WILKES-BARRE – The fifth-seeded Wilkes University baseball squad is set to face fourth-seeded Arcadia University in a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) quarterfinal series this weekend.  Games one and two are set to be played in Glenside, Pa. this Saturday starting at noon., with game three back home at the Bruggeworth Field if needed this upcoming Sunday.
 
Live video and stats will be available to follow along with and can be found here through the Arcadia website. Per Arcadia's spectator policy, general admission, walk-ups, or guests from opposing schools will not be admitted.
 
Live stats for the third game at Bruggeworth Field, if needed, can be found here through the Wilkes website.
 
The Colonels enter the conference postseason having won 13 of their last 16 games to lay claim to the fifth slot in the conference playoffs.  The Navy and Gold have four qualifying hitters batting .300 or above.  Of the group, Nick Pronti (Wood-Ridge, NJ/Wood-Ridge) leads the Colonels with 33 RBIs and four home runs, while Dominick Bayo (Swoyersville, PA/Wyoming Valley West) has a team-leading 39 hits and leads the team with a .379 batting average.  Darren Kerdesky (Dallas, PA/Dallas) and Nick Malatesta (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) round out the group, with Kerdesky having a .419 on-base percentage and both batters having 28 hits on the season.
 
Michael Patrizio (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) led all Colonels with four triples and 24 walks as a batter and also stole 14 bases to lead the team.   Bayo also earned MAC Freedom Player of the Week honors on April 5th
 
Tony Molitoris (Hanover Twp., PA/Holy Redeemer) led all Colonels starters with a 2.98 ERA in 45.1 innings pitched.  He threw the second most strikeouts on the squad with 23, and posted a 5-1 record in his starts.  JT Hibschman (Millville, NJ/Millville) earned MAC Pitcher of the Week honors on April 26th, and led all pitchers with 26 strikeouts.  Andrew Indzonka (New Windsor, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) led all Colonels with three saves and broke the program's saves record this past season while also leading the pitching staff with a 2.45 ERA.
 
The Knights went 19-9 on the season, including a 3-1 series victory over the Colonels to open their 2021 slate.  Trevor Mattson led all Knights with a .455 average, six home runs, and tied the team lead with 25 RBIs.  The Knights lineup included six batters with .300 averages or better.  Luke Fournier led Arcadia with a 2.29 ERA and threw a team-leading 31 strikeouts as a pitcher in 35.1 innings pitched.  Hunter Curley posted a 3.00 ERA across 30 innings pitched.  Owen Margolis was a lights out closer for the Knights, with a 0.00 ERA and four saves to his name, and 10 strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched.

The 2021 MAC Freedom Baseball tournament begins this weekend, with eight teams playing in four quarterfinal series.   Each matchup will have a doubleheader at the higher seed and a third decisive game the next day at the lower seed if needed.  The top seed, Misericordia, hosts #8 Delaware Valley.  Number three Stevens hosts number six FDU-Florham, while second-seeded DeSales rounds out the quarterfinals with a series against number seven Kings.  The MAC Freedom Champion will earn the conference's NCAA Division III Championship automatic qualifier (AQ).
 
2021 MAC Freedom Championship t-shirts will only be available via online order through May 17. Championship merchandise features a teal moisture wicking short sleeve t-shirt with the championship logo on the front and all-conference team logos on the back for $18 plus additional shipping fees. To order a t-shirt, click here