Mercyhurst University Men's Baseball

Spano's 16th season at Mercyhurst (2015) proved to be one for the ages. Mercyhurst finished with a 40-11 overall record and made its first trip in program history to the Division II Baseball National Championship. The Lakers also won their first-ever Atlantic Regional Championship. The 40 wins tied the second-highest total in program history and were two shy of the school record of 42 the team won in 2011. Spano was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. In late May, he was also named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Coach of the Year and was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Prior to the start of the historic 2015 campaign, Spano was also selected the Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year and was presented the award in the fall of 2014. The 40 victories last season marked the fifth consecutive year, and sixth time in the last seven, that the Lakers have won at least 30 games. The 40-11 record also marked the 11th consecutive winning season under Spano - longest in program history. The Lakers finished fourth in the country in the final Division II poll of the season - the highest national ranking at the end of a season in program history. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Spano is four wins shy of 500 for his career as he has guided the Laker program to a 496-327-3 overall record during his tenure.  Among the 2015 player accolades were the following: 1. Redshirt senior Jon Klein and junior Ben Nolan were named 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Spring Top 10 award winners. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are designed to recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Both were also selected to the Capital One Academic 2. Klein and Nolan were also named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Baseball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Klein was named a First Team Capital One Academic All-American® while Nolan earned a spot on the Third Team. 3. Klein, senior outfielder Giancarlo Saia, and senior infielder Angel Martinez were named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Baseball All-Stars. Klein was the only Laker selected to the First Team while Saia and Martinez captured spots on the Second Team. 4. Nolan won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Award. 5. Mercyhurst had four players named to the All-PSAC West First Team while five others earned All-PSAC West Second Team honors. Spano was named PSAC West Coach-of-the-Year. In 2014, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the fourth consecutive season and finished with a winning record for the tenth consecutive year under head coach Joe Spano. It clinched a number two seed in the PSAC Western Division with a 20-8 conference record. The Lakers rolled into post-season with seven wins in its last eight conference games. In non-conference action, the Lakers finished with a 10-7 record. Since joining the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Mercyhurst has claimed at least a share of the Western Division title five times and has made the conference's postseason tournament in each of the first seven seasons since becoming a league member. In June of 2014, former Laker righthander Dan Altavilla became the highest Major League Baseball draft pick in Mercyhurst history when he was taken in the fifth round (141st overall) by the Seattle Mariners. He was the first Division II player taken in the 2014 MLB draft. In 2013, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons. It won a share of the PSAC Western Division for the third consecutive time, winning six of its last eight conference games to claim the division. In non-conference action, the Lakers recorded a sweep of national power Grand Valley State on March 16. GVSU eventually advanced to the Division II College World Series.  Following the campaign, Laker shortstop Zak Blair was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 20th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He is the seventh Laker to be drafted in the Spano era.  Ben Rawding wrapped up his career as one of the top players in program history, earning All-PSAC Western Division First Team and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team honors. He leaves as the program's all-time leader in victories with 30, surpassing former MLB pitcher John Costello, who recorded 26 wins from 1980-81. He finished with 288 career strikeouts, second all-time, and his four career shutouts are tied for the most in program history, and his 291.1 innings pitched are also tops in program history. The senior went 30-8 over his career, including 25-4 during the last three seasons. Earlier this year, Rawding shattered the PSAC record for most consecutive pitching decisions with a victory, winning 19 straight. Steve Micknich of Mansfield held the previous record of 14 straight.  The 2012 season saw the Lakers qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. They won 39 games, including a PSAC Western Division crown. Mercyhurst made it to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament and then beat Kutztown in its first NCAA Tournament contest. It dropped a 3-2 decision to eventual NCAA Champion West Chester the next day.  