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(10/05/05 12:00pm)
The much-anticipated Red Sox-Yankees season finale fizzling into a dud this weekend didn't matter. The limelight of the baseball season's final week was so thick that even Barry Bonds made an appearance.
The Astros needed until the final game of the regular season to stave off an out-of-nowhere Wild Card push from the Phillies. The White Sox rule the American League Central after the Indians' attempt at a miracle climb up divisional standings sputtered into a final-weekend collapse. The Cardinals and Angels were the only contenders who didn't have someone breathing down their necks going into season's final weekend.
But that was just a warmup. The playoffs didn't even begin until yesterday.
Last year, the Red Sox and Yankees, AL representatives, were the favorites heading into the postseason. Things are different this year. The National League boasts the game's best team in St. Louis and perhaps the squad with the most lethal pitching staff, the Astros.
God bless the Wild Card. Since its inception in 1995, each year the Wild Card seems to be won by a team that is more well-built for the playoffs than some of the old-fashioned division winners. The Astros are no different this year.
Who wouldn't favor Houston's Roger Clemens-Andy Pettite-Roy Oswalt pitching trio over the Braves' Tim Hudson, John Smoltz and Jorge Sosa? The credentials for Clemens and Pettite need not be evaluated, while Oswalt is the best young pitcher in baseball not nicknamed the D-Train. Consider that Brad Lidge, who converted 42 saves in 46 chances this year, will be closing for the Astros, and Houston could be downright unhittable on any given day.
The Braves, having had a comfortable division lead in the season's final weeks, were able to set up their postseason rotation to their liking. Still, at age 38, Smoltz's slider does not have the same bite to it that it once did. Hudson, who sported a 4.39 ERA in September with 15 walks and 43 hits in 42 innings, looked vulnerable down the stretch. Sosa, 13-3 this season, may be a nice rookie pitcher but it would be hard to imagine him out dueling one of Houston's big three.
Yet, the Astros are not without fault. Their offensive stats, though impressive at first sight, are inflated by the bandbox that is Minute Maid Park, which is evident in Houston's 36-45 road record this year. Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane, the biggest Minute Maid beneficiaries, might have a hard time producing during their three games at spacious Turner Field.
Runs may be at a premium for both pitching-oriented teams during the series. Whichever pitching staff can throw the most scoreless frames may determine the victor.
Something should be said, too, for the Braves' plethora of upstart youngsters. If newcomer Jeff Franceour could lead Atlanta to a 14th straight NL East title in the absence of injured veterans Chipper Jones and Brian Jordan, three more wins could look like child's play.
St. Louis-San Diego: The Cardinals, 100 victories after being swept in last year's World Series, return to the postseason with a bitter taste in their mouths. St. Louis lost a key cog to last year's pennant winning team, Scott Rolen, to injury this summer and still won the NL Central by 11 games.
Expect Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and company to shed that just-happy-to-be-here disposition seen last October. This team is here to win the World Series and nothing less, and it's my belief that they will do so.
Meanwhile, the Padres reek of mediocrity and hail from a less-than-mediocre division. San Diego finished first in the NL West with a paltry 82-80 record, the all time worst finish for a division winner.
The Cardinals have the edge over the Padres in virtually every aspect, except the bullpen, where San Diego's Trevor Hoffman reigns as a far superior closer than St. Louis' Jason Isringhausen. If the Padres do get a late game lead, don't expect it to be relinquished.
The Cardinals' will be led by the top half of their starting rotation, in Chris Carpenter, the NL's soon-to-be Cy Young, and secondary ace Mark Mulder, a southpaw who could give the Padres' lefty-heavy lineup fits. St. Louis will be wary of Carpenter, whose 5.73 ERA in September should make LaRussa nauseous.
A Cardinals series victory, though expected, is not certain. San Diego could potentially sneak up on even the 1927 Murderer's Row Yankees in a short five-game series with Jake Peavy and Adam Eaton, two genuine studs, as their go-to starting pitchers and Hoffman closing the door in the ninth.
Throw in a blown save from the Cardinals' less-than-dominant Isringhausen and the series could be anyone's.
That's the nature of a short first round series, though. A 162-game season can be thrown away in as little as three games.
Blink, and you might miss it.
First round predictions: Houston in five, St. Louis in four.
(09/28/05 4:00pm)
The College's women's cross country team began this season with its sights set on an 11th straight New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title. After the Lions' performance at the Haverford Invitational on Friday, maybe they should set more challenging goals.
Five Lions dragged through the day's humidity to finish in the top 15 at the non-team scored race, which featured over 200 collegiate and unattached runners. All five tallied times under 19 minutes.
That kind of group success is a positive sign for the Lions with conference championships almost a month away.
"It was great to have so many girls up there," senior Jenna Fasulo said. "We had a tight pack of women which is very important in scoring for cross country. As for NJACs, the more people we have up there, the better. Last year, we swept the top 10 places so the goal is to match that this year.
Fasulo led the College's women, finishing at 18:11.70 for eighth place overall and sixth amongst the race's collegiate runners.
She was the second Division III runner to cross the finish line. Six of the top seven who crossed before Fasulo were from Division I Villanova or unattached.
"I was very satisfied with my finish, especially being up near the Villanova girls," Fasulo said.
"This course was actually three miles for the women, and the first race of the season was 3.1 miles," she said. "The regular race distance is six kilometers which is 3.75 miles so it's tough to compare times because all the courses are different. It was definitely one of my better times for that distance, though."
Junior Kristen Pogorzelski came in on Fasulo's tail with an 18:22.90 mark.
Sophomore Erin Enderly tallied an 18:36.20 in 12th place, while freshman Martine McGrath and senior Kara Horner collected 14th and 15th with times of 18:46.90 and 18:47.80, respectively.
For the men's team, racing on a four-mile track, sophomore Brian Kopnicki was the lone top-15 finisher at 20:30.60. Senior Matt Randal took home 10th in the collegiate standings and 17th overall at 20:36.30.
Senior Jeff Zodda finished 21st in 20:51 for the men and freshman Christopher Guerriero grabbed 25th in 20:56.80.
Junior Greg Howe was the first of 30 runners who finished within 21 minutes at 21:02.50 and sophomore Galen Johnson followed at 21:05.40. Sophomore Dave dos Santos tallied a 21:24.20.
Both teams will compete at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Saturday at 10 a.m.
(09/21/05 4:00pm)
It may not have been a revenge match in the minds of the Lions, but they certainly played like it.
The last time the College's women's soccer team met Montclair State University was in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship last season, where Montclair edged out the Lions 3-1 on penalty kicks to snap the College's five-year reign as conference champions.
With the sting from that loss lingering, the Lions opened their NJAC schedule on Saturday by pouncing the Red Hawks for a 5-2 win.
Still, head coach Joe Russo did not consider it a grudge match.
"We never used (revenge) as a factor," he said. "It was just another game on our schedule we had to be ready to play, especially since it was within our region. The kids were businesslike about it. I wouldn't really call it a revenge match."
It's hard to believe the Lions, now 5-0 overall, weren't inspired by something out of the ordinary. The Lions outshot the Red Hawks 19-3 and their five goals were the College's most ever in an NJAC opener during Russo's 15-year tenure at the College.
