The G-Blog is Back

The G-Blog will return for the 2nd year as the one-stop spot for all things WNE athletics.  It'll feature game recaps, player profiles, special features as well as other news from around the TCCC, NEFC, or ECAC hockey like standings, leaders and scores.

Dudzynski named to NCBWA Division III All-American Team

WNEC Senior DH Ryan Dudzynski was named to the NCWBA Division III Team as an honorable mention, after a season in which the senior hit .353 with 14 2B, 6 3B, and 40 RBI to go along with a home run in 47 games for the Golden Bears.  The senior from Bristol, CT has played 122 games, hitting .333/.442/.494 with 29 2B, 10 3B, 3 HR, 85 RBI, and 106 runs scored, and was a regular in the starting lineup his junior and senior seasons.

First Team
Michael Tucker, junior catcher, Anderson U.- .433/.539/.901, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 45 RS
Andrew Thole, junior 1B, Thomas More- .385/.462/.867, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 49 RS
Ryan Walsh, senior 2B, UMASS Boston- .445/.511/.806, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 20 SB
Chad Mullins, senior 3B, Case Western Reserve- .437/.504/.658, 16 2B, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 55 RS
Charlie Carluccio, senior SS, Haverford- .391/.471/.615, 15 2B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 19 SB
Ken Gregory, senior OF, Kean- .402/.463/.698, 22 2B, 11 HR, 54 RBI
Brandon Rogalski, junior OF, Washington U.- .438/.470/.722, 20 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 60 RBI, 28 SB
John Snyder, senior OF, Marietta- .461/.535/.677, 20 2B, 4 HR, 58 RBI, 47 RS
Troy Tarrant, junior DH, Hardin-Simmons- .408/.490/.680, 15 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 51 RBI
Greg Van Sickler, senior UTL, Shenendoah- .390/.474/.661, 21 2B, 7 HR, 46 RBI, 48 RS
Brendan Close, junior RHP, Moravian- 11 starts, 10-0, 1.00 ERA, 80.2 IP, .707 WHIP, 11.16 K/9
Brian Gasser, junior RHP, Marietta- 14 starts, 14-0, 1.02 ERA, 88.2 IP, .823 WHIP, 8.63 K/9
Andy Lowe, senior RHP, Heidelberg- 33 app, 65 IP, 17 R (15 ER), .985 WHIP, 8.03 K/9
Brian Rauh, sophomore RHP, Chapman- 15 starts, 11-0, 1.74 ERA, 113.2 IP, .897 WHIP, 10.53 K/9
Greg Van Sickler, senior UTL, Shenandoah- 13 starts, 11-1, 1.81 ERA, 89.2 IP, 1.149 WHIP, 8.33 K/9

Second Team
Kyle Felix, senior C, Trinity (TX)- .365/.443/.729, 24 2B, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 51 RS
Mike Eaton, senior 1B, Southern Maine- .426/.503/.796, 18 2B, 12 HR, 50 RBI, 54 RS
Kyle Wooden, senior 1B, Guilford- .467/.525/.637, 17 2B, 2 HR, 29 RBI
Esteban Meletiche, junior 2B, Keystone- .423/.500/.724, 13 2B, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 59 RS, 22 SB
Dan Haugh, junior 3B, Wheaton (MA)- .398/.478/.614, 22 2B, 4 HR, 61 RBI, 38 RS
David Kennett, sophomore SS, Thomas More- .418/.500/.616, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 49 RS
Connor Madden, junior OF, Christopher Newport- .412/.425/.712, 23 2B, 8 HR, 58 RBI, 37 RS
Daniel Putnam, senior OF, UW-Whitewater- .396/.487/.482, 11 2B, 3 3B, 22 RBI, 29 SB
Tim Wilson, freshman OF, Linfield- .490/.557/.716, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 33 RS, 19 SB
Cam Stephens, junior DH, Concordia (IL)- .453/.533/.691, 19 2B, 4 HR, 45 RBI, 34 RS
Cody Kuback, junior UTL, UW-Stevens Pt.- .424/.516/.701, 11 2B, 7 3B, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 71 RS
Ed Bernstein, senior RHP, Tufts- 20 app., 32.2 IP, 4 R (0 ER), .857 WHIP, 11.85 K/9, .127 OBA
Greg Ross, senior RHP, Frostburg St.- 13 starts, 11-2, 1.49 ERA, 90.2 IP, 1.092 WHIP, 11.12 K/9
Mike Russo, junior RHP, Kean- 14 starts, 10-2, 1.93 ERA, 88.2 IP, 1.252 WHIP, 6.6 K/9
Luke Westphal, junior LHP, UW-Oshkosh- 8 starts, 7-0, 1.34 ERA, 60.1 IP, .912 WHIP, 9.55 K/9
Mark Williams, senior RHP, Marietta- 20 app./11 starts, 8-1, 1.59 ERA, 79 IP, .899 WHIP, .173 OBA
Cody Kuback, junior UTL, UW-Stevens Pt.- 9 starts, 6-1, 3.26 ERA, 58 IP, 1.19 WHIP, 7.91 K/9