The Lakers finished the year ranked in two separate national polls. College Baseball Lineup had the Lakers ranked 29th in the final poll of the season, while the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranked Mercyhurst in a tie for 30th in its final list. Rawding also had a stellar junior season. Rawding was named an ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American and an Honorable Mention All-American by the NCBWA. In addition, the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native was the ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, the Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, an ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region First Team member, an NCBWA Atlantic Region First Team selection, a First Team All-PSAC West selection, and a Daktronics Atlantic Region First Team member this postseason. Former Laker David Lough made his major league debut on September 1, 2012, collecting two hits and scoring twice in his big league outing. He became the third Mercyhurst player to appear in the majors.  Hurst went 42-12 in 2011, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers won three games in the Atlantic Region, but fell to Millersville in an elimination game on May 23. Spano set the Hurst record for victories in a season and now has a career mark of 357-264. Spano completed his 11th year as the Lakers skipper in 2010, guiding Mercyhurst to its second consecutive appearance in the PSAC Tournament in the Lakers' second year as full-time members of the league. Already the Lakers' all-time leader in victories, Spano collected his 300th win on March 29 in a 2-0 win over Indiana (Pa.) at Mercyhurst Field. The Lakers finished third in the PSAC Western Division with a 16-8 mark and finished the season with a 26-22 record after a 1-2 showing at the league tournament. Five Lakers earned All-PSAC Honors, including Freshman of the Year for the second-straight season. In 2009, Spano earned his third career Coach of the Year honors and first from his peers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference after his squad went 38-17 to tie the 2006 unit for the second-most victories behind only the 1997 team that went 40-8. Two players were selected in the 2009 MLB Draft, marking the third and fourth selections in three years from Spano's squads. Additionally, Spano and his charges swept a doubleheader at California (Pa.) on the last day of the regular season (April 25, 2009) to earn the PSAC West crown as Spano surpassed former Laker head coach and current Pittsburgh head coach Joe Jordano as the all-time winningest coach (289-230-3). The Lakers also advanced to the NCAA regional tournament for the first time since 2000 and seventh overall tournament where they posted the best-ever finish with a 3-2 mark, winning their first two contests before suffering a loss. Prior to the tourney appearance, Mercyhurst owned a 2-12 all-time record. The Lakers were also the first Mercyhurst unit to capture the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference regular season title in the schools first year as a full-time member of the PSAC after ending a 13-year affiliation with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Other highlights included defeating a No.1-ranked team for the first time in program history when Mercyhurst defeated Lynn University on March 1 by a 10-6 count. In 2008, Spano became the second coach in school history to win 250 games when the Lakers topped Northwood on May 4. Only one year earlier, on March 10, 2007, he won his 200th game. He has guided his squads to four-straight winning seasons, a feat has been accomplished only one other time in school history. Spano was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year after he guided the 2006 squad to a 38-15 mark and a 23-9 record in the GLIAC, which tied for second place. The 2007 team followed that up with a 32-win performance and a 17-11 mark in the conference, earning the team's second consecutive bid to the GLIAC Championship Tournament. Spano also won the GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 2000, his first year as head man, when the Lakers finshed 35-18-1, took second in the GLIAC, and hosted the NCAA Division II North Central Regional. The 2006 team's 38 wins were the most for a Laker squad since 1997. Mercyhurst qualified for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since the conference initiated playoffs in 2003. The Lakers hit .315 as a team in 2006, 28 points higher than 2005, and the staff ERA of 3.01 was more than a run lower than both the 2005 team's and the next best mark in the GLIAC. Mercyhurst won 13 more games this year than last and finished three spots higher in the GLIAC than a pre-season coaches' projection. Nine players were named all-conference. His 2007 team produced five all-conference honorees, two players earned various all-region awards and the squad had the program's first All-American since 1998. That squad also featured a pair of players drafted in the 2007 MLB Draft, David Lough and Brian Espersen. Lough, an outfielder, was the highest selected player in program history as an 11th round pick by Kansas City. Espersen, a pitcher, was the third highest pick in school history, going in the 18th round to Houston. Spano came to Mercyhurst in January of 1998 after former head coach Joe Jordano and former assistant Joel Dombkowski were hired by the University of Pittsburgh. Spano worked for Dan DeCaprio (19-23 overall; 11-13 GLIAC) for one year and then for Scott Norwood (26-18; 19-11), before assuming the head job. He played for two years at Division I Boston University. When university officials decided to terminate the program in 1995 because of gender equity considerations, Spano moved to Division II Lewis University where, in two years, he hit a combined .360. He made the Great Lakes Valley All-Conference and North Central All-Region teams