IMMACULATA, Pa.- The Immaculata Mighty Macs baseball team is set to host the conference tournament for a second consecutive year after securing the Atlantic East regular season title. The Mighty Macs will look to defend their Atlantic East Conference title they won in 2022.
The Mighty Macs earned the regular season title and secured the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic East Tournament following a dominating 15-3 record in Atlantic East play on the season, and an overall record of 26-12. The Mighty Macs won five out of their six Atlantic East regular season series.
To reach the program's third straight Atlantic East Championship game, Immaculata will have to navigate a double elimination tournament featuring the top four seeds in the conference: No. 2 Cabrini, No. 3 Marymount, and No. 4 Neumann. The first two games of the tournament will be played on Wednesday, May 10th with No. 1 Immaculata hosting No. 4 Neumann, while No. 2 Cabrini will host No. 3 Marymount. Immaculata will host the remainder of the conference championship on Friday, May 12th, and conclude on Saturday, May 13th. The first pitch on Friday is scheduled for 9:00 AM, and will consist of three games, including two elimination games. This will leave the two remaining teams to compete in the Championship on Friday. Game one of Friday will begin at 11:00 AM. Game two will take place if necessary at 2:15 PM.
Immaculata will begin their run on We as they face Neumann University. The Mighty Macs swept their regular season series against the Knights winning the games by scores of 8-0, 12-2, and 14-5.
Neumann ended their season with an overall record of 18-21, posting an 8-10 record in Atlantic East play. The Knights are led by Shawn Vega, who hit .387 in 38 games. Vega is one stolen base away from their single season record with 31. He currently leads the team in hits with 44, home runs with five, and doubles with 12. Andrew Curran leads the team with 37 RBIs. On the mound, Nick Colon and Chris Balshuweit lead the team with three wins each.
The Cabrini Cavaliers and the Marymount Saints will also compete in the Atlantic East Tournament, with Cabrini hosting Marymount on Wednesday. Cabrini enters the tournament as the second seed, with an overall record of 24-14, earning a 12-6 record in Atlantic East play. Colton Narcisco leads the Cavaliers with a .384 batting average, with six home runs and 33 RBIs. Dustin Sutton hit .361 with a team-high nine home runs and 44 RBIs. On the mound, Jordan Silvestri led Cabrini with 6-2 record with an ERA of 3.81. Dom Marotta had three saves.
Marymount enters the postseason as the third seed, earning a 12-6 record in Atlantic East play while earning a 22-17 overall record. Bobby Leitzel leads the Saints offensively with a .358 batting average. Craig Sodano has a team-high four home runs, and Ryan Maylie has a team-high 31 RBIs. Andrew Schaeb is the Saints top starting pitcher with a 5-2 record with a 3.22 ERA and threw a no-hitter vs. Cabrini.
Josh Crowding has led the Mighty Macs at the plate this season, leading the Macs with 54 hits, and a .415 batting average. Crowding has a team-high four home runs and 48 RBIs. Joey Wright has a .370 batting average and 34 RBIs. Leadoff hitter Frank Margiotta has stolen 26 bases this season. Steven Theisen hit .340 with 27 RBIs in 27 games played.
The Mighty Macs pitching staff has turned in another impressive season. Jason Hughes has put together another incredible season for the Mighty Macs, with an 8-1 record, with a 1.45 ERA, and 90 strikeouts. Ryan Crowell is 7-2, with a 3.92 ERA, and Stephen DiBatista is 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Mason Keller and Trevor Wagner were strong out of the bullpen with four and two saves, respectively.
The Macs will begin their campaign to capture the 2023 Atlantic East Conference Championship, along with the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, on Wednesday as they host Neumann at 1:00 PM at the Immaculata Baseball Stadium.
For more information on the Atlantic East Tournament, Click Here.
