Conerly's Region Rundown this week will look at the BIGGEST winners from each of the four regions that I'm on the beat for this season: Midwest, South Central, East, and Atlantic.
South Central: MSU Denver (13-13, 5-3 RMAC) | W4
MSU Denver swept Colorado School of Mines over the weekend, scoring nine or more runs in each game to move to 13-13 overall and 5-3 in RMAC play. The Roadrunners set the tone early with a dominant 20-8 win in the series opener, racking up 18 hits while drawing 11 walks and getting hit by pitches five times. Despite hitting just one home run in the game, they found plenty of ways to score.
Jesse Velders (.385 AVG, 1.112 OPS) provided the lone long ball in the opener and was hit by three pitches. He has now hit safely in eight consecutive games. Andrew Graham (.443 AVG, 1.359 OPS) and Cam Yuran (.382 AVG, 1.353 OPS) have also been outstanding at the plate for MSU Denver this season.
Atlantic: Slippery Rock (13-6, 4-0 PSAC) | W5
Slippery Rock opened conference play dominantly, sweeping Pitt-Johnstown to improve to 13-6 overall and 4-0 in the PSAC. The Rock allowed just nine total runs over the four-game series, leaning on strong pitching to secure the sweep. Gage Gillott, who boasts a .364 batting average and a 1.96 ERA through four starts, did not pitch over the weekend but continued his offensive production with three hits.
Nate Malak was stellar on the mound, tossing seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Malak has averaged five innings per start through five appearances, compiling 33 strikeouts to just eight walks this season.
Midwest: Northwood (13-10, 8-0 G-MAC) | W8
Northwood extended its winning streak to eight games with a four-game sweep of Malone, improving to 13-10 overall and 8-0 in G-MAC play. The Timberwolves, who are now an impressive 11-2 on the road, held Malone scoreless over the final 20 innings of the series, allowing just four runs across all four games.
Northwood sits atop the G-MAC North standings, one game ahead of Ashland (7-1). Myles Beale is hitting .379 with an on-base percentage above .500, while Brendan Hammer has hit safely in eight consecutive games, all Northwood wins. The Timberwolves, who finished one game behind Ashland in last year’s standings, have posted a 2.49 ERA in conference play so far this season, positioning themselves as a top contender once again.
East: Post (9-8, 8-0 CACC) | W4
Post continued its historic start in CACC play, sweeping Caldwell to improve to 8-0 in conference action for the first time in program history. The Eagles allowed just 10 total runs in the series while making history on the mound.
Right-hander Joe Christiana became the program’s all-time strikeout leader, recording his 192nd career punchout during a 3-2 victory in Game 3. Christiana finished the game with six strikeouts to set the record. Jesse Alfalla had a strong weekend at the plate, going 7-for-17 and extending his on-base streak to all 14 games he has played this season. The Eagles continue to establish themselves as a force in the CACC, and their record-setting start has them atop the conference standings.
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