By the end of the week, all of the Pennsylvania College of Technology spring sports teams should be in action as the golf and men’s tennis squads get underway, the softball team resumes play after a 21-day layoff, and baseball and women’s tennis continue their seasons.
Golf
The Wildcats golf team had a busy fall and after five invitational events capped it with a 10th-place finish at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. But over the winter came mostly inactivity, and seventh-year coach Matt Haile is hopeful that what work his golfers did get in will pay dividends.
“We had an indoor golf net (on campus) and several of my guys took advantage of that and were able to stay fresh. … They weren’t as rusty; there’s still a little bit of rust to work off, but they’re coming along,” Haile said.
Starters in Monday’s opener at Lebanon Valley will be freshmen Ned Baumbach, of Elizabethtown; Justin Geebey, of Selinsgrove; Mike Johnson, of Towanda; Ryen Persun, of Linden; and sophomore Tyler Marks, of Forked River, New Jersey. According to the coach, junior Alex Stashik, of Nanticoke, is expected to work his way into the starting lineup as the season progresses.
“Ned was the most consistent player last fall, he averaged around 80-81. I’d like to see him break under 80 and he definitely has the ability,” Haile said. “Justin Geebey is going to be a big help. … He’s got the firepower to be in the 70s to low 80s each match. He’s been doing great in practice.
“It’s just a matter of shaking off a little rust and as the weather gets nicer and they get some more reps (repetitions) in, I look forward to the rest of the season leading up to our championships.”
The NEAC championships are scheduled April 23-24 at Cobleskill, New York.
“With the hard work that they continue to do, good things are going to come; if not this season, then next, because they’re all coming back, to my knowledge,” Haile added.
Men’s Tennis
“We’re looking pretty good so far. Practices have been going pretty well,” coach Robert Kemrer said. The Wildcats open Thursday at Summit University.
In singles matches, veteran seniors Ben Leibig, of Lebanon, will play at No. 1 and Chris Morrin, of Morrisville, will be at No. 2 while freshmen Ethan Rosler, of Bloomsburg, will be at No. 3; Nick Rausch, of Shoemakersville, at No. 4; Nolan Lester, of Perkiomenville, at No. 6; and Andrew Welsh, of Chadds Ford, at No. 6. Doubles teams will consist of Leibig-Morrin at No. 1, Rosler-Lester at No. 2 and Welsh-Rausch at No. 3.
Assessing his team going into North Eastern Athletic Conference action after a 1-4 nonconference fall season, Kemrer, in his fifth year as coach, said, “We’re coming off kind of a rough fall, but I feel like that has prepared us … I’m looking forward to the competition and I expect us to do well in our upcoming matches.”
Softball
Penn College came out of South Carolina hot; going 4-4 after winning its last three games in a row during which it scored 34 runs. Now it has to overcome a three-week layoff.
“The break is the hardest because of the momentum (we had). … The toughest part is trying to continue that (momentum) without games. We’ve tried to put ourselves in game-type situations, and, while it’s been competitive and fun, we’re trying to avoid going through the motions,” first-year coach Jackie Klahold said.
That should all change when the Wildcats step back into action on Thursday with a twin bill at Alfred State.
“I was pleasantly surprised in a lot of areas (in South Carolina). There were definitely more positives,” Klahold said, mentioning how well her players hit and played defense.
“The amount of runs we put up really made me happy. Not only did we have a lot of hits, but we had timely hits,” the coach said, adding that, in eight games, her players committed just eight errors.
Pitchers for the Wildcats include sophomore right-hander Amanda Kustanbauter, of Muncy, and freshmen left-handers Lauren Stehman, of Elliottsburg, and Taylor Brooks, of Cogan Station.
“With all of our pitchers, we have high expectations,” Klahold said.
Offensive leaders coming out of South Carolina, according to the coach, include freshmen right fielder Taylor Krow, of Mechanicsburg; catcher Maddie Wenk, of Biglerville; and shortstop Kelsey Gantz, of South Williamsport; and senior center fielder Nicole Lo Furno, of Glen Mills. Krow hit .481, Wenk .421 and, in addition to pitching, Brooks hit .417.
