun. Fleischer, in two games against Delaware Tech, was a combined 2-for-8 with two runs scored and an RBI coming on a solo shot in the fifth inning of game two. He was 3-for-9 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a double in two games against Mercer. He did not play against Northampton.
 
Daniel Keenan is hitting .353 so far this year in his 33 appearances, with a .938 OPS. Keenan has 56 total bases, good for third on the team, and has driven in 29 RBI, also putting him third. Keenan has 13 extra base knocks, including eight doubles, three triples, and two homers. He's scored 26 runs, third on the Falcons, and is also third on the team with 36 total hits this year. Keenan has twelve multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 4-for-14 in the five games last weekend. Keenan was 0-for-5 in the doubleheader against Delaware Tech, but went 4-for-8 with two RBI, a double, a triple, and two runs scored in two games vs. Mercer. Keenan came on as a pitcher and pinch hitter late against Northampton, going 1-for-1 and scoring a run against the Spartans.
 
Daniel Helfgott is hitting .350 on the year, and is tied for fourth on the Falcons with 28 hits so far this season. Helfgott has scored 18 runs on the year, and has an OBP of .454. Helfgott has three doubles on the year, and has driven in eleven runs this season. Helfgott has also drawn twelve walks this season, tied for second on the team with Eli Riley. Helfgott has nine multi-hit games so far this season, and was combined 2-for-11 in four games from last weekend. Helfgott was 2-for-6 in two games against Delaware Tech. He did not play against Northampton CC on Monday.
 
Eli Riley, in 25 games of work for the Falcons, is hitting .384 on the year, and has a 1.127 OPS. Riley has 28 hits, tied with Helfgott for fourth on the squad, and 27 runs scored, ranking him second on the team. Riley has a .616 slugging percentage, and has ten extra base hits on the year. He also has 14 stolen bases, tied for the team lead with Jacob Simpson. Riley is tied with Zachary Walsh for fourth on the Falcons with 22 RBI so far this year, and has 45 total bases. Riley has a .511 OBP on the year, and has seven multi-hit games. Riley was a combined 1-for-10 in four games last weekend, the one hit coming in the second game against Delaware Tech on a three-run homerun.  Riley was 2-for-3 with an RBI coming off the bench for the Falcons against Northampton on Monday.
 
Zachary Walsh is hitting .415 so far this season in his 25 appearances, with an OPS of 1.398. Walsh has 22 hits in 53 at-bats, with 15 extra base hits, including four homers, and has driven in 22 runs so far this season, good for fourth on the team. Walsh is slugging at .906 on the year, first on the Falcons, and has also stolen eleven bases this season. Walsh has seven multi-hit games this year, and went a combined 5-for-13 in five games last weekend, including a 3-for-6 performance in his two games against Delaware Tech, where he scored four runs, hit two doubles and a solo homerun. Walsh did not play against Northampton on Monday.
 
George Castro is hitting around .257 on the year, has an .887 OPS, and is slugging at .527 on the year. Castro has 16 RBI this season, and has five homeruns this season. Castro has six steals on the year, and has scored 16 runs for the Falcons. George has three multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 2-for-9 in four games last weekend. Castro scored a run, but was 0-for-5 in the two games against Delaware Tech. He did not play against Northampton.
 
Aiden Starn leads the team in innings pitched at 34.1 so far this year. Starn is 2-2 in seven starts, giving up 40 hits and 30 runs, 23 earned, while striking out 31 batters. He has a 6.03 ERA on the year, and opponents are hitting .268 against him. Starn got the start, but ended up without a decision, against Mercer County on Friday. Starn pitched well for five innings, but the wheels came off in the sixth, and he exited with a 10-6 lead that the Falcons couldn't hold. Starn went 5.2 innings, giving up six runs on eleven hits, while striking out five.
 
Kyle Scott has pitched 27 innings so far this year, holding a 2.67 ERA and a 2-1 record in seven appearances, six starts. Scott has struck out a team-high 48 batters, and has allowed 21 hits and eight 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 three runs on seven hits, while striking out nine, but still got the loss in a 3-1 defeat. He technically pitched four innings against Delaware Tech in game one from Sunday, but that happened back on April 16^th.
 
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 last Wednesday, 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 on Saturday. 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, the 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 on Saturday. He gave up seven runs on five hits, striking out and walking five batters, apiece.  
 