Third Team
Mike Nodzenski, junior catcher, Grinnell- .465/.556/.850, 11 2B, 12 HR, 47 RBI, 38 RS
Jordan Walton, junior 1B, Randolph-Macon- .452/.480/.704, 31 2B, 4 HR, 57 RBI, 43 RS
Jordan Marks, junior 2B, Louisiana College- .340/.472/.652, 12 2B, 10 HR, 55 RBI, 46 RS
Brian Bilius, senior 3B, Adrian- .424/.518/.604, 14 2B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 14 SB
Greg Van Horn, senior SS, Wooster- .422/.548/.609, 11 2B, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 22 SB
Josh Davidson, junior OF, Aurora- .429/.489/.494, 1 HR, 35 RBI, 48 RS, 39 SB
Matt Oliveto, senior OF, FDU-Florham- .434/.543/.654, 8 2B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 47 RS
Nick Stein, sophomore OF, Coe- .374/.497/.680, 15 2B, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 23 SB
Mike Foley, sophomore DH, Aurora- .362/.410/.595, 14 2B, 6 3B, 4 2B, 57 RBI, 31 RS
Jeff Donovan, senior UTL, UW-Whitewater- .403/.491/.716, 22 2B, 9 HR, 55 RBI, 45 RS
Jim Schult, senior UTL, Eastern CT- .392/.478/.711, 19 2B, 5 3B, 11 HR, 64 RBI, 56 RS, 21 SB
Andrew Kirk, junior RHP, Alvernia- 13 starts, 10-2, 1.62 ERA, 88.2 IP, 1.060 WHIP, 11.98 K/9
Derek Johnson, senior RHP, Redlands- 15 starts, 13-2, 2.45 ERA, 106.2 IP, 1.022 WHIP, 9.03 K/9
John O'Hara, senior RHP, Rowan- 14 app., 14.2 IP, 1 ER, 1.159 WHIP, 5.53 K/9, .167 OBA
Jason Pankau, senior RHP, Illinois Wesleyan- 11 starts, 8-2, 1.53 ERA, 88 IP, .886 WHIP, .203 OBA
Chad Sherman, senior RHP, TX-Tyler- 8-1, 1.49 ERA, 72.2 IP, 1.032 WHIP, 11.77 K/9
Jeff Donovan, senior UTL, UW-Whitewater- 14 starts, 10-0, 3.54 ERA, 89 IP, 1.213 WHIP, .254 OBA
Jim Schult, senior UTL, Eastern CT- 12 starts, 10-1, 3.31 ERA, 87 IP, 1.31 WHIP, 9.52 K/9

Honorable Mentions from TCCC
Ryan Dudzynski, senior DH, WNEC- .339/.417/.506, 14 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 44 RBI, 44 RS, 18 SB

A preview to tonight's Keystone-WNEC game

The WNEC baseball team will make its first appearance in the Division III College World Series Friday night when they face Keystone College, heres a look at the two teams, who are both making their first trip to the College World Series

Keystone Giants
2011 Record- 36-10, 17-1 in CSAC (Colonial States Athletic Conference), won CSAC tournament and NCAA New York Regional

Road to the World Series- Earned a NCAA bid by winning the CSAC tournament, the winning the NCAA New York Regional by defeating Ramapo, Farmingdale State, and the 2010 Division III runner up, Cortland St. twice.  They have won their last 16 games.

