2008 Southern Connecticut
State University Baseball
Games 35-38
SCSU (19-15, 9-6 NE-10)
vs. Assumption (12-22, 5-15 NE-10)
April 18 • Worcester, Mass • 3:30 p.m.
vs. St. Rose (10-24, 8-11 NE-10)
April 19 • Albany, N.Y. • 12/3 p.m.
April 20 • New Haven, Conn. • 1 p.m.


View full game notes (.pdf).


SURGING
Winners of six of its last seven, the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team looks to extend its recent run of success with four Northeast-10 Conference games this weekend. The Owls visit Assumption for a single game on Friday before traveling to Albany, N.Y. for a doubleheader with St. Rose on Saturday. SCSU caps the weekend with a single game at home against St. Rose on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior starting pitcher Justin Cox fired six shutout innings and struck out seven on Thursday afternoon to lead SCSU to a 1-0 road victory over Bryant in Northeast-10 Conference play at Bryant Baseball Complex. Freshman catcher Nick DeProspo drove home the only run of the game for the Owls.

SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Picked to finish ninth in the Northeast-10, Assumption has lost two out of three since the two clubs last met and has now lost 11 of its last 13. Most recently, a Brendan Shepard single to right field drove home the winning run for Stonehill in the bottom of the 10th inning on Thursday as Assumption fell at Stonehill, 5-4. On the season, the Greyhounds are led by Derek Migrants, who ranks sixth in the NE-10 with a .534 batting average. On the mound, Tim Dupuis has posted a 1.59 ERA with three saves over 22.2 innings out of the bullpen.

LAST TIME AGAINST ASSUMPTION
Freshman outfielder Andrew Babb hit 4-for-7 with two doubles, five RBI and three runs scored on April 13 to lead SCSU to a doubleheader sweep of Assumption in Northeast-10 Conference play at The Ballpark at SCSU. The Owls won the first game 10-2 and took the nightcap by a score of 6-5. Jeff Barbale drove in a pair of runs in defeat for Assumption.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Picked to finish 10th in the Northeast-10, St. Rose is currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Most recently, Peter Wolstenholme smacked a bases loaded single to right-center to score Graeme Clohosey with the winning run in the bottom of the 14th as Massachusetts-Lowell took advantage of a passed ball and an error to chalk up their sixth straight win at the expense of the Golden Knights on Thursday. On the season, John Cole leads St. Rose at the plate with a .327 batting average, while Nick DeMidio is 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA over 51 innings on the hill.

LAST TIME AGAINST ST. ROSE
Victor Tolentino scored an unearned run on an error by Nick Czekaj in the bottom of the 12th inning as the Golden Knights downed the Owls 2-1 on April 20, 2007. Nick Carlucci started, pitched 10 innings of one-run ball and struck out nine while not factoring in the decision for SCSU.

IT HAD BEEN A WHILE
Sophomore starting pitcher Jim Fuller's shutout of No. 16 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce on April 14 snapped a five-game losing streak for the Owls against the perennial Northeast-10 powerhouse. The last time SCSU had defeated Franklin Pierce was a 9-3 victory on May 9, 2006.

FRESHMAN ANTICS
Freshman outfielder Andrew Babb collected Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week honors for the week ending on April 13. The Hopkinton, Mass. native hit .600 (9-for-15) with three doubles, seven RBI, five runs scored and two walks in a 4-0 week for the Owls. Babb slugged .800 and posted a .647 on-base percentage over the course of the week.

OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Senior designated hitter Anthony Fiorillo was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Honor Roll for the week ending on April 13. The Owls have had 10 honor roll selections so far this season.

FUN TIMES FOR FIORILLO
Senior designated hitter Anthony Fiorillo did a number on Southern New Hampshire in SCSU's home-and-home series against the Penmen on April 8 and 10. The New Haven, Conn. native went 2-for-4, drove in three runs and scored another in an 8-0 victory for the Owls at home on Tuesday. He then posted career highs in hits and RBI on Thursday with a 4-for-5 day which included four RBI and a run scored in a 10-3 road win.

CAN I HELP YOU?
Sophomore starter Jim Fuller has made a habit of leaving opposing batters confounded at the plate so far this season. The southpaw has recorded double-digit strikeouts on five occasions. On the season, Fuller leads the Owls with 86 strikeouts over 62 innings on the rubber (12.5 K/9 IP). Most recently, the Marlborough, Mass. native fanned seven Ravens while pitching a shutout at Franklin Pierce on April 14.

