2008 Southern Connecticut
State University Baseball
NCAA Northeast Regional
SCSU (34-15, 24-6 NE-10)
No. 12/NR Bryant (39-19, 25-5 NE-10)
Caldwell (32-17, 19-8 CACC)
C.W. Post (29-25, 16-11 ECC)
Dowling (28-17, 17-10 ECC)
No. 20/21 Franklin Pierce (39-12, 20-10 NE-10)
May 15-18 • Dr. Pappas Field • Rindge, N.H.


View full game notes (.pdf).

NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament Headquarters

BACK TO RINDGE
For the second weekend in a row, the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team heads to Rindge, N.H. and the campus of Franklin Pierce, this time for the NCAA Northeast Regional. This marks the fourth appearance in the NCAA Championship for SCSU, as well as the third appearance in the last four years. The Owls will open play in the six-team, double-elimination tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. against Caldwell of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior third baseman Chris Barile went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored on Sunday afternoon, but a rally by SCSU came up short as the Owls were defeated, 6-4, by No. 20/29 Franklin Pierce to conclude the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. The win gave Franklin Pierce back-to-back NE-10 tournament titles, as well as their third championship in four seasons.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The regular season champions of the Northeast-10, Bryant enters the Northeast Regional as the second seed and makes its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Owls and the Bulldogs have never met in Northeast Regional play. Most recently, Bryant was eliminated from the Northeast-10 Championships by SCSU on May 10. The Bulldogs will open Northeast Regional play against Dowling on Thursday.

LAST TIME AGAINST BRYANT
Senior right fielder Paul Izzo drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning to drive home junior center fielder Karl Derbacher with the only run of the game on May 10 as SCSU fought off elimination for the second time of the day with a 1-0 victory over No. 12/28 nationally ranked Bryant at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships at Dr. Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Regular season and tournament champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), Caldwell comes into the Northeast Regional as the fourth seed and makes its second straight appearance in the NCAA Championship. The Owls and the Cougars have never met in the Northeast Regional. Most recently, junior pitcher Eric Hines tossed a three-hitter and sophomore outfielder Adric Saxon blasted his second home run of the tournament to lead the Caldwell to its second CACC tournament title in school history with a 3-0 victory over Dominican on May 11 at Wilson Field in Wilmington, Del. Caldwell will open Northeast Regional play against SCSU on Thursday.

LAST TIME AGAINST CALDWELL
Jose Ortiz hit 4-for-6 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored on March 12, 2006 to lead SCSU to a 16-1 victory over Caldwell in non-conference play at The Ballpark at SCSU in New Haven, Conn. Nick Czekaj hit 5-for-6 and drove in a run for the Owls, while Sean Mogan and Richard Catalano each batted home a pair of runs as well.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Tournament champions of the East Coast Conference (ECC), C.W. Post heads into the Northeast Regional as the sixth seed and makes its first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 1985. The Owls and Pioneers have never met in the Northeast Regional. Most recently, Keith Karlsen and Bobby Kay combined to pitch a nine-hitter, allowed no earned runs and struck out nine on May 11 to lead C.W. Post to its first-ever ECC Championship with a 5-1 win over New Haven at Golden Lions Field in Brookhaven, N.Y. C.W. Post will open Northeast Regional play against host Franklin Pierce on Thursday.

LAST TIME AGAINST C.W. POST
Senior designated hitter Anthony Fiorillo went 2-for-2 with a triple and three runs batted in to lead SCSU to a 9-0 victory in the second game of a neutral-site, non-conference doubleheader against C.W. Post on March 1. The Owls took the first game as well, 3-2, behind 8.1 innings of two-run ball from senior pitcher Toby Nylin.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN LIONS
Regular season champions of the ECC, Dowling comes into the Northeast Regional as the fifth seed and makes its fifth appearance in the NCAA Championship, as well as its second appearance in three years. The Owls defeated the Golden Lions in their only previous Northeast Regional meeting, which occurred in 2006. Most recently, Ryan Boelsen went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead Adelphi to a 3-0 upset victory over Dowling in the first round of the ECC Championships at Golden Lions Field in Brookhaven, N.Y. on May 7. Dowling will open Northeast Regional play against Bryant on Thursday.

LAST TIME AGAINST DOWLING
Sophomore starting pitcher Jim Fuller pitched seven innings without allowing an earned run and struck out nine and junior center fielder Karl Derbacher went 4-for-4 on Sunday, but SCSU was swept in a neutral-site, non-conference doubleheader by Dowling at Santaluces Complex in Lantana, Fla. The Owls dropped the first game, 2-1, and were also edged, 6-5, in the nightcap.

SCOUTING THE RAVENS
Currently on a nine-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep of the Northeast-10 Championships, Franklin Pierce will be the top seed and host of the Northeast Regional. The Ravens are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship and its fifth appearance overall. They are the two-time defending champion of the Northeast Regional and have captured the regional title three times in school history. The Owls are 2-1 against the Ravens all-time in Northeast Regional play. Most recently, Franklin Pierce defeated SCSU, 6-4, on Sunday at Dr. Pappas Field in Rindge, N.H. to capture its second straight Northeast-10 Conference Championship. The Ravens will open Northeast Regional play against C.W. Post on Thursday.

