2006 NEC N EWS & N OTES

200 Cottontail Lane, Vantage Court North, Somerset, NJ 08873 Baseball Contact: Donna Poyant, Assistant Commissioner Phone: 732-469-0440/Fax: 732-469-0744 E-Mail: [email protected] Central Connecticut State • Fairleigh Dickinson • Long Island • Monmouth • Mount St. Mary’s Quinnipiac • Robert Morris • Sacred Heart • St. Francis (NY) • St. Francis (PA) • Wagner NEC Baseball Northeast Conference Baseball Facts & Figures (Week 5 - April 3, 2006)

This Week’s Schedule School NEC Pct. Overall Pct. Streak Home Away Neutral Tuesday, April 4 Saturday, April 8 1. Monmouth 6-0 1.000 12-10 .545 W9 3-0 7-8 2-2 St. John’s at ST. FRANCIS (NY) LONG ISLAND at CCSU (DH) Wagner 3-0 1.000 4-17 .190 W3 0-2 4-13 0-2 WAGNER at Rutgers FDU at SFNY (DH) 3. Sacred Heart 5-1 .833 11-13 .458 W5 4-1 7-2 0-10 CCSU at Rhode Island WAGNER at MT. ST. MARY’S (DH) 4. Quinnipiac 4-2 .667 8-12-1 .405 W1 7-3 1-9-2 0-0 LONG ISLAND at Hofstra QUINNIPIAC at SACRED HEART (DH) 5. Mount St. Mary's 3-3 .500 10-13 .435 L1 3-5 4-4 3-4 Siena at QUINNIPIAC SACRED HEART at Iona Sunday, April 9 6. Central Connecticut State 1-2 .333 14-7 .667 W1 8-2 6-5 0-0 Princeton at MONMOUTH LONG ISLAND at CCSU 7. Long Island 1-5 .167 4-15-1 .225 L3 2-5 2-5-1 0-5 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON at SFNY Fairleigh Dickinson 1-5 .167 3-18 .143 L6 0-4 2-9 1-5 Wednesday, April 5 QUINNIPIAC at SACRED HEART St. Francis (NY) 0-6 .000 2-13 .133 L8 0-5 1-5 1-3 Rutgers at MONMOUTH WAGNER at MT. ST. MARY’S Yale at QUINNIPIAC NJIT at MONMOUTH The top four teams based on conference winning percentage qualify for the NEC Tournament. St. Joseph’s at LONG ISLAND CCSU at Boston College WAGNER at Fordham For starting times, Akadema NEC Player of the Week ST. FRANCIS (NY) at Stony Brook see Schedule/Results page. FDU at St. John’s (DH) Nick Massari, Monmouth Sr., SS, L/R, 5-8, 175 lbs., Trenton, NJ/Hamilton West Thursday, April 6 Massari batted .688 (11-for-16) with 14 runs scored, 13 runs batted in, four doubles, two home runs and MONMOUTH at Columbia one in a 4-0 week for Monmouth, to help extend the Hawks win streak to nine games. The St. Peter’s at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON senior shortstop started the week going 5-for-6 with seven runs, six RBI, three doubles, one Akadema NEC Player of the Week and one stolen base in a 35-1 win over Temple. Massari then posted three two- games against NEC rival Long Island during a three-game series sweep. In doubleheader action on Saturday (W 14-0, W 8-1), he Mar. 6 John Romano, Central Connecticut St. Mar. 13 Scott Appleton, Central Connecticut St. went 4-for-7 with four RBI, three walks, one and two home runs, both of which came in Game 1 Mar. 20 Seth Brown, Central Connecticut St. action. In Sunday’s 14-1 win over the Blackbirds, Massari was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three Mar. 27 Jeff Mainetti, Quinnipiac runs batted in. For the week, he had an astonishing 1.313 and .750 on base Apr. 3 Nick Massari, Monmouth percentage. On the year, Massari is hitting .312 and tops the NEC in runs batted in (25), ranks second in runs scored (23) and home runs (4) and fourth in slugging percentage (.562). Akadema NEC of the Week Mar. 6 Dustin Pease, Mount St. Mary’s Mar. 13 Derek Roberts, Central Connecticut St. Akadema NEC Pitcher of the Week Mar. 20 Matt Gianini, Central Connecticut St. Joe Cummings, Monmouth Mar. 27 Dustin Pease, Mount St. Mary’s Sr., LHP, 5-10, 175 lbs., Toms River, NJ/Toms River East Apr. 3 Joe Cummings, Monmouth Cummings is named Akadema NEC Pitcher of the Week after posting a 14-0 shutout win over Long Island Akadema NEC Rookie of the Week to open the three-game weekend series on Saturday. The senior southpaw threw a seven Mar. 6 Richie Tri, Central Connecticut St. inning shutout, scattering six hits and striking three, while walking only one. So far this season, Mar. 13 Richie Tri, Central Connecticut St. Cummings is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 20 . Mar. 20 Richie Tri, Central Connecticut St. Mar. 27 Kenny Cedel, Long Island Apr. 3 Rick Niederhaus, Monmouth Akadema NEC Rookie of the Week Rick Niederhaus, Monmouth NEC Baseball Tournament Fr., DH, 6-3, 195 lbs., Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central May 25-27 Niederhaus posted a .615 slugging percentage and batted .462 with five runs batted in, one scored, at FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood, New Jersey one and one walk in a four win week for Monmouth last week. The rookie went Four team, double-elimination tournament 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win over Temple. In the opening game doubleheader against LIU on Saturday, Niederhaus was 2-for-4 and in the nightcap, was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. He closed out the week NEC Website on Sunday with a bases loaded triple against the Blackbirds, finishing the day 1-for-4 with three RBI and For all the latest news, scores, statistics and notes, visit one run scored. On the year, Niederhaus is hitting .364 to rank sixth in the conference in average the NEC website at www.northeastconference.org and has recorded 16 hits, two doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and six runs. Standings are updated daily; statistics are updated weekly. 2006 NEC Baseball Schedule/Results Schedule Subject To Change. All times are local.

