Shippensburg University’s junior first baseman, Austin Baal, has been named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Baseball Athlete of the Week. Baal helped lead the Raiders to a three-game series sweep against Mansfield with his impressive performances at the plate.
Baal hit .615 during the series, going 8-for-13 with five RBIs and two runs scored. In the series opener, Baal collected a season-high four hits and drove in three runs in the Raider’s 11-5 victory on Thursday. In Friday’s doubleheader, he hit an RBI double in the first game and went 3-for-4 with another RBI double in the second game, where the Raiders won 4-3.
Baal ended the regular season with 11 home runs, tying him for first in the PSAC. He also led the Raiders in both round-trippers and OPS (.942). Shippensburg needed a sweep to have a chance at a PSAC Tournament berth, and thanks in part to Baal’s big weekend at the plate, they earned the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Division and a spot in this week’s tourney at Slippery Rock.
