The Moravian College baseball team is in the midst of an historic season.

And one prominent player from that team hails Salisbury Township.

After their appearance in the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament Championship Round against Susquehanna, the Greyhounds are set for another spot in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament that begins on Wednesday. Their 32-10 mark (14-4 in conference) is a school record for most victories in a single season.

A main piece to the team's success has been its pitching staff. And a key ingredient to that rotation has been freshman Nic Ampietro, who has a 5-2 record in 10 games with a 2.81 ERA and 30 strikeouts.

"I'm really enjoying it right now," Ampietro said. "We started off really hot in the beginning with the bats and the pitching was a little bit off. But towards the end, the pitching really stepped up. That's where I felt I was doing my besttowards the end of the season.

"I think we were expected to be pretty good, but I don't think we were expected to do the kind of things that we did so far. We work hard every practice, and our coach pushes us very hard. I feel like we're pretty deserving of our achievements so far."

The 2013 Salisbury High School graduate got the nod for the Greyhounds in their Landmark Conference Tournament game against The Catholic University of America a week and a half ago. The result was arguably Ampietro's best outing of the season. In 7 1/3 innings, he pitched a four-hit shutout while allowing six walks and striking out one.

During the Greyhounds' final game of the Landmark Conference Tournamenta 5-2 loss against Susquehanna UniversityAmpietro got the start at designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Although he is still just a year removed from high school, Ampietro seems more comfortable as each game passes.

"It's very competitive in our conference," Ampietro said. "It was an honor that coach let me pitch that game. I just tried to go out and compete and help our team win. In the championship game, he actually put me at DH, which was very surprising."

To go along with his unquestioned determination on the mound, Ampietro has gotten a lot of support from the rest of the Greyhounds' staff.

Of Moravian's top 10 pitchers in terms of innings pitched, just one is a freshmanAmpietro, who currently ranks third with 48 innings pitched. Five of those pitchers are seniors, and for the Greyhounds' No. 2 starter, Ampietro has expanded his knowledge of baseball with the help of the upperclassmen.

"The seniors have taught me so much over the course of the season," Ampietro said, "all the way from the fundamentals, to what you should be thinking every play, and how to throw a better game. I was very fortunate to have an older pitching staff to teach me the basics of college baseball since it's so much different than high school."

Ampietro admits that the nerves continue to kick in as he takes the mound, but the success he's had thus far has lessened that feeling throughout the season.

"The guys on the team are very accepting, and I have great teammates," Ampietro said. "After the second or third startI still get a little jittery and nervous before gamesbut it doesn't really affect me I don't think on the field anymore."

The No. 1 seeded Greyhounds in the Mid-Atlantic Region will open up NCAA play against No. 8 Haverford on Wednesday. Game time is set for 1:15 p.m. at PNC Field in Moosic.

Once that concludes, Ampietro will continue to hone his skills in the Blue Mountain League, where he will play for the Northampton Giants this summer.