2008 Southern Connecticut
State University Baseball
Games 39-45
SCSU (23-15, 13-6 NE-10)
vs. American International (9-22, 7-13 NE-10)
April 22 • New Haven, Conn. • 3:30 p.m.
April 24 • Springfield, Mass. • 3:30 p.m.
vs. Merrimack (13-22, 9-13 NE-10)
April 23 • New Haven, Conn. • 3:30 p.m.
at Pace (24-12-1, 13-3-1 NE-10)
April 25 • Pleasantville, N.Y. • 3:30 p.m.
vs. St. Anselm (13-24, 9-15 NE-10)
April 26 (DH) • Manchester, N.H. • 12/3 p.m.
April 27 • New Haven, Conn. • 1 p.m.


View full game notes (.pdf).



BIRDS OF PREY
Currently on a five-game winning streak and winners of 10 of its last 11, the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team has pushed its way to fourth place in the Northeast-10 Confeerence. The Owls look to continue their predatory ways with seven Northeast-10 contests in the upcoming week. SCSU will host AIC and Merrimack on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, respectively. They then make a return trip to AIC on Thursday and travel to Pace on Friday. Over the weekend, the Owls battle St. Anselm in a road doubleheader on Saturday before hosting the Hawks on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman catcher Nick DeProspo clobbered a one-out double into the left-center field gap to score freshman left fielder Andrew Babb from first base with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon as SCSU defeated St. Rose, 5-4, in Northeast-10 Conference play at The Ballpark at SCSU. The game was a pitcher's duel throughout, with both starters pitched nine innings.

SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Picked to finish 13th and last in the Northeast-10, AIC has lost three of its last four and eight of its last 10. Most recently, Nick Noblit tossed seven innings for the Yellow Jackets, allowed only one run on three hits, but received no offensive support as AIC fell 1-0 at Massachusetts-Lowell on Sunday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets are led by David Dest and his .293 batting average.

LAST TIME AGAINST AIC
Chris Barile drove in three runs and Nick Czekaj picked up two RBI as well to lead SCSU to a 9-4 victory over the Yellow Jackets at AIC Park on April 14, 2007. Ed Bethke tossed a complete game for the Owls, as he scattered four runs and six hits. SCSU used a five-run eighth inning to break open what was a 4-3 game at the time.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10, Merrimack is currently in the midst of a five-game slide. Most recently, Jeff Bercume went 3-for-4 with an RBI, but Merrimack was defeated, 4-3, at Stonehill on Monday afternoon. The Warriors will visit Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday before coming to New Haven on Wednesday. Bercume leads Merrimack with a .349 average while Ryan O'Rourke has posted a 1.84 ERA over 58.2 innings on the hill.

LAST TIME AGAINST MERRIMACK
Jeff Bercume's walk-off single through the left side drove home Doug Heald with the winning run as the Warriors scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Owls, 6-5, on April 23, 2007 in North Andover, Mass. Jose Ortiz hit 4-for-4 and drove in three runs in the loss for SCSU.

SCOUTING THE SETTERS
Picked to finish fourth in the NE-10, Pace is undefeated in its last five, has won six of its nine games since they swept a doubleheader from the Owls on April 6 and currently sits atop the conference standings. Most recently, seven different Setters drove in a run as Pace picked up an 8-1, non-conference victory at home against C.W. Post on Friday afternoon. The Setters visit Franklin Pierce for a doubleheader on Monday and play a home-and-home against St. Rose on Tuesday and Thursday before hosting SCSU on Friday. Pace is led by Jack Cawley's .376 average and Dustin Corbett's 1.34 ERA.

LAST TIME AGAINST PACE
Sophomore starting pitcher Ed Bethke tossed a complete-game five-hitter in the first game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on April 6, but SCSU was swept by Pace, 2-1 and 1-0, at The Ballpark at SCSU. Dustin Corbett struck out seven over seven shutout innings to lead Pace to the victory in the nightcap.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Picked to finish 12th in the Northeast-10, St. Anselm has dropped six of its previous seven games. Most recently, the Hawks were swept at home, 8-1 and 8-4, in a doubleheader against Assumption on Sunday. St. Anselm will play a pair of games against Franklin Pierce and a non-conference contest at Post before the weekend set against SCSU. The Hawks are led by Matt Sucharewicz and his .296 batting average, while Nick Barese has posted a 3-2 record with a 2.85 ERA over eight starts.

LAST TIME AGAISNT ST. ANSELM
Junior centerfielder Karl Derbacher and senior designated hitter Anthony Fiorillo each went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in on March 3 to lead SCSU to a 7-3, neutral-site, non-conference victory over St. Anselm at Southard Stadium. Melvin Perdue hit 2-for-2 and scored a pair of runs for St. Anselm.

IZZO ON THE BALL
Senior outfielder Paul Izzo busted out of a slump with a big day at St. Rose on April 19. Over the course of SCSU's doubleheader sweep of the Golden Knights, the Cohoes, N.Y. native hit 5-for-10 with five RBI, three runs scored and the first homerun of his career.

HIT PARADE
Every member of the SCSU starting lineup recorded at least one hit on April 19 as the Owls pounded out 22 hits as a team while defeating St. Rose, 19-2, in the first game of a doubleheader. The 22 hits was the most by an SCSU team since March 17, 2006 when the club pounded out 23 hits en route to a 15-7 victory over Bridgeport in the second game of a doubleheader.

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE
The SCSU offense scored its most runs in nearly six years on April 19 when the Owls defeated St. Rose 19-2 in the first game of a doubleheader. The last time the Owls scored as many runs was in a 21-7 victory, also against St. Rose, on May 6, 2002.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The 19-run output on April 19 at St. Rose marked the 10th time this season the Owls have posted a double-digit run total. The Owls are 9-1 when they score double digits this year and 0-5 when they allow double digits to be scored against them.

OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Junior center fielder Karl Derbacher was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Honor Roll for the week ending on April 20. The Owls have now had 11 honor roll selections so far this season.

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.

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 93 strikeouts over 67 innings on the rubber (12.5 K/9 IP). Most recently, the Marlborough, Mass. native fanned seven Golden Knights over five innints at St. Rose on April 19.

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.

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.

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 190-133 (.588) record. He guided the Owls to the NCAA Division II World Series in 2005.

ON DECK
The Owls return to the field on April 29 when they travel to Stonehill for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Lou Gorman Field in Easton, Mass.