Sophomore forward Dana DiBruno and freshman forward Allie Schilling headed the offensive attack with a pair of goals each.
Schilling's goals were particularly timely for the Lions. After the College jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Montclair scored twice to push within one of the Lions, but each time, Schilling responded with a goal to push the lead back to two. She made the score 3-1 with a softly kicked goal just three minutes before halftime and added her second goal at the 65-minute mark for a 4-2 lead.
DiBruno scored 2:13 into the game on a corner kick from freshman midfielder Coleen Weber. Freshman defender Jillian Casey made the lead 2-0 just nine minutes later on a feed from sophomore forward Beth Pagano.
The early lead gave the Lions extra wiggle room to fend off Montclair's comeback attempt.
"That gave us a lot of confidence and a good cushion to make more plays," Russo said.
Senior midfielder Jess Amendola's first-half goal for the Red Hawks snapped the Lions' four-game shutout streak.
Russo has no defensive concerns, though.
"Physically, I thought we were on the plus side of everything," he said. "They just scored two goals."
Amendola's ball glanced off the hands of senior goalie Alissa Kacar before resting in the net.
DiBruno capped the day's scoring with a goal four minutes before the end of play.
The Lions will host Ramapo College on Wednesday at 7:30.
(09/14/05 4:00pm)
The College's men's soccer team escaped Cary, N.C. with its unbeaten record in tact.
Competing at the Esprit Division III Tournament over the weekend before New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play opens this week, the Lions nabbed a 2-1 comeback win over the University of the South on Sunday afternoon and tallied a 1-1 overtime tie against Greensboro College the day before.
They now stand at 3-0-1 on the season, but head coach George Nazario knows how little a good start can mean.
"It's good and bad," he said. "We had five games unbeaten last year (at the start)." The College then went on to finish 7-9-2.
NJAC play begins this week, though, and with it comes a heightened level of competition in which contenders are separated from pretenders. Nazario called it "the meat of our schedule."
The Lions' first conference game is on Friday at 1 p.m. when they host Montclair State University.
"We'll find out what's going on very shortly," he said.
For now though, the Lions can revel in Sunday's second-half comeback win over South. The College notched the victory on a game-winning goal from senior midfielder Matt Connor at the game's 78-minute mark off a feed from junior defenseman Tim Dudek to break a 1-1 tie.
"They didn't play too well in the second half," Nazario said. "We knew what we had to do and we got it done."
The Lions entered the second half trailing 1-0 but surged back to tie the score at the 65-minute mark on another goal from Connor, who scored all three Lions goals at the weekend tournament.
"He didn't start the game because he was a little banged up," Nazario said about Connor. "When we put him in, he took over."
Sophomore goalkeeper Matt Kasperavicius took the win on three saves.
South broke through for its only goal on a score by junior David Scavone 23 minutes into the game.
On Saturday, the Lions reached their 1-1 tie with Greensboro after two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods.
The College netted a breakaway goal from Connor but Greensboro sophomore midfielder Robert Fricke scored at the 78-minute mark, which made the score 1-1 at the end of regulation.
"I was somewhat disappointed with the score at the end of regulation," Nazario said. "I thought we had chances to take care of business but couldn't get (a second goal)."
Senior Matt Brown denied five shots in goal for the Pride.
Connor now leads the Lions with four goals in as many games.
The College will host Stevens Institute of Technology in a non-conference game tonight at 7:30 p.m.
(09/14/05 4:00pm)
To say that things are coming easily for the College's women's soccer team would be an understatement.
At the Esprit Division III tournament this weekend, the Lions rolled off two more shutout victories, a 3-0 win over Greensboro College on Saturday and a 9-0 mauling of Meredith College Sunday afternoon.
The Lions are now 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 19-0 on the season.
Not only are they keeping their teams scoreless with their four straight shutout victories, the Lions are not even allowing the opposition to rally near the net. In 240 minutes of keeping opponents' scoreless, the Lions' goal keepers, led by senior Alissa Kacar, have had to deny a mere eight saves.
It's no wonder the Lions earned a No. 7 ranking in Division III in the latest poll by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Yet, head coach Joe Russo was quick to dispel the significance of such rankings. "Rankings in September don't mean a whole lot," he said. "I didn't even notice."
The days of the Lions cruising to victories in this fashion may be short lived, though, as New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) play begins this week. Although the Lions were tabbed as the preseason conference favorites, NJAC competition level towers over that of early season non-conference play.
"We have a new system and a new style and these (early non-conference games) give a chance to tweak it," Russo said. "We're still trying to get better every day. It's been a good weekend for us but we know we still have a lot of soccer in front of us, and a lot of important soccer in front of us."
Junior forward Dana DiBruno and senior forward Brittny Boyd, quickly becoming the Lions' most trusted scoring duo, led the College against Greensboro.
DiBruno scored just 36 seconds into the game and Boyd netted her fourth goal of the season early in the second half.
"They're both very good players and both had very good weekends," Russo said. "I don't think we're predictable in where our scoring comes from, though. Both of them were fortunate to be on the back end of some very good balls."
Junior midfielder Lisa Kokotajlo added an insurance goal with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
Kacar and freshman goalie Amy Hashem combined on three saves to keep Greensboro scoreless.
On Sunday, DiBruno led the Lions in their disposal of Meredith with a pair of goals and an assist, while sophomore midfielder Kristen Cubicciotti put in a goal and two assists.
Cubicciotti opened the scoring 1:22 into the game, and DiBruno scored twice within the 34 seconds.
Kacar turned away just one shot from Meredith on the game.
Freshmen defensemen Cara O'Neil and Jillian Casey, sophomore defensemen Country Krol and Toni-Anne Cavallo, freshman midfielder Coleen Weber, junior midfielder Caitlin Brennan and freshman forward Allie Schilling each tacked on a goal to run the score to 9-0.
The Lions have six days off to prepare for NJAC play before they will play five conference games in 13 days. That stretch will begin when the College travels to Montclair State University on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest.
(09/07/05 4:00pm)
The College's field hockey team started the season off exactly how it had planned-with two convincing wins.
On Thursday, the Lions had their first game at Division II Millersville University.
Head coach Sharon Pfluger understands that playing a Division II opponent can be a good test for her team but doesn't put too much focus on it.
"I'm not sure that the girls are even aware that they are playing a Division II opponent," Pfluger said. "They just go out there and play their hardest every game."
So, with the Lions just eager to get out on the field and play their first game of the year, the Lions beat Millersville soundly 4-1.
Junior Allison Greene scored the first goal of the year with 13:11 remaining in the first half. Freshman Katie Reuther followed by scoring the first goal of her collegiate career.
Freshman Kelly Mitchell scored just before the end of the half, but so did Millersville. The Lions took a 3-1 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Reuther tallied another goal, making the final score 4-1. Coach Pfluger was impressed with the offensive output, but even more impressed with her team's defensive effort.
The Lions' defense looked strong, limiting Millersville to nine shots. Senior goalkeeper Kristina Beyel made eight saves to earn the win
"Our (defense) was tested quite a bit, but we held up pretty well," she said. "We had some great saves by Kristina Beyel. We've been working very hard in practice and it shows."