Top hitters: Esteban Meletiche (.423/.500/.724, 13 2B, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 59 RS), Brian Henry (.404/.448/.731, 16 2B, 9 HR, 48 RBI, 42 RS), Roberto Santana (.372/.422/.503, 15 2B, 41 RBI, 31 RS), Andy Vega (.368/.429/.711, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 41 RS), Andrew Saino (.359/.481/.613, 10 2B, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 50 RS)

Rotation: Rob Rogers (9 starts, 6-1, 2.40 ERA, 56.1 IP, 1.172 WHIP, 8.47 K/9), Jeff Frost (12 starts, 8-4, 2.41 ERA, 74.2 IP, 1.098 WHIP, 9.64 K/9), Brad Higgins (11 starts, 7-1, 3.08 ERA, 61.1 IP, 1.125 WHIP, 7.48 K/9), Blaine O'Brien (10 starts, 8-1, 3.61 ERA, 62.1 IP, 1.348 WHIP, 8.95 K/9)

Bullpen: Derek Alex (18 app., 19.2 IP, 4 ER, 1.22 WHIP, 25/15 K/BB, .136 OBA), Adam Krebs (17 app., 18.1 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 1.364 WHIP, 18/13 K/BB, .185 OBA), Connor Smith (9 app., 14.1 IP, 10 R (8 ER), 1.395 WHIP, 14/7 K/BB, .232 OBA), Mike Rossi (8 app., 8.1 IP, 5 R (1 ER), 1.2 WHIP, 7/0 K/BB, .278 OBA)

Team Offense- hitting .343/.414/.531 as a team, 509 hits (171 extra bases), 43 homers, 371 runs, stolen 90 bases in 111 attempts

Team Defense- .961 fielding percentage, 58 errors in 361 innings

Team Pitching- 35-10, 3.07 ERA, 361 IP, 1.252 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, .213 OBA

Team Overview- A team that sure can hit, has a team batting average of .343, and a team OPS over 1.000, they'll challenge the WNEC pitching staff that has a fairly high OBA of .263.  Andy Vega has 11 homers, Esteban Meletiche has 10; WNEC as a team has gone yard just 10 times.  Tonight's probable starting pitcher, Jeff Frost has held opponents to a .213 batting average while posting a 1.098 WHIP and punching out nearly 10 batters per 9 innings.

WNEC Golden Bears
2011 Record- 42-9, 20-2 in TCCC, won TCCC tournament and NCAA New England Regional

Road to the World Series: Won TCCC tournament despite loss to Wentworth in second round, came back to beat Wentworth and Endicott twice, then won New England Regional with wins over Husson, St. Joseph's (ME), and Bridgewater State twice.  They have won their last 9 games and have gone 38-5 since starting 4-4.

Top Hitters:  Mike Rubino (.417/.484/.490, 10 2B, 41 RBI, 44 RS), Kyle McKelvey (.370/.469/.459, 8 2B, 1 HR, 33 RBI, 35 RS), Andrew Fatse (.351/.422/.427, 9 2B, 1 HR, 37 RBI, 48 RS), Ryan Dudzynski (.347/.423/.521, 14 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 44 RBI, 43 RS), Matt Anthonis (.347/.438/.483, 9 2B, 6 3B, 41 RBI, 47 RS), Mike Taylor (.302/.439/.470, 12 2B, 3 HR, 43 RBI, 39 RS), Tony Trubia (.302/.396/.418, 16 2B, 2 HR, 34 RBI, 46 RS)