as a left fielder and third baseman in 1997, batting .383, hitting 14 home runs, and knocking in 51 runners. His Lewis University teams went a combined 77-36 in two years, made the NCAA Regional Playoffs in 1996 and won the GLVC North his senior year. He also saw time on the mound for the Flyers, appearing in four games. He finished with a 2.45 ERA over his 3.2 innings of work. While at Lewis, Spano spent three summers in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, an NCAA-sanctioned wooden bat league. In 1996 he finished fifth in the league in batting with a .342 average. Following his days at Lewis, he played one season with the DuBois County Dragons of the independent Heartland League. Spano holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lewis University and earned his master's certificate from Mercyhurst in 2000. Spano's wife, the former Tina McMahon, attended Lewis University with him. The Spanos have two daughters and two sons. Daughter Jillian was born in May of 2001, son Joseph was born in December 2005, Natalie was born in October 2007, and Nico in July 2011. Mercyhurst's Top 10 Winningest Seasons: Wins Head Coach Year 42 Joe Spano 2011 40 Joe Spano 2015 40 Joe Jordano 1997 39  Joe Spano    2012 38 Joe Spano 2009 38 Joe Spano 2006 36 Joe Jordano 1996 35 Joe Spano 2000 32 Joe Spano 2007 31 Joe Jordano 1995 30 Joe Jordano 1994 30 Joe Spano 2013 Joe Spano's 16th season at Mercyhurst (2015) proved to be one for the ages. Mercyhurst finished with a 40-11 overall record and made its first trip in program history to the Division II Baseball National Championship. The Lakers also won their first-ever Atlantic Regional Championship. The 40 wins tied the second-highest total in program history and were two shy of the school record of 42 the team won in 2011. Spano was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. In late May, he was also named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Coach of the Year and was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Prior to the start of the historic 2015 campaign, Spano was also selected the Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year and was presented the award in the fall of 2014. The 40 victories last season marked the fifth consecutive year, and sixth time in the last seven, that the Lakers have won at least 30 games. The 40-11 record also marked the 11th consecutive winning season under Spano - longest in program history. The Lakers finished fourth in the country in the final Division II poll of the season - the highest national ranking at the end of a season in program history. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Spano is four wins shy of 500 for his career as he has guided the Laker program to a 496-327-3 overall record during his tenure.  Among the 2015 player accolades were the following: 1. Redshirt senior Jon Klein and junior Ben Nolan were named 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Spring Top 10 award winners. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are designed to recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Both were also selected to the Capital One Academic 2. Klein and Nolan were also named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Baseball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Klein was named a First Team Capital One Academic All-American® while Nolan earned a spot on the Third Team. 3. Klein, senior outfielder Giancarlo Saia, and senior infielder Angel Martinez were named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Baseball All-Stars. Klein was the only Laker selected to the First Team while Saia and Martinez captured spots on the Second Team. 4. Nolan won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Award. 5. Mercyhurst had four players named to the All-PSAC West First Team while five others earned All-PSAC West Second Team honors. Spano was named PSAC West Coach-of-the-Year. In 2014, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the fourth consecutive season and finished with a winning record for the tenth consecutive year under head coach Joe Spano. It clinched a number two seed in the PSAC Western Division with a 20-8 conference record. The Lakers rolled into post-season with seven wins in its last eight conference games. In non-conference action, the Lakers finished with a 10-7 record. Since joining the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Mercyhurst has claimed at least a share of the Western Division title five times and has made the conference's postseason tournament in each of the first seven seasons since becoming a league member. In June of 2014, former Laker righthander Dan Altavilla became the highest Major League Baseball draft pick in Mercyhurst history when he was taken in the fifth round (141st overall) by the Seattle Mariners. He was the first Division II player taken in the 2014 MLB draft. In 2013, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons. It won a share of the PSAC Western Division for the third consecutive time, winning six of its last eight conference games to claim the division. In non-conference action, the Lakers recorded a sweep of national power Grand Valley State on March 16. GVSU eventually advanced to the Division II College World Series.  Following the campaign, Laker shortstop Zak Blair was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 20th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He is the seventh Laker to be drafted in the Spano era.  