Central Connecticut State Fairleigh Dickinson Long Island (14-7, 1-2 NEC) (3-18, 1-5 NEC) (4-15-1, 1-5 NEC)

M 4 at Navy (DH) L 3-4, L 2-5 F 25 at Seton Hall Cancelled M 4 at Md. Eastern Shore (DH) L 3-5, T 1-1 (7) M 5 at Navy W 12-9 M 4 at Coppin State (DH) L 2-10, W 4-3 M 5 at Md. Eastern Shore W 11-7 M 8 Hartford W 10-4 M 5 at Coppin State (DH) L 2-8, L 4-11 M 11-15 at West Palm Beach, FL M 10 at La Salle W 13-5 M 11 at Delaware State (DH) L 1-4, L 9-11 M 11 vs. Seton Hall L 0-9 M 11 at Villanova W 14-13 M 12 at Delaware State L 8-9 M 12 vs. St. Bonaventure L 2-17 M 12 at La Salle Cancelled M 14-18 at Bradenton, FL M 13 vs. Maine L 5-16 M 15 Hartford W 13-7 M 14 vs. Northern Iowa L 5-7 M 14 vs. Manhattan L 2-14 M 18 at Holy Cross (DH) L 1-2, W 6-5 (8) M 15 vs. Bradley L 2-11 M 15 vs. Maine L 6-10 M 19 Holy Cross W 20-6 M 16 vs. Fairfield W 7-4 M 17-19 at Philadelphia Spring Tourney (Philadelphia, PA) M 17 vs. Army (DH) L 1-3, L 1-10 M 17 at Temple L 6-7 M 21 Boston College W 7-6 M 18 at St. Joseph’s L 6-11 M 22 at Fairfield W 6-1 M 18 vs. Vermont L 2-18 M 22 Iona L 3-13 M 19 at Villanova L 1-5 M 25 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) W 4-1, L 0-7 M 21 at Rhode Island L 1-4 M 26 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S L 3-4 M 25 at QUINNIPIAC (DH) W 7-5, L 1-10 M 26 at QUINNIPIAC L 2-19 M 25 SACRED HEART (DH) L 2-4, L 0-3 M 29 Vermont (DH) L 3-11, W 9-6 M 26 SACRED HEART W 7-0 M 30 Fairfield W 7-4 M 28 at Hofstra L 1-8 A 1 WAGNER (DH) L 1-2, L 1-11 M 28 St. Peter’s W 7-3 A 1 Binghamton (DH) W 12-8, L 1-10 M 29 at Rider W 7-5 A 2 Binghamton W 11-2 A 2 WAGNER L 7-8 A 1 MONMOUTH (DH) L 0-14, L 1-8 A 4 at Rhode Island 3:00 pm A 5 at St. John’s (DH) 3:30 pm A 2 MONMOUTH L 1-14 A 5 at Boston College 3:00 pm A 6 St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 4 at Hofstra 3:00 pm A 8 LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm A 8 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm xA 8 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm A 9 LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm A 9 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm A 9 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm A 13 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm A 12 at New York Inst. of Tech. 3:30 pm A 11 at New York Inst. of Tech. 3:30 pm A 15 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm A 14 at LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm A 14 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm A 18 Marist 3:00 pm A 15 at LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm A 15 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm A 22 WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm A 18 Fordham 3:30 pm A 18 at St. John’s 3:00 pm A 23 WAGNER 12:00 pm A 19 at St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 22 at QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm A 26 Iona 3:00 pm A 22 at MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm A 23 at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm A 27 at Connecticut 3:00 pm A 23 at MONMOUTH 12:00 pm A 25 at St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 29 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm A 26 at Seton Hall (DH) 1:30 pm A 26 New York Inst. of Tech. 3:30 pm A 29 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm A 29 at Columbia (DH) 1:00 pm A 30 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm A 30 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm M 2 Brown (DH) 1:00 pm A 30 Columbia 1:00 pm M 3 at Rutgers (DH) 3:30 pm M 2 Fordham 3:00 pm M 6 at SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm M 6 Lafayette (DH) 12:00 pm M 6 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm M 7 at SACRED HEART 12:00 pm M 7 at Lafayette 12:00 pm M 7 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm M 9 at Northeastern 3:00 pm M 10 Hofstra 3:30 pm M 9 Hofstra 3:00 pm M 10 at UMass 3:00 pm M 13 MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm M 13 at WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm M 13 MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm M 14 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm M 14 at WAGNER 12:00 pm M 14 MONMOUTH 12:00 pm M 16 at Fordham 7:00 pm M 16 St. Joseph’s 3:00 pm M 19 QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm M 19 SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm M 20 St. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm M 20 QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm M 20 SACRED HEART 12:00 pm M 21 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS

Monmouth Mount St. Mary’s Quinnipiac (12-10, 6-0 NEC) (10-13, 3-3 NEC) (8-12-1, 4-2 NEC)