Flashing good leather defensively were freshmen third baseman Elizabeth Asher, of East Stroudsburg, and second baseman Tiana McCormick, of Williamsport.
“We’ve been working hard and a lot of things that we’ve been doing have been working.
“Our outlook is to compete in every game. I think that competing in every game, especially with a very young team, we’re going to be able to pull it together and surprise some teams out there. All we need to do is play strong defense, have some strong pitching and have some timely hits. If we can do that, we should be able to compete with anybody out there,” Klahold said.
Women’s Tennis
Facing crosstown rival Lycoming College on Thursday, Penn College lost, 6-3, to drop to 1-5 overall. Winning for the Wildcats were Melissa Stabley, of Cogan Station, at No. 1 singles; Megan Bartlett, of Montgomery, at No. 4 singles; and Jane Herman, of Greencastle, at No. 6 singles.
Baseball
In action for its first time in nearly two weeks, the Wildcats battled at Wilkes University on Tuesday through eight scoreless innings before Wilkes scored with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 1-0 win. Pitcher Trevor Dolin, of Elliottsburg, worked six innings for Penn College before giving way to Devon Sanders, of Bloomsburg, who took the mound loss. Richard Lennon, of Morgantown, and Noah Esposito, of Williamsport, each had two hits for the Wildcats, who stranded six runners on base.
Pitcher Cody Nelson, of South Williamsport, was sharp in the first game of a Thursday home doubleheader against Alfred State as he struck out 14 batters during six innings of two-hit work in an 8-2 win. Jeremy Rall, of Williamsport; Cole Hoffman, of Newtown; and Cole Weachock, of Pottsville, each had two hits at the top of the lineup for the Wildcats and Hoffman, Lennon and Carlos Rodriguez, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, each had doubles. In the second game, a 9-3 Penn College loss, Alfred starting pitcher Brady Sass had the hot hand in shutting down the Wildcats. Hoffman went 3 for 4 and Lennon 2 for 4 at the plate for Penn College.
Hosting Pitt-Bradford on Saturday, the Wildcats split, losing 3-0 and then winning 3-0 to complete a 2-3 week and move to 5-9 on the season. In the opening loss, Dylan Scaringi, of Coatesville, had two of Penn College’s five hits, including a double. In the second-game win, Aaron Palmer, of Hanover, tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out five and walking one to improve to 2-0 on the season. Taylor Vandergrift, of Quakertown, and Connor Doherty, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, each had two-out RBI singles in the fourth inning to pace the Wildcats’ offense.
Baseball
Overall record: 5-9
Tuesday, March 22 – at Wilkes University, L, 1-0
Thursday, March 24 – host Alfred State at Bowman Field, W, 8-2; L, 9-3
Saturday, March 26 – host Pitt-Bradford at Bowman Field, L, 3-0; W, 3-0
Tuesday, March 29 – host Marywood University at Bowman Field, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – host SUNY Poly (NEAC) at Bowman Field (2), 2 p.m.
Wednesday, April 6 – host Summit University at Bowman Field (2), 2 p.m.
Softball
Overall record: 4-4
Thursday, March 31 – at Alfred State College (2), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at SUNY Poly (NEAC) (2), 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 3 – at SUNY Cobleskill (NEAC) (2), noon
Tuesday, April 5 – host Misericordia University at Elm Park (2), 3 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Overall record: 1-5
Thursday, March 24 – at Lycoming College, L, 6-3
Friday, April 1 – at Lancaster Bible College (NEAC), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at Penn State Berks (NEAC), 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 9 – host Bryn Athyn (NEAC), noon
Men’s Tennis
Overall record: 1-4
Wednesday, March 30 – at Summit University, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 1 – at Lancaster Bible College (NEAC), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at Penn State Berks (NEAC), 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 – host Bryn Athyn (NEAC), noon
Golf
Monday, March 28 – at Lebanon Valley College, noon
Friday, April 1 – at Susquehanna University, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 5 – host Lycoming College at White Deer, 1:30 p.m.
