3/26/25

SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College baseball team took all three games this past weekend against Delaware Tech CC, and now the Falcons will try to keep it rolling with another Delaware-named team, Delaware County CC, in a Region XIX cross-division contest between the two on Wednesday afternoon in Delaware County.
 
The single nine-inning contest will take place at 3:30pm ET at Delaware County CC's baseball field at the Marple campus in Media, PA. There is no video livestream available for the game.
 
About Lackawanna College
The Falcons (10-10) are coming off an impressive 3-0 sweep over Delaware Tech CC in Region XIX DII play this past weekend, beating DTCC 15-8 on the road last Friday, and then completing the sweep with doubleheader wins of 11-3 and 11-6 on Saturday at home. The Falcons hit a combined nine home runs in three games, with four coming on Friday, including a grand slam. The Falcons have now scored ten or more runs in eight of their last ten games. You can read the doubleheader recap HERE.
 
In 20 games, the Falcons are hitting a combined .333, compiling a collective 1.016 OPS, which includes a .440 OBP. Lackawanna has 93 extra-base hits, including 60 doubles and 29 home runs. The Falcons are slugging at .576, and they have scored 180 runs. Lackawanna has drawn 98 walks and struck out 160 times as a team this year, while stealing 23 bases.
 
On the mound, the Falcons have a 7.30 ERA, giving up 145 runs, 116 earned, on 163 hits through 143 innings pitched. Teams are hitting .278 against the Falcons this season, with nine home runs and 42 extra-base hits. Lackawanna has struck out 153 batters and walked 111. The Falcons have also plunked 33 batters this year.
 
Defensively, the Falcons have 39 errors and a .936 fielding percentage. The Falcons have caught seven baserunners stealing this year and have forced five double plays.
 
First-year outfielder Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) leads the Falcons with 28 total hits and has a .459 batting average this year in 20 games. Brown has a 1.390 OPS and a .570 OBP, first on the team in both categories. Brown has scored 19 runs, tied for second on the team, and he has posted eight doubles, four homers, and 21 RBIs, second on the squad. He's drawn eleven walks and has been hit by six pitches, tied for first on the team. Brown has seven multi-hit games on the year and has a 15-game hitting streak. He was a perfect 3-for-3 in the loss to Bryant & Stratton on February 9^th, hitting a double and driving in another run. Deacon hit a two-run homer in game one against Onondaga on March 9^th, then hit another two-run homer in game two. Deacon has 17 hits in his last eleven games, and ten of them have been for extra bases. He was a combined 6-for-8 for six runs, six RBIs, two doubles, and two homers in three games against Del Tech last weekend. Deacon has been busy in the field, with 33 putouts, three assists, and one error this year.
 
Sophomore shortstop Brooks Henderson IV (Feasterville, PA) is second on the team with 27 hits and a .391 batting average in his 19 appearances. Henderson has a 1.138 OPS with six doubles, tied for fourth on the team, and 23 RBIs, first on the squad. He's also got four home runs, in a three-way tie for second this year. He's got a .457 OBP on the year. Brooks has scored 19 runs, tied with Brown for second on the team, and has drawn nine walks on the year. Henderson has seven multi-hit games, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs in the 13-6 win over Bryant & Stratton on February 9^th. He was a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and a triple in the game one win against Onondaga on March 9^th. Henderson had a ten-game hitting streak that was snapped with a 0-for-3 performance in game two against Allegany. He was 2-for-6 with a homer and a double, along with two runs scored and an RBI, in the 11-9 win against RCSJ Cumberland. He was a combined 3-for-11 with three runs, seven RBIs, and two homers in three games against DTCC. Defensively, Henderson has 26 putouts, 45 assists, and five errors on the year from his shortstop position.
 
Sophomore Louis Kegerreis (Murrysville, PA) is a .338 hitter this season through 18 appearances, collecting 23 total hits. Kegerreis has 21 runs scored this season, first on the Falcons, and he has a team-high 12 doubles and 16 RBIs. Kegerreis has a 1.052 OPS this year, with a .405 OBP. He has drawn six walks on the season. Kegerreis has six multi-hit games this season, and he currently has an eight-game hitting streak. Kegerreis was 3-for-5 against Cumberland on March 12^th, hitting a two-run homer in the first, a double, scoring two runs, and driving in three more. He was a combined 4-for-8 with six runs and three doubles in three contests against Delaware Tech last weekend. He has 28 putouts and 24 assists this season in the field.
 
