DALLAS, Texas – The Mercyhurst baseball team ranked second in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCWBA) Preseason Atlantic Regional Poll released on Friday, Jan. 27. In addition, pitcher
Matthew Minnick was named to the preseason Atlantic-Region First Team, while outfielders
Chris Gonzalez,
Jimmy Latona, and designated hitter
Daniel Elliott were give Second-Team honors.
The Lakers finished the 2016 season with a 43-14 record and a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division title. Mercyhurst's 43 wins were the most wins in school history. The Lakers also qualified for their third-straight Atlantic Regional Tournament in 2016.
Mercyhurst received three first-place votes in the poll. 2016 national runner-up Millersville earned the top-seed in the region with ten first-place tallies.
Minnick, a junior from Collins, N.Y., posted a 7-1 record in 54.1 innings pitched in 2016, finishing with a 3.48 earned-run average, 61 strikeouts, and a .227 opponent's batting average.
Gonzalez, a senior from Canovanas, P.R., was a first-team All-PSAC Western Division performer in junior season in 2016 after hitting .313 (62-198) in 57 games. He had 20 doubles, nine home runs, 52 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases.
Latona, a senior from Rochester, N.Y., started 56 of 57 games for the Lakers in 2016 and posted a .333 batting average (53-159) with 11 doubles, 40 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases.
Elliott, a junior from Willoughby, Ohio, hit .324 (58-179) in 57 games for the Lakers with 11 doubles, eight home runs, 58 RBI, and 41 runs scored.
The Lakers begin their 2017 season on Feb. 18 when they take on West Virginia State in a doubleheader to be played in Beckley, W.V.
