Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE SUNSHINE STATE AWAITS
The No. 8/10 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University baseball team heads to Florida for its annual trip with eight games beginning on Wednesday. The Owls (8-3 overall) will face Caldwell, Mercy (twice), Nyack, Merrimack (twice), Lynn and Barry during the trip. The two contests against Merrimack will be considered Northeast-10 Conference matchups.

IN THIS WEEK'S REGIONAL POLL
The Owls dropped one spot to No. 2 in this week's NCBWA regional poll after three straight weeks at No. 1.

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Owls dropped one spot to No. 8 in this week's College Baseball Lineup poll and were No. 10 in the NCBWA national poll last week. This week's NCBWA poll is expected to be released on Tuesday.

CUMMINGS SWINGING A HOT BAT
Senior shortstop Kyle Cummings had a fine weekend in the three-game set against Queens. He batted .571 (8-for-14) with four runs scored. Cummings leads the Owls with a .378 batting average on the year.

CLEARY PICKING UP STEAM
Junior outfielder Michael Cleary is batting .429 (12-for-28) over the last seven games and had six hits in 12 at-bats in the three game series against Queens. He's second on the club with a .375 batting average this year.

YERINA CONTINUES HIS STRONG START
Senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Yerina tossed six scoreless innings in his last start against Queens on Saturday. For the year, he is 3-0 with a sparking 0.45 earned run average.

ZBIN MOVES INTO THE TOP SPOT
With a win over Queens on Friday, senior left-handed pitcher Chris Zbin moved into a tie on the all-time list for victories. Zbin matched Brian Forgione's 23 career victories. Zbin already holds the school record with 286 strikeouts.

GEFFERT CLIMBING UP LONGBALL LIST
With four home runs thus far on the year, senior first baseman has moved into fourth place all-time at SCSU in home runs with 33. He's one back of Paul Caseria for third place and needs five more to become the school's all-time leader in that department.

ALL-TIME VS. CALDWELL
The Owls hold a 5-2 edge all-time against Caldwell. SCSU blanked Caldwell 6-0 last season in the most recent meeting between the schools.

ALL-TIME VS. MERCY
The Owls hold a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series against Mercy. SCSU swept a pair of contests from Mercy last year.

ALL-TIME VS. NYACK
Southern Connecticut and Nyack will play for the second consecutive year. The Owls swept a pair of games from Nyack in 2011 in the only previous meetings between the schools.

ALL-TIME VS. MERRIMACK
Southern Connecticut leads the all-time series against Merrimack, 26-14, including two victories over the Warriors earlier this year.

ALL-TIME VS. LYNN
Lynn leads the all-time series against SCSU by a 3-1 margin. The teams last met in 2008, a 9-4 Lynn win. The Owls' win came back in 2007, a 10-9 triumph that was part of a three-game series between the clubs,

ALL-TIME VS. BARRY
This will be just the second all-time meeting between the Owls and Barry, who claimed a 14-11 win over SCSU back in 2008.

THREE OWLS EARN NE-10 WEEKLY HONORS
Three Owls were recognized by the Northeast-10 for their play in the weekend series against Philadelphia. Ryan Yerina was named the NE-10 Pitcher of the Week, while Cole Bryant was tabbed as the Rookie of the Week. In addition, Kyle Cummings was named to the weekly honor roll.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Ryan Geffert connected for three home runs in the weekend series against Philadelphia. He leads the team with four home runs and RBI (nine).

FIRST AS AN OWL
Peter Testa chimed in with his first career home run in the third game against Philadelphia.

DOMINANT ARMS
Rocco Cundari pitched six innings of shutout baseball while striking out three in the first game against Philadelphia. Cole Bryant went eight innings, allowing just one run, in the third game against Philadelphia.

YERINA'S BIG GAME
Ryan Yerina pitched a complete game in the final contest against Philadelphia. He allowed just three hits while striking out six. The nine innings pitched was the second longest outing of his career as he went nine and two thirds innings on 3/27/10 against Merrimack. The three hits allowed matched the fewest he allowed in a start. He also tossed a three-hitter against Stonehill on 4/17/10.