Rotation: Evan Michaud (9 starts, 8-0, 2.53 ERA, 57 IP, 1.07 WHIP, 6.32 K/9), Matt Rogers (13 starts, 11-1, 3.31 ERA, 89.2 IP, 1.249 WHIP, 6.02 K/9), Zach Cloft (11 starts, 8-2, 3.65 ERA, 69 IP, 1.261 WHIP, 8.74 K/9), Kevin Jefferis (11 starts, 4-3, 5.15 ERA, 50.2 IP, 1.855 WHIP, 5.86 K/9)

Bullpen: Mike Lawlor (27 app., 39.2 IP, 13 R (7 ER), 1.008 WHIP, 54/6 K/BB, .227 OBA), Brendan Nugent (15 app., 21.2 IP, 10 R (5 ER), 1.385 WHIP, 16/1 K/BB, .305 OBA), Jeff Richardson (11 app., 20.1 IP, 7 R (5 ER), 1.082 WHIP, 14/7 K/BB, .208 OBA), Mike Lospinuso (11 app., 15.1 IP, 6 ER, .978 WHIP, 11/3 K/BB, .218 OBA)

Team Offense- hitting .327/.422/.431 as a team, 558 hits (136 extra bases), 10 home runs, 409 runs scored, and 61 steals in 74 attempts

Team Defense- .964 fielding percentage with 64 errors in 415 innings

Team Pitching- 42-9, 3.23 ERA, 415 IP, 1.263 WHIP, 7.44 K/9, .263 OBA

Team Overview- A team that hits more for average than a team that hits for power.  Has nearly 50 more hits than Keystone but still 35 less for extra bases.  They've hit just 10 homers in their 51 games played.  They have a slightly higher ERA and WHIP than the Giants, but have also thrown a substantial amount of innings.  They play good defense as well, with a .964 fielding percentage in their 415 innings in the field.

WNEC's key's to victory
- offense must get on base at a good clip and match up to the powerful Keystone lineup
- pitching must not allow as many guys as they have been on base, as the Giants have many threats to hit extrabase hits and drive in those runners.

WNEC Goalie Brewster Knowlton named to USILA All-American Team

The USILA All-American Teams were released for Divisions II and III today, with the Division III team featuring one WNEC player, goalkeeper Brewster Knowlton, who was named an honorable mention.  Knowlton, a junior from Somers, CT, is currently in his third year as a starter for the Golden Bears, and had his best year yet in 2011.  Knowlton started in 20 of the 21 games played this year, allowing 147 goals on 625 shots faced, a 7.66 GAA and also posted a .606 save percentage.  His 2011 campaign garnered several accolades, which aside from the All-American Honorable mention included the TCCC Defensive Player of the Year, All-TCCC team, All-New England team, and was named to the Capital one District 1 Academic second team for his accomplishments in the classroom.  Knowlton was also named TCCC Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the season, the second time he received such an honor in his career.  In his three years in the WNEC net, he has posted a 43-13 record with 561 saves (.600 save PCT) in 56 career games, all of them starts.

USILA Division III All-American Team
Bold= WNEC Player
 
First Team
Matt Cannone, junior attack, Salisbury- 47 goals and 37 assists in 21 games for Salisbury
Jimmy Dailey, senior attack, Stevenson- 60 goals and 58 assists, led Mustangs with 118 points
DJ Hessler, senior attack, Tufts- led Jumbos with assists (54) and points (90)
Sam Bradman, junior midfielder, Salisbury- second on team with 70 points
Chris DeLuca, senior midfielder, Cortland- scored 27 goals/44 points while winning 72% of faceoffs
Matt Witko, senior midfielder, Tufts- had 31 goals, 5 of them game-winners, which led the team
MJ Kiekebelt, senior LSM, RIT- led team with 131 groundballs in 20 games
Craig Bunker, senior SPEC, Colby- took 287 of Colby's 340 draws, winning 205
Evan Douglass, senior defense, Stevenson- forced a team-leading 59 turnovers, and had 62 groundballs
Justin Schneidman, senior defense, Cortland- forced a team high 31 turnovers
Collin Tokosch, senior defense, Salisbury- second on the team in groundballs (44), forced 21 turnovers
Johnny Rodriguez, senior goalie, Salisbury- went 18-1 with a .621 PCT and 5.55 GAA in 19 games

