KUTZTOWN, Pa. (April 7, 2011) – Senior third basemen James Quigley (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) has been a four-year starter at Kutztown. He has experienced a lot of success during his career. However, Quigley along with many other upperclassmen are in an unfamiliar position as the second half of league play begins:Fighting for their playoff lives in just the beginning of April. .
The Golden Bears (15-11 overall, 5-7 PSAC East) are currently fifth in the Eastern Division with the top four schools earning a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs beginning on May 11. Ahead of KU in the East are Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg. Having already played three of the top four schools, the Golden Bears will look to gain some ground on the rest of the conference in a matchup with Mansfield this weekend.
KU will take the 3.5 hour trip to Mansfield on Friday, and will host the Mountaineers on Saturday at North Campus Field. Both days are doubleheaders set to begin at 1:00 p.m. Live stats and radio will be available for Friday's twin bill at Mansfield. For live stats, please CLICK HERE, and for live audio, please CLICK HERE.
Live stats for Saturday's home contest can be accessed by CLICKING HERE.
Quigley has been a vital part of a KU team that has made 10 consecutive postseason appearances. Entering his senior year, Quigley had a career batting average of .343 with 35 doubles and 11 home runs. He has earned numerous accolades during his tenure at KU. In 2010, Quigley was named to the PSAC East first team, ABCA/Rawlings first team and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region honorable mention. Even after such a dominant year where he batted over .350, Quigley still has that drive to get his team back to the postseason and hopefully a return trip back to the NCAA Division II Baseball National Championship.
“Coming into the season, everyone knew how good of a team we were and we all wanted to get better in every aspect of the game,” Quigley said. “But the ultimate goal was and still is to get back to World Series. We know we still have some work to do but this is no time to feel sorry for yourself. We know we have to buckle down and get the job done.”
KU, ranked tenth in the latest NCBWA Atlantic Region poll, is looking to rebound after its series with Millersville in which it dropped three of four. On a positive note, the Golden Bear bats came around in a big way in the final game, putting up 10 runs in the fifth inning in route to a 12-5 victory. Quigley had five hits in the four game set and hopes to continue to improve at the plate against a team he has had a great deal of success against in the past. In 2010, he batted 5-for-10 with three RBIs in KU's series with the Mountaineers.
Experiencing a high level of success is nothing new to the Leisure & Sports Studies major from Bensalem, Pa. In his time at Bensalem High School, Quigley won the team Most Valuable Player award four consecutive years, all coming at the varsity level. Fast forwarding to 2011, Quigley is batting .323 at the plate and is in the top three on the team in multiple categories. He is second on the team in runs scored (24), total bases (45) and doubles (eight), and is third on the team in hits (31) and RBIs (19).
“James walked in here as a freshman a very good hitter,” head baseball coach Chris Blum said. “He has a great approach and always has a plan at the plate. He helps his teammates out whenever he can whether it's learning to read a pitcher's patterns or picking up any pitches he is tipping.”
As well as Quigley has been hitting this season, he has been surrounded by quality hitters all around the lineup. Kutztown, the top offensive team in the conference, leads the PSAC in batting average (.332), runs (216), hits (297) and doubles (57).
Leading the Golden Bears has been Shayne Houck (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) with a .380 average along with six home runs and 28 RBIs. Fellow upperclassman Mike Dugan (Ocean City, N.J./Ocean City) has also been a cornerstone over the past four years and is batting .340 in 2011 with 32 hits and 16 RBIs. The trio of Houck, Quigley and Dugan has made up the 3-4-5 spots in the lineup for the majority of the past two seasons and has had a great deal of success in their time together. In his final year in maroon-and-gold, Quigley's guidance by his coaches, both on and off the field, is something he will never forget.
“The coaching staff has not only formed me to be a good college baseball player, but they have helped tremendously with the mental aspect of life both on and off the field,” Quigley said. “It was something I struggled with coming into college but feel I have made big steps in the right direction mentally. Our team has grown tremendously throughout the year, with discipline on and off the field as well as learning the great amount of work that it takes to be a successful team at this level. I enjoy the role of being a leader on this team and do everything I can to help the younger guys with their own outlooks of the game.”
Mansfield (14-5, 3-1) is coming off a pair of victories on Sunday against East Stroudsburg and has dealt with a bevy of postponed games in the past week due to weather. The Mountaineers, ranked fifth in the latest NCBWA regional poll, have been led at the plate by Kevin Miller. Miller is batting .393 and currently has 24 hits on the season. Senior Eric Rosenberger is MU's top thrower through its first 19 games, holding a 0.84 ERA in five starts. The left-hander is 5-0 on the season and is second on the team in strikeouts with 22.
“The current mindset for the team is to just stay loose and win any as many games as possible,” Quigley said. “Regardless of how things are going, you just have to wake up the next day and do everything in your power to win the next one.”
Saturday's game against Mansfield will start an eight-game home stretch for the Golden Bears. Kutztown is set to host Washington Adventist in a non-conference doubleheader at North Campus Field on Tuesday, Apr. 12 beginning at 1:00 p.m.
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The Kutztown University Athletic Department would like to remind Golden Bear fans and followers there are many ways they can follow their favorite team. One can follow the Golden Bears via Facebook, SMS messages and weekly newsletters. One can also check out the photo galleries.
SMS messages are a good way to get Kutztown news no matter where one is located. One can sign up to get news from any or every sport at Kutztown. Fans will receive final scores as well as special awards and honors earned by Golden Bear teams and student- athletes. Sign up at http://www.kubears.com/member/sms_signup.aspx.You can also get a weekly newsletter of Kutztown highlights delivered straight to your inbox by signing up at
Photos are available through photo galleries from the last two years at Kutztown. Simply go to
http://www.kubears.com/photo_gallery.aspx and choose which sport one would like to view. Galleries are broken down by sports, seasons and games.
The Kutztown University sports information department hopes that everyone has enjoyed all of the new ways to keep up with their favorite team. The SID department hopes people will continue to take advantage of the great resources available.
