Behrend Starts Five Game Homestand vs. Alfred State and Westminster

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend baseball team will face-off against Alfred State in an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) doubleheader on Wednesday, April 30 and then play a non-conference single game vs. Westminster on Thursday, May 1. Game one for Wednesday is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Behrend Field.

Coverage:

Wednesday - Video | Game One Live Stats | Game Two Live Stats
Thursday – Video | Live Stats

Behrend News & Notes:

* The Lions split a doubleheader at Pitt-Greensburg on Sunday, falling 8-5 in game one and scoring a season-high 20 runs for a 20-1 win in game two
* Mac Ciocco (Venetia, PA/Peters Township) finished with five hits and eight RBIs in the two games, while Andrew Bredel (Clinton, PA/Burgettstown) earned his seventh win on the mound in the second game, tossing six innings to go along with four hits, one earned run, one walk, and six strikeouts
* The game one defeat snapped Behrend's program record 16-game winning streak, surpassing the 15 straight win mark during the 2008 season
* The winning streak went all the way back to March 29^th and during it the Lions outscored their opponents 158-53
* For the week, Ciocco slashed .609/.654/1.130, as he hit 14-for-23 with six doubles, two home runs, 10 runs scored and 19 RBI in six games played to earn AMCC Player of the Week
* Daniel Boehme recorded his 100^th career RBI and 150^th career hit this past week at Hiram and Pitt-Greensburg. Boehme boasts a .368 average in 117 at bats
* Ciocco ranks second in the AMCC and 12^th in the nation with a .455 batting average. He is also first in the conference in hits (55), second in doubles (12), tied for second in runs batted in (37), third in on-base percentage (.518), and third in slugging percentage (.645)
* Ciocco is currently on an 11-game hitting streak and has reached base in all but one game this season. He sits 14^th in Division III as one of the toughest hitters to strikeout with only five strikeouts in 121 at-bats this year
* Freshman Tyler Burick (Erie, PA/Harbor Creek) has tallied a .354 batting average to go along with a .536 slugging percentage and 26 RBIs in 82 at-bats so far this season
* Fellow freshman Cayden Turner (Stoystown, PA/North Star) has registered a .411 average with six doubles and 15 RBIs in 73 plate appearances
* Bredel sits tied for first in the conference in wins (seven), second in earned-run average (2.36), and fourth in strikeouts (46)
* Colin Bolla (Fairview, PA/Fairview) and Evan Bromley (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) are tied for second in the AMCC with five wins apiece on the mound, while Bolla is fifth with 45 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched
* Relievers Jake Manendo (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst Prep) and Joe Lang (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) are second and third in the conference with five and four saves, respectively
* Barnes is seven hits away from 100 career hits, while Bredel (84 strikeouts) and Ethan Tinker (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) (91 strikeouts) are on the verge of 100 career K's
* As a team, Behrend is 10^th in in all of Division III in batting average (.343) and 15^th in win-loss percentage (.781)
* The Lions are also first in the AMCC in on-base percentage (.437), first in hits (361), second in runs (268), second in doubles (77), second in runs batted in (236), and second in slugging percentage (.461)
* Behrend received 14 votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 Week 9 Poll

Meet the Opposition:

* Alfred State comes into Wednesday's twinbill with a 22-13 overall record and an 8-3 conference record for second in the AMCC standings
* The Pioneers most recently swept La Roche in a doubleheader on Sunday
* Jordan Hughes is first in the conference in runs batted in (39) and second in the conference in home runs (seven) to go along with a .289 average and a team-high 16 doubles
* Elijah Barnes (.357), Connor Kiefer (.353), Devin Mersmann (.340), Tyler Korsky (.318), and Zach Young (.311) all yield over .300 batting averages
* Starter Ryan Bailey, the reigning AMCC Pitcher of the Year and Preseason Pitcher of the Year, leads the Pioneers and the conference in strikeouts and innings pitched (67.2) and is second in the AMCC in complete games (five) and fourth in earned-run average (3.99)
* Christopher Mattoon is tied for second in the conference with five wins in 64.2 innings pitched
* Reliever Michael Gangloff has picked up four saves so far this season
* Bailey (First Team) and Mattoon (Second Team) were joined by Elijah Barinas (First Team) and Tyler Korsky (Third Team) on the 2024 All-Conference Team
* Alfred State was projected to finish third in the 2025 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Bailey and Barinas were named Preseason Players to Watch
* Head coach Mike Armstrong is in his ninth season at the helm of the baseball program

* Westminster holds a 16-19 overall record, most recently falling to Mount Union in a single non-conference contest on Monday (12-6)
* Parker Lyons is third in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) with a .410 batting average and leads the team with 51 hits
* Braeden Campbell has driven in a team-high 22 runs to go along with a .308 average
* Along with Lyons and Campbell, David Kelly (.350) and Logan Murgenovich (.300) have tallied .300 or better batting averages
* Right-handed pitcher Kolton Banfi, a 2024 All-PAC Second Team Selection, leads the Titans in ERA (1.71), strikeouts (46), appearances (11), innings pitched (68.1), complete games (three), saves (two), and shutouts (one)
* Westminster was selected fourth in the 2025 PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
* Head coach Patrick Riley is in his sixth season

Series History:

* Behrend leads the all-time series 12-4, dating back to 2016
* Alfred State has won three of the past five matchups, splitting last season's meetings

* Behrend leads the all-time series 12-4, dating back to 1980
* The Lions have won eight of the past nine matchups with the Titans earning a 7-5 victory last season