The East Stroudsburg University baseball team received a day off Monday.
The Warriors earned their breather after coach John Kochmansky stacked their first 5 weeks with as many quality opponents as he could.
With the Atlantic Region dropping from five to four at-large berths for the NCAA Division II tournament this season, Kochmansky wanted to boost the Warriors’ strength of schedule. A roster filled with players from The Morning Call coverage area took to the challenge, going 14-4 before PSAC play opened over the weekend.
“The experience is definitely different than most years,” senior captain and Liberty High grad Jack Rothenhausler said by phone Monday night. “Just playing different teams like Southern New Hampshire, they were a good team.
“They were all good challenges, good fights. The team’s looking good. It’s been a grind.”
The Warriors are 16-6 after splitting four PSAC games against West Chester in a battle of nationally ranked teams. West Chester is No. 10 in the latest D2 baseball top 25 poll; ESU ranks No. 12.
The split against the Golden Rams wrapped up a five-week stretch filled with memorable moments for the Warriors:
• Kochmansky, in his 18th year as coach, won his 500th career game when ESU swept a doubleheader against Saint Anselm on Feb. 28. That victory came during an 11-0 start.
• The Warriors earned a 7-6, 21-inning win March 14 against Southern New Hampshire, ranked No. 11 in the country at the time. It was the second-longest game in Division II history. Kentucky Wesleyan and Oakland City played a 22-inning game April 20, 1964.
• Rothenhausler cracked three doubles during the series with West Chester, becoming the school’s career leader with 58. He already has 11 doubles in 22 games this season. He is hitting .299 with 25 RBIs and a .481 slugging percentage.
“I use Jack as an example. It’s hard to play here as a freshman, and when Jack got here, he wasn’t starting,” Kochmansky said. “Every time he got in a game, it was a base hit here, a double there. He just hit.
“Finally, it got to the point where we had to play him every day. He’s been playing ever since.
“Jack is one of those guys that everybody in the Lehigh Valley knows,” he added. “They know that name, and he helps bring other guys here from the local area.”
Quakertown graduate Dennis Pierce (1.210 OPS, four home runs, 21 RBIs) and Liberty grad Parker Frey (.351 AVG, 16 RBIs) have also been top contributors for an offense averaging 6.68 runs per game. The Warriors hope to welcome back another local player, Bethlehem Catholic grad Chaise Albus, for their weekend series against Bloomsburg. Albus has only nine at-bats this season after suffering a hamstring injury but hit .342 with 44 runs, 17 extra-base hits and 38 RBIs as a redshirt freshman in 2024.
As product as ESU’s lineup has been, it has endured inconsistency. The Warriors’ pitching staff, however, has been one of the nation’s best.
ESU entered Monday ranked No. 2 in the country with a 3.07 team ERA. Only fellow PSAC member Seton Hill (2.49) had been better.
With six weekends of PSAC play ahead, the Warriors will face plenty of challenges to keep their ERA that low. They’re confident their challenging non-league schedule has them prepared for what’s to come.
“You do that with the hope that you’re still going to win the games,” Kochmansky said. “We’re 16-6, and we were able to win some.
“I think on the back side, if we can continue to do what we’re doing, it puts us in a good spot for the region.”
Extra bases: DeSales (10-6 overall, 4-2 MAC Freedom Conference) faces reigning NCAA Division III champion Misericordia (13-6, 5-1) in a three-game MAC Freedom Conference series this weekend. Misericordia senior catcher Brock Bollinger, a Palmerton grad, went into Tuesday’s game against Susquehanna hitting .375 with 14 extra-base hits, 26 runs and 16 stolen bases.
• Emmaus graduate Luke Deschenes entered Tuesday’s game against West Liberty with a 1.93 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 23 1/3 innings for Seton Hill (17-3 overall, 4-0 PSAC). The redshirt sophomore has pitched at least 3 innings in all six of his relief appearances.
Stephen Miller is a freelance writer
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