F 24 at Houston L 1-3 F 22 at Md. Eastern Shore (DH) W 7-0, W 5-1 M 10 at South Carolina L 4-10 F 25 at Houston L 1-9 M 1 at Towson W 9-4 M 11 at South Carolina L 0-12 F 26 at Houston L 0-6 M 4-10 at Bradenton, FL M 12 at South Carolina L 2-9 M 3 at Central Florida L 2-23 M 13 at Wofford L 1-10 M 4 at Central Florida W 2-1 M 4 vs. Duquesne L 0-3 M 5 at Central Florida L 4-5 M 5 vs. Northeastern L 3-14 M 14 at Wake Forest L 5-11 M 7 at Boca Raton, FL M 6 vs. Connecticut L 0-17 M 15 at Duke L 3-4 M 7 at Florida Atlantic L 5-7 M 7 vs. Bowling Green W 3-1 M 16 at Richmond L 7-8 M 8 vs. Maine W 6-3 (10) M 9 vs. IPFW (DH) W 4-0, L 2-11 M 18 at St. John’s (DH) L 7-12, W 5-4 (10) M 9 vs. St. Bonaventure L 4-5 M 10 vs. Toledo W 8-6 M 19 at St. John’s L 3-15 M 10 vs. St. Bonaventure L 1-6 M 14 Navy L 1-5 M 21 New York Tech W 8-5 M 11 vs. St. Bonaventure W 5-4 (11) M 15 at Maryland L 2-12 M 22 Connecticut W 4-3 M 18 at Navy (DH) L 3-4, L 4-5 (11) M 18 Canisius (DH) W 4-2, L 3-5 M 25 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) L 5-7, W 10-1 M 19 at Navy W 7-6 M 26 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W 19-2 M 22 at Rider W 15-1 M 19 Canisius L 7-12 M 25 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) L 1-4, W 7-0 M 28 Vermont W 8-6 M 25 ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) W 5-1, W 3-1 M 29 Dartmouth L 11-13 (8) M 26 ST. FRANCIS (NY) W 8-1 M 26 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE W 4-3 M 29 at Temple W 35-1 M 28 Georgetown L 2-11 M 30 at Army T 6-6 (10) A 1 at LONG ISLAND (DH) W 14-0, W 8-1 M 29 at Bucknell L 4-5 A 1 MOUNT ST. MARY’S W 9-2 A 2 at LONG ISLAND W 14-1 A 2 MOUNT ST. MARY’S(DH) L 2-3, W 8-5 A 1 at QUINNIPIAC L 2-9 A 4 Siena 3:00 pm A 4 Princeton 3:30 pm A 2 at QUINNIPIAC (DH) W 3-2, L 5-8 A 5 Rutgers 3:00 pm A 5 Yale 3:00 pm A 6 at Columbia 3:00 pm A 8 WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm A 8 at SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm A 9 New Jersey Inst. of Tech. 12:00 pm A 9 WAGNER 12:00 pm A 9 at SACRED HEART 12:00 pm A 11 Lafayette 3:30 pm A 11 at Coppin State 3:00 pm A 11 Rhode Island 3:00 pm A 12 Rider 3:00 pm A 12 at George Mason 3:00 pm A 12 at Dartmouth 3:00 pm A 14 MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm A 14 at MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm A 15 at New York Inst. of Tech. (DH) 12:00 pm A 15 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm A 15 at MONMOUTH 12:00 pm A 19 at Brown 3:00 pm A 18 Iona 3:30 pm A 18 at Georgetown 7:00 pm A 22 LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm A 19 at Rider 3:00 pm A 20 Md. Eastern Shore (DH) 1:00 pm A 20 St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 23 LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm A 22 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm A 22 at SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm A 25 at UMass 3:00 pm A 23 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm A 23 at SACRED HEART 12:00 pm A 26 Marist 3:00 pm A 25 Rider 3:30 pm A 25 at UMBC 7:00 pm A 29 WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm A 27 at St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 27 at Navy 3:00 pm A 30 WAGNER 12:00 pm A 29 at SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm A 29 ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm M 2 at Boston College 3:00 pm A 30 at SACRED HEART 12:00 pm A 30 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm M 4 Hartford 3:00 pm M 6 QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm M 2 at Virginia 7:00 pm M 6 at MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm M 7 QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm M 4 Coppin State 4:00 pm M 7 at MONMOUTH 12:00 pm M 10 at Seton Hall 3:30 pm M 11 at Rutgers 1:00 pm M 6 LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm M 12 ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm M 13 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm M 7 LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm M 13 ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm M 14 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm M 13 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm M 19 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm M 20 at WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm M 14 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm M 20 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm M 21 at WAGNER 12:00 pm M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS 2006 NEC Baseball Schedule/Results Schedule Subject To Change. All times are local.

Sacred Heart St. Francis (NY) Wagner (11-13, 5-1 NEC) (2-13, 0-6 NEC) (4-17, 3-0 NEC)

