BY JOHN REED
SC Staff Writer
With East Stroudsburg University’s campus still firmly in the grip of a cold and snowy winter, the Warriors baseball team has spent the first six weeks of their season on the road.
Despite these conditions, the Warriors (13-6, 1-3) find themselves ranked No. 3 in the NCBWA Division II Atlantic Region poll.
As late as last week they were sitting in the at No. 2, and No. 20 in Division II, but over the past weekend the Warriors dropped three of four games against division foe Millersville, who leap-frogged them in the rankings.
The defending PSAC champions began the season on a tear – winning their first eight contests. Their first loss occurred during the second of a doubleheader against Pitt-Johnstown on March 1. The Warriors offense failed to score a run in the 2-0 loss.
After the hot start to their season, the Warriors have cooled off following the Pitt-Johnstown contest and have been treading water—going 5-5 over their last ten games.
The Warriors will be traveling down to Philadelphia on Thursday, March 27, for a doubleheader against Philadelphia University.
With little time to rest, the Warriors will take on No. 1-ranked Shippensburg (14-3, 2-0) in a home-and-home on Friday and Saturday.
Shippensburg is riding a 10-game winning streak heading into this week.
They have been averaging 6.3 runs over that span and over their last four games have increased their run production to 8.3 per game.
In the four game series against Millersville, ESU scored a total of 18 runs, but in two of the three losses they scored only a total of four runs.
Saturday’s doubleheader against Shippensburg is also Military Appreciation Day as the Warriors will honor members of the military.
Email John at:
jreed18@live.esu.edu