Sophomore outfielder Nick Matson (Nanticoke, PA) is a .328 hitter this season through 19 games, collecting 21 hits and driving in 14 runs. Matson has scored 12 runs and has put up seven doubles on the year. He has drawn six walks and has stolen five bases, but he leads the Falcons with 17 strikeouts this season. Matson has eight multi-hit games this season, and he was 3-for-6 in the opener against Bryant & Stratton, driving in six runs and posting two doubles. Matson was 1-for-6 in three games against Del Tech, scoring a run and driving in another. Matson has 30 putouts on the season.
 
Sophomore first baseman John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ) is a .400 hitter with 20 hits in 16 games this year. Hughes has a 1.357 OPS, with 18 runs scored and 17 RBIs. He has nine doubles, a triple, and three home runs this season. Hughes has drawn 13 walks, first on the squad, and he has been hit by six pitches. Hughes has a .557 OBP this year, and he's slugging at .800. Hughes has six multi-hit games this season, and he was 3-for-5 with three doubles and three RBIs in the win against Cumberland on March 12^th. Against Del Tech, he was a combined 2-for-9 in three games, scoring three runs, driving in four more, and hitting a double and a home run.
 
Sophomore infielder Tyler Lepage (Macungie, PA) is a .463 hitter with a 1.385 OPS through 14 appearances this season. Lepage has five homers, first on the team, and has 12 RBIs. His .854 slugging percentage is first on the squad. He has 19 total hits, and 14 runs scored on the year. Lepage has drawn five walks and been hit by a pair of pitches. Lepage has seven multi-hit games this season. He was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, two homers, and three RBI in a 15-7 loss to Patrick & Henry on February 23^rd. He went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, four RBI, and two homers in a win against Bryant & Stratton back on February 9^th. Lepage missed four games, but returned to the lineup two weeks ago against RCSJ Cumberland. He played in all three games against Del Tech over the weekend, going a combined 5-for-10 with three runs and an RBI. Lepage has six putouts and eight assists this season.
 
Sophomore catcher and DH Jake Kelleher (Exeter, PA) is a .340 hitter through 17 games this season, compiling a 1.061 OPS on the year. Kelleher has scored 18 runs and collected 18 total hits, posting six doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBIs. Kelleher has drawn nine walks, tied Henderson for third on the team, and he has two stolen bases. Kelleher has four multi-hit games this season, including going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double, and two RBIs in the game one win against Allegany on March 15^th. He was a combined 5-for-13 with five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two home runs against Del Tech in three games this weekend. Kelleher has caught two runners stealing this season as a catcher and has seven assists behind the plate this season.
 
Sophomore catcher Kenny Hirschfeld (New Hyde Park, NY) is a .362 hitter this season in his 16 appearances, collecting 17 total hits and driving in eleven runs. Hirschfeld has four doubles and a homer, and he has scored 13 runs. Hirschfeld had two hits in each of his first two games and has five multi-hit games on the season. Hirschfeld came into the game against Gloucester as a pinch runner and finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI. He played in one game against Delaware Tech in the doubleheader on Saturday, scoring a run, driving in three more, and going 2-for-4 on the day.
 
Sophomore pitcher Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) leads the team with 32.1 innings pitched, making six appearances, five of which have been starts. O'Leary has a 3-2 record with a 5.57 ERA. He has given up 25 runs, 20 earned, on 35 hits, while striking out a team-high 41 batters and walking 15. The opposition is hitting .265 against him this year, and he has hit a team-high eight batters. O'Leary's best outing happened against Monroe on March 8^th, where he went six innings, striking out a season-best nine batters, and allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits. O'Leary has recorded at least four strikeouts in all six of his appearances this season. He went seven innings in his last outing, picking up the 11-3 win against Delaware Tech. He gave up three runs on five hits while matching his season-best with nine strikeouts in the victory.
 
