South Paris, Maine, native strong on the hill for Ravens

RINDGE, N.H. (May 12, 2003) - Franklin Pierce freshman Tyler Cummings (South Paris, Maine/Oxford Hills) was named the Pitcher/Freshman of the Week by the Northeast-10 Conference office this afternoon.

Cummings, who earns his first Pitcher of the Week and second Freshman of the Week honor, was 2-0 for Franklin Pierce last week, posting a 0.77 ERA, 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 11.2 innings of work. The right-hander picked up the win in game two of Monday's doubleheader at Bentley College which clinched the Ravens first NE-10 Markey Division title in program history and a bye into the double-elimination portion of the Conference Championship. Cummings pitched 2.2 innings of one-hit shutout baseball with two strikeouts in relief against the Falcons. On Saturday night, he pitched the Ravens into yesterday's Conference Championship game with an elimination game victory over Stonehill College. He went the distance in the 6-1 victory, yielding just one first inning run, scattering nine hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.

Cummings has won three-straight decisions and is 6-4 with a 2.85 ERA, 66 strikeouts (6th NE-10) and 14 walks in 60 innings of work with opposing batters hitting a mere .183 against him (3rd). He is just one victory shy of Chris Shank's freshman wins record set in 2000.

Franklin Pierce (27-15) received the first NCAA Division II Tournament bid in program history today. The third-seeded Ravens will face No. 2-seed Dowling College in game one of the Northeast Regional on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. Top-seeded UMass Lowell hosts the regional with all games played at LeLachuer Park.