Charlton, Mass., native registers two wins to help Ravens sew up postseason berth

RINDGE, N.H. (May 6, 2002) - Franklin Pierce sophomore right-hander Matt Weagle (Charlton, Mass./Shepherd Hill) was named the Northeast-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week by the Conference office this afternoon.

Weagle helped Franklin Pierce sew up its third-straight postseason berth, as he was responsible for two of the Ravens wins in a 6-0 week to conclude the regular season. He posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA and 29 strikeouts with just three walks in 18 innings of work. Weagle broke his career-high for strikeouts in a game twice and held opposing batters to a .169 batting average for the week.

Weagle kick-started the Ravens week with a complete-game three-hitter to lead FP
to an 8-3 win over Assumption College. He allowed three runs, just two earned, with a then career-high 14 strikeouts and two walks.

Weagle turned in another stellar performance on Saturday as Franklin Pierce swept American International College in a Conference doubleheader in Springfield, Mass., to clinch its second-straight NE-10 Tournament berth. He fanned a career-best 15 Yellow Jackets batters and allowed just one earned run, scattering eight hits, with just one walk in a complete game effort to lead the Ravens to a 7-1 win in game one.

Weagle has now won four-straight decisions after opening the season with five losses to post a 4-5 record with a 5.05 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. His 10.45 strikeouts per nine innings will likely rank among NCAA Division II leaders when they are announced this week and his strikeout total is good for second in the NE-10 behind teammate Chris Shank's (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) 91 K's.

During his current string of four-straight wins, Weagle has posted a 1.85 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 34 innings of work (11.65 Ks/9IP) and just seven walks. All four outings during this stretch have been complete games.

Weagle was an All-Northeast Region performer as a freshman, leading the Ravens with a 6-1 record and 4.07 ERA, 73 innings pitched, five complete games and a shutout. He has posted ten career wins (5th in program history), 147 strikeouts (3rd) and a 4.56 career ERA (2nd).

Franklin Pierce (29-16, 22-10 NE-10) opens Northeast-10 Conference Tournament action on Wednesday when it hosts either Bentley College or Saint Anselm College at 3 p.m. The winner of Wednesday's game advances to this weekend's double-elimination round of four and will play UMass Lowell on Friday night at LaLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., at 7 p.m.