DUBOIS, Pa. – For the fourth time in program history, The Apprentice School baseball team captured the USCAA Small College World Series title and earned the title of National Champions after defeating Penn State Mont Alto 6-2 Friday afternoon.

With the win, the Builders tie the single season record in program history for wins, finishing the year at 41-6. It also marks the third time in the four national championship wins that the Builders came out of the elimination bracket, doing it in 2015 and 2022 after winning it all for the first time undefeated in 2007.

The Builders started quickly, getting Nate Yeary aboard and moved around for Lucca Pascarella to bring him home on a RBI single. One inning later, Pascarella against got a base hit, this time plating Baker Green to double the Builder lead.

After Penn State Mont Alto got one back in the third, Apprentice answered right back, taking advantage of a Lion error on an attempted double play to extend the lead back out to two.

The Builders got their big inning in the fourth. Isaac McCallister legged out an infield single to plate Jaeden Anderson before Jett Winslow had the biggest hit of the inning, singling to right center with the bases loaded to score two more, making the score 6-1.

The Lions did not go quietly as USCAA Player of the Year James Sibert homered to lead off the top of the fifth, but freshman Brayden Hayes never became flustered, sitting down the heart of the PSUMA lineup to end the threat in the fifth.

Hayes proceeded to sit down the Lions in the sixth, setting up Grant Stratton to come into the game in the seventh, striking out all three batters he faced to shut the door.

Landon Turner finished the game going 3-for-4 at the plate, while Pascarella and Winslow each finished with two hits.

Yeary finished the tournament with a record seven stolen bases, earning Tournament MVP honors. Pascarella, McCallister and Nick Redman joined Yeary on the All-Tournament Team.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Santino Tarquino/USCAA

DUBOIS, Pa. – The Apprentice School baseball team is one win away from earning their fourth Small College World Series title after defeating top-seeded Salem and third-seeded Penn State Mont Alto Thursday afternoon.

GAME ONE – AS 7, SALEM 2
The Builders went out in front early in the first as Lucca Pascarella singled to plate Landon Turner and take an early 1-0 lead, but the Tigers answered with single runs in the second and third to take a 2-1 lead.

Apprentice answered in the bottom of the third with their biggest inning of the game. A three-run blast by Pascarella and an Isaac McCallister single made it 5-2 through three complete.

McCallister plated another run in the fifth on a fielder’s choice before Pascarella finished off the scoring with a RBI single that pushed the Builders into the championship.

Pascarella went 3-for-3 in the game with five RBIs. Jackson Thomas was 2-for-3. Nick Redman (11-1) got the win, going the distance with six strikeouts.

GAME TWO – AS 6, PSU MA 4
Apprentice again used first inning offense to get the game going as Pascarella continued his hot day with a double down the line in right, scoring a pair before a Lion error and a Thomas sacrifice fly made the score 4-0.

Mont Alto answered in the fourth with four of their own, taking advantage of a Builder error, followed by a double and a pair of singles to tie the game.

McCallister, who started the game on the mound, came up even bigger at the plate with a two-run dinger to center in the sixth that served as the game winner. Aiden Walker (4-0) finished off the game on the mound, allowing just one hit over three innings to force Friday’s national title decider.

Pascarella led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Yeary went 2-for-3.

The Builders and Lions will meet tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. with the winner earning the title of National Champions.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Santino Tarquino/USCAA

DUBOIS, Pa. – The Apprentice School baseball team kept its season alive with a pair of wins in the elimination portion of the bracket Wednesday, advancing to the final three at the USCAA Small College World Series.

GAME ONE – AS 14, USSU 8
United States Sports University got things started with a massive first inning, scoring five runs in the top of the frame, but the Builders answered in the bottom of the first with two of their own. AS loaded up the bases and drew a walk to score the first before Jett Winslow singled to plate two more and trim the lead down to 5-2.

After another Eagle run in the second, the Builders struck back with a Jackson Thomas double in the second to cut into the lead before Isaac McCallister hit his first homer of the day in the third to tie the game at 6-6. The scoring didn’t end there in the inning as Nate Yeary bunted for a single, plating Baker Green and Jaeden Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to take an 8-6 lead.

