After a fall season that saw his team take one first- and two second-place finishes in six multi-team outings, and with everyone returning, Pennsylvania College of Technology golf coach Rob Lytle has his squad primed for more success.
“We’ve been able to get out (practicing) quite a bit. The late winter has been fairly mild. Even though we got a couple of snows, we’ve been out. We’re good,” the second-year coach said.
ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats are scheduled to open their season Saturday and Sunday in the Penn State Division III Challenge on Penn State’s Blue and White courses. Last year in the same event, they finished fourth in a six-team field behind Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Abington, host Penn State Altoona, and ahead of Penn State Behrend and Penn State Berks.
“I modified the schedule a little bit this year. We used to play some March tournaments, but March has always been a rough month (weather-wise). Our focus is on our conference championship (in late April), so I just backloaded our schedule with all tournaments in April. I think it’s going to work out,” Lytle said.
Sophomore transfer Peyton Mussina, of Montoursville, emerged as the team’s top golfer in the fall, with a scoring average of 75 over eight rounds of competition. He medaled in the United East Fall Preview with a 71 and finished second (after a tiebreaker), third and fourth in other events.
Also returning and expected to start in the opener are sophomore Gavin Baer, of Bainbridge, named to last year’s United East second team; sophomore Will Orwig, of Mifflintown; junior Trevor Keaton, of Worcester; and freshman Gunner Redmond, of Lock Haven.
In the fall, Orwig had a scoring average of 81, Keaton an 82, Baer an 84 and Redmond an 86.
Lytle expects those numbers to come down as the spring season progresses.
“The kids on the team worked really hard over the winter,” the coach said, noting that more competitive tournaments will help sharpen their individual games for the conference championships.
The Wildcats won the UE Fall Preview, topping a seven-team field with a 314-total score on the Hanover Country Club course. On April 29 and 30, they are scheduled to host the championships at the 6,781-yard, par 73 Clinton Country Club course in Mill Hall.
“The ultimate goal at the end of the day is the conference championship. That’s our goal. That’s our focus,” Lytle reiterated.
“I’m looking forward to the season. The team definitely is looking forward to the season. The players are motivated. They have been working together to get ready for the spring. With us moving our schedule back a little bit to April, it gives us our best opportunity to play golf in better weather and have some success,” the coach added.
FLASHBACK
Baseball
Hosting crosstown rival Lycoming College on Tuesday, Penn College lost, 12-4, and then won, 7-3.
A two-run double in the sixth inning by Jake Wagner, of Palmyra, highlighted the opener for the Wildcats, who stranded 11 base runners.
In the nightcap, Penn College fell behind 3-0 early before a two-run single by Shane Price, of Kersey, and a three-run double by Quinn Hanafin, of Sayre, helped starting pitcher Zac Weaver, of Pottstown, to his third win of the season without a loss.
Back in United East play on Friday at home against Gallaudet University, the Wildcats took both games of a twin bill by scores of 4-2 and 9-7 to go above .500 for the first time this season at 9-8 overall after their third straight win.
Wagner had two hits and scored twice in the first game and starting pitcher Justin Porter, of Fairless Hills, earned his first win with a six-strikeout, one-walk showing over five innings.
A two-run single in the six by Jacob Carles, of Bernville, provided the winning runs in the second-game victory – he finished with four RBIs during the game – and Ben Bretzman, of Bendersville, picked up the mound win with six innings of seven-strikeout, two-walk relief.
Wrapping up the three-game series on Sunday at Gallaudet, the Wildcats overcame a 4-0 deficit and improved to 5-1 in the UE and 10-8 overall with a 20-7 win, their biggest offensive outburst of the season. Since 2015, Penn College has won 17 of 18 games against Gallaudet.
Cameron Dick, of Dillsburg, went 5 for 5 at the plate with five RBIs and two runs scored, while Hanafin went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Carles went 4 for 7 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Anthony Barbella, of Livingston, New Jersey, went 2 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored to pace the offense. Starting pitcher Chance Webb, of Hughesville, went six innings, fanning six, and improved to 3-2.