Samuel Daniels has appeared ten times, twice as a starter, and has allowed ten hits and seven runs in 17 innings of work, all while striking out 22 batters. Daniels has a 3.71 ERA so far this season, and is 2-0. Opponents are hitting just .159 on the year against Daniels, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief against Delaware Tech on Sunday, striking out a pair of batters. He also pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his last appearance, against Northampton, where he struck out a batter for the Falcons.
 
Matthew Stam has pitched 16.2 innings in his eight appearances so far this year, giving up 13 hits and twelve runs, all earned, while striking out 18 batters. Stam has a 6.48 ERA, and opponents are hitting .224 against him so far this year. Stam is 1-1 on the year, and got saddled with the loss against Mercer last Friday in the second game, giving up two runs on two hits in just 1/3 of an inning of work.  Stam's last appearance was the start against Northampton on Monday. He gave up five runs on three hits in three innings of work, striking out three, but also walking three.
 
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 92-55 in his career at Lackawanna College.   
 
About Mercer County CC
The Vikings (26-16) come into the Region XIX playoffs as the two-seed. Mercer was last in action on Tuesday, when they played on the road at the #1 team in the NJCAA DIII rankings, RCSJ-Gloucester. The top-ranked Roadrunners scored eleven runs in the first two innings to jump out, and cruised the rest of the way to a 14-3 win in seven innings of work.  
 
Mercer is hitting .341 as a team so far this season, averaging just over eight-and-a-half runs per game. The Vikings have a collective OPS of .942, and have hit 135 extra base hits this year, including 74 doubles and 34 homeruns. Mercer has drawn 154 walks, and struck out 244 times, and they also have 93 successful steals on the season. The Vikings are slugging at .516, as a team.
 
Mercer County CC has a team ERA of 6.47 so far this season, giving up 259 runs, 217 earned, on 352 hits in 302 innings of work this year. They've struck their opponents out 256 times this year, averaging just over seven-and-a-half strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The Vikings have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in 12 games this year, including three shut-outs, and have turned seven double plays this year, while committing 62 errors in 42 games.
 
Josearmando Diaz leads the Vikings with a .468 batting average this season. Diaz also leads Mercer in OPS (1.283) and OBP (.577), and also slugging (.706). His 51 total hits have him ranked fourth on the team this year, and he's scored 38 runs, also fourth on the team. He's got 15 extra base hits and 35 RBI, ranking him third on the team. Diaz has drawn 18 walks, third on the Vikings, and has five stolen bases on the year. Diaz has 16 multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 3-for-4 with a double and a homerun, two RBI, and a run scored in two games against Lackawanna College last week, his last appearance.
 
Xavier Delgado has a .435 batting average this year, second on the team, and a 1.201 OPS. His .694 slugging percentage is second on the team, and Delgado has 18 extra base hits, including a team-high six triples, while driving in 31 runs, good for fourth on the team.  Delgado leads the team in runs scored at 47 on the season, and has 54 total hits this year, good for second on the team. Delgado has 19 multi-hit games this season, including his last six games, where he's gone 15-for-24 in that span. In his last game, Delgado was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored against RCSJ-Gloucester. In two games against Lackawanna on Friday, Delgado was 5-for-7 with a triple, a homerun, three RBI, and three runs scored.
 
Matt Ervolina is hitting .390 so far this season, and leads the Vikings with 57 total hits. Ervolina has an OPS of .949, with a .456 OBP and a .493 slugging percentage. Ervolina leads the Vikings with 37 stolen bases on the year. He's second on the team in runs scored (44), and has ten total extra base hits, including six doubles and three triples, and has driven in 28 runs this year. He's also second on the team with 19 walks on the year. Ervolina has 16 multi-hit contests this year, but was 0-for-2 against RCSJ-Gloucester on Tuesday. In the doubleheader with Lackawanna College, Ervolina was 1-for-8 with a run scored in the two games.
 
Randy Steen is hitting .323 on the season, with 52 total hits, third on the team. Steen is second on the Vikings with 22 stolen bases this year, and has twelve extra base hits on the year. Steen has scored 42 runs, good for third on the Vikings, and has driven in 38 RBI this year, second on the team. Steen has 14 multi-hit games on the season, but was 0-for-3 against RCSJ-Gloucester on Monday. In two games against Lackawanna on Friday, Steen went 1-for-8 with two runs scored and an RBI.  
 
Jarrett May has a .314 batting average, and leads the Vikings in RBI (39), walks (22), homeruns (10), doubles (10), and extra base hits (22). May has a 1.137 OPS, third on the team, and has scored 35 runs so far this season. May has also struck out a team-high 35 times this season. May has eight multi-hit games, but has struggled of late, going 1-for-his-last-16 in his last five games. He was 0-for-2 with an RBI against Gloucester, and went 1-for-6 with a solo homerun, and two runs scored against Lackawanna College in two games on Friday.  
 
