D3baseball.com Daily Dose

Trying a different format this week. There is a lot going on in D3baseball this week with many conferences gearing up for conference play. I’ve listed the top two teams in each conference with notable performance in many. There were some cancellations and reschduled games as the weekend storm in the northeastern part of the US played havoc with the baseball schedules. There are a lot of games on campus so go out and see a baseball game this weekend.

Game of the Week: Cortland at Montclair State, March 24.

New England Region:

CCC: Endicott (1-0), Salve Regina (7-3)
Co-Players of the Week were Brad Mounatin, Eastern Nazarene and Davin Sirpenski, Salve Regina. Co-Pitchers of the Week were Aaron Laplante, Wentworth and Matt Palmisano, Salve Regina. Riley Diaz, Salve Regina was Rookie of the Week in the CCC. Mountain helped the Crusaders to a 5-3 start by posting a 2-0 record with one save, 17 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA. Sirpenski batted ,421 with a pait of doubles, a triple, eight runs scored and ten RBI. On the mound he was 1-0 with a pair of saves. LaPlante earned two of Wentworth’s three wins as he was 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Palmisano pitched consecutive four-hit shutouts with nine strikeouts in the game against Muhlenberg. Diaz started his career with a 7-17 week (.412) that saw him hit a pair of doubles, a homerun and drive in six.

GNAC: Suffolk (7-3), Albertus Magnus (3-2)

LEC: UMass-Dartmouth (3-2), Keene State (7-5)

MASCAC: Salem State (6-5), Fitchburg State (4-4)

NESCAC: Bowdoin (3-1), Trinity (3-2)
Top performances in the NESCAC include Amherst senior outfielder Tom Scott who went a combined 3- for-7 in the Jeffs’ opening weekend, picking up a pair of singles, a sacrifice bunt and adding a stolen base in his only attempt. Wesleyan senior John DelGiudice went 7-for-8 with four runs and five RBIs during a double-header with Emmanuel.

NEWMAC: Babson (4-1), Wheaton (5-4)
NEWMAC Player of the Week was Ryan Rainone, WPI who batted .500 by collecting 19 hits in 38 at-bats during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers last week. He paced the Engineers with nine runs scored and nine runs batted in while adding a double and a triple. Rainone, who collected a hit in WPI’s last ten games, notched three hits, drove in a pair and scored two runs as the Crimson and Gray closed its trip with an 18-5 win over Carroll on Sunday. NEWMAC Pitcher of the Week was Brendan Devereaux, also of WPI. Devereaux picked up a win and a save during WPI’s spring break trip to Fort Myers. He began his week by striking out the side in the ninth inning of a 10-9 victory over Hiram on Tuesday. Devereaux returned to the mound on Saturday when he yielded just one run while striking out seven in a 9-1 win against Illinois College. For the week, he fanned 10 in just seven innings of work while compiling a 2.57 ERA.

North Atlantic Conference: St Joesph (Me) (7-0), Castleton (4-4)

New York Region:

E8: RIT (5-2), St John Fisher (4-2)
The Empire 8 Player of the Week was Jeremy Peters, Ithaca who recorded a .567 batting average (17-for-3), .611 on-base percentage, and .667 slugging percentage in a 4-3 week for 16th-ranked Ithaca. He went 4-for-4 both in a loss to 20th-ranked Kean and in a win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Peters finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three runs batted in as the Bombers topped LaVerne 14-4. He went 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI, and threw a scoreless inning in his first appearance of the spring, in a victory over Whittier.

LL: RPI (8-0), Rocherster (5-4)
Liberty League Performer of the Week was Skidmore’s Adam Brown. Brown hit .421, going 16-38 during spring trip with eight RBI, a double and a triple. He was 3-3 in stolen bases. In a 5-4 loss to Gettysburg, he went 3-4 with a double and three RBI. Liberty League Pitcher of the Week was John Fishback of Rochester. Fishback excelled in relief, figuring in two of Rochester’s three wins in Florida. He pitched 3.1 innings of relief to gain a 6-5 win over Brandeis, then came back the next day to throw one inning of relief to get a save in an 8-7 win over 19th-ranked Emory. For the week, he pitched in five games (5.1 innings), allowed five hits, one unearned run, walked one, and struck out three. Liberty League Co-Rookies of the Week were Matt Curry, Clarkson and Kike Jaffe, Skidmore. Curry started his collegiate career with a six-game hitting streak, going 8-for-17, scoring five runs and stealing a pair of bases. Through the first six contests, he is the Knights leading hitter at .471. Jaffe hit .382, going 13-34 during spring break with 7 RBI, 2 doubles and a home run. In a 13-5 win over Colby-Sawyer, he went 3-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 3 RBI.

