From IUP Sports Information
IUP baseball has been picked to finish seventh in its division as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced its 2017 preseason coaches’ poll on Thursday afternoon.
The Crimson Hawks are seventh out of eight teams in the PSAC Western Division, coming off of a 2016 season where they finished fifth with a 20-28 overall record (12-16 PSAC).
No. 12 Mercyhurst leads the voting in the West, earning seven first place votes. Seton Hill picked up the eighth first place vote to finish second. Gannon and Slippery Rock are third and fourth, respectively, with California picked fifth and Pitt-Johnstown right in front of IUP in sixth. Clarion rounds out the rest of the division.
In the East, No. 4 Millersville was picked to win the division with six first place votes. No. 25 West Chester earned two to come in second, with East Stroudsburg following in third. Shippensburg was picked fourth, while Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, Kutztown and Mansfield finish out the voting.
Who returns for the Crimson Hawks
IUP returns five position starters from last year’s team, including All-Atlantic Region selection Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York). Also returning are .300 hitters Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler), Ted DeSanti (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep) and Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), as well as Scott Hess (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep), who led IUP in home runs a season ago.
Sepic also returns as IUP’s top pitcher, leading the team in ERA, wins and saves.
Start of 2017
The Crimson Hawks open the season at The Apprentice School’s Builder Invitational in Newport News, Va. IUP will play five games February 23-26.
New face in the dugout
Anthony Rebyanski ’06 was named the IUP baseball program’s 13th head coach on August 22. He returns to his alma mater after two years as the assistant coach at California (Pa.), where he worked with the Vulcans’ pitchers. Rebyanski was the assistant under former IUP coach Jeff Ditch from 2007-13, moving into a leadership role after pitching for IUP from 2002-05.
