Shank earns Pitcher of the Year honors and is one of three first team All-Conference selections

RINDGE, N.H. (May 14, 2002) - Franklin Pierce University
junior right-hander Chris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) headed a list of six Ravens to earn All-Northeast-10 Conference honors. The selections were made by the head coaches of the Conference's 12 teams and announced this afternoon by the NE-10 office.

Shank was named the Northeast-10 Conference's Pitcher of the Year and also earned a spot on the All-Conference first team - his first such honors in his Franklin Pierce career. The junior right-hander ranks first in the Conference with 97 strikeouts and a .198 opponent batting average this spring. The 97 K's ranks second in Franklin Pierce history - nine shy of the school record of 107 set by former Franklin Pierce lefthander Justin Blood in 2000 - and the opposing batting average is a school record. Shank posted an 8-2 record this spring with a 2.64 ERA to go along with the 97 strikeouts and just 23 walks in 85.1 innings pitched. He ranks second among Conference leaders in wins and innings pitched and is third in ERA. Shank also ranks among NCAA Division II leaders with 10.23 strikeouts per nine innings.

Shank, named NE-10 Pitcher of the Week three times this year and Player of the Week once, opened the spring by throwing the first season-opening no-hitter in program history (second overall) against Framingham State College on March 9. This season Shank became the all-time leader at the College in wins (19), complete games (17) and innings (235.2) to go along with a school-record 3.63 career earned run average. His 224 strikeouts is just 11 shy of the career mark and his 37 career appearances ranks third all-time.

Shank also posted a .286 batting average (24-84) with 20 runs scored, three doubles, seven homeruns and 23 RBIs at the plate.

Joining Shank on the All-NE-10 first team are senior shortstop Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) and junior right-hander Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic).

Loiseau earned his first career All-Conference selection with a spot on the first team. He leads the team with a .360 (64-178) batting average (15th in the NE-10) to go along with 45 runs scored, ten doubles, two triples, 11 homeruns (T-10th NE-10), 20 multi-hit games and 30 RBIs. Loiseau's hit total is good for third all-time and he ranks third in runs, second in at bats and fifth in homers on the program's single season lists.

Loiseau has his named etched all over the Franklin Pierce record books. He holds the school's career records for games played (169), at bats (693), hits (244), runs scored (194) and stolen bases (32). Loiseau's string of 133 consecutive games played is also a school-record as is his 21-game hitting streak dating back to last season that was extended earlier this spring. His 18 career homers is good for fifth all-time, his eight career triples ranks second as does his 36 career doubles, while his 104 career RBIs is tied for second all-time.

White is rewarded with a first team pick as his first All-Conference selection of his career after being the most improved player in the Conference this season. After posting a 4-8 record with a 7.59 ERA and 52 strikeouts in his first two seasons at Franklin Pierce, White has posted a 9-3 record to lead the Northeast-10 in wins, becoming the first pitcher in program history to register nine victories in a season. He ranks second in the Conference with a 2.56 ERA, fourth with 84 strikeouts and sixth with 81 innings pitched and a .221 opponent batting average. His school-record ten pickoffs also leads the League.

In addition to holding the school record for wins in a season, his ERA is good for first all-time while also ranking third in innings pitched and fifth in strikeouts all-time. White's 13 career wins is good for second all-time and he ranks third with 136 strikeouts and his 5.22 career ERA is fourth.

Junior outfielder Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) was voted to the All-Conference second team. A first time All-Conference selection, Close belted a team-leading 12 homeruns (T-5th in the NE-10) to go along with 52 runs scored (7th), 11 doubles, three triples, 27 RBIs, 12 stolen bases (on 14 attempts) and a .285 (47-165) batting average. The only player to start all 46 Franklin Pierce games this season, he also registered a .606 slugging percentage. Close's 12 homers ranks third on the school's single-season list and he also ranks third in runs, fifth in steals, fifth in walks, sixth in doubles and eighth in slugging for a single season. His 23 career homers is good for second all-time.

Junior second baseman Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) earned his first career All-Conference selection with a spot on the third team. Callahan had a breakout season for the Ravens with a .340 (52-153) batting average, 34 runs scored, nine doubles, six homeruns and 34 RBIs. He also posted a .516 slugging percentage and his nine multi-RBI games ranked second on the team to go along with 14 multi-hit outings.

Sophomore first baseman Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) earned third team All-Northeast-10 honors for the second-straight season. Blancarte has posted a .355 (61-172) batting average (17th NE-10), 38 runs scored, 12 doubles, 12 homers (T-5th) and 45 RBIs. His .634 slugging percentage (10th NE-10) leads the Ravens and ranks sixth in program history and he has also totaled a team-best 12 multi-RBI games and 17 multi-hit games this spring.

Franklin Pierce (29-17, 22-10) wrapped up the regular season with the second-best record in the Northeast-10 Conference, establishing new school records for overall and Conference victories. The Ravens round out the season this week when they host Westminster (Pa.) College for the 2002 ECAC Division II Championship in a best-of-three series. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday at noon with a single game, if necessary, on Saturday at 1 p.m.