SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- Slippery Rock University clinched a berth in next week's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Baseball Championships Friday when hosting Indiana (Pa.) swept a division doubleheader from Gannon University by 11-1 and 6-4 scores.
The losses dropped Gannon's division record to 11-11 and guaranteed the Golden Knights could not finish with a better division record than SRU. The Rock concluded its PSAC-West schedule last weekend with a 13-11 division mark.
Two wins by Gannon in its home doubleheader vs. Indiana Saturday in Erie would give GU the same division record as SRU, but The Rock would then earn the playoff berth by virtue of its 3-1 record this spring vs. the Golden Knights.
The Rock will open conference tournament action at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday against the PSAC-Eastern Division champion, either Kutztown or West Chester, both of which own 34-9 overall records and 16-6 PSAC-East marks after recording sweeps Friday.
Before turning its attention to the conference tournament, though, The Rock is scheduled to put its three-game win streak and 23-20 overall record on the line in a four-game home series this weekend vs. Lake Erie College of Ohio. Weather permitting, action at Jack Critchfield Park is set to start at 5 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
SRU will be making its fifth straight trip to the conference tournament and 20th trek in 25 seasons under veteran head coach
Jeff Messer. The Rock will seek their fifth conference title and first since 2001.
The Green and White are one of seven teams that have secured berths in this year's PSAC tournament. The final berth will be awarded Saturday.
Kutztown, West Chester and Mansfield have all locked up Eastern Division berths while East Stroudsburg is one win away from assuring itself of a postseason berth. Indiana, California, Mercyhurst and The Rock will represent the West.
The conference tournament starts Wednesday and runs through next Saturday, May 1, at Point Stadium in Johnstown.
The No. 2 seed from the West and the No. 3 seed from the East will butt heads in the opening game of the tournament at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 12:30 p.m. game between The Rock and the Eastern Division champion.
Mercyhurst, as the No. 3 seed from the West, will take on the East's No. 2 seed in a 3:30 p.m. game before the West champion meets the East's #4 seed in the final first-round game at 6:30 p.m.
The winner of the conference tournament earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional tournament that runs May 13-16.
The PSAC and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament champions will be joined in the six-team regional tournament by four at-large entrants.
Kutztown and West Chester were ranked 1-2 in the NCAA regional poll released last Wednesday, while Mansfield was fifth and California 10th.