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5/23/2024 11:00:00 AM

Ethan Hirschfeld Regional Shutout, 5-19-24

The Rundown

On the verge of something that hasn't happened in Division III baseball in nearly 30 years, the ninth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team returns to Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium to host the eighth-ranked Salve Regina Seahawks at the Salisbury Super Regional in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The best-of-three series will begin with Game 1 on Friday, May 24 at 12 p.m., followed by Game 2 on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. and Game 3 (if necessary) at 2:30 p.m.

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— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) May 13, 2024

Tournament Schedule

Friday, May 24

Game 1 - Salve Regina vs. Salisbury - 12 p.m.

Saturday, May 25

Game 2 - Salisbury vs. Salve Regina - 11 a.m.

Game 3 - If Necessary - 2:30 p.m.

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Regionals Information

NCAA Tournament Information

How We Got Here

After another strong regular season, the Sea Gulls traveled north and emerged victorious at the Babson Park Regional with wins over UMass Dartmouth and Mitchell. After besting UMD 7-0 on Friday, Salisbury fell to Mitchell 5-1 on Saturday before bouncing UMD 9-0 in an elimination game. Needing to win twice on Sunday, the Sea Gulls left no doubt by obliterating Mitchell 15-0 and 11-0 to clinch their fourth straight regional crown.

The 2024 Sea Gulls

#17 Tyler Villa | So. RHP

#25 Ethan Hirschfeld | Fr. RHP

#4 Aidan Brinsfield | Fr. RHP

#40 Benji Thalheimer | Sr. RHP

#33 Tim Petrucelli | Gr. OF

#6 Kyle Brex | Gr. 2B

#21 Andrew Kell | Jr. OF

#2 Danny Sheeler | Sr. 1B

Danny Sheeler set the tone in the regional opener against UMass Dartmouth with a two-run homer in the first inning. That was more than enough run support for Tyler Villa, who went seven clean innings before handing the ball to Cole Williams for the final two to finish off a 7-0 shutout victory for Salisbury.
The Sea Gulls had no answer for Mitchell ace Camren Varney, who took a no-hitter into the ninth to lift the Mariners to a 5-1 win to open play on Saturday. Sheeler's ninth-inning single accounted for SU's only hit.
In Salisbury's first of three elimination games, Benji Thalheimer locked in on the mound to the tune of a four-hit shutout as the Sea Gulls blanked UMass Dartmouth 9-0. Sheeler brought the big lumber again with four hits, three runs, and an RBI.
Salisbury turned to a pair of freshmen starters needing to win twice on Sunday against Mitchell. Aidan Brinsfield delivered in the opener, striking out 11 batters over seven scoreless to spearhead a 15-0 win. Sheeler had three more hits and drove in four more runs, while Tim Petrucelli belted his 12th home run of the season.
Ethan Hirschfeld saved the best for last in the winner-take-all finale, going the distance with a four-hit shutout as part of SU's 11-0 series-clincher.
After failing to record a nine-inning shutout during the regular season, the Sea Gulls notched four clean sheets in the Babson Park Regional, outscoring the competition 42-0 in those four games. Thalheimer and Hirschfeld both pitched complete games in their winning efforts, good for the first nine-inning shutouts for an SU starting pitcher in over five years.
Sheeler caught fire at the plate through the whole series, finishing 11-for-21 (.524) with three doubles, one homer, seven runs, and eight RBIs over the five games.
The regional title marks the fourth straight for Salisbury and the ninth in program history (2001, ‘04, ’11, ‘14, ’15, ‘21, ’22, ‘23, ’24).
Salisbury has hosted a Super Regional for three straight seasons, playing a best-of-three set at home every year since the format was instituted in 2022.
The Sea Gulls welcomed Wooster to Donnie Williams Stadium in 2022. After SU took the opener 8-6, the Fighting Scots struck back with a 6-4 victory to force a winner-take-all Game 3. In a topsy-turvy affair that saw the teams combine for eight homers, 34 runs, and 36 hits, Cameron Hyder's two-run jack in the eighth proved the difference in an 18-16 Salisbury win.
Salisbury drew No. 23 Rowan in 2023, winning the first game 10-6 and overcoming deficits of 8-0 and 12-5 in the second to win 17-12 to secure the supers sweep.
Salisbury boasts the C2C's best offense in several categories, batting a league-best .322 with 380 runs (9.0 per game), 42 home runs, 344 RBIs, and 82 stolen bases.
Andrew Kell leads the C2C with a .458 batting average and is tied for second in stolen bases (13), tied for fourth in home runs (6), and ranked fourth in RBIs (46).
Tim Petrucelli's 12 home runs are five more than the rest of the field; he also leads the league in RBIs (49) and ranks third in average (.365).
Kell and Dylan Winebrenner are tied for fourth in the C2C with six homers apiece. Winebrenner's .351 batting average is good for fifth.
SU holds the second-through-fifth positions in the C2C in steals, lead by Kyle Brex and Kell (13) and followed by Adam Tommer and Sheeler (12).
Cole Williams is ranked second in the league in wins (8), while Shawn Rosemond (6) is tied for fifth.
Ethan Hirschfeld (2.78) and Williams (3.78) slot third and sixth in the league in ERA, respsectively.
Aidan Brinsfield's 55 strikeouts are good for third in the conference.
Garrett Beaver (3) and Rosemond (2) are each ranked top-five in saves.
Salisbury ranks sixth in Division III in on-base percentage (.440) and eighth in WHIP (1.28) while also holding top-40 marks in batting average (.322), runs per game (9.0), slugging average (.491), walks (238), hits allowed per nine innings (8.25), home runs per game (1.00), HBPs (87), sac bunts (42), and fielding percentage (.970).
Andrew Kell owns the nation's fifth-best batting average at .458. He also ranks sixth in on-base percentage (.563) and 40th in slugging (.740).
One of the nation's top freshman arms, Cole Williams slots sixth in pitching appearances (23) and 28th in wins (8).
Danny Sheeler ranks 12th in sac flies (7), 26th in walks (38), and 40th in walks per game (0.90).
Tim Petrucelli's 12 dingers slot 38th in Division III.
Ethan Hirschfeld boasts a top-100 ERA at 2.78, ranking 92nd.