Sophomore pitcher Ryan Novakowski (Forty Fort, PA) is second on the team in innings pitched, throwing 30.1 innings on the year. Novakowski is 2-2 with a 6.82 ERA in his six appearances, all starts. Novakowski has given up 25 runs, 23 earned, on 36 hits, with 35 strikeouts and eleven walks. Batters are hitting .293 against Novakowski this year. His best outing came against Allegany on March 15^th in game one of the doubleheader, striking out nine in a complete game shutout in seven innings. He scattered four hits and walked three in the 14-0 win. He pitched seven innings in a win against Delaware Tech last Friday, striking out a season-best eleven, while giving up six runs, four earned.
 
Sophomore Trey Sajeski (Holland, PA) is third on the team, pitching 20 innings in six appearances this season. He's 2-1 with a 7.20 ERA. Sajeski has given up 19 runs, 16 earned, on 24 hits, striking out 21 and walking eleven batters. The opposition is hitting .276 against him this season. Sajeski threw his best game on March 9^th against Onondaga, striking out a season-high seven in a season-long six innings. He gave up just one run on five hits for the win in the 11-1 victory for Lackawanna. In his last outing, Sajeski gave up four runs on four hits in four innings, striking out three for the win against Delaware Tech.
 
The head coach for the Falcons is Mike McCarry, now in his seventh season with Lackawanna College. McCarry has had loads of success in his time with the Falcons, making the NJCAA Division II World Series in three of his previous six seasons. In 2019, his first year, the Falcons went 32-17, won the Region XIX championship, and then the Northeast District championship on their way to the national showcase. The Falcons duplicated that result in 2021, going 30-16, winning another region and district title, and then appearing in Enid, Oklahoma for the NJCAA DII World Series. McCarry's 2023 team went 40-17, tied for second all-time in program history in wins, and the Falcons won region and district gold, while also winning two games at the NJCAA DII World Series. McCarry is a southeastern Pennsylvania native, and he has ties to Northeast PA dating back to his time playing at Keystone College in 2003. McCarry started his collegiate coaching career at LaSalle University, where he served as the head assistant. He moved on the Stephen F. Austin as a pitching coach, before joining the Lackawanna staff. He is 176-110 in his career at Lackawanna.
 
About Delaware County CC
The Phantoms (1-13-1) won their first game of the year against the Atlantic Cape Club team, but have either lost or tied every game they've played since. Delco has dropped ten straight games, most recently losing a doubleheader against Northampton CC on March 22^nd, losing 23-1 and 22-7 to the Spartans. In game one, Northampton built a 13-1 lead through the first four innings and ended the day with three doubles and four triples, while compiling 21 total hits. In game two, Delco took the early lead in game two after two innings, but Northampton scored the next 22 runs over the next four innings, running away for the victory. The Spartans had 22 total hits and six extra-base knocks, which included two doubles, two triples, and two homers.
 
Delco is hitting .206 as a team this season, with a collective .611 OPS. The Phantoms have scored 56 runs, averaging 3.7 runs per contest. Delco has 16 extra-base hits, with 13 doubles and three home runs. The Phantoms have 56 walks and 121 strikeouts this season, and they have stolen 43 bases on the year.
 
The Phantoms' pitching staff has an 11.04 ERA this season, pitching in 89.2 innings on the year. They have given up 166 runs, 110 earned, on 157 hits, walking 75 and striking out 66 this year. Opponents are hitting .393 on the year, and they have 30 doubles, 17 triples, and three home runs.
 
Defensively, Delco has a .854 fielding percentage and has committed 59 errors on the year. The Phantoms have caught one runner trying to steal this season.
 
First-year player Gabriel Murphy leads the team with ten total hits and a .270 batting average through eleven games this year. Murphy has scored a team-high nine runs, and he leads the Phantoms with three doubles this year. Murphy has drawn four walks and has a team-high nine stolen bases this season. Murphy has a .723 OPS on the season. He has one multi-hit game this season, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double against Middlesex on March 18^th. Murphy did not play against Northampton last weekend.
 
