A large contingent of local players has helped lead Messiah College to its conference baseball championship and a berth in NCAA Division III regional play.

The Falcons (27-16) have 10 players from the Lancaster-Lebanon League, with three pitchers and five hitters in significant roles. They helped Messiah end the regular season one win short of a school record, with an upset win over top seed Elizabethtown in last week's Commonwealth Conference tournament finals.

Two local players, Adam Ranck and Sheldon Witmer, were named to the all-league first team. Ranck, a sophomore from Conestoga Valley, hit .293 as the starting third baseman, but is most known for his stellar defensive play.

"Adam is confident he will make the play every time he is in the field. He'll lay down a sacrifice bunt and do whatever it takes to win. He is the kind of player you want on your team," head coach Bryan Engle, himself no stranger to the L-L League, said.

Engle graduated from Donegal in 1999, and became a coach after playing baseball in high school and at Messiah, where he graduated from in 2003.

Witmer, a sophomore from Penn Manor, was named first-team all-conference in right field and second team as a pitcher, a rare accomplishment in college. He transferred to the school this year after a season at Millersville.

Witmer hit .368 this season with five home runs and 30 RBIs. On the mound, he went 6-1 with a 5.11 ERA, walking 18 and striking out 48 in 61 2/3 innings.

"He has been steady all year for us and gave us home run pop at the plate," Engle said. "His performance on the mound has been a plus and he has been a big part of our league rotation. He is a super player we use wherever we can."

In the best-of-three conference title series, Messiah had to beat an Elizabethtown program that beat them both times during the regular season. Messiah won the first game easily, 15-4, but the Blue Jays came back with a 2-0 shutout in the second game.

In the third and deciding game, Engle put Jeremy Stoltzfus, a senior from Conestoga Valley, on the mound. Stoltzfus came through as the Falcons pulled out a 7-3 win.

"Jeremy is a big-game pitcher and he came through when we needed him. He struggled at the beginning of the year but was most consistent and best for us at the end," Engle said of Stoltzfus, who finished the year with a 4-4 record and 6.34 ERA.

Other L-L players who helped the Falcons this year were Jon Shenk, Jonny Ebersole, Ben Snyder, Jordan Zimmerman and Travis Thome, with Jordan Snader and D.J. Weaver filling in as reserves.

Shenk, a sophomore from CV, finished second on the team in batting average, hitting .394 in 33 at-bats. He took over as starting second baseman in mid-April and has started since. Ebersole (Ephrata), a junior, batted .302 in 53 plate appearances. He started in right field when Witmer was pitching.

Snyder, (Ephrata) a senior, was the left fielder in an all-L-L league outfield with Witmer and Zimmerman. "Ben is a great leader who is looked at by the rest of the team with respect. He is also solid on defense," Engle said.

Zimmerman, a sophomore from Warwick, batted .276 with nine doubles and a home run, but was not satisfied with his play after being named second team all-conference last season.

"He would have a day with two doubles, then a day with nothing. It was not a down year to me, but he has high expectations for himself and I am confident he will continue to blossom as a player," Engle said.

Thome, a freshman from Elco, went 4-3 with a 4.95 ERA this year. Snader (Garden Spot) and Weaver (Lancaster Mennonite) are freshmen who played behind seniors this year and are expected to play more in the future.

Engle brought a whole staff of coaches with him when he started on the job this year. One of the assistants, Derek Price, graduated from Mount Calvary Christian School and is from Elizabethtown.

Messiah will open Mid-Atlantic regional play Wednesday as the fifth seed against fourth seed Penn State-Behrend (34-10). They play again Thursday in the double-elimination tournament, which will be hosted by defending national champion Kean (N.J.) University.