On the mound, Brett Mutz has made nine appearances, seven of which have been starts, and is 6-3 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, a six inning start against Lackawanna College in the first game last Friday. 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 seven appearances, all starts, and is 3-1 with a 5.22 ERA so far this season for the Vikings. In 29.1 innings pitched, Kelley has allowed 27 runs, 17 earned, on 29 hits, while striking out a team-high 33 batters this season. Kelley is averaging just over ten strikeouts per nine innings this year. Kelley got the win in his last start, allowing just one hit in two innings in a 12-7 win over Monroe.  
 
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.
 
Collin McLaughlin is the main reliever for the Vikings this season, making the 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 last Friday, 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 an 90-48 career record in his four years at Mercer.
 
About Delaware Tech CC
The Terry Hawks come in with a sparkling 29-6 overall record, and a #11 national ranking in the latest NJCAA DII Baseball polls. Del Tech was last in action against Lackawanna College last Sunday, where they split a doubleheader at the Falcons. Del Tech won game one, which was rain-delayed after the fifth inning and started from that point this past Sunday, but then dropped game two to the Falcons by an 8-4 score.
 
Delaware Tech is hitting .341 as a team, so far this season. The Terry Hawks have a collective 1.017 OPS, and have scored 360 runs on 391 hits so far this season, averaging just over nine runs per contest. Del Tech has hit 49 homeruns on the season, while smacking a total of 148 extra base hits. They've drawn 180 walks and have a team OBP of .451, while striking out 238 times, and are 84-for-91 on stolen base attempts so far this season.
 
On the mound, the Terry Hawks have a 4.58 ERA on the year. In 273 collective innings, they've given up 170 runs on 255 hits, 139 of those runs earned, while striking out 245 batters and walking 140. The pitching staff is averaging around eight strikeouts per nine innings, and has given up 24 homers on the year. The pitching staff has two shutouts on the year, and has allowed three or less runs on 20 different occasions. The Terry Hawks have turned seven double plays, and have committed 44 errors on the year.
 
Matt Rodriguez leads Del Tech in hitting, with a team-best .468 batting average this season. Rodriguez leads the Terry Hawks in several categories, including OPS (1.409), OBP (.592), slugging (.817), total hits (51), runs (41), doubles (14), extra base hits (22), and walks (30). He's second on the team-lead in homeruns with eight dingers on the year, and is also second on the team with 43 RBI. Rodriguez has recorded a hit in 33 of 37 games this season, and has 15 multi-hit games. Rodriguez played in just one game against Lackawanna College, going 1-for-3 with an RBI in the first game against the Falcons.  
 
Chase Boyle is second on the team with a .385 batting average so far this season. Boyle leads the Hawks in stolen bases (19), and is second on the team in total hits (42) so far this year. Boyle has scored 32 runs, and has 20 RBI on the year. He's got seven extra base hits, including six doubles on the year. Boyle has twelve multi-hit games, and has stolen multiple bags in a game on five separate occasions, including a season-high three steals against both Raritan and Lehigh Carbon. Boyle went 0-for-3 in two games against Lackawanna College on Sunday.  
 
Mike Pagliei is third on the team with a .365 batting average this year. Pagliei is second on the team in slugging percentage (.802), and leads the Terry Hawks with nine homers on the year. He also leads the Terry Hawks with 53 RBI this season, and is second on the team with 21 extra base hits, including team-best three triples. Pagliei has 32 runs scored so far this season. Pagliei has nine multi-hit games this season, but didn't appear in the doubleheader against Lackawanna College. Pagliei was 2-for-5 in two games against Morris, with a homerun, three RBI, and a run scored in his last appearance.
 
Ethan Watkinson is fourth on the team with a .357 batting average on the year. Watkinson is third on the squad with 40 total hits, and has 32 runs scored. He's also third with 30 RBI, and has 16 extra base hits, including eight doubles and seven homeruns. His eight strikeouts are second lowest among players who have seen time in 30 or more games, and his .634 slugging percentage is good for fourth on the team. Watkinson has eleven multi-hit games this year, and went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the first game against Lackawanna College.  
 