NEAC: Pen State-Berks (2-3, 2-0), Baptist Bible (1-0)

Skyline: Centenary (4-1), Farmingdale State (5-3)
J.B. Zorn, Merchant Marine earned Player of the Week honors after sparking the Mariners to the 9-8 victory. At the plate, he went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and one run scored. Defensively, Zorn threw out one runner and picked off the potential tying run at second base in the top of the ninth inning. Pitcher of the week Mark McCaffrey, Manhattanville picked up his first career victory by tossing three scoreless innings in relief in a 7-6 victory over Northwestern (Minn.). McCaffrey entered the game in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded and no outs. After allowing a single, he retired the next three batters to end the inning. He then faced the minimum of six batters over the next two innings to earn the victory. On the Valiants’ spring trip to Florida, Rookie of teh week Paul Blejec, went 12-for-18 (.667) in six games. He also had a double, home run and six runs batted in as Manhattanville went 4-4.

SUNYAC: Cortland State (9-0), Oswego (2-0), Oneonta (9-1)
Pitcher of the week was Jake Dennstedt, Brockport and Player of the week was Todd Hughe, Plattsburgh. Both players led their respective teams to winning records to start the season on opposite coasts. Hughes led Plattsburgh at the plate while Dennstedt was solid in his two starts on the mound. Plattsburgh put together a 10-2 record on its opening trip to Cocoa Beach, Fla., which Hughes hit .432. Hughes collected 19 hits and 31 total bases and led the team with 17 RBIs, 16 runs and seven extra-base hits. Dennstedt went 2-0 last week with a 0.00 ERA. In his two starts, one which was a complete-game, shutout against Kean, he threw 13 scoreless innings and struck out five.

Mid Atlantic Region:

AMCC: Penn State Behrend (9-1), Pitt-Bradford (7-3), Frostburg State (10-7),
Player of the Week was Dan Clark of Mount Aloysius and Pitcher of the Week was Ryan Smith, Penn State Behrend. Clark started all 10 games for the Mounties, hitting .469 (15-32) with 4 doubles and a home run. He scored 11 runs, drove in 9 and was a perfect 8-8 on stolen base attempts. He also struck out just 3 times and took a free pass 6 times. Highlight performances included a 5-6 (1 HR) effort in a DH versus Gettysburg and a 3-4 (2 doubles) showing against Utica. Smith who anchored the Behrend Lions’ bullpen with 2 saves and a win to help his team out to an 8-1 start. In 7.1 innings Smith allowed 4 hits, no runs, 3 walks and struck out 4.

Centennial Conference: Gettysburg (10-2) Johns Hopkins (8-2), Haverford (8-2)
Centennial Player of the Week was David Randolph, Ursinus. Randolph batted .515 for the week on 17 hits, adding 13 RBI and 11 runs in a 6-3 week for the Bears in Fort Pierce, Florida. On the final day, Randolph went 8-for-11 with six RBI and four runs in commanding wins over Bethany and Susquehanna. Pitcher of the Week was Mike Ciancio, Gettysburg. Ciancio threw a complete-game two hit shutout at Mary Washington in the season opener. He walked two and struck out one. In his follow-up performance, he threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, only one of which was earned, and struck out three without walking a batter. He allowed only two base runners through five innings.

Commonwealth Conference: Albright (1-0), Widener (9-3)
Player of the week in the Commonwealth was Kevin Fisher, Widener. Teammate Anthony Carter was the Pitcher of the Week

Freedom Conference: King’s (7-2), Wilkes (6-2)
Player of the week in the Freedon was Kevin Johnson, Scranton

NJAC: Ramapo (11-3), Kean (6-2)
NJAC Player of the Week was outfielder Rob Sumner, New Jersey City. Amit Shaa, Richard Stockton was the Pitcher of the Week. Rookies of the week were outfielder Mike Guadango, William Paterson and pitcher John O’Hara, Richard Stockton. Sumner becomes the second consecutive Gothic Knight to earn NJAC Player of the Week honors after hitting .560 with four doubles, five home runs, three stolen bases, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored in six contests during NJCU’s trip to Ft. Myers, FL. He hit safely in all six games and produced multiple-hit performances in 4-of-the-6 contests including going 4-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBI and three runs scored in a loss to Illinois College. He homered in each of the final three games of the trip, including a 4-for-5 performance with three home runs, seven RBI, and four runs scored in NJCU’s 14-7 win over Finlandia. For the week in Florida, Sumner produced a .621 on-base percentage and 1.320 slugging percentage. Shah earns NJAC Pitcher of the Week honors after earning the victory on the mound in Stockton’s 2-0 shutout of Washington College in Cocoa, FL. In the victory, he scattered three hits in eight innings of work while walking one and striking out four. Shah surrendered just one extra-base hit in the victory and improved to 3-0 overall on the season with the win. Guadango earns NJAC Rookie of the Week honors after hitting .500 with a double, triple, home run, eight RBI and six runs scored in six contests during the Pioneers’ trip to Phoenix, AZ. He drove in at least one run in all six games and produced multiple-hit performances in 5-of-the-6 contests including a 3-for-5 effort with a double and two RBI in Paterson’s 15-4 win over Wheaton (MA). Guadango wrapped up the trip by going 2-for-4 with his first career home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the Pioneers’ 11-10 come-from-behind win over Luther. O’Hara becomes the second different Osprey to earn NJAC Rookie Pitcher of the Week honors after earning a win and a save in pair of relief appearances during Stockton’s trip to Cocoa, FL. He first logged two innings of hitless relief while striking out three to earn the victory in the Ospreys’ 6-4 win over Bridgewater (MA). One day later, O’Hara recorded a scoreless ninth inning to nail down his first career save in Stockton’s 2-0 win over Washington College.