M 4-5 at Clearwater, FL M 10-13 at Bradenton, FL M 4 at James Madison (DH) L 5-27, L 2-35 M 4 vs. Lehigh L 4-6 M 10 vs. IPFW L 6-10 M 5 at James Madison L 1-11 M 5 vs. Penn State L 2-17 M 11 vs. Bowling Green W 7-3 M 11 at Central Florida L 0-15 M 5 vs. Michigan State L 2-8 M 12 vs. Eastern Kentucky L 2-13 M 12 at Central Florida L 2-5 M 7-11 at Winter Park, FL M 13 vs. Northern Iowa L 2-7 M 13 at Central Florida L 0-11 M 7 vs. Pittsburgh L 6-16 M 17 at St. Joseph’s (PA) L 7-11 M 14 at Jacksonville L 2-7 M 8 vs. Boston College L 7-8 M 18 at Villanova (DH) L 3-14 M 15 at Jacksonville L 5-9 M 8 vs. St. Joseph’s (PA) L 6-8 M 19 at Temple W 5-4 M 17-18 at Rock Hill, SC M 9 vs. Rollins L 9-16 M 17 at Winthrop L 0-10 M 10 vs. St. Joseph’s (IN) (DH) L 6-7, L 6-14 M 25 at MONMOUTH (DH) L 1-5, L 1-3 M 26 at MONMOUTH L 1-8 M 18 vs. George Washington L 0-7 M 11 vs. Pittsburgh L 5-10 M 19 vs. Michigan L 8-15 M 14 at Hartford ppd M 29 Manhattan L 2-7 M 15 Connecticut L 1-20 M 30 St. Peter’s L 4-5 M 22 at Seton Hall W 7-6 M 18 at Coppin State (DH) W 6-3, L 3-5 A 1 SACRED HEART (DH) L 3-4, L 1-2 M 23 at St. Peter’s L 5-16 M 19 at Coppin State W 12-9 A 2 SACRED HEART L 4-8 M 25 at Army (DH) L 0-14, L 1-14 M 21 Army W 4-3 A 4 St. John’s 3:00 pm M 26 Army L 3-4 (10) M 22 Rhode Island W 10-5 A 5 at Stony Brook 3:30 pm M 29 St. John’s L 1-7 M 25 at LONG ISLAND (DH) W 4-2, W 3-0 A 8 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm M 30 at Lafayette L 4-12 M 26 at LONG ISLAND L 0-7 A 9 FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm A 1 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) W 2-1, W 11-1 M 28 UMass W 6-1 A 2 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON W 8-7 A 11 Hofstra 3:30 pm A 4 at Rutgers 3:00 pm M 30 Iona W 12-3 A 13 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm A 1 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) W 4-3, W 2-1 A 5 at Fordham 3:30 pm A 2 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) W 8-4 A 15 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm A 8 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm A 4 at Iona 3:30 pm A 18 Fordham 3:30 pm A 9 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm A 8 QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm A 19 Seton Hall 3:30 pm A 11 at Stony Brook 3:30 pm A 9 QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm A 20 at Iona 3:30 pm A 13 Manhattan 3:30 pm A 11 at Brown 3:30 pm A 25 Stony Brook 3:30 pm A 14 SACRED HEART (DH) 12:00 pm A 12 at Yale (DH) 3:00 pm A 27 at Army 3:30 pm A 15 SACRED HEART 3:30 pm A 14 at WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm A 29 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm A 18 New York Tech 3:30 pm A 15 at WAGNER 3:30 pm A 30 at MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm A 20 at New York Tech 3:30 pm A 18 Manhattan 3:30 pm M 2 at St. Peter’s 3:30 pm A 22 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm A 22 MOUNT ST. MARY’S (DH) 12:00 pm M 6 WAGNER (DH) 12:00 pm A 23 at CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm A 23 MOUNT ST. MARY’S 12:00 pm M 7 WAGNER 12:00 pm A 27 Siena 4:00 pm A 26 Bridgeport 3:30 pm M 9 at Manhattan 3:30 pm A 29 QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm A 29 MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm M 10 Albany 3:30 pm A 30 MONMOUTH 12:00 pm A 30 QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm M 6 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (DH) 12:00 pm M 12 at QUINNIPIAC (DH) 12:00 pm M 2 at Manhattan 3:30 pm M 7 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 12:00 pm M 13 at QUINNIPIAC 12:00 pm M 6 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) (DH) 12:00 pm M 10 at Manhattan (DH) 12:00 pm M 16 New York Tech 3:30 pm M 7 at ST. FRANCIS (NY) 12:00 pm M 12 at William & Mary (DH) 4:00 pm M 17 at Albany 4:00 pm M 11 Iona 2:00 pm M 13 at William & Mary 12:00 pm M 20 at LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm M 13 LONG ISLAND (DH) 12:00 pm M 16 at Marist 2:30 pm M 21 at LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm M 14 LONG ISLAND 12:00 pm M 19 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (DH) 12:00 pm M 23 at New York Tech 3:30 pm M 20 MONMOUTH (DH) 12:00 pm M 20 at FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON 12:00 pm M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 21 MONMOUTH 12:00 pm M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) M 25-27 NEC Tournament (First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ) NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Games in CAPS NEC Baseball NEC Baseball Notes: Facts & Figures (through games of April 2) 2006 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll

Team-By-Team Notes 1. Monmouth (4) 6. Mount St. Mary’s Central Connecticut State (14-7, 1-2 NEC) 2. Quinnipiac (4) 7. Fairleigh Dickinson The Blue Devils went 4-2 last week and now stand at 14-7 overall. CCSU split a non- 3. Sacred Heart (1) 8. Long Island conference doubleheader with Vermont (L 11-3, W 9-6), defeated Fairfield (7-4) 4. Central Connecticut State 9. St. Francis (NY) and then took two of three from Binghamton over the weekend in a non-conference 5. Wagner * First place votes in parentheses series at Balf-Savin Field...With an 8-2 record at home, the Blue Devils are batting an impressive .338 with 113 hits in 334 at-bats. The Blue Devils average 9.3 runs per NEC vs... game at home this season and eight players on the roster are batting over .300 at home…After dropping three straight games the Blue Devils have won four of their last America East 6-5 Mid-American 3-0 ACC 1-4 Mid-Con 0-0 five…Junior pitcher Evan Scribner (Washington Depot, CT/Shepaug Valley) Atlantic Sun 0-3 MEAC 6-8-1 threw eight innings last week, allowing only one and dropping his ERA to Atlantic 10 6-13 Missouri Valley 0-3 1.12 on the year. Scribner pitched the final inning of the win over Vermont facing Big East 4-11 Mountain West 0-0 Big South 0-1 Ohio Valley 0-1 only three batters and striking out two to help preserve the win. He pitched the final Big Ten 0-3 Pac-10 0-0 inning of the 12-8 win over Binghamton on Saturday and then pitched six innings in Big 12 0-0 Patriot 5-14-1 an 11-3 win earning his second win of the season, allowing nine hits and only one Colonial 1-5 SEC 0-3 earned run. He has allowed only five earned runs in 28 this Conference USA 1-8 SoCon 0-1 Division II 0-1 Southland 0-0 season…Junior third baseman Matt Memoli (Shelton, CT/Shelton) continued Division III 0-0 Sun Belt 0-0 to stay hot for the Blue Devils batting .545 last week with 12 hits in 22 at-bats Horizon 0-0 WAC 0-0 including a pair of triples and also driving in seven runs. He was 5-for-7 with a run Independent 2-2 WCC 0-0 scored and four RBI in the two games vs. Vermont to open the week and finished off Ivy 0-1 Total 43-93-2 his strong week going 4-for-5 with a run scored and a pair of RBI in an 11-3 victory MAAC 8-7 over Binghamton. Memoli currently is riding a seven-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 11 of the last 12 games and 12 of the last 14 games. During those 14 games, NEC Past Champions he is batting .420 with 21 hits in 50 at-bats. In the first seven games of the season he Regular Season Tournament was just 4-of-29 from the plate (.138). He is now batting .316 on the year and is tied 2005 Quinnipiac 2005 Quinnipiac for second on the team with 25 hits…Junior shortstop Sean Salvatore 2004 CCSU 2004 CCSU (Southington, CT/Southington) leads the Blue Devils with a .413 average this 2003 CCSU 2003 CCSU 2002 Monmouth 2002 CCSU season with 33 hits in 80 at-bats. Salvatore also leads the team in multi-hit games with 2001 CCSU/St. Francis (NY) (N) 2001 UMBC nine this season. In Sunday’s win over Binghamton, Salvatore was 2-for-5 with four UMBC/Monmouth (S) RBI and two runs scored. He is batting .459 at home this season with 17 hits and 12 2000 Long Island (N)/UMBC (S) 2000 Wagner runs batted. His 21 runs scored on the year are tied for the team lead with junior 1999 FDU/CCSU (N) 1999 Monmouth Adam Taha (Belmar, NJ/Brookdale CC)...CCSU visits Rhode Island (4/4) and Monmouth (S) 1998 St. Francis (NY)/Monmouth 1998 Monmouth Boston College (4/5) this week, and then hosts Long Island (4/8-9) this weekend. 1997 Marist 1997 Marist 1996 Monmouth/Rider 1996 Rider Fairleigh Dickinson (3-18, 1-5 NEC) 1995 Rider 1995 Rider The Knights went 0-4 last week, falling to Hofstra (8-1) in a -game and Wagner 1994 Rider/FDU 1994 Rider in a three-game series, bu scores of 2-1, 11-1 and 8-7...Freshman RHP Ryan 1993 FDU 1993 St. Francis (NY) Hennesssy (Mahopac, NY/Trinity Pawling) threw 5.2 innings in the loss to 1992 St. Francis (NY) 1991 Monmouth Hofstra and recorded nine strikeouts in the setback...Sophomore lefty John O’Hara 1990 Long Island (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game one 1989 Monmouth against Wagner, and ended his seven inning performance with eight K’s...Senior OF 1988 Fairleigh Dickinson Ben Cass (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) collected two hits against the Black- 1987 Fairleigh Dickinson birds during the nightcap game on Saturday...Junior CF Chris Grabowski (Brook- lyn, NY/Xaverian) had three stolen bases and multiple hits in the setback to LIU on NEC in NCAA Statistics (coming soon) (through games of Sunday...FDU plays ST. John’s (4/5), St. Peter’s (4/6) and St. Francis (NY) (4/8-9) April 18) this week. Individual Categories

Long Island (4-15-1, 1-5 NEC) Player School Statistics Long Island opened the week with two victories over St. Peter’s and Rider before dropping 4th Keith Stegbauer CCSU .457 three weekend games to conference-leading Monmouth…Sophomore Danny Etkin (Brook- 38th Rob Hosgood CCSU .413 lyn, NY/James Madison) had two hits in the 7-3 victory against St. Peter’s, including the Runs game-winning RBI single in the sixth…The Blackbirds won their third straight game at 22nd Bryan Sabatella Quinnipiac 0.45/game Earned Rider, as senior Sean Durkin (Damascus, MD/Delaware Tech CC) drove home the 14th Scott Vitelli CCSU 1.68 game-winner in the top of the ninth. Durkin tallied two hits in four of five games last week, and went 8-for-19 (.421) with four runs scored over the span… Against Monmouth, senior Team Categories Matt Martino (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s) rounded the bases on an inside-the-park Rank School Statistics in the sixth inning of game two on Saturday. The hard-hit line drive got past Batting Average 3rd CCSU .346 Hawks CF Patrick Sullivan and rolled all the way to the centerfield wall. Martino leads LIU 13th Mount St. Mary’s .329 with two home runs on the season…LIU faces Hofstra on Tuesday, April 4 before traveling Scoring 16th CCSU 8.5 rpg to Central Connecticut State for three games April 8-9. NEC Baseball Monmouth (12-10, 6-0 NEC) Facts & Figures With four wins last week, the Hawks extended their winning streak to nine games, and due to its previous week’s five-game win streak, was named Gotham Magazine Team of the Week on March 29...The 35-1 win over Temple to start the week re-wrote the MU 2005 NEC Final Standings record book, setting new school records in runs scored (35), RBI (33), hits (35) and margin of victory (34)...The Hawks swept the Akadema NEC weekly awards with NEC Pct. Overall Pct. senior shortstop Nick Massari (Trenton, NJ/Hamilton West) earning Player of 1. Quinnipiac*# 17-6 .739 26-24 .520 the Week, senior pitcher Joe Cummings (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) 2. Sacred Heart* 16-8 .667 20-33 .377 taking home Pitcher of the Week and freshman DH Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse 3. Monmouth* 15-8 .652 30-24 .556 Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) being named Rookie of the Week...Massari bat- 4. Wagner* 13-10 .565 22-27 .449 ted .688 (11-for-16) with 14 runs scored, 13 runs batted in, four doubles, two home runs and one stolen base last week. The senior shortstop started the week going 5-for- 5. Mount St. Mary’s 12-11 .522 18-27 .400 6 with seven runs, six RBI, three doubles, one sacrifice fly and one stolen base in the 6. Fairleigh Dickinson 10-13 .435 12-26 .316 win over Temple. Massari then posted three two-hit games against NEC rival Long 7. Central Connecticut State 10-14 .417 19-28 .404 Island during a three-game series sweep. In doubleheader action on Saturday, he went 8. Long Island 9-15 .375 13-25 .342 4-for-7 with four RBI, three walks, one double and two home runs, both of which 9. St. Francis (NY) 3-20 .130 7-37 .159 came in Game 1 action. In Sunday’s win over the Blackbirds, Massari was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three runs batted in. For the week, he had an astonishing 1.313 * NEC Playoff Participant # NEC Tournament Winner slugging percentage and .750 on base percentage. On the year, Massari is hitting .312 and tops the NEC in runs batted in (25), ranks second in runs scored (23) and home runs (4) and fourth in slugging percentage (.562)...Cummings posted a 14-0 win over Long Island, throwing a complete game seven inning shutout, scattering six hits and 2006 NEC Baseball Tournament Bracket striking out three, while walking only one. So far this season, Cummings is 3-2 with a 4.35 ERA and 20 strikeouts...Niederhaus posted a .615 slugging percentage and batted #1 .462 with five runs batted in, one run scored, one triple and one walk in a four win Game #1 week for Monmouth last week. The rookie designated hitter went 2-for-3 with an RBI May 25, 12:00 pm #4 in the win over Temple. In the opening game doubleheader against LIU on Saturday, Niederhaus was 2-for-4 and in the nightcap, was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. He Game #3 May 26, 12:00 pm closed out the week on Sunday with a bases loaded triple against the Blackbirds, finishing the day 1-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored. On the year, Niederhaus #2 Game #2 is hitting .364 to rank sixth in the conference in batting average and has recorded 16 May 25, 3:30 pm Game #6 hits, two doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and six runs...Sophomore pitcher #3 May 27, 12:00 pm (Freehold, NJ/Freehld) notched a complete-game victory over LIU in game 2 on Game #7 May 27 Saturday, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing just one run and no walks, while scattering Game #5 (30 minutes NCAA six hits and striking out eight...In the Hawks 9-game winning streak, they are batting May 26, 7:00 pm after Game 6 Tournament Game #4 if necessary) .393 with 129 hits, 100 RBI, 10 home runs, 30 doubles and seven triples, while the May 26, 3:30 pm Automatic Bid opposition is hitting .185 during the same time span...The Hawks pitching staff has posted a 1.11 ERA during the 9-game win streak...With 11 career triples, Massaro now holds the MU school record...The Hawks face non-conference foes Princeton (4/4), Rutgers (4/5), Columbia (4/6) and NJIT (4/9) this week. NCAA Play-In Results NCAA Tournament Results

