Pitcher Bittel an ace for No. 9-ranked Seton Hill
The clutch pitching of Mike Bittel helped Seton Hill’s baseball team to its first trip to the NCAA Division II World Series last year.
Bittel, a Peters Township graduate and McMurray native, is back on the mound this year and Seton Hill is again ranked in the top 10 nationally.
A junior right-hander, Bittel is pitching in the No. 1 spot in Seton Hill’s rotation. He has a 6-3 record, four complete games and has struck out 51 batters in 54 1/3 innings for the Griffins, who entered Saturday with a 34-7 overall record and 19-4 mark in the PSAC’s West Division. Seton Hill, ranked No. 9 in Division II, is tied for first place in the West Division with Mercyhurst. The teams play a four-game series beginning Friday.
Bittel was outstanding last year, when he was 9-2 with a 1.82 ERA and helped the Griffins to a 41-17 record and a regional title. In his career, Bittel has a 19-7 record with four saves. He is 13-2 all-time against PSAC opponents.
Bittel had a six-game winning streak this season that included an 11-strikeout, five-inning outing against Clarion.
Darius Spinks’ first indoor track season at Defiance ended with the former Washington standout being named All-American after finishing in fourth place in the long jump at the NCAA Division III Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. Spinks, a freshman, had a leap of 22-10 to beat all but three in the field of 15 competitors.
In the outdoor season, Spinks recently placed second in both the 100 meters (10.80) and 200 meters (21.81) at the All-Ohio Division III Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.
Nick Riotto, a sophomore from Washington and a Trinity graduate, has been a valuable player for Penn State. Riotto is batting .254 with a .398 on-base percentage. He began the season as Penn State’s designated hitter but shifted to center field this week. The Nittany Lions (12-20) are 2-0 since Riotto has become the starting center fielder.
Matt Douglas, a junior right-handed pitcher from Canonsburg, has worked his way into IUP’s starting rotation and has a 3-1 record for the Crimson Hawks. Douglas has pitched in seven games, making four starts. He earned a save in one of his relief outings and has struck out 29 batters in 30 ½ innings.
Kevin Forrester, a sophomore pitcher from Canonsburg, is having a breakout season for Thiel. A Canon-McMillan graduate, Forrester has a 4-0 record, two saves and a team-best 1.82 ERA.
Forrester has recently moved from the bullpen to Thiel’s starting rotation and his four wins have come in each of his last four outings. He allowed only one run over seven innings Tuesday to beat Thomas More. He also gave up only one run in a six-inning outing to defeat Washington & Jefferson April 1.
Dylan Pounds has been a good addition to the Pitt-Greensburg baseball team. Pounds, a sophomore first baseman and pitcher transferred to UPG from West Liberty and has been a solid two-position player for the Bobcats.
Pounds has given UPG another impact bat in a solid hitting lineup. Pounds is batting .344 with five doubles, two triples and 20 RBI in 25 games. The Bobcats have a team batting average of 343.
As a pitcher, Pounds has a 2-1 record in seven outings (four starts) and has struck out 28 batters in 24 innings. He gave up one run on four hits over six innings to beat Muskingum 7-1 on April 6.
Olivia Lorusso, last year’s O-R Player of the Year, is having a good freshman season at Robert Morris. The third baseman from Canon-McMillan is has a .247 batting average with three home runs and 16 RBI in 26 games for the Colonials.
Lorusso had a career-high five-RBI game April 10 in a 9-8 loss to Bucknell. She hit a two-run single in the first inning and three-run homer in the third.
Redshirt sophomore Francis Mizia of Mercyhurst won the NCAA Division II Most Technical Falls Award. The former PIAA champion at Bentworth, Mizia received the award during the NCAA Division II Championships in St. Louis.
Mizia, a native of Bentleyville, finished the season with eight victories by technical fall, taking 36:15 to complete.
Mizia’s brother and Mercyhurst teammate, Gus Mizia, was one two wrestlers to tie for second place with six technical fall victories.
Francis Mizia also earned his first All-American honor after placing sixth in the country at 157 pounds. He finished his sophomore season with a 31-7 record and helped the Lakers to a fourth-place finish in the national tournament.
Gus Mizia was Mercyhurst’s top finisher at nationals, placing third at 174 pounds. Mizia lost in the semifinals to Maryville’s Zeb Wahle by a 7-5 decision, narrowly missing an opportunity to compete for the national title. He did, however, win in the consolation semifinals and then again in the third-place match for his best-ever finish at the tournament. It also was his first All-America honor.
Stephanie Smith, a freshman from Venetia, is having a nice rookie season in the Big Ten for Indiana.
A former PIAA doubles champion at peters Township, Smith has a 14-6 overall singles record including 10-4 in dual matches and 6-2 in the Big Ten. Smith has been playing in the No.5 and 6 singles positions for the Hoosiers.
In doubles competition, Smith and Shannon Murdy are 21-8 overall.
Zach McKown, a Canon-McMillan graduate from Canonsburg, was the fifth-leading scorer for Lebanon Valley’s hockey team.
McKown, a freshman right winger, scored 16 goals and had eight assists. His five power-play goals led the Dutchmen. He also had a team-high five game-winning goals.