Penn AC: Gwynedd-Mercy (6-1), Wesley (11-4)
Alvernia’s Zach Lutz was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Player of the Week for the week ending March 18th. Lutz batted .536 (15-28) with 15 RBIs, three doubles, two triples, four walks and was successful on both stolen base attempts. Tim McMenamin, Gwynedd-Mercy College was on the honor role as he hit .500 (9-18) with two home runs, six runs and 14 RBIs for the Griffins in a 5-1 week. Alvernia’s Pete Fernandez was named the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the week ending March 18th. Fernandez pitched six innings with five hits, one walk and three strikeouts in the 6-3 victory over #9 Wheaton.

South region:

Capital: Mary Washington (7-5-1, 2-0), Salisbury (17-3, 1-1)
Mary Washington senior pitcher Brett Diamond was named as the Capital Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week. Diamond pitched a complete game in earning the win over York on Wednesday. Diamond allowed nine hits in nine innings, walking two and striking out eight, including seven of the last nine outs of the game. He gave up three runs, two of which were earned. Mary Washington won its CAC opener with a 5-3 win over York this past Wednesday afternoon to move to 6-4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.

GSAC: Maryville (16-7), Huntingdon (14-7)
Junior infielder Andy House of Piedmont is the GSAC Player of the Week. In four games, House was 13-for-22 for a .590 batting average. He had five doubles, a home run and five RBIs for the week. House is second on the team with a .342 batting average. The Pitcher of the Week is Maryville’s Pete Herbert. Herbert had two wins as the Scots went 5-1 for the week. Herbert allowed three earned runs in 12 innings and had 13 strikeouts. He struck out eight and allowed a run against Oberlin.

Lynchburg (12-6, 5-1), Virginia Wesleyan (11-7, 5-1), Bridgewater (5-10, 5-1)
ODAC Baseball Player and Pitcher of the of the Week are Andrew Chrismer and Matt Nolen, both with Bridgewater College. Chrismer, a sophomore from Gettysburg, Pa., hit .636 in a 2-1 week for the Eagles with seven hits in 11 at bats including two homes and a double. In a 14-2 win over Guilford, Chrismer hammered both his dingers while driving in four runs. He also singled in the contest and scored three runs. He followed that performance with another 3-for-4 showing in the nightcap against the Quakers, scoring two more times in a 13-1 win. Nolen, a senior from Lynchburg, Va., went eight strong innings in the second game against Guilford, surrendering only four hits and one earned run. He fanned five batters without allowing a free pass.

SCAC: Rhodes (22-2, 8-0), Trinity (Texas) (12-10, 4-0)
SCAC Player of the Week was Nick Vera, Trinity (Texas). Vera hit .412 (7-17) with four extra-base hits over the past week, which included a four-game SCAC sweep of Hendrix College, and the Tigers won all five of their contests. Vera had four runs and three RBI to go with three doubles and a triple, giving him 12 total bases and a .706 slugging percentage. He also drew four walks and was hit by pitch three times to bring his on-base percentage to .583 for the week. Once on the bases, Vera was a threat to steal, swiping five bases in seven attempts. Pitcher of the Week is Justin Frost, Austin. Frost pitched a gem against 13th-ranked Millsaps College, defeating the Majors 5-0 in Jackson in SCAC West Division action on Saturday. Frost tossed a complete game, surrendering just three hits and striking out one to pick up the victory. Saturday’s shutout was the first time Millsaps has been blanked since April 26, 2002 - when Southwestern defeated the Majors, 1-0, in the SCAC Tournament - snapping a 201 game streak in which Jim Page’s squad had scored at least one run.

USA South: Christopher Newport (17-5, 5-1), Averett (27-5, 4-2)
Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week goes to Averett. Joey Garry, Averett led the Cougars to a 3-0 record last week by batting .615 (8-for-13) with three runs scored and an on-base percentage of .643. In a 7-6 win over Lynchburg, Garry was 2-for-4 with one run scored. In a doubleheader sweep of USA South rival N.C. Wesleyan, Garry was a combined 6-for-9 with two runs scored in the two wins. Also nominated: Ben Walton, Ferrum; Adam Kessel, Shenandoah; Mike Ellsworth, Methodist. Ahmed Shelton, Averett collected his second honor in as many weeks as he helped the Cougars to a conference victory over N.C. Wesleyan in his only appearance last week. Shelton tossed all 11 innings of a 4-3, extra-inning, win for the Cougars over the Battling Bishops. In those 11 frames, Shelton gave up just three runs on 14 hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Also nominated: Kenny Moreland, Christopher Newport; Elliott Bisplinghoff, Methodist; Ryan Cooper, Ferrum; Taylor DuFrene, Shenandoah.

South independent Emory (16-3) defeated Washington University (Mo.) on Saturday to take home the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship for the second-consecutive year. The win brings Emory to 4-2 in association play and to 15-3 during its 2007 campaign.