Sophomore Karen Robinson, who plays defense and midfield for the Lions, knows the importance of defense on the Lions' squad.
"We know we have a lot of offensive threats," Robinson said. "But we still need to keep the ball out of the cage and have a strong defense."
In their second game of the year, and their first home game, the Lions once again were in attack mode. They took on Ithaca on Saturday and took control of the game from the very beginning, out-shooting Ithaca 39-3. Once again, Greene started off the scoring five minutes into the game and then freshman Erin Buchanan scored 10 minutes later on a penalty stroke.
After that, Kelly Mitchell went on a scoring streak, tallying the next three goals for her first hat trick of her college career.
In addition to the six goals, the defense put together another solid effort giving Beyel an easy day behind the net. Needing to make only one save, Beyel earned the shutout victory.
Freshman Jennifer Lubin rounded off the scoring with her first goal of the season.
Pfluger said she loves the way her freshmen have been performing thus far this season and can only hope their excellent play continues on throughout the rest of the season.
Robinson said the win was much needed. "Last year, we lost the first two games of the season and it was really hard," she said. "(This school) is not used to losing. So, I'm very happy that we won two really well-played games to start the season."
On Saturday, the Lions will be on the road to take on SUNY-New Paltz at 2 p.m.
(09/07/05 4:00pm)
The Lions women's soccer team has expectations to live up to and in the first weekend of the season, it didn't disappoint.
Five days after being chosen as the preseason favorite in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the College opened its season at the Jako Blue Jay Classic with two shutout-wins this weekend.
"Obviously it's a great way to start for a completely overhauled team," head coach Joe Russo said.
It was just one weekend and two games, but everything went as planned for the Lions, who lost 13 players from last year's squad to graduation.
Junior forward Brittny Boyd picked up right where she left off in her All-American campaign last season, tallying three goals on the weekend and garnering the tournament's MVP honors.
"I give credit to the kids around her," Russo said. "They worked hard to get her in position to get the goals."
Senior goalie Alissa Kacar cruised to two easy shutouts denying the mere five shots she faced over both games. She now has 20 career shutouts.
Sophomore forward Dana DiBruno chalked up a goal and three assists over both games, which could be a promising sign for a young Lions squad in need of a game-changing playmaker to emerge aside Boyd.
"(DiBruno) is kind of the engine for us," Russo said. "At times, she asserted herself real well."
Boyd and DiBruno demonstrated their potential to be the Lions' leading duo, as DiBruno assisted Boyd for goals twice during the Lions' 4-0 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday. DiBruno managed eight shots in the game, while Boyd took six.
Freshman midfielder Colleen Weber and junior forward Lauren Grochala each tacked on a goal as part of the Lions' 27-shot attack against Eastern Connecticut.
The Lions got more leadership from Boyd and DiBruno to top Salisbury University 3-0 on Sunday.
DiBruno scored on an assist from sophomore midfielder Kristen Cubicciotti in the first half, and Boyd added her third goal of the weekend in the second half on an assist from Weber.
Sophomore midfielder Beth Avery added a goal two minutes later to give the Lions' their 3-0 lead.
The College demonstrated a tremendous knack to keep the ball in its control, out-shooting their opponents 43-6 on the weekend. The Lions have outscored their opponents 7-0 on the young season.
Such precision on the field will go a long way in proving the Lions' worth as the NJAC's preseason darlings. Yet, Russo knows preseason rankings on paper don't necessarily translate into wins.
"I was shocked," Russo said about the ranking. "We graduated 13 players. It's a credit to what we've accomplished in the past. It doesn't mean a whole lot, though."
The Lions will travel to Cary, N.C. next weekend to play two games in the Esprit Division III Tournament. Game times are to be decided.
(08/31/05 4:00pm)
Philips Jennings, the College's new cross country coach, inherits a program that has seen its men's and women's squads tally a combined 21 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) titles over the past 11 years.
The rookie coach has no concerns about living up to such prior success this year, though.
"I've been in the program for two years," said Jennings, who served as a graduate assistant to former-coach Steve Dolan the last two seasons and assumed the head coaching job this summer.
Before coming to the College, Jennings served as an assistant coach at Rider University in 2003.
"I feel very comfortable with this program," he said. "We have some talented runners and we're going to continue down that same path."
"We expect to be one of the top three teams in the region, win (both) NJACs again and continue to improve week to week," Jennings added. "Our biggest goal is to do well at regionals and nationals."
Although the men's squad lost seven seniors from last year's team, which finished 18th at the NCAA Division III Championships, Jennings does not anticipate a down year.
"We have a good number of guys going pretty strong right now," he said. "I expect them to come out and run pretty well."
Seniors Matt Randal, Dave dos Santos, Mark Altenau, and sophomores Brian Kopnicki, Kyle Aplaugh and Anthony Arnold will need to lead the team in place of the departed senior leaders, namely Brian Donovan and Matt Molski, last year's male NJAC runner-of-the-year.
Additionally, Jennings hopes incoming freshmen Greg Bull, Chris Guerrero and Matt Dolan have the legs to play a role upon arrival.
The women's squad, which captured its 10th straight NJAC title but failed to qualify for nationals last fall, returns with a nearly identical roster.
"I expect these women to be more motivated than ever and come back and have a great season," Jennings said.
Heading the list of key returnees is senior Jenna Fasulo, last year's female NJAC runner-of-the-year.
"It's great (to have Fasulo back)," Jennings said. "She'll be a big leader for our team whether it be on race day or practice."
Seniors Sarah Spilman and Kara Horner will also be instrumental in avenging last year's disappointing finish, while freshmen Megan O'Leary and Martin McGrath could emerge as contributors.
Capturing the NJAC championship again this year would be an antonishing 22nd title in 25 years for the women's team.
Both teams will open the season on Sept. 10 at the Connecticut College Invitational at 11:30 a.m.
(08/31/05 12:00pm)
The Lions women's soccer team will have to make do this fall without 13 graduated seniors who were instrumental in leading last year's 18-win team to the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"It's a huge loss for us," head coach Joe Russo said. "Anytime you lose that amount of players, it makes it difficult for the team. But the core group we have coming back is a great group and I'm excited about the incoming class. Hopefully we can pick up right where we left off."
The most significant returnee is senior forward Brittny Boyd, who garnered Third Team All-American honors as a junior for leading the Lions with 14 goals scored and 16 assists on the year for a total of 34 points. The three-time all-conference selection also netted four game-winning goals last year, good enough for third in the NJAC.
"(Having Boyd return) is important twofold for us with her athleticism on the field and her leadership off the field," Russo said.
Russo hopes to have strong leadership this year, with Boyd joining junior Bernadette Coyle and seniors Alissa Kacar and Christine Mullin as team captains. Mullin and Coyle combined for five goals as defenders last year.
Kacar, who may be the team's brightest star behind Boyd, will handle the majority of the goal keeping again for the Lions. Last year, she recorded an 18-2-2 record with nine shutouts and 39 saves between the posts.
