IMMACULATA, Pa.- The No. 4-seeded Immaculata University baseball team is set to get their Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) postseason run underway on Thursday afternoon as they travel to No. 1 Marywood for a 3 p.m. game in their first game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament.  No. 2 Keystone will host No. 3 Neumann in the other first round game on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Mighty Macs (17-14) went 11-7 in CSAC play this season to grab the number four seed, which tied Neumann (18-13-1), and put them one game behind both Marywood (20-9) and Keystone (28-12), who both finished 12-6 in the conference.
 
This season's postseason trip is the third in the program's history, and second in a row.  The team has gone 1-2 in both of its previous trips in 2011 and 2014.  In 2011, the Mighty Macs defeated Gwynedd Mercy 12-11, before dropping games to Keystone (12-2) and Gwynedd Mercy (6-4) to get eliminated.  Last season, the Mighty Macs lost at Gwynedd Mercy 20-11, and then eliminated Neumann by a score of 12-1, before falling again to the Griffins, 4-0.
 
Immaculata will get started with the Pacers, who they lost two out of three games to last weekend.  In the opener, junior Dan Whalen and Marywood's Joseph DiLoreto were in a pitcher's duel all afternoon.  The Mighty Macs scored single runs in the fourth and sixth, but Marywood responded with one in the fourth and two in the sixth to win, 3-2.  In the opener of the doubleheader on Saturday, Immaculata got a combined seven-hit shutout from junior Mike Campisano, sophomore Adam Whatley, and junior Nick Campione in a 5-0 victory.  In the finale, Marywood scored six runs in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away in an 8-3 win.
 
Offensively, the Pacers are led by Vince Rebar who is hitting .371 this season with a team-high 22 RBIs.  Thomas Richards is another threat for Marywood, hitting .333 with a team-high 12 doubles.  As a team, they are hitting .293.  On the mound, Marywood has a quartet of strong arms who have all thrown well this season.  Justin Haddix leads the staff in ERA at 1.67 with a 4-2 record, but the Mighty Macs were able to defeat him in the middle game of their series last weekend.  DiLoreto (5-1, 3.05 ERA) and Russell Baldino (1-1, 1.99 ERA) combined to shut down the Immaculata offense in the opener last weekend, and James Goetz (3-3, 3.25 ERA) got the win in the finale.  As a staff, Marywood has a 3.94 ERA.
 
With a win in Thursday's first round, the Mighty Macs will stay at Marywood and play the winner of Keystone and Neumann on Friday morning at 10:30 a.m.  With a loss against Marywood, the Mighty Macs will play an elimination game against the loser of that game at Keystone.
 
Immaculata went 1-2 against Neumann in the first CSAC series of the year for IU.  In the opener, the Immaculata offense returned from nearly three weeks off with an outburst of 15 hits in a 14-9 victory.  The Mighty Macs batted around in the fourth to score eight runs and added five more in the seventh to seal the victory.  Seven players had at least two hits and sophomore Jason McCormick led the way with three knocks and three RBIs.  Whalen got the win on the mound, allowing just one earned run over five innings.
 
In the doubleheader the next day at Neumann, the Knights jumped on the Mighty Macs in the opener and won 12-5.  In the second game, junior Rick DiDomenico hit a grand slam and the Macs held a 6-4 lead going into the last inning before the Knights stormed back with three runs to sweep the doubleheader, 7-6.
 
This season, Neumann is led by AJ Koscelansky on offense with a .397 average, 48 hits, 10 doubles, and 29 RBIs.  They hit .297 as a team.  On the mound, Matt Anderson (2-0, 3.00 ERA) and Kristian DeLuzio (4-3, 3.97 ERA) lead a staff that has a 4.89 ERA.
 
Against Keystone this season, the Mighty Macs were swept in the three-game series.  Keystone won the opener 15-5, and followed that up with a 9-1 victory in the first game of the doubleheader the next day.  In the series finale, freshman Trevor O'Brien, sophomore Kenny Anderson, and junior Nick Campione combined to give up just one run on the day, but IU was shut down in a 1-0 defeat.
 
The Giants are the defending champions and have eight regular players hitting over .300, led by Kevin Luciano at .389.  Keystone is particularly strong on the mound where they have a 3.36 team ERA and a trio of starters who gave up just four runs in the 21 innings they threw against the Mighty Macs.  Felix Baez (4-0, 1.44 ERA), James Dunning (6-1, 1.44 ERA), and Darren Lauer (5-3, 2.73 ERA) have all thrown over 43 innings this season.
 
For the Mighty Macs, they hope to kick start their offense which is hitting .326 and is near the top of the NCAA in on-base percentage at .432.  McCormick has had an outstanding season in the lead-off spot, hitting .442 and leading the country with a .590 on base percentage.  He has scored a team-high 31 runs, driven in 18, and stolen 14 bases.  Junior third baseman Rob Wallace is hitting .391 on the season with nine doubles, and 36 hits overall.
 
Junior shortstop Ryan Ficca (.376, 38 hits), sophomore catcher Dom Ficca (.375, 16 RBIs), and freshman outfielder Coleman Richards (.349, 7 SBs) are all newcomers to the lineup this season and look to continue their strong years.  Junior first baseman Mike Lascomb (.337, 30 hits, 21 RBIs), senior designated hitter Matt Lawson (.321, .487 OBP), and junior centerfielder Rick DiDomenico (.286, 21 RBIs) are all headed back to their second consecutive postseason as regulars in the lineup.
 
On the mound, IU has gotten contributions from several different arms this season and will need more of the same starting Thursday to compete for a CSAC Championship.  Dan Whalen (3-3, 3.95 ERA), Trevor O'Brien (2-2, 3.04 ERA), and Mike Campisano (1-1, 5.48 ERA) have thrown the most innings this season and will likely be starters this weekend.  Sophomore Kenny Anderson (1-2, 3.05 ERA, 3 saves), junior John Ryan (1-0, 4.95 ERA), freshman Collin Stringham (1-0, 4.97 ERA), and junior Nick Campione (3.86 ERA), among others, will come out of the bullpen for the Mighty Macs.
 
If the team wins each of their first two games, they will advance to Saturday's championship game at 12 p.m. at Marywood.  If the team wins just one of their first two games, they will play in an elimination game on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Marywood for a spot in the CSAC Championship.
 
You can follow tomorrow's opener at Marywood here.