OWLS AMONG THE NCAA LEADERS
SCSU is well-represented in several statistical categories for Division II as of March 4. The Owls were ranked fifth in the country for hits allowed per nine innings. SCSU is ranked eighth in double plays per game. SCSU is also ranked No. 12 in earned run average. Chris Zbin and Michael Cleary are ranked within the top 12 in two individual categories. Zbin is second in the country for strikeouts per nine innings. Cleary is No. 12 in triples.

TWO OWLS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
Chris Zbin and T.J. Shea were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for their play against Felician.

SHEA JUMPS OFF TO A HOT START
Sophomore catcher T.J. Shea led the team with a .375 batting average and three doubles through the first four games of the year.

PICKING UP WIN NUMBER ONE
Two Owls notched their first wins in a SCSU uniform during the opening weeks. Daniel Murdoch collected a victory over Felician, while Kevin Madera matched the feat against Merrimack.

PITCHING REMAINS POWERFUL
The SCSU pitching staff has combined to record a 1.63 ERA through the first 11 games.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
In all, 11 different Owls have seen time on the mound thus far, with none tossing more then 20 innings.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome 10 new players to the team this year - Brandon Docimo, Peter Testa, Rocco Cundari, Matt Burns, Nick Baviello, Dan Murdoch, Pat Egan, Joe Breen, Kevin Madera and Cole Bryant.

IN THE NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS
• Coming off a trip to the national semifinals last spring, the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team was selected No. 3 in the 2012 College Baseball Lineup preseason Division II rankings.
• The Owls were ranked tied for sixth in the country in the National College Baseball Writers Association preseason poll. SCSU is also ranked first in the East Region. The Owls received all nine first place votes for the East Region.
• The Owls were ranked first in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll. The Owls were ranked first in the Southwest Division.

TWO ON PRESEASON TINO AWARD LIST
Seniors Chris Zbin and Ryan Geffert were placed on the Tino Martinez Award preseason watch list. The Tino Martinez Award is given out to the Division II Player of the Year. Zbin was a semifinalist for the award last season.

PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Three student-athletes received National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason honors. Chris Zbin was named to the NCBWA All-American First-Team. Zbin and Ryan Geffert were named to the NCBWA East Region First-Team, while third baseman A.J. Rouleau was named to the NCBWA East Region Second-Team.

THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Ryan Yerina and Chris Zbin will serve as team captains for the Owls in 2012.

SUCCESS CONTINUES IN SEASON OPENERS IN-REGION
Since 2002, the Owls have played five season openers against teams from within the East Region and are 5-0 in those games. The Owls defeated Felician in each of the last two years, UMass-Lowell in 2010, Bridgeport in 2003 and Queens in 2002. The other six openers over that stretch were against schools from either Florida or Georgia.

ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
It was a record-setting season for the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team in 2011. The Owls set a new school high water mark with 45 victories, reached the College World Series for the second time in school history, and reached the NCAA National Semifinals. SCSU finished the year with a final No. 4 national ranking, also the highest in school history.

JOHNSTON LEADS NATION IN SAVES; OWLS FACTOR PROMINENTLY IN FINAL STAT RANKINGS
Both from a team and individual standpoint, the Owls factored significantly in the final 2011 NCAA Division II statistical rankings.
• Senior pitcher Michael Johnston finished the year ranked tops in the nation with his school-record 16 saves.
• The Owls closed the year ranked No. 3 in the nation in earned run average (2.12) and walks issued per nine innings (2.32). The team was fourth in win-loss percentage (.827) and ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.52). SCSU also ranked 12th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.3) and 19th in fielding percentage (.969).
• Chris Zbin finished sixth in the nation in ERA (1.25) and ninth in strikeouts (112), while also posting 10 wins to finish 18th in that category.
• A.J. Rouleau placed 11th in the nation with 13 sacrifice bunts. Bryan Dorsey placed 13th in triples after registering six during the season. Ryan Geffert was 16th in doubles after recording 21 two-baggers.
• Kevin Pettine was 18th in wins with 10 and 19th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.2). Steve Simon was 17th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.19).

OWLS TAKE DOWN THE TOP SEED
Southern Connecticut posted its first-ever College World Series win in dramatic fashion on May 31 with an 8-6 win over Grand Valley State, the No. 1 seed heading into the event. Ironically, the Lakers knocked the Owls out of the 2005 CWS with a 3-2 win.