Mount St. Mary’s (10-13, 3-3 NEC) 1994 Yale 5, Rider 3 1994 Miami 17, Rider 4 The Mount went 1-4 last week and now stands at 10-13 overall and 3-3 in the Rider 3, Yale 1 West Virginia 19, Rider 7 Northeast Conference... Junior pitcher Dustin Pease (Baltimore, MD/Archbishop Rider 6, Yale 2 1997 Florida State 4, Marist 2 Spalding) continues to shine. The lefthander earned the win in the Mount’s 3-2 victory at Quinnipiac on Sunday, striking out a season-high 10 batters while allowing 1995 Penn 13, Rider 3 West Carolina 8, Marist 3 just three hits in 6.2 innings of work. In NEC games only, Pease is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA Rider 6, Penn 1 1998 Florida 1,2 Monmouth 8 while striking out 17 batters and walking just one in 13.2 innings... , junior Penn 2, Rider 1 (10 inn.) Illinois 12, Monmouth 2 Bucky Kosyk (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg) earned the in the win 1996 Princeton 9, Rider 6 1999 Texas A&M 6, Monmouth 0 over Quinnipiac, giving him an NEC-best six saves this year...Senior Joe Kotula Princeton 7, Rider 6 Mississippi 12, Monmouth 3 (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) came alive this week, posting a .353 average in 1997 Marist 7, Siena 6 2000 Miami 19, Wagner 5 five games... Junior catcher Stephen Fay (Arlington, VA/Bishop O’Connell) had Marist 9, Siena 7 FIU 10, Wagner 1 five RBI last week and is now tied for the team lead with sophomore C/OF Josh 1998 Monmouth 5, Navy 1 2001 East Carolina 7, UMBC 0 Vittek (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) with 16 RBI on the year. Vittek leads the Navy 11, Monmouth 4 Winthrop 6, UMBC 0 Mount this season in hits (24), doubles (9) and batting average (.329). He is the Monmouth 8, Navy 4 2002 Texas 7, CCSU 2 only Mount regular hitting above .300…The Mount will play the Frederick Keys, the Lamar 9, CCSU 4 Class A affiliate of the , in an exhibition game on Tuesday, April 4 2003 Arizona State 14, CCSU 2 before hosting Wagner for a three-game set this weekend. UNLV 22, CCSU 3 2004 Florida 12, CCSU 1 Quinnipiac (8-12-1, 4-2 NEC) Oklahoma 6, CCSU 1 Quinnipiac went 3-2-1 last week, including taking two-of-three from Mount St. 2005 Texas 20, Quinnipiac 2 Mary’s…Junior Wilson Matos (Larchmont, NY/Mamaroneck) cracked a grand Miami (OH) 35, Quinnipiac 8 slam to power an eight-run first inning to lift the Bobcats to an 8-6 win over the Vermont on Tuesday. Offensively for Quinnipiac, Ryan Rizzo (East Northport, NY/Commack) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Matos was 1-for- 4 with a home run, a run scored, and four RBI, while Pete Kummerfeldt (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton Lakes) was 1-for-2 with a run scored…Quinnipiac’s Chris Gloor (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) threw five scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits, walked two, and struck out five to earn the win and improve to 2-2…Freshman Joe Duffy (Commack, NY/Commack) recorded the final out to earn his first collegiate save…On Wednesday, junior Tim Binkoski (North Haven, CT/North Haven) went 5-for-6 with a solo home run and four runs scored, but it was not enough as Quinnipiac lost a non conference game to Dartmouth College, 13-11, in an eight-inning game called due to darkness. Beyond Binkoski offensively for Quinnipiac, Randy Gress (Shelton, CT/ Notre Dame) was 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Matos was 2-for-4 with four RBI…The Bobcats played to a 6-6 tie with Army when the game was called after 10 innings due to darkness on Thursday afternoon in West Point, NY. Offensively, Matos was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while defensively, Matos made a game-saving play to gun down the would-be winning run at home plate in the 10th…Over the weekend, the Bobcats took two-of-three from Mount St. Mary’s. In game one of the series, senior Chris Wakefield (Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot) pitched effectively as he went six and a third innings allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out seven. He earned the win, his first of the season, after missing over 10 games due to injury…Junior Jeff Mainetti (Guilford, CT/Guilford) was 2- for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, and a pair of runs…In game two, the Bobcats took a 2-1 lead on a two-run home run by Matos, but the Mount scored twice in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the 3-2 win…In the rubber game of the series, the Bobcats jumped out to an 8-0 lead and made it stand up late as they held on for the 8-5 win. Rizzo hit a two-run home run as part of his three-hit, three-RBI day…QU hit .322 with 65 hits, seven home runs, and 39 runs scored in six games last week…Matos was .435 on the week with 10 hits, 12 RBIs, and six runs scored, while Binkoski batted .440 last week with 11 hits and seven runs scored…The Bobcats play host to Siena on Tuesday and Yale on Wednesday in non-conference action, before traveling south to play NEC foe Sacred Heart over the weekend.

Sacred Heart (11-13, 5-1 NEC) The Pioneers went 5-0 last week, defeating UMass and Iona before sweeping St. Francis (NY) over the weekend, Sacred Heart has now won five straight and ten of its last 11 games...Junior pitcher Chris Howard (Ghent, NY/Hudson) threw a complete-game four-hitter against UMass, walking two and allowing just one run, while striking out six and retiring 10 of the last 11 batters to face him...Sophomore P/1B Jeff Hanson (Woodstock, NY/Onteora) pitched eight innings in the 9- 4 win over SFNY, allowing just two earned runs on five hits. He struck out nine and did not allow a walk to even his record at 2-2. At the plate, Hanson went 5-for- 18 (.278) with three doubles, two walks, two hit by pitch and two RBI...Last week, SHU hit .331 and posted a team ERA of 1.76. The 6-1 win over UMass was the first time the Pioneers beat the Minutemen in five tries ...The Pioneers combined for 32 hits in back-to-back non-conference wins over Iona and UMass last week...Senior P/OF Bobby McKee (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) continues to pace the team with a career-high .418 batting average...Sacred Heart plays Iona (4/4) and Quinnipiac (4/8-9) this week.

St. Francis (NY) (2-13, 0-6 NEC) The Terriers went 0-5 last week, falling to Manhattan, St. Peter’s and Sacred Heart (three times)...St. Francis (NY) faces St. John’s (4/4), Stony Brook (4/5) and Fairleigh Dickinson (4/8-9) this week.

Wagner (4-17, 3-0 NEC) The Seahawks swept FDU last weekend after losing to St. John’s and Lafayette to open the week…The Green & White are now 4-17 and a perfect 3-0 in the NEC, good for a first place tie…The Seahawks were led by Joe DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ/Hawthorne), who had a monster week hitting .545 (12-for-22) with eight RBI, six stolen bases, three doubles and a triple while striking out only once. In the three-game sweep of FDU, DiGeronimo was 8-for-13 with eight RBI. On the season, he leads the Seahawks in batting average (.337), hits (28), doubles (4), triples (1), RBI (11), (34), slugging percentage (.410), walks (9), OBP (.409) and stolen bases (13). In Wagner’s game one 2-1 victory over FDU, DiGeronimo’s two-out single in the top of the seventh scored sophomore pinch- runner Chris Marino (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan) and redshirt-junior (Haddon Heights, NJ/Paul VI) struck out the side to preserve the win for junior rhp Dan Lanzano (E. Brunswick, NJ/E. Brunswick)…Sophomore lhp Joe Testa (Brick, NJ/Brick) was the story in their game two win, striking out 12 in a complete-game 11-1 win…In game three, the Seahawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and hung on to win 8-7 when Lanzano struck out four in 1.2 innings of work to pick up his first career save… In their three-game sweep of FDU, the Green & White hit .305 and outscored the Knights 21-9 … On the mound, Wagner had a 2.74 ERA and struck out 34 batters and never allowed FDU to possess a lead … The bullpen was also clutch, allowing only three earned runs in 6.1 innings while striking out nine batters and picking up two saves … Wagner heads to Rutgers on Tuesday, April 4 and again at Fordham on Wednesday, April 5 before concluding their week with a three-game conference-set at Mount St. Mary’s (4/8-4/9).

