Published: May 11, 2008 11:50 pm      

Mountain Cats get No. 4 seed in region

The Pitt-Johnstown baseball team earned the program’s second NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region Tournament berth when the pairings were released on Sunday.

The Mountain Cats (35-17-1) earned the fourth seed in the region and were chosen to host this year’s tournament that begins Thursday at Johnstown’s Point Stadium.

“It’s an honor for us to be hosting this regional,” said UPJ coach Todd Williams, who is in his 11th season with the team. “It’s a tribute to what the city has done with the Point.

“It’s great to make it to the regional, the team has certainly earned it,” Williams said. “We hope we can get hot at the right time and make it into the College World Series.”

UPJ will be one of six teams competing in the regional tournament, which will run from Thursday through Sunday. Games are scheduled for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with Sunday’s game times still to be determined.

The Mountain Cats will take on third-seeded Concord (W.Va.) on Thursday.

“The key for us is to get off to a good start,” Williams said. “We can’t be uptight and need to be relaxed and go about our business.”

West Chester earned the North Atlantic Region’s top-seed after finishing second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament and will take on PSAC tournament champion Kutztown, the sixth seed.

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) champion West Virginia State is the second seed and plays No. 5 Shippensburg.

The order of the first three games has not yet been determined.

The regional champion will advance to the 41st annual NCAA Division II baseball championship tournament in St. Louis from May 24-31.

This year’s regional tournaments are made up of 48 teams, six teams from each of the eight regions.

UPJ, which secured its first regional tournament berth in 2006, ended the regular season with 10 straight wins, but was eliminated in two games at the WVIAC tournament at the Point Stadium.

All-WVIAC choice Adam Plummer, a senior outfielder/designated hitter, leads the team in hitting at (.401), followed by sophomore infielder/outfielder Josh Campanella (.387) and senior infielder Dan DelSignore (.354), another first team all-WVIAC selection.

Junior first baseman Matt Hanley leads the Mountain Cats in home runs (12) and RBIs (54).

Second-team all-WVIAC pitcher Jon Moore is 6-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 46 2/3 innings. Senior David Huey is 6-2 with a 4.53 ERA in 57 2/3 innings, while freshman Kaleb Fleck is 6-2 with a 5.24 E.R.A. in 46 1/3 innings.

Ben Watkins and Chuck Boring share the team lead for strikeouts with 48 apiece.

Eric Faint, a second-team all-WVIAC choice, is the top reliever, with a 2.50 ERA and eight saves while holding opponents to a 1.98 batting average.