With the permission of Jim Berger, Asst Sports Information Director at St Vincent's, I am reprinting an article from the St Vincent's website
After turning in a dreadful 8-30 record a season ago, the Bearcats enter this week with an 11-6 overall mark, fresh off of a 16-8 victory over Franciscan University on Monday afternoon.
The fast start has been aided by a number of local WPIAL products.
Leading the way is freshman Brad Burkardt (Greater Latrobe). He's started all 17 games at shortstop, and is leading the team in batting (.477), hits (31), runs (19), RBIs (18), and triples (3). He places among the top five in the Presidents' Athletic Conference in each of the five categories, while he's also stolen four bases in six attempts and has a .493 on-base percentage. He has at least one hit in 14 of St. Vincent's first 17 games, including eight multi-hit games. In a March 5th victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering in Winter Haven, FL, Burkardt went 6-for-6 with a double, triple, three RBIs, and three runs scored, while on Monday's win over Franciscan, he went 5-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs.
Sophomore Zack Galasso (Seton LaSalle) has been a solid middle-of-the-lineup presence for the Bearcats throughout the season. Through the team's first 17 games, the rightfielder is batting .440 (22-50) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs, 13 walks, and 15 runs scored. He leads the team in both on-base (.538) and slugging percentage (.660), and has committed just one error in 33 chances in his first season as an outfielder after spending the '09 campaign in the middle infield.
Another sophomore, Erik Fichter (Shaler), is third on the team with a .378 average (17-for-45), with a homer, six doubles, eight RBIs, and 11 runs scored. He's split his time between catcher and pitcher on the year. Behind the plate, he's made just two errors in 80 chances, and has thrown out nine of 23 potential base thieves. On the mound, he's made four appearances with two starts, posting a 2-2 record and striking out 13 batters in 14.1 innings pitched.
Freshman Zach Bush (Greater Latrobe) has started 16 games at second base, and is batting .377 (20-for-53) with 13 RBIs, while sophomore Danny Jackson (Highlands) has started 17 games in centerfield in the leadoff spot, batting .271 (16-for-58) with 19 runs, nine RBIs, and six stolen bases.
On the mound, freshman Matt Tyson (Union) and junior Jeff Bugajski (Fox Chapel) have led the way. Tyson has made six appearances with three starts, posting a 1-0 record with one save. His 2.59 ERA is good for fourth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while he's struck out 13 with just seven walks in 24.1 innings.
Bugajski is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA in five appearances (three starts). He turned in the finest performance of his career in Monday's win over Franciscan. Coming on in the fifth inning with SVC ahead 9-8, the 6-4 righty threw five no-hit innings, allowing just one baserunner via walk, to earn the victory.
St. Vincent, under the guidance of 12th-year head coach Mick Janosko, is entering its final season as a provisional member of NCAA Division-III after making the move from the NAIA in 2006. Though ineligible for the PAC postseason, the Bearcats' 11-6 overall record place them at the top of the conference, with 10-5 Washington & Jefferson and 11-9 Thiel. The Bearcats are one of the youngest teams in the PAC, with nine freshmen, 10 sophomores, six juniors, and just two seniors.