WHITEWASHED
Sophomore starter Jim Fuller tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout and struck out 11 in a 5-0 win over Dominican on March 21 in Boca Raton, Fla. For his performance, the Marlborough, Mass. native was named Northeast-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week ending on March 23. It was the second time this season an Owl has been named Pitcher of the Week.

SPRING BREAK FLORIDA
The Owls played 10 games over eight days in Florida over spring break to gear up for their grueling Northeast-10 Conference schedule. Over the week and a day, SCSU went 4-6, including shutout wins over Mercy and Dominican. Of the 10 games, eight were played against Northeast Region foes, with the Owls holding a 4-4 record in those contests.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
The SCSU pitching staff combined for 17 strikeouts in the Owls' 11-0 victory over New Haven on March 11. Sophomore starter Jim Fuller pitched the first six innings and struck out 11. Senior Nick Carlucci recorded two strikeouts in the seventh inning, senior Toby Nylin struck out the side in the eighth and junior Mike Connors tallied a strikeout in the ninth. In the game, SCSU pitching allowed just three hits, walked one batter and hit another.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The 11-run output on March 18 at Barry marked the fourth time this season the Owls have posted a double-digit run total. The Owls are 3-1 when they score double digits this year and 0-3 when they allow double digits to be scored against them.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
After opening the season by getting swept at Florida Institute of Technology, the Owls have ran off a nine-game win streak in the first half of March. Over that span, SCSU outscored its opponents 68-9, including a quartet of shutouts. The last time the Owls had won nine in a row was March 8-20, 2006. The last time SCSU won more than nine straight was March 24-April 4, 2002, when the rattled off 12 consecutive victories.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
The SCSU offense scored its most runs in nearly a year on March 2 when the Owls defeated Assumption 17-3 in the second game of a doubleheader. In all, 11 Owls recorded at least one base hit and 10 SCSU players scored at least one run. The last time the Owls scored 17 runs was in a 17-11 victory over Dominican on March 4, 2007. The last time SCSU scored more runs was April 4, 2002, when they tallied an 18-7 victory at Merrimack.

HELP FROM THE HILL
After giving up double-digit run totals in each of the season's first three games, the SCSU pitching staff did not allow more than three runs in a game in the next seven contests. Included in that span were shutouts of C.W. Post, Assumption, New Haven and Mercy.

DUAL HONORS
Junior centerfielder Karl Derbacher was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week for the week ending on March 2. In the same week, senior pitcher Nick Carlucci was named the conference's Pitcher of the Week.

ENJOYING THE WARM WEATHER
Junior second baseman Kevin Bowerman saw success as the Owls opened their season with three games at Florida Tech on Feb. 16 and 17. The West Haven, Conn. native hit 8-for-13 (.615) with five RBI, a double, a run scored and a stolen base on the trip.

DIAZ EARNS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Junior shortstop Mike Diaz has been named a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine. He garnered All-Northeast Region and First-Team All-Northeast-10 Conference honors a year ago after batting .360.

STRONG ARMS AT THE TOP
The Owls return a bevy of experienced pitchers this spring. Seniors Toby Nylin and Nick Carlucci both have logged significant time as starters, while junior Justin Cox is back on the hill after missing all of last year with an injury. He was an All-Conference pick two years ago after going 7-0 for the Owls. Also back in sophomore lefty Ed Bethke, who led the staff in innings pitched last year en route to a five-win season. The bullpen will be anchored by junior Mike Connors, who was second on the club in appearances last season.

FLIRTING WITH A FINE FIGURE
In addition to Mike Diaz, who hit .360 last year, the Owls have two other returnees who have posted single-season efforts above .300. Joe Kahlden batted .315 in 2006, while Chris Barile batted .312 last year. In addition, Billy Hite batted .294 last season, while Kevin Bowerman hit .296 in 2006.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Fourteen of the 28 players on the SCSU roster are new to the club this season. The newcomers are comprised of three juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.

THE CAPTAINS
Senior Joe Kahlden and junior Kevin Bowerman will serve as team captains for the Owls this spring.

IN THE NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were tabbed for fifth in this year's Northeast-10 Preseason Coaches Poll. Franklin Pierce was selected as the preseason favorite.

HEAD COACH TIM SHEA
Affiliated with Southern Connecticut State University as a student-athlete, instructor and coach for two decades, Tim Shea's long-standing relationship with the university has been a tremendously successful one. He took over as head baseball coach prior to the 2002 season after serving 11 years as an Owls assistant to Joe Bandiera. Now in his seventh season, Shea has compiled a 186-133 (.583) record. He guided the Owls to the NCAA Division II World Series in 2005.

ON DECK
The Owls return to the field on April 22 when they host American International for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at The Ballpark at SCSU in New Haven, Conn.