Second Team
Neal Barthelme, senior attack, Stevenson- led Mustangs with 73 goals
Jason Distefano, senior attack, Cortland- had team leading 57 points (35-22)
David Hild- senior attack, Middlebury- led team in goals (47) and points (67)
Jordan McIntosh, senior midfield, RIT- had team-leading 75 points (43-32)
Kyle Moffitt, senior midfield, Stevenson- 4th on team with groundballs (46) and goals (35)
Justin Tuma, senior midfield, Roanoke- led team with  groundballs (200)
Alec Bialosky, senior LSM, Tufts- second on team with 81 groundballs, also scored 11 goals
Eric Parah, senior SPEC, Cortland- had 54 groundballs
Alex Burkhead, senior defense, Roanoke- forced team-leading 47 groundballs
Shane Crossett, senior defense, Cortland- had 19 groundballs and 9 forced turnovers
Matt Rayner, junior defense, Middlebury- 4th on team with 45 groundballs
Sean Aaron, junior goalie, Union- 13-5 with a .627 PCT and 6.90 GAA

Third Team
Kelso Davis, senior attack, RIT- second on team with 44 goals
Jeff Keating, junior attack, Roanoke- led team in points (87) and assists (32)
Sean Kirwan, junior attack, Tufts- led Jumbos with 65 goals
Nick Billy, senior midfield, RPI- second on team with 50 points (32-18)
Brandon Faubert, senior midfield, Stevens- led team with goals (59) and points (81)
Kevin McCormick, junior midfield, Tufts- second on team in goals with 40
Brandon Palladino, sophomore LSM, Dickinson- led team with groundballs (72) and forced turnovers (47)
Ray Witte, senior SPEC, Stevenson- won 65.1% of the 387 faceoffs he took
Theodore Bascom, senior defense, Trinity- scooped up 40 groundballs
Joe Lisicky, sophomore defense, Lynchburg- forced team-leading 38 turnovers and scored 8 goals
Zach McHugh, senior defense, Stevens- forced 20 turnovers and had 39 groundballs
Joe Banno, junior goalie, Haverford- went 11-4 with a .650 PCT and a 7.24 GAA

Honorable Mentions from TCCC
John Gabriel, senior attack, New England College
Chris Cotter, senior midfield, Endicott
Dan Utz, senior midfield, Gordon
Andrew Pochebit, senior defense, Endicott
Brewster Knowlton, junior goalie, WNEC

New England Regional All-Tournament Team

Dan Gusovsky, sophomore Catcher, Wheaton- 8-18 (.444), 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 RS
David Pierce, sophomore 1B, Bridgewater St.- 9-20 (.450), 3 RS, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Tim Clark, sophomore 2B, WNEC- 7-19 (.368), 2 RS, 2 2B, 2 RBI
JP Stone, senior 3B, RIC- 1-7 (.143), 1 RS
Kyle McKelvey, sophomore SS, WNEC- 9-15 (.600), 5 RS, 2 RBI
Andrew Fatse, senior OF, WNEC- 8-16 (.500), 5 RS, 3 RBI
Eric Laliberte, senior OF, Wheaton- 9-23 (.391), 5 RS, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Hadi Raad, senior OF, Wheaton- 7-17 (.412), 2 RS, 2 2B, 3 RBI
Zach Cloft, senior pitcher, WNEC- 1-0, 8 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 9 K (1.13 ERA/.875 WHIP)
Corey Batista, senior pitcher, Bridgewater St.- 1-1, 9.2 IP, 5 ER, 12 H, 1 BB, 7 K (4.66 ERA/1.344 WHIP)
Jeff Puopolo, senior pitcher, Bridgewater St.- 1-0, 8 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 10 K (2.25 ERA/1.625 WHIP)

WNEC Baseball wins first regional Championship

The WNEC baseball team won its 42nd game of the season by beating Bridgewater State, 9-0, advancing to their first Division III College World Series in the 44-year history of the program with their second victory over the Bears in three days.

