GRANTHAM, Pa. – Widener Baseball is set to make its first MAC Commonwealth Championship series appearance since the 2019 season. After taking down Hood in the Semifinals, the Pride will travel to Grantham, Pa. to face off against number one seeded Messiah. The first two games of the series will take place on Friday, May 8 with first pitch for game one scheduled for 12:00 P.M. Game three of the series will be held on Saturday May 9 at 3:30 P.M if necessary.
 
SEASON SUMMARY
 
The Pride head into the championship with a 22-19 overall record and a 13-8 record in the MAC Commonwealth which secured them the number two seed in the tournament.
 
After reaching the NCAA Division III title game last season, the Messiah Falcons have put together another strong season. They finished with a 30-12 overall record and went 19-2 in conference play to give them the number one seed.
 
During their conference series during the regular season, the Pride won game two of the series by a final score of 7-3 to hand the Falcons one of their two conference losses this season. Messiah would win game one of the series 18-4 and game two 14-10.
 
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
 
The Pride lineup has proven to be a deep unit, scoring 261 runs on the season which landed them third in the conference. The top of the lineup is anchored by junior first baseman Kevin Bukowski, senior outfielder Ryan Bauerle, and sophomore infielder Brandon Yoder. Bukowski was one of the top players in the conference in 2026. The Pride's first baseman finished the season with a .354 batting average and a team leading 1.175 OPS. Bukowski tallied 46 hits and led the team with 13 home runs and 46 hits. Bauerle has once again put together a fantastic season for the Pride. This season, he had a .367 batting average with a .951 OPS. He led the team with 47 hits while driving in 19 runs. The senior also led the team in stolen bases with 23. Yoder made a big impact in his first year with the program. He had an outstanding .383 batting average with 1.045 OPS. He totaled 44 hits including 10 doubles, three triples, and two home runs.
 
The Pride lineup also features junior shortstop Sean Burke and sophomore outfielder Braedyn Clinton. Burke had a breakout season in 2026. He finished the regular season with  a .283 batting average with a .967 OPS. He finished second on the team in home runs with five and drove in 27 runs. He also added on 10 doubles and a triple. Clinton was sensational in centerfield and at the plate. He finished the season with a .328 batting with 41 hits. He tallied five doubles, three home runs, 23 runs batted in, and seven stolen bases.
 
The Pride pitching staff features three outstanding starters in junior Trae Sanders, senior John Najdek, and senior Hayden O'Neill. Sanders was the Pride's Friday conference starter, finishing the season with a 6-3 record, 67.2 innings pitched, a 1.42 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts. Najdek had a stellar season going 6-4 with 64.0 innings pitched, a 1.31 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts. Hayden O'Neill took over a conference starter role midway through the season and never looked back. O'Neill finished with a3-3 record tallying 43.2 innings, 26 strikeouts, and a 1.51 WHIP.
 
UP NEXT
 
The winner of this series will claim the MAC Commonwealth title and also advance to the NCAA Tournament. Game times are to be determined.
 
Ticket prices are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors (65+), and $5 for youth (ages 7-17). MAC students with a valid ID and children six and under accompanied by an adult receive free admission.