SLIPPERY ROCK — No one can blame Slippery Rock University baseball coach Jeff Messer if he’s feeling a little torn this week.

His good friend, Dave Jauss, is a coach on Clint Hurdle’s staff with the Pirates. One of the best players in Rock history, Matt Adams, is playing first base for the Cardinals.

“Really, I can’t lose either way,” Messer said of the Game 5 showdown tonight between the Bucs and Redbirds in St. Louis. “It’s been kinda fun watching this.

“But after living in this area for 29 years, I’ve become a fan of the local team. I want to see the Pirates get through ... But I want to see Matt do well.”

Messer was at PNC Park for Game 4 of the NLDs, but did not have an opportunity to talk to Jauss or Adams.

“I left them alone to do their jobs,” he said.

Adams certainly enjoyed doing his.

“That atmosphere was awesome,” he said of PNC Park. “I had never experienced anything close to that. Talk about intensity.”

Messer coached with Jauss years ago in the New England area. The latter has been in professional baseball for 26 years and served as bench coach for the Mets, Orioles and Dodgers before joining the Pirates.

Adams played at SRU as recently as 2009, when the Cardinals made him their 23rd round draft choice.

“It’s hard to believe Matt was swinging a bat for us just four years ago at Critchfield Park,” Messer said. “Now he’s swinging a bat in the No. 4 hole for one of the best organizations in baseball in front of 40,000 people in a crazy atmosphere in Pittsburgh.

“I wonder if he’s pinched himself yet.”

Adams won’t say he’s living a dream — just responding to an opportunity.

“It’s an opportunity I’m grateful for,” he said. “Just getting the chance to play pro ball ... I didn’t think I would get up here this fast, but I don’t feel like this situation is too big for me, either.”

Adams became a mainstay in the Cardinals’ regular and postseason lineup when first baseman Allen Craig was sidelined with an ankle injury in early September. In the first four games of the NLDS, Adams is 4-for 15 with a double, two runs scored, a walk and hit by pitch.

He also turned an unassisted double play in Game 3.

Against the Pirates in the regular season, Adams hit a mere .133 (4 for 30) with no homers or RBI. He hit everyone else hard, putting together a .284 overall average with 17 homers and 51 RBI.

When Craig went down with his injury, Adams took over and hit .326 with eight homers, 15 RBI and 19 runs scored over the Cardinals’ final 24 regular season games.

St. Louis won 18 of those games to hold off the Pirates for the NL Central Division title.

“He’s a big reason why they’re here,” Messer said.

“It’s not an ideal situation, the reason I’m playing every day,” Adams said. But I still have to make the most of it, for myself and the team.”

Adams is from Philipsburg — near State College — and “they are die-hard Pirate fans there,” Messer said. “But they are Matt Adams fans, too.”

Some were in the stands for Games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh.

“My mom and dad came over, other family members, Coach Messer and a couple of buddies from my team at Slippery Rock,” Adams said. “It was cool having loved ones there watching me play some of the biggest baseball games of my life.”

During Game 2 of the NLDS, MLB Network showed pictures of Adams in action with The Rock at Critchfield Park.

“This has been great publicity for our university and our baseball program,” Messer said. “Whenever Matt came to bat or made a play (in Game 4), I could hear people sitting around me mentioning Slippery Rock.

“He’s handled himself well and we’re proud of him. If the Pirates can’t get to the World Series, I hope Matt does.”