Duplissie Named NE-10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Ravens baseball All-American is first recipient of honor in Franklin Pierce history
RINDGE, N.H. (June 27, 2006) - Franklin Pierce baseball All-American Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as selected by the 15 Faculty Athletic Representatives of the NE-10's member institutions. The announcement was made by Northeast-10 Commissioner David R. Brunk.
Duplissie, who is the first student-athlete from Franklin Pierce to earn the Northeast-10's highest honor, recently graduated with a 3.74 cumulative grade point average while majoring in business management with a minor in economics. This spring, he was also named to the ESPN The Magazine District I Academic All-America first team, while also collecting NE-10 All-Academic first team and Commissioner's Honor Roll Silver Scholar status. Duplissie is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Scholar-Athlete Honor Society, and Sigma Beta Delta, the Business National Honor Society.
"I applaud Bryan on his academic and athletic achievements," said Brunk. "As the Northeast-10 continues to be the leading conference in academics it is individuals such as this special person that truly represent and distinguish the student-athlete."
Duplissie collected third team All-America honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings this spring, helping lead the Ravens to a program-best 46-13 mark and their first NE-10 regular season title with a 25-5 clip. Franklin Pierce made its second-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament and captured the Northeast Regional title and berth to the Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Ala., where it advanced to the semifinal round for the second time in four years.
Duplissie set a school-record with 62 RBI and was third on the team with a .344 batting average to go with 44 runs scored, 18 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs. He also boasted a .612 slugging and .400 on-base percentages, while stealing nine bases and committing just three errors at first base (.994 fielding percentage). Duplissie also made 12 starts on the mound and compiled a 7-1 record with a 2.97 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 24 walks over 66.2 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .244 batting average.
Duplissie came up especially big in the postseason, where he earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the Northeast Regional. He hit .480 (12-for-25) with five runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and six RBI over the five games and earned a complete-game victory on the mound, allowing just an earned run on seven hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in the regional title game. Duplissie also pitched the Ravens away from elimination at the World Series, allowing two earned runs, while scattering nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk in a 7-2 win over No. 6 Ashland University.
"Bryan is one of the most unselfish players that I have ever coached," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. "He is also very humble even though he has done nothing but great things on the diamond, in the classroom and in the community while here at Franklin Pierce."
In 2005, Duplissie was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year and Northeast Regional Player of the Year honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) as well as NCBWA second team All-America status. He hit .294 with 28 runs scored, 14 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 49 RBI to go with a 6-1 record on the mound and 1.58 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 21 walks over 62.2 innings.
Duplissie, who earned first team All-NE-10 and All-Northeast Region honors each of the last two years, established himself among career leaders at Franklin Pierce in just two seasons after transferring from Wheaton (Mass.) College following his sophomore year. He totaled 130 hits (15th in program history) to go with 32 doubles (10th), 24 home runs (5th) and 111 RBI (6th) at the plate. On the mound, he compiled a school-record 2.30 earned run average and 13 wins (7th) in 129.1 innings (10th).
I'm honored to be receiving this award," said Duplissie. "It gets tough (balancing classes with a 60-game baseball schedule), but you have to look at the big picture of why you are in school. I was taught at a young age that education was the most important thing and never lost sight of that and made getting my degree a priority. This is a great way to cap my collegiate career."
Duplissie recently signed a professional contract with the Nashua Pride in the Can-Am League. Through 13 games for the Pride, he is hitting .294 (10-for-34) with six runs scored, a double, home run, two RBI and a stolen base. Last night, he made his first professional start on the mound, allowing three earned runs on nine hits with a strikeout and two walks over 5.2 innings in a losing effort.
Duplissie will now be considered for the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association National Scholar-Athlete of the Year award sponsored by Disney Sports Attractions.