All-NE-10 first team selection Dan Fratus is hitting .316 and leads Stonehill in both doubles (20) and RBI (34) this season. |
NE-10 Baseball Championship Central
Skyhawks are seeking fourth conference title in program history
EASTON, Mass. (May 6, 2015) – Third-seeded Stonehill College opens the Championship Weekend portion of the 2015 Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Tournament tomorrow at noon against Southwest Division No. 4 seed Adelphi University at Frank Vieira Field on the campus of host school the University of New Haven.
Stonehill (31-11-1, 16-7 NE-10), the No. 3 team in the final NCAA East Regional Rankings, advanced to the double elimination round with its 4-3 victory at second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University last night in Manchester. The Skyhawks, who have reached the Championship Weekend each of the last two seasons, are seeking their fourth NE-10 title in program history and first since 2010. Adelphi (19-19, 11-11 NE-10) is making its fifth appearance all-time in the NE-10 Tournament, with the program's only conference championship coming in 2011. The Panthers knocked off Southwest Division top seed Pace University 6-2 yesterday to advance to this weekend's action.
Admission for all tournament games will be $6 for adults, $4 for children and senior citizens and $1 for students with a valid ID from a participating school. Live stats and free video streaming for all games will be available via www.newhavenchargers.com.
Stonehill rode a dominant pitching performance by senior Armand Rugel (Middletown, Rhode Island/Middletown) to the Championship Weekend, as the right-hander struck out eight batters and allowed just one run on two hits over 7.2 innings last night against Southern New Hampshire. Senior catcher Eric Schneider (Camarillo, California/Saint Bonaventure) snapped a scoreless tie with a two-run single in the sixth, and classmate Dan Fratus (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North) crushed a solo home run in the eighth as the Skyhawks held on for a one-run victory.
Rugel, Schneider and Fratus are among the program record eight Skyhawks that earned All-Conference honors from the NE-10 this spring, along with junior outfielders Brian Campbell (Franklin, Massachusetts/Mount Saint Charles Academy) and Chris Hoyt (Walpole, Massachusetts/Xaverian Brothers), junior left-hander Patrick Nicholson (Middleboro, Massachusetts/Middleboro), sophomore closer Aubrey Solomon (Groton, Massachusetts/Lawrence Academy) and freshman right-hander Michael Young (Mashpee, Massachusetts/Pope John Paul II).
Freshman Michael Young, the NE-10 Rookie Pitcher of the Year, will get the start tomorrow against Adelphi. |
Young, the NE-10 Rookie Pitcher of the Year and All-Rookie team selection, will likely get the ball tomorrow for the biggest start of his freshman campaign. In 13 appearances and three starts this season, he is 3-2 with a 0.71 earned run average and 42 strikeouts in 38.0 innings.
Adelphi is led offensively by senior Nick Zito (Nesconset, New York/Smithtown West) and sophomore Robert Vani (Garden City, New York/Chaminade), both of whom were named to the NE-10 All-Conference second team. Zito owns a team-best .369 batting average to go with eight doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI, while Vani checks in at .340 with eight doubles, three triples and 20 RBI.
Junior Jonathon Mulford (Massapequa, New York/Massapequa), an All-NE-10 first team pick, has led the Panthers' pitching staff all season. Mulford has started a team-high 11 contests, going 7-0 with a 1.85 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 58.1 innings.
The winner of tomorrow afternoon's contest will take on the winner of the No. 3 New Haven/No. 1 Franklin Pierce matchup on Friday at 12:30 p.m., while the losers of Thursday's games will meet on Friday morning at 10 a.m.
2015 NE-10 Tournament Championship Weekend- Hosted by New Haven
Thursday, May 7
Game 5: #4 SW Adelphi vs. #3 NE Stonehill - 12 p.m.
Game 6: #3 SW New Haven vs. #1 NE Franklin Pierce - 3:00 p.m.
Friday, May 8
Game 7: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser - 10 a.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner - 12:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser - 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9
Game 10: Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner - 11 a.m.
Game 11: If necessary
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