Four players and coaching staff to represent Ravens on June 14

RINDGE, N.H. (June 9, 2008) – The Franklin Pierce University baseball team will be well represented at the 33rd Annual New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) College All-Star Game at historic Fenway Park, in Boston, on Saturday, June 14, at 9 a.m.

Four Franklin Pierce players and its coaching staff will participate in the event, while head coach Jayson King will receive the NEIBA Division II Coach of the Year award for the third-straight year (fourth time overall) and the Ravens will be named the NEIBA Division II Team of the Year for the fourth time in a pre-game ceremony.

Franklin Pierce seniors Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford) and Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) and junior Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) will make their second-straight appearances for the College Division (NCAA Divisions II & III) All-Stars, while junior Scott Savastano (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) will play in the NEIBA All-Star game for the first time. Savastano played at Fenway Park in the Massachusetts/Connecticut High School All-Star Game in 2005, hitting a home run.

King, who will be joined on the bench by assistant coaches Stan Jurkoic and Scott Loiseau along with the NCAA Division III National Champion Trinity (Conn.) College coaching staff, will be looking to help lead the College Division to victory over the University Division (NCAA Division I) All-Stars for the second-straight year. King was part of the 2007 College Division coaching staff which helped post a 2-0 victory over the University Division in which Bishop notched the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Adams worked the fourth inning a year ago and didn’t allow a ball out of the infield in the perfect inning of relief, while Renaud started in leftfield and was hitless in two at bats. The University Division holds a 21-10-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Adams, the NCBWA Division II Pitcher of the Year, is a candidate to start on the mound for the College Division on Saturday. Also named the Daktronics and NCBWA Northeast Region Pitcher of the Year and Northeast-10 Co-Pitcher of the Year, Adams made 15 starts (17 appearances) on the mound for the Ravens this season and posted an 11-1 record with two saves and a 1.36 ERA to go with 113 strikeouts and 36 walks in 112.2 innings, holding opposing batters to a .183 average. He set single-season program records for wins, earned run average, strikeouts and innings pitched.

Adams ranks among NCAA Division II leaders allowing 5.91 hits per nine innings (10th), while also ranking nationally in ERA (5th), wins (7th) and strikeouts (9th). He leads the Northeast-10 in wins, starts and innings, while ranking second in ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts.

In 35 career appearances (24 starts), Adams is 17-1 (5th in program history for wins) with a 1.54 ERA (1st), 175 strikeouts (8th) and just 54 walks in 192.2 innings (8th). Opposing batters are hitting just .199 against him over his career. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the 2008 NCAA II Northeast Regional, earning two of the Ravens five wins en route to their third-straight regional title.

Bishop earned both Daktronics and NCBWA All-America honors this spring. The two-time All-Northeast Region first team selection, Bishop made a program-record 23 appearances this season for Franklin Pierce, posting a 6-3 record with nine saves and a 2.25 ERA, 55 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 40.0 innings pitched, holding opposing batters to a .194 average. Bishop was named MVP of the Northeast-10 Tournament, collecting saves in two of the Ravens four wins en route to their second-straight tournament title.

Bishop, the program’s career and single-season leader in saves with 20 and ten (2007), respectively, is three-time All-Northeast-10 Conference selection, earning first team honors the last two seasons. His nine saves this season are good for 17th nationally and second among NE-10 leaders. He also holds the program record with 53 career appearances. Bishop also earned the save at the 2007 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-Star Game.

Renaud, an honorable mention NCBWA All-American for the second-straight season, was also a consensus All-Northeast region first team selection for the second-straight year this spring. He started all 58 games for Franklin Pierce this season, posting a .348 batting average (79-for-227) with 45 runs scored, 15 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 19 stolen bases and 56 RBI. Renaud was named Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional for the second-straight season after hitting .522 (12-for-23) with seven runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI in the Ravens five games en route to their third-straight regional championship.

Renaud, who is ranked 10th among NCAA Division II leaders with eight sacrifice flies this season, ranks among NE-10 leaders in batting average (8th), slugging percentage (7th), runs scored (10th), hits (5th), RBI (2nd), doubles (5th), home runs (4th) and stolen bases (7th). Renaud, also MVP is the 2007 Northeast-10 Tournament, is a two-time All-NE-10 first team selection as well.

Savastano, a 28th round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball’s First Year Player Draft on Friday, was selected to the ABCA/Rawlings second team and NCBWA third team All-America squads. The consensus All-Region first team selection was one of just two players to start all 58 games, for Franklin Pierce this season. Savastano led the Ravens with a .390 batting average (83-for-213) with 65 runs scored, 20 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, nine stolen bases and 45 RBI this spring. He set a program record by drawing 46 walks this season, posting a .502 on-base percentage and .629 slugging percentage.

Savastano ranks among national leaders in walks (17th) and walks per game (21st), while leading the Northeast-10 in on-base percentage, runs scored, doubles, walks and total bases (134). He also ranks among NE-10 leaders in batting average (4th), slugging percentage (2nd), hits (3rd), RBI (5th) and home runs (3rd).

Savastano is a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection for the Ravens, earning first team honors this season after being a second-team pick in 2006 when he also earned NE-10 Freshman of the Year honors. He has earned All-Tournament team honors at the NCAA Northeast Regional all three years.

Franklin Pierce (43-15, 20-10 NE-10), ranked eighth in the final pingbaseball.com Division II poll, 18th in the final Collegiate Baseball magazine rankings and 20th in the NCBWA national poll, captured its third straight NCAA Division II Northeast Regional title, advancing to the Division II Baseball Championships for the fourth time in program history. The Ravens reached the 40-win plateau for the third straight year and had 30-plus wins for the seventh straight season. The Ravens also win the NE-10 Tournament championship for the second straight year and the third time in four seasons.