Mercyhurst’s baseball team’s Dan Altavilla twice was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week on Thursday, March 24 and again on Monday, March 31, Altavilla is the first player on the team to win a weekly honor from the PSAC this season.

“It is an honor being named pitcher of the week for the west. But with that being said, this would not have been possible without my teammates providing production both offensively and defensively. It is always a great feeling being able to pitch with the support of such a great group of guys” Altavilla said.

Altavilla got the first honor after he pitched his first collegiate no-hitter on March 21 against Clarion.

This was the Lakers home opener weekend and their first PSAC game of the season. During the game, Altavilla walked only one batter and struck out 12, which was a career high for him.

“Pitching a no-hitter has been a career goal that I had set for myself prior to coming to Mercyhurst. It is a great feeling knowing that the extra work and practice I put in with my teammates and coaches is paying off,” Altavilla said.Ed Mailliard photo: Dan Altavilla was announced the PSAC West Pitcher of the Week on Thursday, March 24, and again on Monday, March 31.

The final score of this no-hitter game was 3-0. The Lakers won 3 out of the 4 games played against Clarion.

As of the Clarion games, Altavilla has pitched 22 innings and has allowed only 1 run on every 8 hits.

A lot of commitment to the team and individual work outside of practice is needed to excel like that.

“I try to spend every hour that I can outside of the classroom in the gym, at practice with the team, or at individual work outs with the coaches. As a team, we invest a lot of our time into the game and our success so far has come from that” Altavilla said.

The Lakers are 15-5 overall after this past week’s sweep over Gannon and are 7-1 in the PSAC.

Their next game will be a doubleheader against IUP on April 1 at noon and 2 p.m. at Mercyhurst’s baseball field.