United East standings through Sunday: Penn State Harrisburg, 4-0; Penn College, 5-1; St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 2-1; Penn State Berks, 2-2; Penn State Abington, 2-2; Wells College, 1-3; Gallaudet University, 1-5; Lancaster Bible College, 0-3.
Softball
Hosting Elmira College in nonconference play on Monday, Penn College split, losing 2-1 and winning 1-0. In 12 games between the two teams since 2010, Elmira has won 10 times.
In the opener, pitcher MacKenzie Weaver, of Montoursville, had a two-hit, two-walk, 10-strikeout performance but came out on the short end as both Elmira runs were unearned after Wildcat errors.
In the second game, Kyla Benner, of Bethlehem, tossed a four-hit, 10-strikeout, one-walk shutout, and Hailey DeBrody, of Cogan Station, doubled and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Maddie Hurst, of Mechanicsburg, in the fifth inning for the game’s only run.
Back in action against crosstown rival Lycoming College on Tuesday, the Wildcats swept both games for the first time since the series began in 2009, winning the first, 1-0, and the second, 3-2, to go to 6-4 overall. Lycoming leads the series dating to 2009 between the two teams, 10-3.
In the first-game shutout, Weaver fanned eight and walked none to even her season record at 3-3. Weaver aided her cause in the first inning with a two-out single to center that plated the game’s only run.
In the second contest, Madison Shaffer, of Trout Run, had a two-run single in the third, and Hurst followed with an RBI single for all of Penn College’s runs, while starting pitcher Benner and reliever Johanna Devore, of Montoursville, held Lycoming in check with Devore picking up her first mound win.
United East standings through Sunday: Gallaudet University, 2-0; Penn College, 0-0; Penn State Harrisburg, 0-0; Penn State Abington, 0-0; Penn State Berks, 0-0; Lancaster Bible College, 0-0; Wells College, 0-2.
Men’s lacrosse
At Alvernia College in nonconference play on Wednesday, Penn College won, 14-3, with a two-goal, three-assist effort by James Thatcher, of Bala Cynwyd, leading the way. The Wildcats led in shots, 45-22.
Hosting La Roche University in UE action on Saturday, Penn College used a 13-goal first period and matched its highest-scoring output ever in a 26-0 shutout to go to 1-1 in the conference and 8-2 overall with its third straight win. A year ago, it topped La Roche, 26-1. Leading the offense this time was Quinn Caviola, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, who scored three goals and added five assists. Sam Hills, of Maynard, Massachusetts, and Harrison Schlachta, of Collegeville, also scored hat tricks for the Wildcats, while Joey Rebilas, of Pennsauken, New Jersey, won 10 of 11 faceoffs.
Earlier in the week, freshman Croix Teter, of Mechanicsburg, was named United East Men’s Offensive Player of the Week for March 13-19 after his three-goal, three-assist and double-groundball scoop effort in a 15-13 win on March 18 against Immaculata University.
UE standings through Sunday: St. Mary’s (Md.) College, 1-0; Penn College, 1-1; SUNY Morrisville, 0-0; Wells College, 0-0; Hilbert College, 0-0; La Roche University, 0-1.
Men’s/women’s tennis
Penn College’s tennis teams split in nonconference home matches against Juniata College on Thursday, the women winning, 6-3, to go to 2-3 overall and the men falling by the same score and leveling their record at 2-2.
Georgia Macensky, of Wellsboro, led the women’s team with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles.
On Tuesday, freshman Ellen Buckley, of Binghamton, New York, was named United East Women’s Player of the Week for March 13-19 after she helped propel Penn College to a 6-3 win over Clarks Summit University in its spring season opener on March 18 with a win at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles with teammate Lauren Peck, of South Williamsport.