Archery
April 2-3 – Adam Wheatcroft Memorial at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Golf
The Wildcats golf team had a busy fall and after five invitational events capped it with a 10th-place finish at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. But over the winter came mostly inactivity, and seventh-year coach Matt Haile is hopeful that what work his golfers did get in will pay dividends.
“We had an indoor golf net (on campus) and several of my guys took advantage of that and were able to stay fresh. … They weren’t as rusty; there’s still a little bit of rust to work off, but they’re coming along,” Haile said.
Starters in Monday’s opener at Lebanon Valley will be freshmen Ned Baumbach, of Elizabethtown; Justin Geebey, of Selinsgrove; Mike Johnson, of Towanda; Ryen Persun, of Linden; and sophomore Tyler Marks, of Forked River, New Jersey. According to the coach, junior Alex Stashik, of Nanticoke, is expected to work his way into the starting lineup as the season progresses.
“Ned was the most consistent player last fall, he averaged around 80-81. I’d like to see him break under 80 and he definitely has the ability,” Haile said. “Justin Geebey is going to be a big help. … He’s got the firepower to be in the 70s to low 80s each match. He’s been doing great in practice.
“It’s just a matter of shaking off a little rust and as the weather gets nicer and they get some more reps (repetitions) in, I look forward to the rest of the season leading up to our championships.”
The NEAC championships are scheduled April 23-24 at Cobleskill, New York.
“With the hard work that they continue to do, good things are going to come; if not this season, then next, because they’re all coming back, to my knowledge,” Haile added.
Men’s Tennis
“We’re looking pretty good so far. Practices have been going pretty well,” coach Robert Kemrer said. The Wildcats open Thursday at Summit University.
In singles matches, veteran seniors Ben Leibig, of Lebanon, will play at No. 1 and Chris Morrin, of Morrisville, will be at No. 2 while freshmen Ethan Rosler, of Bloomsburg, will be at No. 3; Nick Rausch, of Shoemakersville, at No. 4; Nolan Lester, of Perkiomenville, at No. 6; and Andrew Welsh, of Chadds Ford, at No. 6. Doubles teams will consist of Leibig-Morrin at No. 1, Rosler-Lester at No. 2 and Welsh-Rausch at No. 3.
Assessing his team going into North Eastern Athletic Conference action after a 1-4 nonconference fall season, Kemrer, in his fifth year as coach, said, “We’re coming off kind of a rough fall, but I feel like that has prepared us … I’m looking forward to the competition and I expect us to do well in our upcoming matches.”
Softball
Penn College came out of South Carolina hot; going 4-4 after winning its last three games in a row during which it scored 34 runs. Now it has to overcome a three-week layoff.
“The break is the hardest because of the momentum (we had). … The toughest part is trying to continue that (momentum) without games. We’ve tried to put ourselves in game-type situations, and, while it’s been competitive and fun, we’re trying to avoid going through the motions,” first-year coach Jackie Klahold said.
That should all change when the Wildcats step back into action on Thursday with a twin bill at Alfred State.
“I was pleasantly surprised in a lot of areas (in South Carolina). There were definitely more positives,” Klahold said, mentioning how well her players hit and played defense.
“The amount of runs we put up really made me happy. Not only did we have a lot of hits, but we had timely hits,” the coach said, adding that, in eight games, her players committed just eight errors.
Pitchers for the Wildcats include sophomore right-hander Amanda Kustanbauter, of Muncy, and freshmen left-handers Lauren Stehman, of Elliottsburg, and Taylor Brooks, of Cogan Station.
“With all of our pitchers, we have high expectations,” Klahold said.
Offensive leaders coming out of South Carolina, according to the coach, include freshmen right fielder Taylor Krow, of Mechanicsburg; catcher Maddie Wenk, of Biglerville; and shortstop Kelsey Gantz, of South Williamsport; and senior center fielder Nicole Lo Furno, of Glen Mills. Krow hit .481, Wenk .421 and, in addition to pitching, Brooks hit .417.
Flashing good leather defensively were freshmen third baseman Elizabeth Asher, of East Stroudsburg, and second baseman Tiana McCormick, of Williamsport.