Jonathan Golebiowski has a .333 batting average this year, and has six homeruns and 24 RBI on the season for Del Tech. He's got 20 extra base hits overall, and has scored 40 runs, second on the team. He's got 14 steals on the season, good for third on the Terry Hawks, and is second on the squad among the main players with a .486 OBP. Golebiowski has a 1.153 OPS on the year, and is slugging at .667. Golebiowski has ten multi-hit games this year, and went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a double in game one against Lackawanna College.  
 
Sam Courtney has played in 30 games, but has a .413 batting average, and a 1.087 OPS on the year, including a .527 OBP. Courtney has 31 hits and scored 28 runs, and has driven in 21 runs on the year. He's also stole eleven bases on the season. Courtney has nine multi-hit games on the year, and went 1-for-1 with a run scored and two walks in game one against Lackawanna College on Sunday.  
 
Cade Williams has made eight starts in eleven overall appearances, going 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA. Williams has pitched a team-high 48.1 innings, and has given up 22 runs, just 14 earned, on 44 hits, while striking out 30 batters so far this season. His 20 walks are a team-high. Williams won his last start, a five inning performance against Morris, where he gave up two runs on six hits in a 5-2 victory.
 
Riley Culver had nine appearances, all starts, so far this season, going 7-1 with a 2.87 ERA. In 47 innings pitched, Culver has given up 18 runs, 15 earned, on 40 hits, while striking out 39 batters, second on the team. Culver had won six starts in a row, after not getting a decision in his first of the year, before his first loss, a defeat against Cecil College. His last appearance was a one-run, five-hit performance against Mercer County, where he went the full seven innings, striking out four, back on April 23^rd. 
 
Zach Hart has made seven starts in nine appearances, going 6-0 with one save and a 2.03 ERA. Hart, in 44.1 innings of work, has given up just twelve runs, ten earned, on 32 hits, while striking out a team-high 42 batters. Hart is averaging just shy of nine strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Hart has won his last five starts, including his latest, where he gave up two runs on eight hits in seven innings against Lackawanna College, striking out six in the process. 
 
Zac Cole has the most appearances on the team this year for Delaware Tech, with 14 times that he's taken the mound. He has five starts, and is 2-2 with a 6.53 ERA this year. In his 30.1 innings of work, he's given up a team-high 23 runs on 33 hits, while striking out 27 batters and walking 15. Cole started his first game in over a month against Catonsville, where he went three innings, giving up five runs on six hits, and striking out three batters. He had primarily been a relief option up to that point. His last appearance was a relief appearance against Morris, where he gave up one run on one hit in a 13-4 team loss.
 
The head coach for Delaware Tech is Stu Madden, now in his fifth season in charge. Madden came to Del Tech after spending three seasons at Seaford High School in Delaware, where he won Henlopen Conference Coach of the Year in 2017. Madden is a Langhorne, PA native, and played centerfield for Wesley College for three years. At Wesley, he was a two-time all-conference player, and still is among the all-time leaders in several categories. Madden played professional baseball in Australia for the WA Whips for two years, making an all-star game and winning a gold glove award. In his five years, Madden is 103-67-1, helping guide the Terry Hawks to the Region XIX Championship game last year, before falling to Lackawanna College in the final. 
 
About County College Of Morris
Morris (21-16) comes into the Region XIX playoffs as the fourth seed, and has won seven of its last ten games. The Titans earned a big split with Delaware Tech last Saturday afternoon, but then lost to Division III Middlesex College, 19-1, in five innings on Wednesday. Morris gave up 15 runs to the Colts in the fourth and fifth innings.  
 
The Titans are hitting .310, as a team, so far this season. The team has a collective .930 OPS, and has scored 250 runs on 313 hits so far this season, averaging just shy of seven runs per contest. Morris has 116 extra base hits this year, including 72 doubles and 31 homeruns. They've drawn 198 walks, while striking out 263 times, and are 86-for-100 on stolen base attempts so far this season.
 
Morris's strength is on the mound, where the Titans have a 4.49 ERA on the year. In 246.2 collective innings, they've given up 172 runs on 240 hits, 123 of those runs earned, while striking out 228 batters and walking 131. The pitching staff has given up ten homeruns on the year, and is averaging around eight strikeouts per nine innings. The pitching staff has four shutouts on the year, and has allowed three or less runs on 14 different occasions.
 
Christian Maceda leads the Titans with 43 hits so far on the year, and has a team-best .384 batting average. Maceda also leads the team in runs scored (37), doubles (11), homeruns (6), extra base hits (19), RBI (37), walks (20), and stolen bases (22). He's got a 1.160 OPS, good for second on the team, buoyed by a .481 OBP, tied for first on the team. His .679 slugging percentage is second on the Titans. Maceda has twelve multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 4-for-6 with a double and a triple, an RBI, and three runs scored.  
 