After a scoreless fourth, the Builders got another run in the fifth on a RBI groundout before a nearly two-hour lightning delay. The bats stayed hot through the weather as four more came across in the seventh, plating the runs on a bases loaded walk, a two-run double from Green and a RBI groundout.

Charley Higginbotham (7-1) got the win after throwing the first 5.1 innings before the weather delay. He struck out four on the day.

GAME TWO – AS 4, PSUD 1
The Builders took advantage of Lion errors throughout the game. Yeary scored the first run in the bottom of the first on a failed pickoff attempt. AS doubled its lead in the second on a Lucca Pascarella homer over the right field fence.

Another Lion error came to haunt DuBois in the fourth as Jett Winslow scored on another failed pickoff attempt at second base, making the score 3-0. After a sacrifice fly in the sixth by the host team, McCallister homered again, blasting a ball over the right center fence to get to the final score.

Grant Stratton (4-1) went the distance, fanning 10 Lions along the way. He surrendered just one walk and five hits.

The Builders remain in the tournament, needing three wins in a row to hoist the national championship trophy. The road keeps going Thursday against the defending national champions and top-seed Salem at 2:30 p.m.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Santino Tarquino/USCAA

DUBOIS, Pa. – The Apprentice School baseball team ran into the red-hot bats of Penn State Mont Alto Tuesday night as the Builders fell in the USCAA Small College World Series winner’s bracket 11-6.

The Lions wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as they hit a three-run shot in the first inning. Apprentice scratched one back in the bottom of the frame on a Jackson Thomas sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 3-1.

After two in the second and one in the third for the Lions made it 6-1, Apprentice got two back in the bottom of the third on a Jett Winslow RBI single. Mont Alto got another homer in the fourth to score one more, but the Builders had the upper hand in the bottom.

Jaeden Anderson tripled with two on to cut the lead to 7-5 and then came home on a Lucca Pascarella sacrifice fly that made the score 7-6. Mont Alto jumped back on the board in the top of the fifth, however, with three runs in the frame to get the lead back out to 10-6.

The Builders did break the single season record for total stolen bases in the game. Nate Yeary finished the day with three stolen bags.

Apprentice will fight to keep their season alive at 1 p.m. Wednesday against United State Sports University. Should they win, they would play again on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the winner of Penn State DuBois and Miami-Hamilton.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

DUBOIS, Pa. – The Apprentice School baseball coaching staff highlighted the USCAA Awards Sunday afternoon at the awards banquet ahead of the Small College World Series.

The staff, comprised of Ben Jones, Chris Scarola, John McConnell and Cam Weston, was named Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the first time the program won the honor since the 2018 season when Bryan Cave won Coach of the Year.

Additionally, four Builders earned All-American honors. Pitchers Brayden Hayes, Nick Redman and Grant Stratton earned first team honors after leading the pitching staff to numerous top marks in the USCAA. Outfielder Jaeden Anderson was named to the second team after leading the team at the plate all season. Anderson, Aiden Henry and Chase Mytrysak earned All-Academic honors.

The Builders open up the Small College World Series Monday afternoon at 4 p.m.

Story and image courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics

PITTSBURGH – The Apprentice School baseball team will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s USCAA Small College World Series as they look to win their fourth national title in program history.

The Builders head into the tournament with a 35-5 overall record, the most wins and best winning percentage in the country. They will take on the winner of seventh-seeded Central Maine CC, the YSCC champions, and 10th-seeded Central Penn Monday at 4 p.m. at Showers Field in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

Defending national champion Salem is the top seed in the tournament. Penn State Mont Alto, winners of the PSUAC, claimed the third seed, while host Penn State DuBois is seeded fifth. United States Sports University will make their first appearance at the SCWS as the No. 4 seed. Miami Hamilton is No. 6, and Cincinnati-Clermont and Florida National will play in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game to start the tournament Monday.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn