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Rhode Island schools shine on the diamond




By Mike Szostak, Providence Journal Today



Brown will not repeat as Ivy League champion, but the University of Rhode Island may have a shot at the Atlantic 10 title.

In Division II, Bryant proved Monday that it can win in Division I and should do well in the Northeast-10 tournament.

In Division III, Roger Williams University has locked up first place and the top seed for the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament, Salve Regina can play spoiler in the CCC, Rhode Island College is ranked No. 6 in New England and chasing No. 3 Keene State in the Little East Conference while UMass Dartmouth is waiting till next year. Johnson & Wales is in solid second place in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, and Wheaton, ranked No. 2 in New England, is seeded second for the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference tournament.

In the junior-college ranks, CCRI is motoring along toward the Region 21 Tournament.

That’s how the college baseball scene shapes up as we approach the end of the regular season and the beginning of conference tournaments.

Here’s a look at each squad.

Brown (14-23, 5-11) is in last place in the Ivy League’s Rolfe Division, seven games behind division-leading Dartmouth (20-13, 12-4), the best team in the league this spring and the only tam with an overall winning record. After out-slugging Connecticut, 14-10, a week ago, the Bears lost four in a row to Harvard over the weekend and then dropped a 7-4 decision to Bryant on Monday. The five-game losing streak is the longest of the season.

Brown clearly has missed the hitting of 2007 Ivy player of the year Devin Thomas and the pitching of 2007 Ivy pitcher of the year Scott Dietz. Shortstop Matt Nuzzo leads the hitters with four home runs and 31 RBI. Alex Silverman is 4-2 with a 7.43 ERA.

The Bears have a doubleheader today against Holy Cross, a four-game weekend series at Yale and the season finale next Wednesday at Bryant.

URI (20-18-1, 8-6) is sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings. Charlotte (29-9, 11-4) and Temple (20-17, 11-4) are tied for first. Duquesne and Xavier are tied for third, and St. Bonaventure is fifth.

The Rams took a nine-game unbeaten streak into their game at Sacred Heart yesterday. They played Richmond to an 8-8 tie on Saturday after winning the first game of the doubleheader, 16-12, in 12 innings. They will host Connecticut today.

Rhody has weekend series remaining with La Salle in Philadelphia, Saint Joseph’s and UMass at home and Charlotte on the road. The A-10 tournament is May 21-24.

Zach Zaneski leads the Rams at the plate with a .354 batting average and 27 RBI. Brett Palanski is 5-2 on the mound with a 3.59 ERA. Freshman Chris Pickering (Lincoln) is 4-1 with a 4.12 ERA.

Bryant (31-14, 18-5) has the best overall record in the Northeast-10 and is No. 1 in the region but is second behind Pace (26-12-1, 15-3-1) in the NE-10 standings.

The Bulldogs were not intimidated visiting Murray Stadium at Brown Monday and challenging the Ivy League champs. They struck for three runs in the first inning and never looked back. Jason Alexander had two hits, two runs, two walks and an RBI.

Pitcher Dan Lozeau won two games last week, allowing no runs and only seven hits in 19 innings of work, and is the NE-10 pitcher of the week.

Bryant played UMass Lowell yesterday and will visit Lowell tomorrow night. The Bulldogs will play three against AIC this weekend, play Division I Northeastern and Brown next Monday and Wednesday, visit Domincan May 2 and conclude the regular season with a May 3 doubleheader at Pace. The NE-10 Tournament starts May 7.

Sophomore Dylan Stone (Portsmouth) is playing well for Bryant. The infielder/outfielder has played every game and started 41 and is hitting .304 with 9 doubles and 33 RBI.

Roger Williams (26-9, 18-2) will wrap up its home and Commonwealth Coast Conference schedule today with a doubleheader against archrival Salve Regina (21-15-1, 11-8-1). The Hawks will visit Brandeis on Thursday and UMass Dartmouth on Friday to stay in shape for the CCC tournament, which starts next Tuesday.

Jamie Dahill is hitting .410 with 3 homers and 28 RBI. Kevin Simpson is hitting .391 with 4 home runs and 29 RBI. The top pitchers are Brian Hurld (5-1, 2.45 ERA), Sam Podbelski (4-0, 3.24) and Dan Roberge (4-2, 3.16).

Salve Regina is fifth in the CCC standings and after the doubleheader today will be idle until the playoffs.

The Seahawks have a .400 hitter in Riley Diaz (.437, 40 RBI) and another slugger in Robert Peruzzotti (.388, 5 HRs, 31 RBI). Craig Silva (5-0, 2.35) and Pat Quinn (4-1, 2.43) are the leading pitchers. Adam Olerio (North Kingstown) is 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA. He made the CCC honor roll for his six-hit, 8-1 victory over Endicott. Andrew Spino (Lincoln) has pitched in seven games and is 1-0.

RIC (21-9, 9-3) is third in the Little East standings behind Keene State (24-5, 9-1) and Southern Maine (19-9, 6-2). The Anchormen had won eight in a row before losing a doubleheader Saturday at Eastern Connecticut. They have LEC doubleheaders Saturday against Western Connecticut and May 3 at Keene State before the LEC tournament starts May 7. They also have four non-league games.

Chris O’Connors (North Kingstown/Bishop Hendricken) is hitting .417 with 12 doubles and 27 RBI. Pete Olson (North Providence) is hitting .404 with 10 doubles, 2 homers and 28 RBI. Eric Thibault (Somerset, 5-2, 4.23) and Evan Grogan (4-0, 2.25) are the top pitchers.

Johnson & Wales (23-14, 11-3) trails first-place Suffolk (23-8, 14-0) by three games in the GNAC standings. Suffolk swept a doubleheader Saturday and settled the race. The GNAC tournament is this week, and the Wildcats will visit Rhode Island College next Tuesday, host UMass Dartmouth May 1 and visit Wheaton May 3 to conclude the regular season.

Wheaton (27-7, 9-3) has won 25 of its last 28 games and is ranked ninth in Division III in the nation. Seeded second, the Lyons will open the NEWMAC Tournament today against fifth-seeded WPI.

The Lyons have six regulars hitting over .300. Jeff Lieneck is hitting .363 with 3 homers, 31 RBI and 30 runs, Sean Munley .345 with 34 RBI. Senior Adam Gingras (Woonsocket) is 5-0 on the mound with a 1.42 ERA. He has thrown two complete games.