ZBIN NAMED DAKTRONICS ALL-AMERICAN
Junior pitcher Chris Zbin was named a Daktronics First-Team All-American for his play in 2011. He closed the year with a 10-2 mark to go along with one save and a 1.25 earned run average. His 10 wins tied for the most in a season in school history, while his 112 strikeouts were the second-highest single-season mark. Zbin was an Honorable Mention All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association as a sophomore.

KEEPING A STREAK IN TACT
You have to go all the way back to the 2009 season to find the last instance that the Owls dropped games on consecutive days, a streak that has carried over into the 2012 campaign. In 2010, SCSU was defeated twice by Franklin Pierce on the last day of the NCAA Regional, while this year, Adelphi and Franklin Pierce handed the Owls losses on the same day of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The last time that the Owls lost games in consecutive outings not on the same day was April 28-30, 2009 when the squad lost back-to-back games to Bentley.

WINNING IN DRAMATIC FASHION
The Owls had to emerge from the losers' bracket in the East Region. After defeating No. 3 seeded Wilmington and No. 2 seeded Franklin Pierce on the Ravens' home field, Southern Connecticut dropped its third game of the regional to top-seeded Adelphi, 7-1. However, the Owls rallied to eliminate Franklin Pierce with a 3-0 win and then swept Adelphi by scores of 9-1 and 2-1 to move on to the College World Series.

MAINTAINING A TRADITION
The 2011 appearance marked the eighth all-time NCAA appearance for the Owls. They also qualified in 1966, 1967, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 and reached the College World Series in 2005.

SHATTERING THE RECORD BOOK
Thanks to their run through the NCAA Regional, the Owls shattered the old single-season win mark of 38 victories that was attained by the 2001 and 2010 squads.

GIVE THE SKIPPER AN ANTACID
The Owls haven't made it easy on head coach Tim Shea in both of their regional final wins that led to the College World Series. In 2005, Southern Connecticut edged Franklin Pierce, 1-0. This time around, SCSU also triumphed by a single run, 2-1 over Adelphi.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS DO THE TRICK
Trailing 1-0 in the winner-take-all NCAA Regional final against Adelphi, the Owls used the longball to take control of the contest. Kyle Cummings connected for his second blast of the year, while Nick DeProspo followed with his team-leading seventh homer to give the Owls the lead for good.

PETTINE POWERS THE OWLS
Senior pitcher Kevin Pettine had a weekend to remember at the NCAA regionals. He opened by tossing eight shutout innings in a 2-1 win over Wilmington (Del.) in the opener. Then, on two days rest, he came back to hurl a complete-game six-hitter to send the Owls onto the College World Series. In all, he was 2-0 with a 0.53 earned run average to collect Regional Most Outstanding Player honors.

TWO NAMED TO CWS ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Bryan Dorsey and T.K. Kiernan were both named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team for their play in the Owls' final four games of the year.

SIX NAMED TO REGIONAL ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
The Owls had six players named to the regional All-Tournament Team - Kevin Pettine, Ryan Geffert, Nick DeProspo, T.K. Kiernan, Michael Cleary and Kyle Rosadino.

SEXTET CAPTURES ALL-REGION HONORS
Southern Connecticut had six players take home Daktronics All-Region honors for their play - Kyle Rosadino, Michael Johnston, Kevin Pettine, A.J. Rouleau, Ryan Geffert and Chris Zbin.

SHEA REACHES A MILESTONE
Head coach Tim Shea notched career-win No. 300 on May 3 in the victory over Pace.

OWLS FINISH ATOP NEW ENGLAND POLL
Southern Connecticut concluded the year ranked atop the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association poll.

REGULAR SEASON REPEAT
For the second straight year, SCSU won the Northeast-10 Conference regular season crown.

NINE OWLS NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Nine Owls were named All-Northeast-10 All-Conference. Kyle Rosadino and Chris Zbin were named to the First-Team. Ryan Geffert, A.J. Rouleau, Kevin Pettine, Michael Johnston and Steve Simon were Second-Team picks. Kyle Cummings and Bryan Dorsey were named Third-Team All-Conference.

A NICE WAY TO START THE YEAR
SCSU opened the 2011 season with a 22-game winning streak, the longest in program history. The Owls were the last undefeated team in any division in NCAA baseball.

ON DECK
The Owls return to action on March 24 for a home doubleheader against St. Michael's.