The Rock is in — and could prove a tough out.

Slippery Rock University's baseball team qualified for the PSAC Tournament for a seventh consecutive year Saturday, splitting a doubleheader against California (Pa.) at Jack Critchfield Park while Lock Haven was getting swept by Indiana (Pa.).

SRU (24-23-1, 12-12) finished fourth in the PSAC West, three games ahead of Lock Haven and IUP. The Rock will face East Division regular-season champion West Chester (32-9) at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the first round of the four-day double-elimination tournament at Pullman Park.

“We've been dealing with injuries all season and that almost kept us out,” SRU coach Jeff Messer said of the PSAC tourney. “All you want is a chance to be one of those eight teams and we found a way.

“We're much healthier now. This is a different team we're bringing into this tournament.”

SRU boasts two of the PSAC's top-four pitchers, statistically.

“It clearly helps us if Slippery Rock is there,” PSAC assistant commissioner Will Adair said Friday. “Having a local team in the field always sparks interest.”

The eight-team tournament is being held at Pullman Park for the first time. It will return to Butler in 2014 after Johnstown hosts the event next year.

“Both fields have turf and are extremely water resistant,” Adair said. “Having to play so many games in a concentrated period of times, getting on a dependable playing surface is important to us.”

Four games will be played at Pullman Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before the title game is played at 1 p.m. Saturday.

SRU began play Saturday needing to win one of its two games against Cal — or have Lock Haven drop one to IUP — to secure the fourth and final qualifying position out of the West Division.

The Vulcans (26-22, 13-11) won the first game, 3-1, to wrap up the third spot in the West. SRU clinched its spot with a 4-0 win in the nightcap.

Senior right-hander Nic McGowin tossed 6Z\c innings of shutout ball before giving way to North Allegheny graduate Ryan Oglesby with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh.

Oglesby induced a game-ending double play to record his second save of the season. The Rock's closer last year, Oglesby has logged only 72/3 innings this season and sports a 2.35 earned run average.

“Ryan's one of the guys we just haven't had all year,” Messer said. “We lost 13 games by one run, largely because we missed our closer. He had tendinitis in his elbow, but he's OK now.”

First baseman John Shaffer hit his first home run of the season in the fifth inning, accounting for the lone extra-base hit in the contest.

SRU's first-round game with West Chester sets up some intriguing matchups. The teams have the PSAC's top-two hitters in Jordan Wlodarczyk and Joe Wendle at .431 and .406, respectively. Wendle also leads the circuit with nine home runs.

SRU's Lou Trivino leads the conference with a 1.71 ERA and is 6-2 on the year. Opponents are hitting just .205 against him.

The Rock's Zach Jeney is fourth in the PSAC with a 2.39 ERA. West Chester's Ben Rawding (6-0, 2.24) and Joe Gunkel (6-0, 2.35) are among the league's top hurlers as well.

“The team with the best pitching will win,” Messer said. “These eight teams, we all know each other. There will be no surprises in terms of personnel.

“Pullman Park can be tough on right-handed power hitters, but Wendle bats left-handed. The new bats in college baseball have taken away some of the power, but I think that's good. It forces teams to play baseball rather than wait for the three-run blast.”

“West Chester got off to a fast start this year, but this baseball tournament is as balanced as ever,” Adair said. “The team with the deepest pitching is usually the team that wins.”

PSAC Western Division champion Mercyhurst has two Butler County products on its squad. Freeport graduate Ryan Siegel, a transfer from Coastal Carolina and a member of the Butler BlueSox last year, leads the PSAC with 63 hits, is second with 45 runs scored and fourth with a .389 batting average.

Seneca Valley graduate Eric Aschley is 5-3 with a 4.03 ERA, 55 strikeouts in 58 innings for the Lakers. SV graduate Blake Henderson is hitting .217 as a freshman reserve infielder with California.

Former BlueSox slugger Shayne Houck leads Kutztown with eight homers, 42 RBIs and a .485 on-base percentage. He is third in the league with a .659 slugging percentage.

Former Slippery Rock Slider Derek Carr is hitting .247 with eight stolen bases for SRU. Carter Haponski leads The Rock offensively with a .370 average in 108 at-bats.

Tickets for the tournament cost $7 for an adult single-day pass and $2 for a student single-day pass. Students of PSAC institutions will be admitted free with a valid student ID card.

PSAC Tournament SchedulePullman ParkWednesdayGame 1: Gannon (25-210 vs. Shippensburg (30-19), 9:30 a.m.Game 2: West Chester (32-9) vs. Slippery Rock (24-23-1), 12:30 p.m.Game 3: Kutztown (31-15) vs. Califiornia (26-22)Game 4: Mercyhurst (35-13) vs. Millersville (24-21-1)

ThursdayGame 5: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9:30 a.m.Game 6: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 12:30 p.m.Game 7: Game 1 Winner vs,. Game 2 Winner, 3:30 p.m.Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 6:30 p.m.