“We’ve been working hard and a lot of things that we’ve been doing have been working.
“Our outlook is to compete in every game. I think that competing in every game, especially with a very young team, we’re going to be able to pull it together and surprise some teams out there. All we need to do is play strong defense, have some strong pitching and have some timely hits. If we can do that, we should be able to compete with anybody out there,” Klahold said.
Women’s Tennis
Facing crosstown rival Lycoming College on Thursday, Penn College lost, 6-3, to drop to 1-5 overall. Winning for the Wildcats were Melissa Stabley, of Cogan Station, at No. 1 singles; Megan Bartlett, of Montgomery, at No. 4 singles; and Jane Herman, of Greencastle, at No. 6 singles.
Baseball
In action for its first time in nearly two weeks, the Wildcats battled at Wilkes University on Tuesday through eight scoreless innings before Wilkes scored with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 1-0 win. Pitcher Trevor Dolin, of Elliottsburg, worked six innings for Penn College before giving way to Devon Sanders, of Bloomsburg, who took the mound loss. Richard Lennon, of Morgantown, and Noah Esposito, of Williamsport, each had two hits for the Wildcats, who stranded six runners on base.
Pitcher Cody Nelson, of South Williamsport, was sharp in the first game of a Thursday home doubleheader against Alfred State as he struck out 14 batters during six innings of two-hit work in an 8-2 win. Jeremy Rall, of Williamsport; Cole Hoffman, of Newtown; and Cole Weachock, of Pottsville, each had two hits at the top of the lineup for the Wildcats and Hoffman, Lennon and Carlos Rodriguez, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, each had doubles. In the second game, a 9-3 Penn College loss, Alfred starting pitcher Brady Sass had the hot hand in shutting down the Wildcats. Hoffman went 3 for 4 and Lennon 2 for 4 at the plate for Penn College.
Hosting Pitt-Bradford on Saturday, the Wildcats split, losing 3-0 and then winning 3-0 to complete a 2-3 week and move to 5-9 on the season. In the opening loss, Dylan Scaringi, of Coatesville, had two of Penn College’s five hits, including a double. In the second-game win, Aaron Palmer, of Hanover, tossed a two-hit shutout, striking out five and walking one to improve to 2-0 on the season. Taylor Vandergrift, of Quakertown, and Connor Doherty, of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, each had two-out RBI singles in the fourth inning to pace the Wildcats’ offense.
Baseball
Overall record: 5-9
Tuesday, March 22 – at Wilkes University, L, 1-0
Thursday, March 24 – host Alfred State at Bowman Field, W, 8-2; L, 9-3
Saturday, March 26 – host Pitt-Bradford at Bowman Field, L, 3-0; W, 3-0
Tuesday, March 29 – host Marywood University at Bowman Field, 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – host SUNY Poly (NEAC) at Bowman Field (2), 2 p.m.
Wednesday, April 6 – host Summit University at Bowman Field (2), 2 p.m.
Softball
Overall record: 4-4
Thursday, March 31 – at Alfred State College (2), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at SUNY Poly (NEAC) (2), 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 3 – at SUNY Cobleskill (NEAC) (2), noon
Tuesday, April 5 – host Misericordia University at Elm Park (2), 3 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Overall record: 1-5
Thursday, March 24 – at Lycoming College, L, 6-3
Friday, April 1 – at Lancaster Bible College (NEAC), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at Penn State Berks (NEAC), 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 9 – host Bryn Athyn (NEAC), noon
Men’s Tennis
Overall record: 1-4
Wednesday, March 30 – at Summit University, 4 p.m.
Friday, April 1 – at Lancaster Bible College (NEAC), 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2 – at Penn State Berks (NEAC), 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 9 – host Bryn Athyn (NEAC), noon
Golf
Monday, March 28 – at Lebanon Valley College, noon
Friday, April 1 – at Susquehanna University, 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 5 – host Lycoming College at White Deer, 1:30 p.m.
Archery
April 2-3 – Adam Wheatcroft Memorial at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
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