Ben Rawding wrapped up his career as one of the top players in program history, earning All-PSAC Western Division First Team and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team honors. He leaves as the program's all-time leader in victories with 30, surpassing former MLB pitcher John Costello, who recorded 26 wins from 1980-81. He finished with 288 career strikeouts, second all-time, and his four career shutouts are tied for the most in program history, and his 291.1 innings pitched are also tops in program history. The senior went 30-8 over his career, including 25-4 during the last three seasons. Earlier this year, Rawding shattered the PSAC record for most consecutive pitching decisions with a victory, winning 19 straight. Steve Micknich of Mansfield held the previous record of 14 straight.  The 2012 season saw the Lakers qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. They won 39 games, including a PSAC Western Division crown. Mercyhurst made it to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament and then beat Kutztown in its first NCAA Tournament contest. It dropped a 3-2 decision to eventual NCAA Champion West Chester the next day.  The Lakers finished the year ranked in two separate national polls. College Baseball Lineup had the Lakers ranked 29th in the final poll of the season, while the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranked Mercyhurst in a tie for 30th in its final list. Rawding also had a stellar junior season. Rawding was named an ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American and an Honorable Mention All-American by the NCBWA. In addition, the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native was the ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, the Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, an ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region First Team member, an NCBWA Atlantic Region First Team selection, a First Team All-PSAC West selection, and a Daktronics Atlantic Region First Team member this postseason. Former Laker David Lough made his major league debut on September 1, 2012, collecting two hits and scoring twice in his big league outing. He became the third Mercyhurst player to appear in the majors.  Hurst went 42-12 in 2011, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers won three games in the Atlantic Region, but fell to Millersville in an elimination game on May 23. Spano set the Hurst record for victories in a season and now has a career mark of 357-264. Spano completed his 11th year as the Lakers skipper in 2010, guiding Mercyhurst to its second consecutive appearance in the PSAC Tournament in the Lakers' second year as full-time members of the league. Already the Lakers' all-time leader in victories, Spano collected his 300th win on March 29 in a 2-0 win over Indiana (Pa.) at Mercyhurst Field. The Lakers finished third in the PSAC Western Division with a 16-8 mark and finished the season with a 26-22 record after a 1-2 showing at the league tournament. Five Lakers earned All-PSAC Honors, including Freshman of the Year for the second-straight season. In 2009, Spano earned his third career Coach of the Year honors and first from his peers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference after his squad went 38-17 to tie the 2006 unit for the second-most victories behind only the 1997 team that went 40-8. Two players were selected in the 2009 MLB Draft, marking the third and fourth selections in three years from Spano's squads. Additionally, Spano and his charges swept a doubleheader at California (Pa.) on the last day of the regular season (April 25, 2009) to earn the PSAC West crown as Spano surpassed former Laker head coach and current Pittsburgh head coach Joe Jordano as the all-time winningest coach (289-230-3). The Lakers also advanced to the NCAA regional tournament for the first time since 2000 and seventh overall tournament where they posted the best-ever finish with a 3-2 mark, winning their first two contests before suffering a loss. Prior to the tourney appearance, Mercyhurst owned a 2-12 all-time record. The Lakers were also the first Mercyhurst unit to capture the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference regular season title in the schools first year as a full-time member of the PSAC after ending a 13-year affiliation with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Other highlights included defeating a No.1-ranked team for the first time in program history when Mercyhurst defeated Lynn University on March 1 by a 10-6 count. In 2008, Spano became the second coach in school history to win 250 games when the Lakers topped Northwood on May 4. Only one year earlier, on March 10, 2007, he won his 200th game. He has guided his squads to four-straight winning seasons, a feat has been accomplished only one other time in school history. Spano was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year after he guided the 2006 squad to a 38-15 mark and a 23-9 record in the GLIAC, which tied for second place. The 2007 team followed that up with a 32-win performance and a 17-11 mark in the conference, earning the team's second consecutive bid to the GLIAC Championship Tournament. Spano also won the GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 2000, his first year as head man, when the Lakers finshed 35-18-1, took second in the GLIAC, and hosted the NCAA Division II North Central Regional. The 2006 team's 38 wins were the most for a Laker squad since 1997. Mercyhurst qualified for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since the conference initiated playoffs in 2003. The Lakers hit .315 as a team in 2006, 28 points higher than 2005, and the staff ERA of 3.01 was more than a run lower