The NCCAA East Region Playoffs were full of excitement last season with two of the three games being decided by one run. With all four of the teams' East Region records close, there is a good chance all three of Wednesday's games will be close as well. Below is a quick preview and notes about the semi-final matchups.
Wednesday's Schedule
9:30 a.m. - #4 Baptist Bible College vs. #1 Lancaster Bible College
12:30 p.m. - #3 Philadelphia Biblical University vs. #2 Valley Forge Christian College
3:30 p.m. - NCCAA East Region Championship Game
#4 Baptist Bible College vs. #1 Lancaster Bible College
-These two teams did not play each other prior to the playoffs because of rain last week. Because LBC held the tie-breaker over Valley Forge Christian, there was no need to make-up the games, because the seeds were determined when the Patriots' swept the Defenders on Monday.
-The Chargers defeated the Defenders last season in the East Region Semi-Final, 7-6.
-Senior Adam Mellor leads Baptist Bible College, hitting .319. Corbin Bower leads the team in hits with 18, while Jon Canazon and Mellor each have 15. Canazon also leads the Defenders in RBI with 14.
-BBC was 1-3 in East Region play this season, getting their lone win on April 9 in a 13-9 game one win against PBU.
-LBC is led by
Frank DiFilippo and his .434 batting average. He leads the team in most offensive categories; runs (18), hits (33), home runs (3) and RBI (24). He is slugging .671 and his on-base percentage is .470. In four East Region games this season, DiFilippo was 9-for-12 with 10 RBI and six runs scored.
-Freshman
Kody Godsey is third on the Chargers in batting average at .324. He was 6-for-14 with five RBI and four runs scored in four East Region games, while
Micah McClay was 6-for-10 in his four East Region starts.
-Sophomore
Sean Westerlund rounds out the Chargers' fearsome foursome, batting .316 this season and scoring six runs in East Region action.
-On the mound, LBC will turn to just about everyone on Wednesday, including three-game winners,
Richard Westerlund and
Patrick Hart.
Justin Long may get a start as well after dominating the Crimson Eagles in a 4-3 win two weeks ago.
Dan Merson and DiFilippo may also get the ball in relief.
#3 Philadelphia Biblical University vs. #2 Valley Forge Christian College
-The Crimson Eagles were 2-4 in East Region play, but one of those wins came against LBC in Lancaster. PBU took game one of a doubleheader against the Chargers, 13-12, before losing game two, 4-3.
-Jeremy McAlack leads the East Region in batting average at .452, while Shawn Bramble leads PBU in hits with 21 and runs batted in with 15. He and
Chad Hollinger lead the team in runs scored with 11.
-Pitcher Kyle Martin leads the pitching staff with 20 strikeouts this season.
-Valley Forge Christian had the most wins in the East Region this season with four, but lost twice to LBC, ensuring themselves the second seed for the second straight season.
-Matt McKenzie leads the team in hitting at .370, while Jon Kozak is the team leader in hits with 26.
-David Carment is the team leader in RBI with 16. He helped the Patriots outscore their East Region opponents, 48-16 in six games this year.
More Notes:
-The winner of the East Region will move on to the NCCAA Division II National Tournament in Mason, Ohio. The tournament will take place from May 11-14.
-Those attending tomorrow's games are asked to bring a canned food item to help support the Water Street Rescue Mission. At each regional tournament, the host team will pick a charity to donate food items to.
-While the weather looks OK for most of the day on Wednesday, please check the website to make sure game times are still the same.
