Marietta set to host Misericordia in Super Regional
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MARIETTA -- Despite losing seven starters and two of the top pitchers from last year's squad, the Marietta College baseball team stands just two wins away from a return trip to the Division III College World Series.
The Pioneers, who are 37-11 after sweeping last week's regional tournament, needed new players to step up and deliver to meet the program's lofty expectations, and that's exactly what they've done. And they'll need to keep it up this week as Marietta welcomes Misericordia to town for a best-of-three Super Regional, with the winner advancing to the championship tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The series begins Friday with Game 1 scheduled for a noon start at Don and Sue Schaly Field at Pioneer Park.
Brian Brewer, in his 20th year at the helm for MC, is looking to guide the Etta Express to the World Series for the sixth time in his tenure. He's relied heavily on two-way players Brett Carson and Trent Valentine to help get the Pioneers this far.
Carson has been a terror at the plate, batting .424 with 12 home runs and 57 runs-batted-in, all team-highs.
The left-hander also has been dominant on the mound. Carson owns a 5-2 record, a 1.95 earned-run average and has struck out 64 batters in 50 2-3 innings.
Valentine established himself as the ace of the pitching staff last year and has put together another strong season in 2023. The southpaw is 7-0 on the mound with a 3.39 ERA. He's fanned 63 batters in 77 innings. Valentine has also played regularly in the outfield and is batting .325 with two home runs and 27 RBIs. He's expected to start Game 1 against Misericordia.
The Cougars (37-13) fell to Salve Regina in the winner's bracket at last week's regional, but came back to beat the hosts twice on the final day to advance.
Misericordia, guided by 14th-year head coach Pete Egbert, brings a relentless lineup to Marietta.
Leadoff man Garrett McIlhenney is batting .400 with five homers and 35 RBIs. He's also a nightmare on the basepaths with 40 stolen bases in 44 attempts.
Connor Maryniak has a team-high seven home runs, while Brady Madden has hit six longballs. Derrick Vosburg is batting .346 with four homers and a team-high 61 RBIs.
Jason Sanfilippo (.388, 2 HRs, 31 RBIs) and Brock Bollinger (.377, 4 HRs, 48 RBIs) are other big-time threats in the Cougars' lineup.
Misericordia has quality pitchers, but the Cougars have been scored upon quite a bit of late. Opponents plated 8.2 runs per game against them in the regional tournament.
Tyler Leonard leads the team in innings pitched at 61 1-3. He's 6-3 with a 4.84 ERA. David McCurry (6-1, 3.86 ERA, 60 2-3 IPs), Steve Rinda (6-4, 3.88 ERA, 58 IPs), Max Oliver (4-1, 4.18 ERA, 51 2-3 IPs) and Joe Valenti (2-1, 3.02 ERA, 47 2-3 IPs) are other arms the Cougars could go to throughout the series.
Along with Valentine and Carson, Marietta has plenty of firepower in its pitching staff. Kail Hill is a 10-game winner this season with a 3.09 ERA and 64 Ks in 67 innings. Gino Sabatine is 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA and has pitched in a lot of big games throughout his career. Out of the bullpen, Forrest Havanis (.73 ERA, 24 2-3 IPs), Gabe Torres (2.38 ERA, 22 2-3 IPs) and Zach Marzetz (4-0, 3.38 ERA, 40 IPs) all have been effective this spring.
The Pioneers' most common lineup of late has been Ben Kaplin at catcher (.336, 2 HRs, 26 RBIs), Austin Amburgey at first base (.314, 4 HRs, 26 RBIs), Alex Richter at second (.379, 7 HRs, 43 RBIs), Matthew Busby at shortstop (.278, 20 RBIs) and Nick Bonnizzio at third (.374, 2 HRs, 44 RBIs) with Ty Davis (.364, 5 HRs, 53 RBIs), Carson and Cole Rieman (.342, 28 RBIs) in the outfield. Valentine, Hill (.278, 1 HR, 17 RBIs) and Cole Yeager (.297, 2 HRs, 23 RBIs) are other guys to keep any eye on.