Sophomore forward Dana DiBruno will join Boyd up front after having "a promising freshman season," according to Russo. Sophomore midfielder Kristen Cubicciotti also returns.
"It's early," Russo said last week. "But the first three days (of training) have gone exceptionally well. It's a really young group and it takes awhile to get acclimated to our system and style of play and the collegiate level."
Without specifying which of those young players, Russo made clear his high hopes for the incoming freshman class.
"Depending on how quickly the young kids get acclimated, by the end of October, we could be very exciting," he said. "Time will tell."
Time will be a limited commodity for the Lions though, as they will kick off their season at the Jako Blue Jay Classic at Elizabethtown College on Sept. 3 with less than two weeks of practice under their belts.
(08/24/05 4:00pm)
The Lions women's soccer team will have to make do this fall without 13 graduated seniors who were instrumental in leading last year's 18-win team to the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
"It's a huge loss for us," head coach Joe Russo said. "Anytime you lose that amount of players, it makes it difficult for the team. But the core group we have coming back is a great group and I'm excited about the incoming class. Hopefully we can pick up right where we left off."
The most significant returnee is senior forward Brittny Boyd, who garnered Third Team All-American honors as a junior for leading the Lions with 14 goals scored and 16 assists on the year for a total of 34 points. The three-time all-conference selection also netted four game-winning goals last year, good enough for third in the NJAC.
"(Having Boyd return) is important twofold for us with her athleticism on the field and her leadership off the field," Russo said.
Russo hopes to have strong leadership this year, with Boyd joining junior Bernadette Coyle and seniors Alissa Kacar and Christine Mullin as team captains. Mullin and Coyle combined for five goals as defenders last year.
Kacar, who may be the team's brightest star behind Boyd, will handle the majority of the goal keeping again for the Lions. Last year, she recorded an 18-2-2 record with nine shutouts and 39 saves between the posts.
Sophomore forward Dana DiBruno will join Boyd up front after having "a promising freshman season," according to Russo. Sophomore midfielder Kristen Cubicciotti also returns.
"It's early," Russo said last week. "But the first three days (of training) have gone exceptionally well. It's a really young group and it takes awhile to get acclimated to our system and style of play and the collegiate level."
Without specifying which of those young players, Russo made clear his high hopes for the incoming freshman class.
"Depending on how quickly the young kids get acclimated, by the end of October, we could be very exciting," he said. "Time will tell."
Time will be a limited commodity for the Lions though, as they will kick off their season at the Jako Blue Jay Classic at Elizabethtown College on Sept. 3 with less than two weeks of practice under their belts.
(08/24/05 4:00pm)
Philips Jennings, the College's new cross country coach, inherits a program that has seen its men's and women's squads tally a combined 21 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) titles over the past 11 years.
The rookie coach has no concerns about living up to such prior success this year, though.
"I've been in the program for two years," said Jennings, who served as a graduate assistant to former-coach Steve Dolan the last two seasons and assumed the head coaching job this summer.
Before coming to the College, Jennings served as an assistant coach at Rider University in 2003.
"I feel very comfortable with this program," he said. "We have some talented runners and we're going to continue down that same path."
"We expect to be one of the top three teams in the region, win (both) NJACs again and continue to improve week to week," Jennings added. "Our biggest goal is to do well at regionals and nationals."
Although the men's squad lost seven seniors from last year's team, which finished 18th at the NCAA Division III Championships, Jennings does not anticipate a down year.
"We have a good number of guys going pretty strong right now," he said. "I expect them to come out and run pretty well."
Seniors Matt Randal, Dave dos Santos, Mark Altenau, and sophomores Brian Kopnicki, Kyle Aplaugh and Anthony Arnold will need to lead the team in place of the departed senior leaders, namely Brian Donovan and Matt Molski, last year's male NJAC runner-of-the-year.
Additionally, Jennings hopes incoming freshmen Greg Bull, Chris Guerrero and Matt Dolan have the legs to play a role upon arrival.
The women's squad, which captured its 10th straight NJAC title but failed to qualify for nationals last fall, returns with a nearly identical roster.
"I expect these women to be more motivated than ever and come back and have a great season," Jennings said.
Heading the list of key returnees is senior Jenna Fasulo, last year's female NJAC runner-of-the-year.
"It's great (to have Fasulo back)," Jennings said. "She'll be a big leader for our team whether it be on race day or practice."
Seniors Sarah Spilman and Kara Horner will also be instrumental in avenging last year's disappointing finish, while freshmen Megan O'Leary and Martin McGrath could emerge as contributors.
Capturing the NJAC championship again this year would be an antonishing 22nd title in 25 years for the women's team.
Both teams will open the season on Sept. 10 at the Connecticut College Invitational at 11:30 a.m.
(04/27/05 4:00pm)
The College's baseball team is making its poor play two weeks ago seem like a mere aberration.
After losing four of five games from April 10-15, the Lions won seven of their last eight, with the lone defeat coming at the hands of Rowan University, ranked second in the nation.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the College sits comfortably in the top three of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) after rolling off three more conference victories in four chances over the weekend to improve to 27-9 overall and 9-4 in the NJAC.
"The baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint," head coach Rick Dell said. "But now when it comes down to the end, it becomes a sprint."
With two conference home games left to play this weekend, the Lions have an opportunity to jockey themselves up to a No. 1 or 2 seed in the NJAC Tournament. Tied with Rowan for second in the NJAC, the College will host the Profs on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in a match-up that could potentially determine its seed.
"We could lock up one of the top three seeds (this week) and play the first round of the NJAC Tournament here, which would be nice," Dell said.
The Lions dropped last Friday's meeting with the Profs 10-5, spoiling an otherwise solid outing from senior pitcher Vincent Petrillo with errors in the field. Petrillo tossed 5-2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits and seven strikeouts, but the Profs took advantage of three errors from the College to tack on four unearned runs.
"I thought we did pitch well," Dell said. "Petrillo pitched very well. We just didn't support him. I thought what we didn't do was react well to the simple plays we need to make."
Sophomore catcher Gerard Haran plated two runs on a ninth inning double and sophomore first baseman Blake Bullis added a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
Freshman pitcher Brad Kittle and sophomore pitcher Dave Waseleski each surrendered two earned runs in relief to account for the rest of the Profs' scoring.
On Sunday, the Lions notched two of this week's three conference wins by sweeping a doubleheader against Ramapo College.
The College slugged its way to a 12-4 victory in the first game that saw seven Lions' batters tally RBIs. Junior right fielder Chris Wilson led the Lions with a 3-for-4, four-RBI day. Haran added two RBIs and two runs scored, while junior third baseman Rich Kropp collected a 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored.
The Lions opened the scoring on RBI singles in the first inning from Haran and sophomore first baseman PJ Anzelone. They exploded for three more in the sixth and four in the seventh.
Junior pitcher Joe D'Alessandro improved to 5-1 by tossing 6-2/3 innings with four runs surrendered on nine hits. Sophomore reliever Blake Ortiz finished off the Roadrunners with 2-1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
In the second game, the Lions rode the bats of their top sluggers, Haran and Bullis, to a 9-4 win as the duo combined to drive in six of the College's runs.
Bullis launched a two-run home run to help tally three first inning runs and finished the contest 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Haran roped two doubles to score three runs.
The College collected 17 hits in the game, with six batters recording multi-hit performances to support senior pitcher Brad Downs, who took the win by allowing four runs in seven innings.
The Lions set themselves up for the successful weekend with a 5-2 conference win over Richard Stockton College on Thursday.
"You've got to win that game going into the weekend," Dell said. "It gave us a positive start."
On a day when the Lions' bats weren't particularly potent, sophomore pitcher Brian Kraus allowed just two runs on five hits in 6-1/3 strong innings to improve to 2-0, while Ortiz offered 2-2/3 scoreless innings in relief to record his fourth save.
Wilson plated two runs and three other Lions chipped a single RBI.
The Lions will host Rowan in a key conference game on Friday before finishing off their regular season with a conference doubleheader against Rutgers University-Newark on Saturday.
(04/20/05 4:00pm)
For the College's baseball team, the heartbreak of Friday's 4-3 extra inning loss to Rutgers University-Camden didn't last long. The Lions rebounded on Saturday afternoon to sweep a road doubleheader from William Paterson University.
"Psychologically, we were concerned that that loss (to Rutgers) could bring us down today and it definitely didn't," head coach Rick Dell said.
The Lions, ranked No. 14 in Division III in the American Baseball Coaches Association-Collegiate Baseball Poll, are now 22-8 overall and 6-3 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The sweep jumps the College back up to third place in the NJAC after dropping to fifth with Friday's loss.
"It was important to get one of those (against Paterson)," Dell said. "At the very least, you need to get a split. It's a good day if you get a split and if you get both, you had a great day."
The College took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 7-5 from the Pioneers behind a dazzling game from sophomore catcher Gerard Haran, who scored or drove in all of the Lions' runs.
Haran roped a game-winning three-run home run over the left field fence in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie. The estimated 380-foot blast was his seventh homer of the year.
Haran plated a run in the first with a single and laced an RBI-double in the third. He finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs. He has now driven in 21 RBIs in the previous 11 games.
"He's given us some pop in the middle of the lineup and that gives us a lift," Dell said. "We're not always going to be breathing easy and he's kind of carried us."
The slugger leads the NJAC with 50 RBIs and boasts a .404 batting average with a .725 slugging percentage. On Monday, he was named the New Jersey College Baseball Association Player of the Week.
After the College jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the third inning, the Pioneers mounted a slow comeback, posting a single run in the third, fifth, sixth and eight innings to tie at 4-4 before Haran's home run sealed it for the Lions in the ninth.
Junior pitcher Joe D'Alessandro tossed seven innings and gave up three runs on three hits for a no-decision.
In the second game, after going down 2-0 in the first inning, the Lions chalked up seven unanswered runs to record an 8-3 win.
Sophomore first baseman Blake Bullis started a five-run rally in the fourth inning with a solo home run, his seventh of the year. Junior shortstop Mike Bruschini followed with a two-run double and two batters later, junior third baseman Rich Kropp capped the scoring with a two-run single.
Eleven batters came to the plate during the inning for the College.
The winning pitcher, senior Vincent Petrillo, threw 5-2/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits. He is now 6-1 with a 3.20 ERA.
Sophomore pitcher Bill Opel tossed two scoreless innings of one-hit ball in relief and junior centerfielder Charles Iacono went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
In Friday's loss to Rutgers, the Lions exchanged the lead with the Scarlet Raptors three times before losing in the 10th inning on an RBI single from senior outfielder Ed McDonnell.
"It was disappointing," Dell said. "They have a good team but it's the manner in which we lost."
In the bottom of the ninth, the Lions failed to score with the bases loaded and their two biggest sluggers, Haran and Bullis, at the plate. After the Scarlet Raptors took the lead on McDonnell's single, the Lions stranded three more runners with no outs in the bottom of the 10th to take the loss.
"If we went down 1-2-3, it isn't as much of a dramatic loss," Dell said.
Sophomore pitcher Brian Kraus surrendered three hits in seven innings and sophomore reliever Blake Ortiz, who was responsible for the game-winning run, took the loss.
Haran continued to carry the Lions in Monday's 9-5 win over Gwynedd Mercy College. He hit his eighth and ninth home runs of the year during a late rally to put away the Griffins.
Trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Lions tallied five runs over the next two frames behind a home run in each inning from Haran, who finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs, two walks and two runs scored.
Senior pitcher Brad Downs surrendered five runs and struck out nine over six innings for a no decision. Ortiz took the win with three scoreless innings in relief.
Last Wednesday, the College suffered an 18-4 thrashing at the hands of Messiah College.
The Falcons took off to an early 9-0 lead as they tallied five runs in the first and poured in four more in the second. Six Lions pitchers couldn't stop the Falcons' offensive onslaught as Messiah batters collected 22 hits on the day, eight of them for extra bases.
Junior pitcher Ryan Casey took the loss in just 1/3 innings of work.
The College will continue NJAC action as it hosts Richard Stockton College on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
(04/13/05 4:00pm)
The College's baseball team entered this past weekend knowing that with four conference games to play in two days, it had a chance to make an impression in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
"It's important," head coach Rick Dell said. "It's an opportunity. With six teams now in the conference tournament, if you can come out of this weekend with a good showing, you're in good shape. It's one quarter of your NJAC schedule."
The Lions, ranked No. 14 in Monday's American Baseball Coaches Association-Collegiate Baseball Poll for Division III, certainly didn't miss out on that opportunity.
After dropping a 7-5 NJAC contest to Richard Stockton College on Thursday, the College took three out of their four conference games this weekend, sweeping a doubleheader from Montclair State University on Saturday and splitting a twin bill with Kean University on Sunday.
"Our goal before Friday was to be either 4-1 after the weekend or 3-2 and we accomplished 3-2," sophomore second baseman Andrew Cosgrove said. "So that puts us in a good position in the conference standings and provides us with the mental attitude we need for the rest of the season."
After winning 17 of their first 20 non-conference games, the Lions' 3-2 record in the last five conference games and 3-1 performance over the weekend may not appear to be as impressive as the first half of the season, but the dawning of conference play has increased the level of competition from opponents.
Even conference rival Rowan University, ranked No. 2 in the nation in Division III, went 14-0 during their non-conference schedule but since the opening of conference play, the Profs have dropped two of their last five and posted a 3-1 mark this weekend.
With identical 4-2 conference records, the Lions and Profs share the top of the tough NJAC, which has featured four nationally ranked teams this season.
"Right now we're still just taking it one game at a time," Dell said.
After getting battered 9-0 in the first game of a home doubleheader with Kean on Sunday, the College regrouped to take the nightcap 9-2 behind eight strong innings of work from senior Vincent Petrillo, who allowed just two runs on five hits.
Sophomore catcher Gerard Haran, who led the Lions with a 3-for-5, four-RBI day at the plate, roped a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to tie the score at two. The Lions piled on with another run in the inning and six more scores by the fifth.