Scouting Report

#8 Salve Regina Seahawks

Salve Regina enters super regional play sporting a 36-8 record. The Seahawks drew the top seed in the Cortland, N.Y. Regional and swept through all three opponents, besting Colby 10-5 on Friday, hosts Cortland 4-2 on Saturday, and Washington & Jefferson 12-3 on Sunday.

The Seahawks picked up some major postseason hardware from the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Right-hander Sean Mulligan picked up NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year accolades. Joining Mulligan on the All-NEWMAC First Team were infielder Christian Homa, outfielders Matt D'Amato and Evan O'Rourke and utilityman Hunter Yaworski.

Mulligan is the undisputed ace of the Salve staff, going 8-2 with a 1.67 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, two complete games, and 90 strikeouts over 81 innings across 13 starts. Joined by rotation mates Brayden Clark (4-1, 3.72) and Joe DeRienzo (6-2, 3.30), plus closer Kyle Carozza (8 SV, 2.01 ERA, 14.10 K/9), the Seahawks boast the nation's second-best team ERA (2.77), third-best WHIP (1.23), and sixth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.96).

D'Amato sets the tone for the Seahawk offense, batting .440 with 14 extra-base hits, 50 runs, 43 RBIs, and 18 steals. Homa (.387) and O'Rourke (.371) are each hitting north of .350, contributing to the 13th-best team average (.335) in Division III. Salve ranks eighth nationally in team OBP (.440) and has stolen 108 bases as a team, good for 32nd in the nation.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Salisbury and Salve Regina in baseball.

What's At Stake

The winner of the Salisbury Super Regional will join seven other teams in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The College World Series will be held on May 31-June 6 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

Salisbury is seeking to make its ninth Division III World Series and become the first team to qualify for at least four in a row since UW-Oshkosh (1990-96).