Warrior Spirit
23
Tory Stella ’15
Fall 2013
The Warriors were crowned PSAC baseball champions for the first time in 42 years and earned their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons.
WRAPUP WARRIORS WIN PSAC BASEBALL TITLE
Matt Tholis ’13 was ESU’s firstever recipient of PSAC’s Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year award when he was recognized in June. Tholis, an exercise science major, was the NCAA Division II runnerup in the javelin and was also a first team Academic All-American. The award is named after the late Pete Nevins M’84, ESU’s sports information director from 1969 through 2002. Tholis was also named the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year, the PSAC Field Athlete of the Year, and was the Field Athlete of the Meet at the PSAC Championships. At the NCAA Championships, he was the national runner-up with a mark of 232-0, the 12th-best in Division II history. For more on Tholis: www.esuwarriors.com/MattTholis
Greg Pammer ’11
ALL-AMERICAN THOLIS PSAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF YEAR
FAR LEFT: Matt Tholis ’13 was named the PSAC’s Pete Nevins Male ScholarAthlete of the Year and was the NCAA Division II runner-up in the javelin this spring.
Bill Morgal, Shippensburg University
ESU’s baseball program won its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship since 1971 by going 4-0 in the postseason tournament in May. The Warriors, under sixth-year head coach John Kochmansky, set a school record with 34 wins and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in three years. Pitcher/first baseman Brian Ernst ’13 was named PSAC Tournament MVP after pitching eight innings in a 7-1 win over West Chester in the championship game. Ernst, pitching on two days’ rest, was also 8-for-16 at the plate over four games. The Warriors opened with an 8-5 win over Gannon in a game that lasted six hours, 40 minutes — including a lightning delay of more than four hours. They beat Millersville, 6-2, and California, 7-4, to earn their spot in the championship game. ESU’s pitching staff was the key, with Ernst, Ryan Lubreski ’14, Matt Smith ’14 and Keenan Stare ’14 all contributing. In the NCAA Tournament’s Atlantic Regional, held at Wake Forest University, ESU opened with an 8-6 (10 inning) win over host WinstonSalem State before falling to Seton Hill and Shippensburg.
LEFT: Rose Mascoli ’13, a track and cross country standout, was ESU’s Female Senior Athlete of the Year and the co-Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year
FOUR RECOGNIZED AT ATHLETIC AWARDS BANQUET Rose Mascoli ’13, Corinne Fitzgerald ’13, Duane Johnson ’13 and Eric Boyer ’13 were the major award recipients at ESU’s Athletic Awards Banquet in May. Mascoli, a three-time All-American between track and cross country, was named the Female Senior Athlete of the Year and shared Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors with her teammate, Fitzgerald. Both were multiple-time Academic All-Americans and national qualifiers in both sports. Johnson, a three-time All-PSAC East selection and member of the Warriors’ 2012 PSAC champion men’s basketball team, was the Male
Join WarriorsNation, your alumni online community, at esualumni.org