than both the 2005 team's and the next best mark in the GLIAC. Mercyhurst won 13 more games this year than last and finished three spots higher in the GLIAC than a pre-season coaches' projection. Nine players were named all-conference. His 2007 team produced five all-conference honorees, two players earned various all-region awards and the squad had the program's first All-American since 1998. That squad also featured a pair of players drafted in the 2007 MLB Draft, David Lough and Brian Espersen. Lough, an outfielder, was the highest selected player in program history as an 11th round pick by Kansas City. Espersen, a pitcher, was the third highest pick in school history, going in the 18th round to Houston. Spano came to Mercyhurst in January of 1998 after former head coach Joe Jordano and former assistant Joel Dombkowski were hired by the University of Pittsburgh. Spano worked for Dan DeCaprio (19-23 overall; 11-13 GLIAC) for one year and then for Scott Norwood (26-18; 19-11), before assuming the head job. He played for two years at Division I Boston University. When university officials decided to terminate the program in 1995 because of gender equity considerations, Spano moved to Division II Lewis University where, in two years, he hit a combined .360. He made the Great Lakes Valley All-Conference and North Central All-Region teams as a left fielder and third baseman in 1997, batting .383, hitting 14 home runs, and knocking in 51 runners. His Lewis University teams went a combined 77-36 in two years, made the NCAA Regional Playoffs in 1996 and won the GLVC North his senior year. He also saw time on the mound for the Flyers, appearing in four games. He finished with a 2.45 ERA over his 3.2 innings of work. While at Lewis, Spano spent three summers in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, an NCAA-sanctioned wooden bat league. In 1996 he finished fifth in the league in batting with a .342 average. Following his days at Lewis, he played one season with the DuBois County Dragons of the independent Heartland League. Spano holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lewis University and earned his master's certificate from Mercyhurst in 2000. Spano's wife, the former Tina McMahon, attended Lewis University with him. The Spanos have two daughters and two sons. Daughter Jillian was born in May of 2001, son Joseph was born in December 2005, Natalie was born in October 2007, and Nico in July 2011. Mercyhurst's Top 10 Winningest Seasons: Wins Head Coach Year 42 Joe Spano 2011 40 Joe Spano 2015 40 Joe Jordano 1997 39  Joe Spano    2012 38 Joe Spano 2009 38 Joe Spano 2006 36 Joe Jordano 1996 35 Joe Spano 2000 32 Joe Spano 2007 31 Joe Jordano 1995 30 Joe Jordano 1994 30 Joe Spano 2013 Joe Spano's 16th season at Mercyhurst (2015) proved to be one for the ages. Mercyhurst finished with a 40-11 overall record and made its first trip in program history to the Division II Baseball National Championship. The Lakers also won their first-ever Atlantic Regional Championship. The 40 wins tied the second-highest total in program history and were two shy of the school record of 42 the team won in 2011. Spano was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond Division II Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. In late May, he was also named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West Coach of the Year and was the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. Prior to the start of the historic 2015 campaign, Spano was also selected the Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year and was presented the award in the fall of 2014. The 40 victories last season marked the fifth consecutive year, and sixth time in the last seven, that the Lakers have won at least 30 games. The 40-11 record also marked the 11th consecutive winning season under Spano - longest in program history. The Lakers finished fourth in the country in the final Division II poll of the season - the highest national ranking at the end of a season in program history. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Spano is four wins shy of 500 for his career as he has guided the Laker program to a 496-327-3 overall record during his tenure.  Among the 2015 player accolades were the following: 1. Redshirt senior Jon Klein and junior Ben Nolan were named 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Spring Top 10 award winners. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are designed to recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Both were also selected to the Capital One Academic 2. Klein and Nolan were also named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Baseball Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Klein was named a First Team Capital One Academic All-American® while Nolan earned a spot on the Third Team. 3. Klein, senior outfielder Giancarlo Saia, and senior infielder Angel Martinez were named to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Baseball All-Stars. Klein was the only Laker selected to the First Team while Saia and Martinez captured spots on the Second Team. 4. Nolan won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete Award. 