First-year player Steven Perez has nine total hits and a .273 batting average so far this season. He has three runs in 13 games, with two RBIs and a team-high nine walks. He's tied with Murphy for the team-high with three doubles this season. His .442 OBP is third on the team this season. Perez has one multi-hit game, going 3-for-4 with a double in the loss to Cumberland back on March 15^th. He was a combined 1-for-3 with a run scored and four walks in two games against Northampton this past Saturday.
 
First-year player Landyn Washington has nine hits in seven games and a .346 batting average this season. Washington has a .870 OPS and leads the team with eleven RBIs on the year and three extra-base hits, with two doubles and a triple. Washington has eight stolen bases, second on the team. He has three multi-hit games on the year and was a combined 3-for-8 with four RBIs and a double in two games against Northampton CC.
 
First-year player Jarrett Mayes has seven total hits in nine games, hitting .318 on the season. Mayes has a .909 OPS on the year, leading the Phantoms with a .500 OBP. Mayes has scored three runs and has two doubles and six RBIs. Mayes has two multi-hit games on the year, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs against Atlantic Cape on March 10^th, and then going 2-for-4 with a double and two more RBIs against Williamson College on March 12^th. Mayes did not play against Northampton this past weekend, and he hasn't played since March 15th.
 
First-year outfielder Michael Turner has seven total hits in nine games, hitting .280 on the year. Turner has scored six runs, third on the team, and has driven in seven runs, second on the Phantoms this year. Turner has a triple and six walks, and he has stolen seven bases. Turner has one multi-hit game on the year, his first game against Salem CC back on March 8^th, going 2-for-3 with a run scored in a 10-6 loss. He was held hitless in six at-bats against Northampton over the weekend.
 
Sophomore pitcher Hunter Whitten leads the Phantoms in innings pitched (24) and is tied in appearances (8). He is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA this season. Whitten has surrendered 37 runs, 24 earned, on 35 hits, striking out 20 and walking eleven. Whitten got the win in three innings of work against Atlantic Cape Club back on February 28^th, striking out a season-high seven in the 10-2 win. He was hit hard on Saturday by Northampton, giving up 14 runs, 12 earned, on 13 hits in just 3.1 innings in the 22-7 loss to the Spartans.
 
First-year pitcher Matt Delacruz is second on the team in innings pitched (18.1), making six appearances this year. Delacruz is 0-2 with a 11.29 ERA this season, giving up 32 runs, 23 earned, on 32 hits. He has struck out 20 batters and walked 17. Delacruz had a season-best eleven strikeouts in four scoreless innings against Atlantic Cape club on February 28^th. He took the loss against Williamson College on March 12^th, striking out six in 4.1 innings, where he gave up seven runs, four earned, on five hits. He was hit hard in his last outing, giving up eleven runs, nine earned, on nine hits and six walks in 3.2 innings of the 23-1 loss to Northampton CC.
 
First-year hurler Jeremy Cronin is tied with Whitten for the team-high in appearances (8) and has thrown 14.1 innings so far this year. Cronin has a 15.70 ERA this season, giving up 30 runs, 25 earned, on 37 hits, walking 16 and striking out only four. Cronin's longest outing was pitching 3.1 innings against Cumberland back on March 15^th, giving up ten runs on ten hits in the 21-4 loss. His last appearance was 1.2 innings of relief against Northampton in game two on March 22^nd, walking three and giving up five runs on six hits in the 22-7 loss.
 
The head coach for the Phantoms is Ryan Hunter. Coach Hunter is a Wilmington, Delaware native, and he played his college baseball at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. After his collegiate days, Hunter became a coach, starting at the Freire Charter School in Wilmington, where he was the first-ever head baseball coach. Coach Hunter served as the hitting coach at Williamson College before coming to Delco.
 
The Match-Up
The Falcons have not played Delaware County CC in the last five years. They've had a few games scheduled, but those games were either cancelled or postponed and not made up.
 
First pitch of Wednesday's game will happen at 3:30pm ET at the baseball field on Delaware County CC's Marple campus. There will be no video livestream available. The best way to keep informed of what's happening is to follow the Lackawanna College baseball X account at x.com/falconsbase.
 
The Falcons get back to Region XIX Division II play this weekend, when they are set to take on Raritan Valley CC. The first game of the three-game series is scheduled for 3:00pm ET on Friday, March 28^th, at Scranton HS baseball field in Scranton.