In the first game, the Cougars jumped all over senior pitcher Brad Downs to the tune of eight runs over six innings on seven hits. Kean's junior pitcher Mike Bastita tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits to give the Lions their first shutout in 112 games.
The College took the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Montclair 4-3 in extra innings. Cosgrove tripled to centerfield in the 10th inning with one out and sophomore outfielder Mike Feaster sacrificed home the winning run with a fly ball the next at-bat.
Freshman pitcher Brad Kittle took the win with three scoreless innings of one-hit ball in relief.
In the first game, sophomore third baseman Blake Bullis launched a two-run homer in the Lions' four-run fifth inning to give the College a 9-5 victory. Bullis finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored as part of the Lions' offensive effort that saw seven batters drive in a run.
Junior pitcher Joe D'Alessandro tossed 7-2/3 innings and allowed five runs for his fourth win of the year.
On Monday, No. 23 Johns Hopkins University upset the Lions 8-3 in non-conference action. The Lions let an early 3-0 lead slip away as sophomore reliever Bill Opel was shelled for seven runs on eight hits over 3-2/3 innings in a rare start.
On Thursday, freshman pitcher Mike Oliver was tagged for five runs in 2-2/3 innings and freshman pitcher Brad Kittle gave up two more runs in his 3-1/3 innings in relief to hand the Lions a 7-5 loss to Stockton.
Three errors in the field from the Lions led to three unearned runs attributed to Oliver. It was the third time in five games that the College committed three errors in a game.
"I think it's not so much the errors we made but the plays we didn't make," Dell said. "There were about eight balls (against Stockton) we didn't get to that we should have. We just gave them too much."
The Lions now boast a 20-6 overall record. They will look to improve that mark at Messiah College on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
(04/06/05 4:00pm)
After earning a No. 19 ranking in the American Baseball Coaches Association-Collegiate Baseball poll for Division III last week, the Lions' baseball team proved itself worthy of that national recognition on Friday with a 7-2 win over Rutgers University-Camden, ranked No. 26 in the same poll.
"I would be lying if I said the ranking wasn't important to the team," sophomore reliever Blake Ortiz said. "We try to focus on one game at a time, not so much on how high we are ranked, but for being as young as we are, it's a big step for us."
A 3-for-5 effort with a solo home run and two RBIs from sophomore catcher Gerard Haran and seven strong innings of work from junior pitcher Joe D'Alessandro carried the College in their disposal of the Scarlet Raiders.
The Lions took charge in the top of the fourth inning by plating three runs on consecutive two-out doubles from Haran and junior right fielder Chris Wilson to break a 2-2 tie.
After the Lions tallied two insurance runs in the top of the ninth on Haran's solo homer, Ortiz tossed two perfect innings to collect his third save of the year and give the College its first New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory of the season.
"It was the biggest game of the year for us so far," Ortiz said. "Rutgers was trying to identify themselves as a team who should be recognized as a threat and by beating us, they could have really opened up some eyes. We knew that if we could stop their eight-game win streak then we would show the conference and ourselves that we are a solid ball club."
The College jumped out early in the contest, tacking on single runs in the first two innings, but allowed Rutgers to tie the score with two runs on a string of singles and a wild pitch in the bottom of the second.
A run scoring fielder's choice from Wilson opened the scoring in the first and an RBI ground out from junior center fielder Mike Bruschini gave the Lions their brief 2-0 lead in the second.
Junior designated hitter Rich Kropp went 2-for-4 with a run scored to contribute to the Lions' 11-hit output. Wilson finished 1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
D'Alessandro recorded seven innings with two earned runs surrendered on six hits. He improves to 3-1 on the year with the win. As the NJAC and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Pitcher of the Week last week, he has emerged as a solid contributor for the Lions recently, having allowed just three runs in his last 14 innings pitched.
Friday's rainfall postponed the Lions' Saturday doubleheader scheduled against Kean University. The pair of games was originally moved to Sunday afternoon but was then postponed again until April 9 due to the rain-trodden fields.
On Thursday, the College picked up a 10-3 win over Wilmington College that erased the memories of a 13-8 whipping at the hands of Franklin & Marshall College a few days before.
"To head into conference play with the momentum from this win gives our team a lot of confidence," sophomore first baseman PJ Anzelone, who collected a pair of doubles and two RBIs, said.
Sophomore second baseman Andrew Cosgrove was 3-for-4 on the day with a double, a home run and four RBIs to lead the Lions, while freshman pitcher Mike Oliver tossed five innings and allowed three runs to record the win.
"With a few big conference games ahead of us, this win gets us back on the winning track we want to be on," Anzelone said. "Our team is ready for conference play."
The 16-3 Lions will look to improve their 1-0 record in conference play on Thursday at Richard Stockton College at 3:30 p.m.
(03/30/05 5:00pm)
A 5-0 first inning deficit was too much for even the high-powered lineup of the Lions' baseball team to recover from on Friday, as they suffered a 13-8 loss to Franklin & Marshall College.
The win snapped the Lions' five-game winning streak and dropped their overall record for the season to 14-3.
Usually dependable senior pitcher Vincent Petrillo surrendered five runs before recording the first three outs of the game and gave up three more before he was pulled two outs into the third inning.
"You can't start a game at 3 o'clock and let them have five runs by 3:15," head coach Rick Dell said.
When senior pitcher Brad Downs yielded four runs between the third and fourth innings in relief of Petrillo, the Lions found themselves trailing 12-2 in the fourth inning.
"We let them have another big inning later and that kind of hurt us by digging the hole deeper," Dell said.
Having come back from a 7-1 first-inning deficit earlier for a win against St. Joseph's earlier in the season, the Lions did assemble somewhat of a comeback bid but fell short of getting themselves back within striking distance.
Junior designated hitter Richard Kropp tallied a 2-for-5 day with three RBIs at the plate and sophomore third baseman Blake Bullis went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, adding his fourth home run of the year on a solo shot in the second inning.
The College tacked on four runs in the eighth inning to move within five but had their comeback hopes silenced in the ninth by a scoreless relief inning from freshman pitcher Dan Tischler.
Lions' pitchers surrendered the 13 runs on an uncharacteristic 17 hits and six walks. Poor pitching could be an alarming sign for the College.
"I have some concerns with pitching in general," Dell said. "We have some people who have been inconsistent and some people who have been injured. One thing you want with your pitchers is to know what you're going to get out of them. That's how you decide who to make them up against."
Those concerns could deepen as the College enters the much tougher part of the schedule with conference play next week.
"As you head into conference week, you really want to know how you match up against other teams. You can't let other teams get out ahead early like (Friday) and survive in our conference."
Petrillo finished his day allowing eight runs, five of them earned, on seven hits in 2-2/3 innings and falls to 3-1 on the year. Downs was marked up for four unearned runs on eight hits in 4-1/3 innings.
Seven of the Diplomats' 13 runs were unearned on four errors from a sloppy Lions' team in the field. Despite the poor fielding, however, Dell remains more concerned about the pitching.
"I think we could have pitched better," he said. "You're going to make errors. There's no question about that, but I thought what we really needed was more missed bats."
Last Tuesday, freshman pitcher Bob Buskett pitched his way to his first career collegiate victory, a 10-5 win, over Elizabethtown College, giving up two unearned runs on five hits in five innings.
