By:Chris Aliano
05/22/2012
NORTH ADAMS WEEKEND COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP
Eastern Kentucky, Soloman earn share of OVC regular-season crown
· With a three-game sweep of Murray State over the weekend, Eastern Kentucky clinched a share of its first regular-season Ohio Valley Conference crown since 2000 to head into this weekend’s OVC Tournament as the No. 2 seed.
· North Adams slugger Bryan Soloman did his part with a huge two-run home run – his 14th blast of the season – during the Colonels’ pivotal Game 2 victory on Saturday to add to his team-leading total in long balls. Soloman heads into the weekend batting .268 in 51 games with 52 hits and 46 RBI.
· EKU wound up winning its last seven straight games – including 10 of 11 – to soar into the OVC Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the league. The Colonels will open postseason play on Thursday and will find out their opponent in the double-elimination tournament on Wednesday.
Rhody heads into A-10 tournament as No. 3 seed
· After finishing the 2012 regular season with a 16-8 mark in conference play, the Rhode Island baseball team enters the Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 3 seed. The conference tournament will be held May 23-26 at Fordham's Houlihan Park in Bronx, N.Y.
· Making their league-leading 10th consecutive appearance at the Championship, the Rams will open play on Wednesday afternoon when they face sixth-seeded Saint Joseph's at 3:30 p.m.
· SteepleCat outfielder Jeff Roy will play a large role into just how far the Rams advance this postseason, as the sophomore brings his team-high .364 batting average into the playoffs, a mark that ranks one hundredth of a point lower than the A-10 leader. Roy also ranks eighth in the conference in slugging (.498); third in on-base percentage (.449); first in runs scored (59) and tied for first in hits (82) and triples (5).
· Joining Roy will be classmate Nick Narodowy. The sophomore posted a 4.50 ERA as a starter in 11 starts this season (second most) while logging 60 innings of action with 43 strikeouts, ranking third on the squad in K’s.
More stages are set for postseason action
· The SteepleCats will be well represented by the BIG EAST conference this summer, but all of those representatives will be looking for a ticket to the NCAA Division I tournament when the eight-team, double-elimination tournament commences on Wednesday.
· A pair of Rutgers representatives will be looking to push the Scarlet Knights deep into the tourney, as juniors Tyler Gebler and Charlie Law will take on the third-seeded Seton Hall Pirates when the tournament opens on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights took 2-of-3 against the Pirates in the regular season meeting back in March, and the duo will hope to continue that success this week.
· One other SteepleCat will open BIG EAST tournament action this week, as Notre Dame’s Conor Biggio and the Fighting Irish enter the week as the No. 7 seed and will face co-regular season champion St. John’s on Wednesday afternoon. The Red Storm swept all three games against the Irish earlier this season.
· Down south, the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes – and their three SteepleCats representatives – will kick off postseason play this weekend in Greensboro, N.C., for the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
· Tyler Palmer, Julian Santos and Esteban Tresgallo have all logged valuable innings in the field for the Hurricanes this season, and the trio will have its hands full this weekend against some of the top collegiate baseball teams in the country.
· Seeded sixth in the tournament, the Hurricanes will face No. 15 NC State, No. 6 North Carolina, and Wake Forest. Miami swept UNC earlier in April. The team with the best record from that four-team pool will advance to play either Florida State, Virginia, Clemson or Georgia Tech in Sunday afternoon’s championship game, with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
---GO STEEPLECATS---
With the 2012 NECBL season right around the corner, fans are encouraged to save on admission by purchasing season tickets to save 33% off the price of regular admission. To inquire about ticket purchases, visit Val’s Variety in Adams; Creations or Man’s World Styling Salon in North Adams; Billmont’s Country Store in Stamford, VT; by calling 413-663-7333; or visiting shopsteeplecats.com.
The SteepleCats are seeking additional members of the community who wish to join the organization and contribute in a variety of roles. The organization also is seeking additional host families for the upcoming season. Anyone interested in helping contribute to the SteepleCats success in any capacity may contact the organization directly at steeplecats_gm@roadrunner.com; anyone interested in serving as a host family may contact Housing Coordinator Judy McConnell at jmaharpt@yahoo.com.
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For more information and interviews, please contact:
Chris Aliano
Team Broadcaster/Media Relations Assistant
caliano89@gmail.com