Westmoreland Campus Clippings: Greensburg's Goetz makes run at NCAA golf regional

Mark Goetz already had made school history by qualifying for the NCAA Regional round.

But the senior golfer from West Virginia nearly took it a step further.

Goetz, a Greensburg native who attended The Kiski School, played his way into the lead on the final day of the regional and nearly won. But he ended up one shot shy of advancing to the NCAA Championship after a memorable run in Noblesville, Ind.

Goetz and Purdue’s Cole Bradley were tied at 8-under-par heading to the 17th hole at The Sagamore Golf Cub.

Bradley birdied the hole and went on to a two-shot win, shooting a 65 in the final round.

Goetz jumped 29 spots after a WVU tournament-record 66 in the second round. He shot 68 in the third round to take second (74-66-68—208). His week included 14 birdies and two eagles.

“It’s funny that a kid from Western Pennsylvania, who only had one scholarship offer and that was from a restarted golf program at WVU, just nearly won an NCAA Regional against some of the best amateurs in the world,” WVU coach Sean Covich said. “I think that speaks to Mark’s talent, work ethic and matured mindset.”

Goetz, with a taste of the NCAA postseason and the desire to accomplish more, plans to return for a fifth season.

“I’m so excited about next year’s team with Mark coming back for a fifth season,” Covich said. “I know we didn’t have the team here this week, but Mark felt like he was playing for us all, sending a message of what to expect out of the Mountaineers next season.”

Baseball

Mercyhurst: It has been eight years since the Mercyhurst baseball team saw a relief pitcher earn all-region honors.

But then Michael Krauza came along and had a season to place on the mantle.

Krauza was named to the NCBWA Atlantic All-Region First Team after making 19 regular-season appearances and leading the PSAC during the regular season with nine wins.

A St. Bonaventure transfer, Krauza posted a 2.15 ERA and allowed just 11 earned runs in 46 innings for the Lakers.

He struck out 57 and walked four.

In a win over Slippery Rock, he worked 4 1/3 innings, allowed one hit and struck out nine.

“Mike has been amazing for us this year. He has been our go to guy in every big situation,” Mercyhurst coach Joe Spano said. “He is having one of the all-time great seasons in our program’s history.”

Krauza also was named to the All-PSAC First Team.

Pitt-Greensburg: Junior Brody Bonadio was selected to the All-AMCC First Team as a utility player, and senior Jacob Davey made the second team as an outfielder.

Bonadio hit .353 with 18 RBIs and 29 runs and led the team with nine steals. He hit .429 against conference teams.

Davey led the Bobcats with a .404 average, and hit two homers, scored 27 runs and drove in 18. He led the team with 10 doubles.

Seton Hill: The season isn’t over yet for the Griffins, who are primed for a run in the NCAA Division II Tournament. As they prep for nationals, more postseason awards continue to come in.

The latest hardware comes from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, which selected grad student outfielder Tommy Pellis (Greensburg Central Catholic) as its player of the year, and Marc Marizzaldi as its coach of the year in the Atlantic Region.

Marizzaldi is a two-time winner of the award.

Pellis, who is hitting .381 with 51 hits and 49 runs, also was a first-team pick and senior outfielder Derek Orndorff made the second team.

Pellis and Orndorff are tied for the team lead with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs apiece. Orndorff has a .359 average and has made numerous highlight-reel catches in center field.

The Atlantic Region tournament will be played in Charleston, W.Va. beginning Thursday. The Griffins (35-6) will play the winner of the game between No. 4 Charleston (31-11) and No. 5 Bloomsburg (23-16).

Softball

Notre Dame: Senior pitcher Morgan Ryan (Hempfield) had a memorable second game of the NCAA Regional against Kentucky.

The former WPIAL star proved she can still swing the bat during a career day.

A 12-3, five-inning win that propelled the Fighting Irish into the regional final must have given Ryan flashbacks to her Hempfield and West Point days when she was a constant dual threat.

Ryan pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed two hits on the way to her fourth win, but she also went 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs as the Irish took down the top-seeded Wildcats.

Her three-run homer, the first of her college career, keyed 12 unanswered runs as Notre Dame posted its largest NCAA Tournament win since 2015.

Ryan also scored two runs. The damage at the plate had to be unexpected to Kentucky. Ryan is just 6 for 20 in her career.