SCHEDULES/RECORDS
Baseball
Overall: 10-8
UE: 5-1
(Home games at Bowman Field)
Tuesday, March 21 – host Lycoming College (2), L, 12-4; W, 7-3
Friday, March 24 – host Gallaudet University (UE, 2), W, 4-2; W, 9-7
Sunday, March 26 – at Gallaudet University (UE), W, 20-7
Monday, March 27 – host Mt. Aloysius College, 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 29 – at Cairn University, 3 p.m.
Friday, March 31 – host St. Mary’s (Md.) College (UE), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 1 – host St. Mary’s (Md.) College (UE, 2), noon
Friday, April 7 – host Wells College (UE), 3 p.m.
Softball
Overall: 6-4
UE: 0-0
(Home games at Elm Park)
Monday, March 20 – host Elmira College (2), L, 2-1; W, 1-0
Tuesday, March 21 – host Lycoming College (2), W, 1-0; W, 3-2
Saturday, March 25 – host Penn State Altoona (2), ppd.
Wednesday, March 29 – host Penn State Altoona (2), 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 1 – host Wells College (UE, 2), 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 – at Penn State Berks (UE, 2), 3 p.m.
Friday, April 7 – host Gallaudet University (UE, 2), 3 p.m.
Men’s lacrosse
Overall: 8-2
UE: 1-1
Wednesday, March 22 – at Alvernia University, W, 14-3
Saturday, March 25 – host La Roche University (UE), W, 26-0
Wednesday, March 29 – host Bryn Athyn College, 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 1 – at SUNY Morrisville (UE), 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 8 – at Kean University, 1 p.m.
Men’s tennis
Overall: 2-2
UE: 0-0
(All home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Thursday, March 23 – host Juniata College, L, 6-3
Sunday, April 2 – host King’s College, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 – at Penn State Berks (UE), 1 p.m.
Friday, April 7 – host Penn State Abington (UE), 3 p.m.
Women’s tennis
Overall: 2-3
UE: 0-0
(All home matches at Central PA Tennis Center)
Thursday, March 23 – host Juniata College, W, 6-3
Sunday, April 2 – host King’s College, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 – at Penn State Berks (UE), 1 p.m.
Friday, April 7 – host Penn State Abington (UE), 3 p.m.
Golf
Saturday, April 1 – Penn State Division III Challenge Day 1 at Penn State Blue Course, noon
Sunday, April 2 – Penn State Division III Challenge Day 2 at Penn State White Course, 10 a.m.
Esports
(All events at Wildcat Den)
iRacing
Monday, March 20 – CIL Cup Series-Brickyard, 27 and 31 of 36
Tuesday, March 21 – ENASCAR -Round 3 Michigan International Speedway, 6 of 40
Wednesday, March 29 – CIL Short Track Showdown-Richmond Raceway, 8 p.m.
Monday, April 3 – CIL Cup Series-Charlotte, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 – CIL Formula College World Championship – Watkins Glen, 8 p.m.
Monday, April 10 – CIL Cup Series-Michigan, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 12 – CIL Short Track Showdown-Nashville Fairgrounds, 8 p.m.
Monday, April 17 – CIL Cup Series-Bristol, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 18 – CIL Formula College World Championship-Interlagos, 8 p.m.
Monday, April 24 – CIL Cup Series-Homestead, Miami, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26 – CIL Short Track Showdown-Five Flags Speedway, 8 p.m.
NACE Rocket League Varsity
Record: 0-6
Monday, March 20 – vs. Lawrence Technological University, L, 3-0 (2-1, 2-1, 5-2)
NACE Overwatch 2
Record: 0-7
Tuesday, March 21 – vs. George Mason University, L, 3-0 (2-1, 3-1, 3-0)
NACE Valorant
Record: 0-6
Wednesday, March 22 – vs. Ferris State University, L, 2-0 (13-9, 13-8)
For more about the United East, visit the conference website.
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website.
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