Elmira College (12-22) vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (12-21)
Tuesday, May 3, 2016 | 7:00 P.M. | Historic Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira College (12-22) at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (12-21)
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | 4:00 P.M. | Kessel Athletic Complex – Bradford, PA
 
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team will host its final home contest of the season on Tuesday, May 3^rd, when the team begins a back-to-back home-and-home series against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. First pitch for tonight's contest at Historic Dunn Field is slated for 7:00 p.m., while the program will honor four graduating members in a pregame ceremony beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira College baseball team had its postseason hopes pushed to the brink this past Saturday when it came up short on both ends of a crucial doubleheader at SUNY Canton. The Soaring Eagles and Roos both entered the day with four wins in conference play, trailing Utica College by two games for the fourth and final berth to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Canton took the opener by a 10-4 final. Elmira looked poised for a split in game two, as a Nate Hanner '18 RBI-single in the top of the seventh gave the Soaring Eagles a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately,  the Roos answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, going on to win by the 6-5 margin. Elmira now faces a situation where it will need to win at least two of its final three contests, with one of those victories coming against SUNY Canton.
 
Special Recognition
Although this is only the second year for the Elmira baseball program, it will still honor four members of the squad set to finish their Elmira baseball careers this spring. The program will celebrate Mike Ladka '16, Rob Simpson '16, Brian Wehmeyer '16, and Dylan Bellinger '17 in a pregame ceremony.
 
Rothenberg Stays Hot
It has been a sprint to the finish line for EC center fielder Hayden Rothenberg '17. Although the junior got off to a bit of a slow start this season, he has posted a torrid second-half stat line that has boosted his batting average from a middling .263 to a robust .331 entering the day on Tuesday. Rothenberg is swinging the bat at a scintillating .438 clip (21-for-48) over his last 11 contests. He recorded multi-hit efforts in eight of those 11 games, including all five contests played this past week. Rothenberg has also got his legs moving of late, swiping six bases over the hot stretch to bring his season total to a team-leading 13. Overall, he ranks second on the team with nine doubles and 26 runs scored.
 
Phelps Surging
Rookie pitcher Blake Phelps '19 has put together a strong second half, earning increased trust from the coaching staff, which has translated to more opportunities. He had a pair of milestone outings over this past week, notching both his first collegiate win and first collegiate save. He tossed three scoreless frames with four strikeouts in a lopsided 11-2 win over the Pennsylvania College of Technology earlier in the week, while he fired the final four innings of Elmira's crucial 10-7 win over Utica College on Friday.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira lost its only meeting with the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford last season, falling by a 9-2 final at Dunn Field. The teams were scheduled for a return contest at Pitt-Bradford later in the season, but it was postponed due to rain.
 
Scouting Pitt-Bradford
The Panthers enter the day with a 12-21 mark on the year and a 6-10 record in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference play. The Panthers have been a solid over their last 10 games, posting an even 5-5 record. Austin Parent leads the team in hitting with a strong .353 clip. Dalton Renn provides the pop in the middle of the Pitt-Bradford lineup, leading the team with 14 extra-base hits on a team-high 10 doubles, one triple, and three homers. He also paces the squad with 23 RBIs and 25 runs scored. Justin Beimel is the pitching staff's top arm, entering the day with a team-best 4.31 earned-run average. He has thrown five complete games and has posted a 4-3 record this season.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it continues its home-and-home series at Pitt-Bradford at 4:00 p.m.