Jeremiah Deanta is second on the team with a .382 batting average, and has a .966 OPS on the season. Deanta has 26 total hits on the year, good for fifth on the TItans, and has scored 15 runs on the year. Deanta has driven in 18 runs on the year, while hitting five extra base knocks, including four doubles and a homerun. Deanta has also drawn 13 walks so far this season. Deanta has nine multi-hit games, and was a combined 1-for-6 with a run scored in two games against Delaware Tech. 
 
Chris Giacalone is hitting .357 on the year, and is third on the team with 30 total hits this year. Giacalone has 17 extra base hits so far this year, including ten doubles and five homeruns. Giacalone has scored 21 runs so far this season, and has driven in 31 runs, good for second on the team. Giacalone leads the Titans in OPS (1.173), as well as slugging (.702). Giacalone has drawn 19 walks, second on the team. He has nine multi-hit games on the season, and went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in one game against Delaware Tech.   
 
Tyler Ruban is hitting .357 on the season, and has a .955 OPS so far this season. Ruban has 30 total hits so far this season, tied for third on the team with Giacalone, and has scored 20 runs so far this season. Ruban has eight extra base hits, including six doubles and two homeruns. Ruban has driven in 15 RBI on the year, and has stolen eight bases this year. Ruban has six multi-hit games, and was a combined 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored in two games against Delaware Tech.  
 
Phil Whitney is hitting .341 so far this season, and is second on the team with 31 total hits this year. Whitney has scored 27 runs this year, second on the team, and has a 1.032 OPS. Whitney has eleven extra base hits, including five homeruns, and has 25 RBI, second on the team. He's stolen eleven bases, third on the team, and has drawn 15 walks, second on the Titans. Whitney has ten multi-hit games so far this season, and was a combined 3-for-5 with two runs scored against Delaware Tech last weekend.  
 
Christian Weippert comes into the contest having appeared in eight games, going 4-0 with a 2.21 ERA on the year. Weippert, in a team-high 40.2 innings pitched, has allowed 13 runs, ten earned, on 23 hits, while striking out a team-high 35 batters. Weippert won his last appearance, a start against Suffolk County on April 24^th, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out four in 6.2 innings pitched.  
 
Matt Lemieux has appeared in eight games, and is 4-1 with a 4.05 ERA so far this season. In 40 innings, Lemieux has allowed 24 runs, 18 earned, on 43 hits, while striking out 32 batters on the year. Lemieux got the win in his last appearance, pitching four innings in a start and win over Raritan Valley, allowing three hits and striking out seven batters.
 
Tim Crum has appeared in ten games, and is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA on the season. Crum, in 36 innings, has allowed 22 runs on 35 hits, while walking 22 batters, and striking out 29 on the season. Crum last appeared against Raritan Valley, where he pitched three innings of relief, allowing just two hits and striking out seven batters in a 10-0 win.  
 
Cal Chase has appeared in eight games, going 3-1 with a 4.40 ERA so far this season. In 30.2 innings, Chase has given up 21 runs, 15 earned, on 31 hits, while striking out 33 batters. Chase struck out a season high eight batters twice this season, including in his last appearance, a 6.1 inning start against Delaware Tech, where he gave up three runs on six hits in a 13-4 victory for Morris.  
 
The head coach for the Titans is Jason Fiore, in his first year at the helm for County College of Morris. Fiore previously spent 25 years as a police officer, but is no stranger to Morris, having played at Morris previously, as well as the University of Miami and FDU-Madison. Fiore is a New Jersey native, having gone to HS at Hudson Catholic.
 
Game Information
The schedule for Friday's Region XIX action is as follows:
 
9am: (1) Delaware Tech vs. (4) Morris, DTCC Baseball Field
9am: (2) Mercer County vs. (3) Lackawanna, Sussex Central HS
 
1pm: Semi-Final Match-up (Winners), Field TBD
1pm: Elimination Match-up (Losers), Field TBD
 
Weather permitting, on Saturday, May 7^th, the winner from the Elimination Match-Up will face the loser from the Semi-Final Match-Up at 10am ET. The winner of that game will face the remaining undefeated team in a championship game at 2pm ET. If the undefeated team loses, a winner-take-all championship game will be held on Sunday, May 8^th.
 
All four games will have a video livestream available, courtesy of the Delaware Tech CC Athletics YouTube Channel. You can access that via the link HERE.
 
Check lackawannafalcons.com for scheduling updates.