Butler, Pa. - Millersville baseball has been planning this celebration for 364 days. The determined Marauders  pounded out 17 hits and overwhelmed East Stroudsburg for a 13-4 win and the program's first PSAC Championship in 17 years.
 
When Millersville (42-6) left Butler in 2014, it was a far different feeling. But the 1-0 loss to Kutztown in the title game served as motivation throughout the offseason, and it culminated with Millersville hoisting the first-place trophy at Kelly Automotive Park on Saturday before a supportive fan base.
 
"We prepared for it," said eighth-year head coach Jon Shehan. "We visualized it. We knew what it was going to take from a pressure aspect. We've been talking about believing all year. We felt the fear of failure was a large part of what happened last year. We went into the classroom and put together five objectives that would help us get through the big games in tournament time and it really paid off. These guys are really believing right now."
 
East Stroudsburg entered the championship contest with 39 runs scored in four tournament games, but it was Millersville that went on the attack early. With Chas McCormick on first base in the top of the first inning, Dan Stoltzfus laced a two-out base hit to right field. The ball was initially misplayed, and McCormick sprinted from first to home, narrowly sneaking past the tag.
 
"I think the hustle of Chas McCormick in the first inning really set the tone for us," said Shehan. "We gave up a solo home run but just like the other night when we gave up the home run to (Nick) Sell it just got us more fired up and more focused."
 
Millersville wasn't finished in the first. Jeremy Musser doubled in Stoltzfus. The 2-0 lead lasted only until the bottom of the first when Conner Crookham hit a two-out, solo home run.
 
Millersville quickly responded and used a couple of ESU errors to push across three more runs in the third. Two came across when Mitch Stoltzfus lined a single to center with two outs in the inning. East Stroudsburg picked up a pair in the bottom of the third off of Marauder starter Stephen Muscovitch. East Stroudsburg threatened to tie the game with runners on second and third with two outs, but Shehan went to the bullpen. Sophomore Reid Anderson needed just one pitch to get veteran third baseman Drew Hercik to ground out to Tyler Orris at short.
 
Anderson, who was an outfielder for the Marauders as a freshman, gave his team exactly what it needed at the end of a long tournament. Anderson stymied the heavy-hitting Warriors over the next three-plus innings, finishing with the win and just three hits and an unearned run allowed.
 
"I was really proud of how Reid Anderson came out and pitched," said Shehan. "He's has really matured and done a great job this year."
 
It was Anderson's second-longest outing of the season. He has not allowed an earned run over his last 16.2 innings of relief work.

Meanwhile, the red-hot Marauder lineup kept adding to the lead. Even when McCormick left with an injury sustained in the field, Luke Emling entered and a delivered a single, double, walk and two runs scored over his four innings played. John Brogan drove in Emiling in the fifth, and Millersville tacked on four more runs on five hits in the sixth.
 
David Summerfield, the PSAC Tournament MVP, added the exclamation point in the seventh. With two on and no outs, Summerfield drilled a rising line drive over the right-center field wall for his third homer of the season and third hit of the game. Summerfield went 3-for-6 with three runs, four RBIs and a stolen base in the title game. He went 10-for-19 with four doubles, a homer, eight runs and six RBIs in the four-game tournament.
 
Dylan Boisclair came on in the eighth, fanning two in his first inning of work. And in the ninth, Tyler Orris hauled in a pop up in shallow left field for the third out, setting off the championship celebration.
 
Nine Marauders had at least one hit and six produced two or more. In addition to Summerfield, Mitch Stoltzfus also delivered three hits.
 
Millersville's bullpen worked 6.1 innings and allowed just three hits and no earned runs.
 
The PSAC Championship win was Millersville's first since 1998, fourth all-time and the first since the field expanded to eight teams.
 
"This is a great league," said Shehan. "We knew we had a good team but it doesn't mean you are going to come out and win this tournament. Lots of things have to go right. We battled, we never gave up. It means a lot to the program. This tournament is a challenge every year, and I'm really proud of our guys."
 
With the tournament title comes an automatic berth in the NCAA Atlantic Regional. Millersville is officially in the NCAA Tournament field for a third consecutive season and for the fourth time since 2011.