The Lions combined for 20 hits, scoring all 10 runs in five straight innings from the second to the sixth. Bullis chalked up a 3-for-5 day with three RBIs and added another home run. Kropp, sophomore second baseman Andrew Cosgrove and freshman first baseman Bill Kropp each connected for three hits.
Monday's game against John Hopkins University was rained out and rescheduled for April 11 at 3:30 p.m.
The College will get its most important test of the season thus far when it begins conference play on Friday at 3 p.m. at Rutgers University
(03/23/05 5:00pm)
The College's baseball team continued its winning ways upon returning to New Jersey, picking up four more wins over the weekend after a 9-2 season-opening road trip to Florida last week.
"It's funny," head coach Rick Dell said. "You go to Florida and the air is warmer and the ground is softer. It takes you a couple days to get acclimated. Then you come home, where the air is cooler and the ground is harder, and you have to get acclimated again. But it's great to see us still play hard and well."
The Lions swept their third doubleheader of the season on Saturday against Haverford College behind a pair of superb outings from their starting pitchers and a 26-run offensive outburst that saw the Lions bat around the lineup in each game.
In the second game, freshman pitcher Mike Oliver bounced back from a poor showing in Florida to toss seven scoreless innings with just four hits and collect the first collegiate victory of his career in the Lions' 14-0 trouncing of the Fords.
"He did a super job. He couldn't have done any better," Dell said.
The College batted around to score seven runs in the seventh inning, with nine consecutive batters reaching base safely. The rally was capped by a two-RBI double from sophomore catcher Gerard Haran to score junior right fielder Chris Wilson and junior designated hitter Rich Kropp for the fifth and sixth runs of the inning.
Kropp, who was 1-for-3, roped a two-run homer over the left field wall with two outs in the second to opening the scoring for the Lions. Wilson led the Lions, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs at the plate.
"They hit well in some clutch situations," Dell said.
Sophomore pitchers Blake Ortiz and Bill Opel each worked a scoreless inning in relief to close out the game.
In the first game Saturday, the College downed the Fords 12-1 behind seven scoreless innings from senior pitcher Vincent Petrillo, who allowed just three hits and fanned six.
The Lions plated five runs while batting around in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kropp contributed a bases-clearing double to score three runs. Still with two outs, Kropp scored on single from Wilson the following at-bat and sophomore third baseman Blake Bullis drove in Wilson with a single two batters later.
The Lions were successful at the plate with runners in scoring position, going 7-for-12 with eight RBIs when there were two runners on.
"As a team we got some real good deliveries with two outs," Dell said. "That's why we had a relatively easy day. Sometimes that can be contagious through the lineup."
Haran added a two-run homer over the left field wall in the sixth. Bullis finished the game 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Kropp was 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Petrillo is now 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA.
The College stifled the Haverford bats with their gloves, saving a number of potential runs with excellent range in the outfield and some impressive grabs by Bullis at third base throughout the day.
"We made good plays and that breaks the opponent's spirit," Dell said. "It can really stop them from scoring."
On Friday, senior pitcher Brad Downs, who was not expected to start, pitched the Lions to an 11-2 victory over Ursinus College in place of sophomore pitcher Brian Kraus, who was scheduled to start but was scratched due to injury.
"Downs really stepped it up for us," Dell said.
Kropp put together another solid day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Bullis, sophomore infielder Andrew Cosgrove and sophomore first baseman PJ Anzelone each added two RBIs.
On Monday, the Lions chalked up their fourth straight victory by the score of 11-2 over Arcadia University. Junior pitcher Joe D'Alessandro allowed one run in seven strong innings, while Haran and Wilson both homered.
The College's game against Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday was washed out due to rain. No makeup game has been scheduled yet.
The 12-2 Lions will host Gwynedd-Mercy College today at 3 p.m.
(03/23/05 12:00pm)
Head coach Tom Brennan's tearful smile said it all.
His No. 13 seed, the Catamounts of Vermont University, who had never defeated a ranked opponent in their 105-year history, had just shocked fourth-seeded Syracuse 60-57 in an overtime thriller Saturday night. It was the school's biggest win and first ever in NCAA tournament action. To add to the drama, the win came in what might have been the last game as head coach for Brennan, who will be retiring at season's end after 19 years at Vermont.
"There's no drug, nothing in the world that is that feeling," an emotional Brennan said. "There is nothing that can make you feel like that."
Except, of course, the NCAA Tournament.
Welcome to March Madness, where talent, prior success and everything else that usually applies in sports is cast aside and the impossible becomes not only possible, but expected. At this time of year, no team is ever a lock to win and no lead is ever safe.
Every game comes down to the wire and unlikely heroes emerge out of nowhere. That's the nature - and magic - of the Big Dance. With a 64-team field being whittled down to 16 based on the basis of one-game elimination in a single weekend, once the underdog darlings are unleashed, there is really no limit to the potential excitement.
The Catamounts haven't been the only unlikely Cinderella to topple an overwhelmingly favored juggernaut in the tournament to this point. In fact, just eight of the top 16 teams have survived the first two rounds.
In what was the most shocking upset yet, the Bison of Bucknell University, a No. 14 seed hailing from the meager Patriot League, stunned third-seeded Kansas 64-63 Friday night for the first NCAA Tournament victory in the school's 110-year history. For a better idea of just how unlikely the win was, no Patriot League representative had ever won an NCAA Tournament game, while the Jawhawks were pegged by many experts as the tournament favorites in the preseason.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee took this year's honors of being the traditional No. 12 seed to knock off a fifth-seed on Thursday with their 83-73 upset over Alabama. The Panthers took things one step further, knocking off fourth-seeded Boston College 83-75 to become just the fifth 12th-seeded team to reach the Sweet 16.
Perhaps the biggest bracket-breaker, and certainly the most thrilling game of the tournament to this point, was seventh-seeded West Virginia's 111-105 double-overtime toppling of No. 2 seed Wake Forest. The Mountaineers tore through a 13-point halftime deficit and jumped out early in the both overtime periods to bounce out the Demon Deacons, who were ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation for two weeks earlier in the season and were my own personal pick to win it all.
That wasn't all. The defending champion and second-seeded UConn Huskies are out of play after being edged out in the second round 65-62 by No. 10 seed NC State on Sunday, and a pair of No. 3 seeds, Gonzaga and Oklahoma, have been ousted.
Action resumes on Thursday and Friday, when the remaining 16 teams will be whittled down to the Elite Eight.
The most star-studded matchup this round will be third-seeded Arizona versus second-seeded Oklahoma State. The Wildcats looked impressive in their 85-63 trouncing of UAB on Saturday, while the Cowboys, who boast one of the most talented squads in the nation, appeared shaky at times without point guard John Lucas Jr. on the court in their 85-77 win over Southern Illinois. The deciding factor in this game may be whether or not the Cowboys' defensive specialist Daniel Bobik can keep up with Arizona's sharpshooter Salim Stoudamire.
