Ravens host 2002 ECAC Division II Championship Friday and Saturday

RINDGE, N.H. (May 15, 2002) - Franklin Pierce and Westminster (Pa.) College will battle for the 2002 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II Baseball Championship in a best-of-three series at Crystal Field this weekend. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday beginning at noon, with a single game on Saturday, if necessary, at 1 p.m.

Franklin Pierce is making its second ECAC Tournament appearance in the last three years, while Westminster is appearing in its second-straight ECAC Championship. Franklin Pierce dropped two-straight in the 2000 Tournament in Oakdale, N.Y., falling to Binghamton University (7-6 in 11 innings) before being eliminated by host Dowling College (3-2). Westminster placed second out of three teams at the 2001 ECAC Championships behind Dowling and ahead of Molloy College. Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Franklin Pierce (29-17) enters the ECAC Championship after missing out on its first ever NCAA Division II Tournament berth earlier this week. A 5-2 loss to Bentley College in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament last Wednesday, coupled with Dowling's 5-3 win over Concordia University, the region's top seed on Friday, sealed the Ravens fate.

The Ravens, ranked fourth in New England, have shattered the program records for overall and Conference victories this season and look to post the first 30-win season in program history this weekend. However, Franklin Pierce dropped to 0-4 all-time in postseason play with its loss to Bentley in the first postseason baseball contest ever played at Crystal Field.

Franklin Pierce is led by the arms of first team All-Northeast-10 junior right-handersChris Shank (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) and Jon White (Medford, Mass./Arlington Catholic). The duo are scheduled to start games one and three, respectively, for the Ravens this weekend.

Shank, who earned NE-10 Pitcher of the Year honors this season, has posted an 8-2 (2nd in NE-10 for wins) record on the mound with a 2.64 ERA (3rd), 97 strikeouts (1st) and just 23 walks in 85.1 innings pitched (2nd). He also ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders with 10.23 strikeouts per nine innings and his school-record .198 opposing batting average is tops in the Conference.

White, without question the most improved player in the Northeast-10 this spring, has posted a 9-3 record (1st NE-10) and a 2.56 ERA (2nd) with 84 strikeouts (4th) and just 18 walks in 81 innings pitched (6th). He is the first pitcher in program history to reach nine victories in a season and he also leads the Conference with a school-record ten pickoffs and his .221 opponent batting average ranks sixth in the NE-10.

The Ravens have also received a late-season lift from sophomore right-hander Matt Weagle (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill), an All-Region selection as a freshman. After dropping his first five decisions of the spring, he has posted four-straight wins with a 1.85 ERA and 44 strikeouts and just seven walks in 34 innings (11.65 Ks/9IP) down the stretch. Weagle is 4-5 overall with a 5.05 ERA and 85 strikeouts (3rd NE-10) in 73 innings of work and is slated to start game two on Friday.

On offense, the Ravens are paced by first team All-Conference shortstop Scott Loiseau (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) and third team All-NE-10 first baseman Dante Blancarte (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury).

Loiseau leads the Ravens with a .360 (64-178) batting average (15th NE-10), 45 runs scored, ten doubles, two triples, 11 homeruns (10th), 20 multi-hit games and 30 RBIs. Blancarte is batting .355 (61-172) with 38 runs scored, 12 doubles, 12 homers (5th NE-10) and 45 RBIs. His .634 slugging percentage is good for tenth in the Conference and he has also totaled a team-best 12 multi-RBI games and his 17 multi-hit games ranks second in the team.

Second-team All-Conference outfielder Dan Close (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) is the third cog in the Ravens power surge this season that has seen three Ravens reach double figures in homers en route to belting a school-record 66 homers as a team this spring. Close has smacked 12 homers (5th 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.

Junior Mike Callahan (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian), a third-team All-NE-10 selection at second base, is hitting .340 (52-153) with 34 runs scored, nine doubles, six homeruns and 34 RBIs.

Westminster (23-7) is in its final year of their transition from NCAA Division II to Division III status and will become full members of the Presidents Athletic Conference this fall. The Titans have posted a 3.55 team earned run average this spring as well as a .346 team batting average.

Sophomore right-hander Pat Boyle, who led Division II in ERA for part of the season, leads the staff with an 11-2 record (setting a school-record for wins), 1.70 ERA and 103 strikeouts with just 21 walks in 74 innings pitched.

Junior Matt Pournaras sports a 4-1 record with a 2.90 ERA in 31 innings. Junior Kevin Culp leads the Titans offense with a .433 (29-67) batting average, 19 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, four homers and 18 RBIs. He is also 4-3 with a 4.69 ERA on the mound this season.

Classmate Kevin Humberston is hitting .418 (33-75) with 25 runs scored, two doubles, two homeruns and 19 RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Nathan Stantzer is batting .402 (41-102) with 34 runs scored, six doubles, four homers and 25 RBIs to go along with a school-record 26 stolen bases (30 attempts).

Westminster enters this weekend having won two-straight games and 13 out of its last 14 overall, with the lone loss coming in a 6-5 decision to Frostburg State College on May 4. 2002

ECAC DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIP
Best-of-three series
Crystal Field - Rindge, N.H.

Friday, May 17
Westminster (Pa.) College at Franklin Pierce

(DH) - Noon

Saturday, May 18
Westminster (Pa.) College at Franklin Pierce

- 1 p.m. (if necessary)