RELEASE DATE: 2/23/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mounties Open 137^th Baseball Season At Shepherd Friday and Saturday – Earliest Season Opener in School History

Mansfield – The Mansfield University baseball team will open the 2006 season when the Mountaineers travel to Shepherd (WV) University this Friday and Saturday for a four games series. It marks the earliest season opener in the programs’ 137- year history.

It also marks Harry Hillson’s 20^th season at the helm of the Mountaineers program where he has become one of the most successful coaches in the nation with 613 wins over his first 19 seasons.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 28-18 season including a 15-4 mark in the PSAC East. Mansfield returns 15 letterwinners from a team that led the PSAC in hitting (.313) and home runs (36).

The Mounties are expected to be much improved on the mound returning starters Matt Allegretto, Nick Grove, Adam Lorson and Justin Ferguson. They will be joined by Dan Yoder, a two-year starter on the mound before a medical red-shirt last season, and Mansfield native Gary Ball who transferred after starting the last three seasons at NCAA Division I Cleveland State. Colby Rickabaugh also returns after earning First Team honors as a reliever last year.

In the field the Mountaineers will be led by senior outfield Brett Shockloss who earned All-PSAC East first team honors after batting .347 last season.

Mansfield will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Sheperd.