Around The League

Monmouth/Wagner Open League Play Undefeated After the first two weeks of league play, Monmouth and Wagner stand atop the NEC standings with 6-0 and 3-0 conference marks, respectively. The Hawks, who were picked to win the NEC Championship in the preseason coaches poll, swept St. Francis (NY) in their league opening three-game series on March 25-26, winning 5- 1, 3-1 and 8-1 over the weekend. MU then went on to sweep the three-game series with Long Island last weekend, 14-0, 8-1 and 14-1. Wagner won its three-game set over Fairleigh Dickinson last week by the scores of 2-1, 11-1 and 8-7 to open their league slate undefeated.

Anyone for a Lefty? All four of the Akadema NEC Pitchers of the Week selected so far this season are southpaws. Joe Cummings of Monmouth won this week, while Dustin Pease of Mount St. Mary’s has won the award twice, on March 27 & March 6. CCSU lefty Derek Roberts earned the honor on March 13, followed by another Blue Devils left-hander, Matt Gianini on March 20. To add to the lefty award dominance, freshman LHP Kenny Cedel of Long Island, took home Akadema NEC Rookie of the Week accolades on March 27.

Grand Slam - No Problem In what is a rare feat at any level, four NEC players have knocked grand slams out of the park so far this season. QU’s junior Randy Gress started the attack, knocking out his grand slam during a six-run fifth inning which led to a 8-5 win over NY Tech on March 21. Monmouth senior Nick Massari hit his first-ever grand slam against Rider on March 22. He had a banner day against the Broncs, closing the game going 4-for-6 with seven RBI. Mount St. Mary’s junior Stephen Fay blasted his own grand slam during the bottom of the sixth inning of the nightcap game against Central Connecticut State on March 25. With the four-run round-tripper, the Mount went on to win 7-0. Quinnipiac junior Wilson Matos cracked a grand slam to power an eight-run first inning to lift the Bobcats to an 8-6 win over the Vermont on Tuesday, March 28.

NEC Regular Season Format In 2002, the NEC realigned as a single division after three years with a two-division format. Each team plays 24 league games, facing each member institution three times. The top four teams on the basis of winning percentage qualify for the NEC Tournament.

Lakewood’s FirstEnergy Park To Host NEC Tournament For Fifth Straight Year For the fifth straight year, the Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament will be held at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey. FirstEnergy Park, a $22 million facility that finished construction in April, 2001, is the home of the Lakewood Blue Claws, a class A affiliate of the . The venue seats 6,588 with grass availability for an additional 3,000 fans. The BlueClaws enjoyed terrific fan support in their first five seasons, leading the South Atlantic League each year with an average attendance of nearly 7,000 fans per game. The team also set a new record for minor league baseball attendance in the state of New Jersey in 2001. The three-day, double-elimination event is set for May 25-27 with a rain date on May 28. The championship field will feature the NEC’s top four regular season finishers. Quinnipiac is the defending conference champion.

Monmouth Picked As NEC Favorite Monmouth has been selected as the preseason favorite to capture the 2006 Northeast Conference baseball championship, according to a poll of league head coaches. The Hawks received four first place votes, just ahead of second place Quinnipiac, which also received four first place votes. Sacred Heart was chosen third and claimed the remaining first place vote, followed by Central Connecticut State, Wagner, Mount St. Mary’s, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island and St. Francis (NY).

Monmouth (30-24, 15-8 NEC in 2005) has made eight straight NEC Tournament appearances, the longest streak in league history, though the Hawks are seeking their first league title since 1999. Last season, Monmouth dropped a 7-3 decision to Quinnipiac in the championship game of the NEC Tournament last year. Under the direction of head coach Dean Ehehalt, the Hawks will make a run at the title behind a trio of all-NEC performers, including second baseman Nick Massari (Trenton, NJ/Hamilton West), catcher Mike Hussa (Denville, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) and pitcher Matt Marc-Aurele (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley). Massari, a senior, posted a .301 batting average last season, while smacking four triples - tops in the NEC. The two-time all-NEC selection finished fourth in the league with 35 RBI and tallied 55 hits, including 20 multi-hit games. Hussa paced the Hawks in several statistical categories last year, including batting average (.347), doubles (16) and hits (61) en-route to a second team selection. The senior posted a .982 from behind the plate. Marc-Aurele, who features a curveball and slider, posted a team-best 2.24 ERA, which was good enough for third in the NEC. The southpaw fanned 64 batters in 72.1 innings of work. Joining forces with Marc-Aurele on the hill this season are Kevin Schneider (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence), Joe Cummings (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Brad Brach (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township). A member of the 2006 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year watch list, Schneider led the NEC with eight saves. In 2005, the senior right-hander posted a 0.74 ERA in 36.1 innings of work and limited his opponents to a .208 batting average. Cummings tossed a team-high 77.0 innings en-route to a 5-5 record, while Brach lead the team in wins with six. Other key returnees include Andrew Meyers (Stratford, NJ/ Sterling), a sophomore first baseman who led the Hawks with 38 RBI and seven home runs last year, and former NEC Rookie of the Year Marc Weres (Union, NJ/Union), a senior third baseman who ripped 10 doubles and drove in 31 runs as a junior.