No. 1 seeded powerhouse North Carolina will face fifth-seeded Villanova, one of the only teams in the nation with enough potential offensive firepower to match the Tar Heels. If Raymond Felton does not hold strong as the floor leader, like in Carolina's 71-70 loss to Duke earlier in the year, the Tar Heels could set themselves up for a potential upset against such a capable Wildcats' squad.
Similarly, Duke could find themselves in a heap of trouble against fifth-ranked Michigan State if Sheldon Williams cannot keep himself out of foul trouble. With an undersized team and a great lack of depth, Williams is the Blue Devils' only chance at containing Michigan State's powerful center Paul Davis.
Utah does not look like a team content with just a Sweet 16 finish. Expect Andrew Bogut and the Runnin' Utes to be gunning hard for an Elite Eight berth against second-seed Kentucky, who may struggle to find an answer for Bogut in the paint.
Julius Hodge of NC State, who I consider the best one-on-one scorer in the country, could be too much to contain for the Wisconsin Badgers, who have not squared off against a quality opponent thus far in the tournament.
As usual, fourth-seeded Louisville will have to rely on their outside shooting from Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon to have any hope against No. 1 seed Washington University, who could have trouble sizing up down low against the slightly bulkier Cardinals.
West Virginia will look to continue riding momentum against Texas Tech on Friday, while Wisconsin-Milwaukee will likely have their hands full with No. 1 seed overall Illinois on Thursday.
It is March, though, so upsets are always possible. The only thing for certain at this point is that only one of the remaining 16 teams will be cutting the nets down in St. Louis on April 4.
Third Round Predictions: Illinois, Oklahoma State, Louisville, West Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Utah
(03/16/05 5:00pm)
The College's baseball team kicked off its season to a blistering start last week, winning nine of 11 games during a 10-day visit to Florida.
"It's nice," head coach Rick Dell said. "Winning is always positive. In this case, it's a result of having a good approach to things."
The College's approach certainly worked. Playing the first 11 of their 39 scheduled regular season games in just 10 days, the Lions stringed together enough key hitting and quality pitching to put together a nine-game winning streak, which was snapped on Sunday when the Lions surrendered five unearned runs on four errors in a 7-3 loss to Wheaton College.
In the toughest part of the stretch, the College posted four wins in two days by sweeping consecutive doubleheaders from Rhode Island College on Friday and St. Joseph's College on Thursday.
Senior pitcher Vincent Petrillo and sophomore pitcher Brian Kraus each provided solid starts to lead the College against Rhode Island, which managed just one run over both games.
"(Petrillo and Kraus) have started to establish themselves," Dell said. "I think what they did was play it one pitch at a time and turn in really good performances. They made the quality pitches and threw strikes."
In the first half of the doubleheader, Petrillo fanned 10 Anchormen and gave up just one run on four hits in six innings. Sophomore reliever Bill Opel closed out the contest in the seventh for a 4-1 win. Junior catcher Justin Gorski was 1-for-2 with two RBIs in the fourth inning, while sophomore left fielder Tom Grohs also added an RBI. With the win, Petrillo improved to 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Despite having their bats silenced by Anchmormen starter Eric Thiabult in the second game, the College managed a 1-0 win behind smart play and more solid pitching.
"Those are good days when you can win like that," Dell said. "You keep battling and make good things happen."
After Kraus offered seven shutout innings for the Lions, sophomore catcher Gerard Haran plated junior designated hitter Rich Kropp with a sacrifice fly to break a scoreless tie in the sixth and hand Kraus his first victory of the year.
"You have to be able to win no matter what happens," Dell said. "(Friday against Rhode Island) was a good example of that and (Thursday against St. Joseph's) was even better."
After freshman starter Bob Buskett left the Lions trailing 7-1 after the first inning of the second game against St. Joseph's, the College manufactured an 11-10 comeback win, responding to the Pumas' quick start with three runs in the second inning and seven more by the sixth.
Sophomore third baseman Blake Bullis tied the score at seven by roping a two-run home run in the fourth and junior infielder Mike Bruschini later tied the score again at eight runs apiece with a solo blast in the sixth inning. Sophomore outfielder P.J. Anzelone gave the Lions the lead for good with an RBI pinch-hit single later in the sixth.
Bullis finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and his fourth inning home run was his second of the year. He leads the Lions with 11 RBIs and gave the College an 11-8 win over Wartburg last Tuesday with a grand slam.
"He's been hitting third and fifth," Dell said. "To be a good ball club we're going to need production from him in there."
In the first game against St. Joseph's on Thursday, the College emerged with a 6-5 victory despite another short outing from their starter. Freshman pitcher Mike Oliver surrendered two runs in 1-1/3 innings but freshman Brad Kittle relieved him with 4-2/3 scoreless innings. Haran and junior centerfielder Charles Iacono each doubled in a pair of runs in the fourth to give Opel his first win of the season in relief.
After the College dropped its season opener 8-1 to York College on March 4, the winning streak began the following day with a 16-2 win over Concordia University and continued the next day with a 5-1 win over Manchester College, in which Kraus again led the Lions, yielding just one run in five innings.
The doubleheader sweeps Thursday and Friday were sandwiched between a 14-4 trouncing of Husson College on Monday and a 16-15 edging of Nichols College on Saturday. With their pitching stretched thin, the Lions survived 11 runs in the final three innings from Nichols, behind a balanced attack at the plate that saw six Lions chip in two RBIs.
The College will host Ursinus College on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by home games on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
(03/02/05 5:00pm)
While both of the College's basketball teams had their playoff runs ended by Rowan University, several Lions' players were honored for their performance on the court during the regular season.
Senior guard Derick Grant capped off a spectacular career last Wednesday by being named the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Year.
As the conference's only player to pour in over 500 points this year, Grant earned Pony Wilson Player of the Year honors by topping the NJAC in scoring with 20.8 points per game and leading his Lions to a 17-9, third-place finish this season. The Lions' tri-captain and floor leader finished 15th in the league with 2.04 assists per game, fifth in free-throw percentage at .793, fourth in three point shooting percentage at .389 and third in minutes played.
Grant was a two-time All-Conference selection during his four years at the College and twice garnered NJAC Player of the Week honors during his senior season. He concludes his career as the College's second leading scorer with 1,543 career points.
The success of the Lions' women this season was rewarded with plenty of individual awards as well.
Senior forward Theresa DiMedio was named the NJAC Co-Player of the Year and junior guard Tiara Simpkins was picked as the NJAC Defensive Player of the Year. DiMedio and junior guard Alexa Shields were picked to represent the Lions on the NJAC All-Conference First Team, while junior forward Erin Frank earned an honorable mention.
DiMedio and Shields tied for the team scoring lead, both averaging 11.3 points per game. Frank led the Lions with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Women's head coach Dawn Henderson was picked as the NJAC Coach of the Year. It is the fourth time she has been honored as the top coach, having also earned the award in 1994, 1999 and 2002.
Under her guidance, the program has garnered two NJAC Championships and advanced to the NCAA Division III second round five times, including last year's appearance. Henderson has accumulated a record of 234-83 to date in 12 seasons at the College, making her the school's all-time wins leader for a coach. Since her arrival at the College, the Lions have participated in 11 of 12 NJAC tournaments.