LAST TIME AGAINST FRANKLIN PIERCE
Junior third baseman Chris Barile went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored on May 11, but a rally by SCSU came up short as the Owls were defeated, 6-4, by No. 20/29 Franklin Pierce to conclude the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. The win gave the Ravens back-to-back NE-10 tournament titles, as well as their third championship in four seasons.

OWLS IN NCAAs
SCSU is 6-6 all-time in the NCAA Championship, including 6-4 in the Northeast Regional. In their last appearance in 2006, the Owls went 3-2 and were eliminated in the regional championship round by Franklin Pierce. In 2005, SCSU swept through the Northeast Regional with its first three NCAA Championship victories in program history and then fell twice in the school's only appearance in the NCAA Championship finals. In the program's first Northeast Regional appearance in 2001, the Owls went two-and-out.

THROWING SOME SERIOUS CHEESE
At the conclusion of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships, sophomore pitcher Jim Fuller was named Co-Pitcher of the Year by the conference and also was selected First-Team All-Conference. During the regular season, he led the Northeast-10 in earned-run average (0.99), opponent batting average (.163) and strikeouts (125). In addition, the southpaw finished tied for first in the conference in wins (nine) and ranked fourth in innings pitched (82.0).

SIMPLY THE BEST
Also at the Northeast-10 Championships, junior center fielder Karl Derbacher was selected as the conference's Player of the Year in addition to his selection to the All-Conference First Time. During the regular season, he led the conference in on-base percentage (.513), runs batted in (50) and total bases (108). In addition, Derbacher finished tied for first in doubles (19), second in batting average (.427), tied for second in stolen bases (28), third in slugging percentage (.584) and hits (79), tied for third in triples (five), tied for fourth in runs scored (48) and tied for sixth in walks (31). Twice during the season, the Northford, Conn. native put together hit streaks of 10 or more games.

STEERING THE SHIP
SCSU collected yet one more major award at the Northeast-10 Championships when head coach Tim Shea was selected as the conference's Coach of the Year by his peers. He skippered the Owls to a 34-15 overall record in the regular season, a 24-6 record in the Northeast-10 and a second-place finish in the conference. The Hamden, Conn. native had previously been named coach of the year in 2005 when the Owls captured the Northeast Regional title.

CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE
In addition to the selections of Derbacher and Fuller to the All-Northeast-10 Conference First Team, the Owls had six other players who were bestowed with All-Conference honors. Junior shortstop Mike Diaz and senior designated hitter Anthony Fiorillo made it a quartet of SCSU players on selected to the First Team. Junior first baseman Mo Davidson and Kevin Bowerman were both named Second-Team All-Conference, while Third-Team All-Conference accolades went to freshman left fielder Andrew Babb and junior starting pitcher/third baseman Justin Cox.

200 IN THE LEFT-HAND COLUMN
SCSU's 6-0 win at Merrimack on May 3 was the 200th win of Tim Shea's career as a head coach.

OWLS ON THE HONOR ROLL
Freshman left fielder Andrew Babb, senior pitcher Nick Carlucci, senior right fielder Paul Izzo and senior pitcher Toby Nylin were all named to the Northeast-10 Conference Honor Roll for the week ending on May 11. The Owls have now had 18 honor roll selections so far this season.

WHOLE LOTTA WHIFFING GOING ON
Sophomore pitcher Jim Fuller struck out 19, allowed just one infield hit and walked one over eight shutout innings against Stonehill on May 1 as SCSU downed the Skyhawks, 11-0. Fuller retired 26 of the 28 batters he faced in the game and struck out the side three times. For his efforts, he was named Northeast-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week ending on May 4. It was the second time Fuller garnered the award this season and the third time an SCSU pitcher was honored.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
Earlier this season, the Owls established a new school record for longest winning streak when they were victorious 16 consecutive times from April 17 through May 6. The former program record was 12 wins in a row from March 24 to April 4, 2002.

TWICE IS NICE
Junior center fielder Karl Derbacher hit .531 (17-for-32) with three doubles, a triple, 10 RBI, five runs, a walk, two stolen bases and a .559 on-base percentage to garner Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week honors for the week ending on April 27. It marked the second time this season Derbacher has been selected as Player of the Week.

DOUBLE DIGITS
The 11-run output on May 1 against Stonehill marked the 13th time this season the Owls have posted a double-digit run total. The Owls are 12-1 when they score double digits this year and 0-5 when they allow double digits to be scored against them.

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. The Owls later chalked up 22 hits again in a 14-2 victory over Merrimack on April 23.

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.

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 132 strikeouts over 89 innings on the rubber (13.3 K/9 IP). Most recently, the Marlborough, Mass. native fanned seven Ravens over seven innings against Franklin Pierce on May 9 at the Northeast-10 Championships.

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.

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 203-135 (.601) record. He guided the Owls to the NCAA Division II World Series in 2005.

ON DECK
The winner of the Northeast Regional will advance to the NCAA Championship finals. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be contested May 24-31 at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill.