Baseball | February 25, 2025

Each week, USCA will post notes.

Taking Down A Top-10 Team

Head coach Michael Holder's team squared off against No. 8/10 IUP last weekend and promptly won three of the four contests. The Pacers upended the Crimson Hawks in the first game 6-5 before exploding for a 20-4 win in the second game. USCA bounced back from a 5-2 loss with an emphatic 9-8 walk-off victory in the series finale.

Thompson Leaves His Mark

Speaking of walk-off hits, rookie Hunter Thompson walked to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs Sunday afternoon. He connected and put the ball in play with a high chopper that bounced just in front of the second baseman. The bounding ball made its way to the outfield, allowing two Pacers to score for a 9-8 victory.

Sharp Is Strong

Known for putting the ball in play and getting on base, Josh Sharp showcased his strength in the series finale. He blasted an 0-2 count over the wall for a three-run homer in the sixth inning, giving the Pacers a 7-6 lead. The home run marked his second of the year and fifth of his career.

Capers Can Swing It

Capers Molinaroli turned in an impressive performance last week, helping the Pacers go 4-1. After starting with a three-RBI effort with a home run in the win over Limestone, he drove in two runs on a round-tripper in the series opener against IUP. Molinaroli notched a multi-hit game in the team's lone loss before pounding out a pair of hits with one RBI in the series finale win. For his effort, he was named PBC Player of the Week.

Cole Is Cool Under Pressure

Last week, Cole Evilsizor went 2-0 with a save for the Pacers. He worked 1.2 innings and had four strikeouts in the win over Limestone before notching a frame of work to pick up the save Friday evening against IUP. Evilsizor went 2.2 frames with a pair of strikeouts for the win in the series finale against the No. 8 team, helping the team go 4-1 on the week.

Brandon Is Clutch

Brandon Osypczuk had not had an at bat since Feb. 7, but he made the most of it in the win over IUP. In the series finale, USCA was down to its final out before Osypczuk rocketed a 3-2 pitch down the right field line for a double. After going to third on a wild pitch and back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Osypczuk tied the game on Hunter Thompson's walk-off single. 

Inside The Numbers

This week, USCA plays at Francis Marion on Wednesday, Feb. 26 before playing at Claflin on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1. Since moving to Division II, the Pacers are 139-68 (67.1 percent) in Wednesday games, 159-121 (56.8 percent) in Friday contests and 368-256 (59.0 percent) in Saturday affairs. During the same time, the Pacers are 12-5 on Feb. 26, 15-8 on Feb. 28 and 11-9 on March 1.  

Against The Opponents

This week, USCA plays at Francis Marion on Wednesday, Feb. 26 before playing at Claflin on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1. The Pacers hold a 70-37 edge in the all-time series against the Patriots and a 16-1 lead in the all-time series against the Panthers.