5. Mercyhurst had four players named to the All-PSAC West First Team while five others earned All-PSAC West Second Team honors. Spano was named PSAC West Coach-of-the-Year. In 2014, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the fourth consecutive season and finished with a winning record for the tenth consecutive year under head coach Joe Spano. It clinched a number two seed in the PSAC Western Division with a 20-8 conference record. The Lakers rolled into post-season with seven wins in its last eight conference games. In non-conference action, the Lakers finished with a 10-7 record. Since joining the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Mercyhurst has claimed at least a share of the Western Division title five times and has made the conference's postseason tournament in each of the first seven seasons since becoming a league member. In June of 2014, former Laker righthander Dan Altavilla became the highest Major League Baseball draft pick in Mercyhurst history when he was taken in the fifth round (141st overall) by the Seattle Mariners. He was the first Division II player taken in the 2014 MLB draft. In 2013, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the third straight year and fourth time in five seasons. It won a share of the PSAC Western Division for the third consecutive time, winning six of its last eight conference games to claim the division. In non-conference action, the Lakers recorded a sweep of national power Grand Valley State on March 16. GVSU eventually advanced to the Division II College World Series.  Following the campaign, Laker shortstop Zak Blair was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 20th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He is the seventh Laker to be drafted in the Spano era.  Ben Rawding wrapped up his career as one of the top players in program history, earning All-PSAC Western Division First Team and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team honors. He leaves as the program's all-time leader in victories with 30, surpassing former MLB pitcher John Costello, who recorded 26 wins from 1980-81. He finished with 288 career strikeouts, second all-time, and his four career shutouts are tied for the most in program history, and his 291.1 innings pitched are also tops in program history. The senior went 30-8 over his career, including 25-4 during the last three seasons. Earlier this year, Rawding shattered the PSAC record for most consecutive pitching decisions with a victory, winning 19 straight. Steve Micknich of Mansfield held the previous record of 14 straight.  The 2012 season saw the Lakers qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. They won 39 games, including a PSAC Western Division crown. Mercyhurst made it to the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament and then beat Kutztown in its first NCAA Tournament contest. It dropped a 3-2 decision to eventual NCAA Champion West Chester the next day.  The Lakers finished the year ranked in two separate national polls. College Baseball Lineup had the Lakers ranked 29th in the final poll of the season, while the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranked Mercyhurst in a tie for 30th in its final list. Rawding also had a stellar junior season. Rawding was named an ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American and an Honorable Mention All-American by the NCBWA. In addition, the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native was the ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, the Daktronics Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, an ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region First Team member, an NCBWA Atlantic Region First Team selection, a First Team All-PSAC West selection, and a Daktronics Atlantic Region First Team member this postseason. Former Laker David Lough made his major league debut on September 1, 2012, collecting two hits and scoring twice in his big league outing. He became the third Mercyhurst player to appear in the majors.  Hurst went 42-12 in 2011, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers won three games in the Atlantic Region, but fell to Millersville in an elimination game on May 23. Spano set the Hurst record for victories in a season and now has a career mark of 357-264. Spano completed his 11th year as the Lakers skipper in 2010, guiding Mercyhurst to its second consecutive appearance in the PSAC Tournament in the Lakers' second year as full-time members of the league. Already the Lakers' all-time leader in victories, Spano collected his 300th win on March 29 in a 2-0 win over Indiana (Pa.) at Mercyhurst Field. The Lakers finished third in the PSAC Western Division with a 16-8 mark and finished the season with a 26-22 record after a 1-2 showing at the league tournament. Five Lakers earned All-PSAC Honors, including Freshman of the Year for the second-straight season. In 2009, Spano earned his third career Coach of the Year honors and first from his peers in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference after his squad went 38-17 to tie the 2006 unit for the second-most victories behind only the 1997 team that went 40-8. Two players were selected in the 2009 MLB Draft, marking the third and fourth selections in three years from Spano's squads. Additionally, Spano and his charges swept a doubleheader at California (Pa.) on the last day of the regular season (April 25, 2009) to earn the PSAC West crown as Spano surpassed former Laker head coach and current Pittsburgh head coach Joe Jordano as the all-time winningest coach (289-230-3). The Lakers also advanced to the NCAA regional tournament for the first time since 2000 and seventh overall tournament where they posted the best-ever finish with a 3-2 mark, winning their first two contests before suffering a loss. Prior to the tourney appearance, Mercyhurst owned a 2-12 all-time record. The Lakers were also the first Mercyhurst unit to capture the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference regular season