The Golden Bears didn't waste any time getting in the lead, exploding for five runs in the bottom of the first to take a 5-0 lead.  Bridgewater starter Corey Batista was chased from the game after Mike Taylor singled to right, scoring Andrew Fatse and Mike Rubino, making it a 5-0 game.  Batista stayed in the game, moving to third base.  Jim Balboni came in and put runners on the corners after a wild pitch moved Taylor to third, then walked Kyle McKelvey, but then forced Matt Anthonis to fly out to right, ending the inning. 

After a quiet second, the Golden Bears attacked for two more runs, with Jason LeClerc and Kyle McKelvey crossing the plate for WNEC to make it 7-0.  That was more than enough for starter Kevin Jefferis to work with.

Jefferis pitched into the eighth inning after a one-out walk to Seob Yoon loaded the bases for Bridgewater State, running his pitch count to 134.  Jefferis threw 7 and one-third shutout innings while allowing 7 hits, walking 4 and striking out 8.

Mike Lawlor then came in and got out of the jam by striking out Jose Polanco before Dave Billotte got caught in a rundown, finally being tagged out by the shortstop McKelvey 2-5-2-6 on the play.  Lawlor then sat down the side in order in the ninth, with Bridgewater pinch hitter popping out to McKelvey to end the game, and send the Golden Bears to the College World Series.

The G-Bears will now travel to Appelton, Wisconsin to face Keystone College (PA) on Friday at 8:45 ET.  Keystone won the New York Regional.  It is the first time that WNEC has gone to the Division III College World Series in the 44-year history of their program.

WNEC baseball tops Bridgewater St. to advance to NCAA Regional Championship round

After knocking off the NCAA New England Regional's No. 1 and No. 5 seed, the Bridgewater State University's baseball team finally looked like a typical 8 seed, getting knocked off by WNEC, 11-4.  It was win #41 for the Golden Bears, and will need a 42nd in order to advance to their first ever NCAA National championship tournament.

After having just one baserunner in the first two innings, the Golden Bears got right to work in the third frame, when Tim Clark delivered WNEC's first hit of the game on a double that drove in Kyle McKelvey and Matt Anthonis, who were hit by a pitch and walked, respectively.  After a wild pitch advanced Clark to third, he would score on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Dudzynski, making the score 3-0.

After McKelvey scored his second run of the game in the fifth off an infield single by Tony Trubia, the G-Bears attacked for two more runs in the sixth on Ryan Dudzynski's 2nd and 3rd RBIs of the game, scoring McKelvey and Andrew Fatse.

The Golden Bears weren't done, scoring 3 more in the 7th, Mike Rubino scored on an Andrew Fatse single.  Fatse would score the inning's third run off an Anthonis single after Jason LeClerc scored on a throwing error by Bridgewater 1B David Pierce.  The Golden Bears tacked on two more runs in the 8th.

WNEC starter Evan Michaud ran his record to a perfect 8-0, tossing 6 innings, allowing just one run on six hits and a walk, striking out one.  He retired the side in order in the first and fourth innings.  Mike Lospinuso and Brandon Nugent pitched the final three innings in mop-up duty, with Lospinuso allowing three runs in 1.2 innings, with Nugent making the game's final four outs, allowing two hits in the ninth.

With the win the Golden Bears secure a spot in the New England Regional Championship game, and will await the winner of Bridewater State vs. Wheaton College, who face each other a 4 pm Saturday.  WNEC defeated Wheaton on April 25th, 7-4.