Penn State Harrisburg baseball wins NEAC championship, earns NCAA tourney berth

The Penn State Harrisburg men's baseball team won its first North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship on Sunday, May 5, after defeating two-time defending NEAC regular season champion Penn State Berks 4-3 at Gallaudet's Hoy Field in Washington, D.C. The conference title gave the Lions an automatic berth to the upcoming NCAA Division III championship tournament, the brackets for which were announced May 12.

This season represented a turnaround from the previous two seasons when the team won just seven games each year. First-year head coach Ryan Bown led the team to a 16-game win-streak and a program-record 23 regular season victories.

Junior outfielder Dalton Trolinger, of Carlisle, was named the championship tournament's most valuable player. He racked up six hits, four runs, two RBIs, a stolen base and a .600 batting average. Selected NEAC Rookie of the Year on May 2, first-baseman Bryan Balshy, of Palmyra, drove in his conference-leading 43rd RBI during the championship.

The championship game was Penn State Harrisburg’s last as a NEAC member. Beginning in fall 2013, the college will compete in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC).

For more on the game, click here.