title in the schools first year as a full-time member of the PSAC after ending a 13-year affiliation with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Other highlights included defeating a No.1-ranked team for the first time in program history when Mercyhurst defeated Lynn University on March 1 by a 10-6 count. In 2008, Spano became the second coach in school history to win 250 games when the Lakers topped Northwood on May 4. Only one year earlier, on March 10, 2007, he won his 200th game. He has guided his squads to four-straight winning seasons, a feat has been accomplished only one other time in school history. Spano was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year after he guided the 2006 squad to a 38-15 mark and a 23-9 record in the GLIAC, which tied for second place. The 2007 team followed that up with a 32-win performance and a 17-11 mark in the conference, earning the team's second consecutive bid to the GLIAC Championship Tournament. Spano also won the GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 2000, his first year as head man, when the Lakers finshed 35-18-1, took second in the GLIAC, and hosted the NCAA Division II North Central Regional. The 2006 team's 38 wins were the most for a Laker squad since 1997. Mercyhurst qualified for the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since the conference initiated playoffs in 2003. The Lakers hit .315 as a team in 2006, 28 points higher than 2005, and the staff ERA of 3.01 was more than a run lower than both the 2005 team's and the next best mark in the GLIAC. Mercyhurst won 13 more games this year than last and finished three spots higher in the GLIAC than a pre-season coaches' projection. Nine players were named all-conference. His 2007 team produced five all-conference honorees, two players earned various all-region awards and the squad had the program's first All-American since 1998. That squad also featured a pair of players drafted in the 2007 MLB Draft, David Lough and Brian Espersen. Lough, an outfielder, was the highest selected player in program history as an 11th round pick by Kansas City. Espersen, a pitcher, was the third highest pick in school history, going in the 18th round to Houston. Spano came to Mercyhurst in January of 1998 after former head coach Joe Jordano and former assistant Joel Dombkowski were hired by the University of Pittsburgh. Spano worked for Dan DeCaprio (19-23 overall; 11-13 GLIAC) for one year and then for Scott Norwood (26-18; 19-11), before assuming the head job. He played for two years at Division I Boston University. When university officials decided to terminate the program in 1995 because of gender equity considerations, Spano moved to Division II Lewis University where, in two years, he hit a combined .360. He made the Great Lakes Valley All-Conference and North Central All-Region teams as a left fielder and third baseman in 1997, batting .383, hitting 14 home runs, and knocking in 51 runners. His Lewis University teams went a combined 77-36 in two years, made the NCAA Regional Playoffs in 1996 and won the GLVC North his senior year. He also saw time on the mound for the Flyers, appearing in four games. He finished with a 2.45 ERA over his 3.2 innings of work. While at Lewis, Spano spent three summers in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, an NCAA-sanctioned wooden bat league. In 1996 he finished fifth in the league in batting with a .342 average. Following his days at Lewis, he played one season with the DuBois County Dragons of the independent Heartland League. Spano holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lewis University and earned his master's certificate from Mercyhurst in 2000. Spano's wife, the former Tina McMahon, attended Lewis University with him. The Spanos have two daughters and two sons. Daughter Jillian was born in May of 2001, son Joseph was born in December 2005, Natalie was born in October 2007, and Nico in July 2011. Mercyhurst's Top 10 Winningest Seasons: Wins Head Coach Year 42 Joe Spano 2011 40 Joe Spano 2015 40 Joe Jordano 1997 39  Joe Spano    2012 38 Joe Spano 2009 38 Joe Spano 2006 36 Joe Jordano 1996 35 Joe Spano 2000 32 Joe Spano 2007 31 Joe Jordano 1995 30 Joe Jordano 1994 30 Joe Spano 2013

Spano is in his ninth year at Mercyhurst. Spano, a native of Queens, New York, graduated from Adelphi University in May of 2001. The brother of head coach Joe Spano, Charlie serves as the Lakers' third base coach and recruiting coordinator. He also works closely with the infielders and team's base running. During his tenure, nine infielders have earned all-conference honors, and he was instrumental in the recruiting of pitcher Brian Espersen, who was drafted in the 18th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Spano also served as an assistant coach with the Metro N.Y. Cadets of the ACBL in 2002-03. He helped the team to a Kaiser Division title in 2002. As a player at Adelphi, Spano played in 141 varsity games and was a three-year starter at third base. As a sophomore, he finished with one of the top fielding percentages in Division II and was a member of the 1999 Division II Northeast Regional champions. He batted .400 during the regional playoffs, helping Adelphi to a fifth-place finish at the Division II World Series. As a senior, he batted .322 with 37 hits, 20 runs scored, and 17 runs batted in. During the summer of 2000, Spano played in the AAABA World Series. Spano earned a Master's of Science in organizational leadership in 2011. He and his wife, Catrina, had their first daughter, Caylen, born in 2005. Their second daughter, Keira, was born in 2009.