Lancaster Bible College Athletics

The #4-seed Lancaster Bible College Baseball team concluded their 2026 season in dramatic and historic fashion in the United East Championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating #2-seed Penn St. Harrisburg 6-3 to force an extra game before falling to the Lions by a score of 13-5 in the title game. The Chargers cap their season with a program-best 22 wins at 22-18 overall while the Lions improve to 33-13 overall and capture the United East crown for the fifth time and first since 2023 to earn the automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
Game 1: 6-3 Win
 
How it Happened:
As in the first matchup, the Lions struck in the 1st inning with two early runs to gain a 2-0 advantage and limiting the Chargers to just one hit over the first four innings. Needing a spark, Logan Grimm (Fr.) and Shane Stephan (Jr.) each hit singles in the top of the 5th for Tanner Smith (Sr.), sending a single up the middle to score Grimm and get LBC on the board. The very next batter was Dylan Witkowski (Sr.), who delivered a go-ahead, two-run home run shot to left center that put the Chargers on top 3-2 to cap a big rally. After the defense got out of a pair of Harrisburg jams the next two innings, the Chargers added some insurance runs in the top of the 8th as Evan Sareyka (Sr.) hit a RBI-double down the right field line and Donavan Boles (So.) brought Sareyka home on a sacrifice fly, extending the LBC lead to three. After a rain delay, the Lions added another run after a pair of doubles to cut the lead to two, then a double play on defense ended the threat. The Chargers added another in the 9th as Witkowski hit a sacrifice fly to score CJ Peterson (So.), then the LBC defense retired the Lions in order to close out their program-record 22nd win and force a game seven in the United East Championship.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers scored five runs on seven hits and five RBI with one error, while the Lions had three runs on nine hits and three RBI with one error
- Dylan Witkowski led the Chargers with a 2-3 game including a double, a two-run homer, and three RBI
- Tanner Smith had a game-high three hits with one RBI and one run scored
- Evan Sareyka went 1-4 with a double and the game-winning RBI in the 8th
- Caleb Kiraly (Fr.) (W, 3-0) got his first career playoff win, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed, while Evan Sareyka (S, 2) picked up the save with the final 4.0 innings, allowing just one run on six hits and no walks with two strikeouts
- The Lions were led by Blaine Waltimyer on 2-4 from the plate with a two-run home run

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Game 2: 5-13 Loss
 
How it Happened:
After a 1-2-3 1st inning by starter Noah Robinette (Jr.), the Chargers grabbed the early advantage as Dylan Witkowski hit his second home run of the day on a solo shot to left center to a 1-0 LBC lead. The Lions loaded the bases in the 3rd and tied the game on a sacrifice fly, but that was all as the Chargers limited the damage to one. The Chargers returned the favor in the bottom frame as they loaded the bases with no outs, taking the lead after Logan Grimm scored on a double play to put LBC back in front. Then, Evan Sareyka delivered a huge three-run blast to left field, extending the Charger lead to 5-1 after three innings. The Lions strung together several hits in the 5th inning to get back in the game with two runs, with the score remaining at 5-3 through six innings. Harrisburg came back and seized the lead after a seven-run 7th inning and two LBC pitching changes, making it a 10-5 game in favor of the Lions. Harrisburg added three more in the final two innings and shut down the Chargers, clinching the win for the United East title.
 
By the Numbers:
- The Chargers scored five runs on six hits and four RBI with two errors, while the Lions had 13 runs on 19 hits and 13 RBI with one error
- Evan Sareyka had a game-high three RBI for the Chargers on a three-run homer in the 3rd
- Dylan Witkowski went 1-3 with a solo home run, two walks, and two runs scored
- The Lions were led by Nathan Lapp with a game-high four hits while Coy Schwanger and Nathan Schurga each had three RBI
 
Information to Know:
The Chargers are now 2-6 in the postseason all-time against Penn St. Harrisburg and defeated the Lions in a game for the first time since game one of the NEAC Semifinals in 2021. This marks the end of the Chargers' deepest postseason run in program history, playing seven playoff games and collecting five total playoff victories as a new program best. The Chargers set a new program record this season with 22 wins, breaking the previous mark of 21 wins set twice in both the 2016 and 2024 seasons. Dylan Witkowski tied the LBC single-season record with his 12th home run in game two, launching six total home runs this postseason and now holding the all-time playoff record for the Chargers for a season and a career. The end of the season marks the end of the careers for four graduating LBC seniors, including #13 Dylan Witkowski, #26 Evan Sareyka, #17 Paulie Brosious, and #4 Tanner Smith. Witkowski caps his four years with the Chargers as the program's all-time hits leader with 233 with 95 total extra-base hits and 33 total home runs. He finishes with a career batting average of over .400 and 157 total RBI, including a career-high 57 RBI during the 2026 season to lead the Chargers. On the mound, Dylan threw 114.2 total innings with 92 total strikeouts and seven wins for the Chargers. Sareyka finishes his career with 196 total hits with 66 extra-base hits and 30 total home runs. Evan racked up 161 total RBI across his four seasons, holding the single-season program record with 62 total RBI in 2025. Sareyka also threw 121.1 total innings on the mound for the Chargers, striking out 80 total batters including a team-best 32 strikeouts this season. Evan also earned 10 total victories on the mound with two saves. Brosious threw 16.1 total innings for LBC in his two seasons with 15 appearances, striking out 13 with a 1-1 record. Smith joined the Chargers for his final season, ranking fourth on the team with a .336 batting average on 43 hits with 31 total RBI, including 14 extra-base hits and six stolen bases in 33 games played for the Chargers.
 
This marks the end of the 2026 season for the Baseball team. Congratulations to the Chargers on a historic campaign and a conference runner-up finish!!