Weekly Update: Catch-Up Edition

The Navigators Media staff has all arrived in the North Shore, and we are hard at work in preparation for Opening Night (June 4 at Fraser vs. Sanford).  Here’s the catch-up edition of the Weekly Update, which will become a staple of NavigatorsBlog in May:

P Sebastian Bellitto (St. Bonaventure Bonnies) is 3-3 with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts with one complete game.  Bellitto has struck out 34 batters and walked 26 in 49.0 innings, while providing the only two successful pick-off attempts of the Bonnies’ season.  St. Bonaventure is 21-20 (7-13 in the Atlantic-10) after losing three games this past weekend against Masschusetts in Amherst.

IF Kyle Bellows (San Jose St. Spartans) ranks second on San Jose St. with a .350 batting average and 32 RBI, while standing in a tie for third on the team with three home runs.  The Spartans are 32-15 overall with an 8-6 record in the WAC and only five losses at home in 28 contests.

IF Benjamin Benigno (Franklin Pierce Ravens) is hitting .277 with one home run and 26 RBI in 46 games (44 starts) and has added eight stolen bases this year.  The Ravens are 33-15 on the season with only two losses in 18 home games.  Franklin Pierce is 24-6 in the Northeast-10 conference thus far.

P Matthew Boylan (Brown Bears) is 2-1 eith a 5.94 ERA in 12 appearances and six starts.  Boylan, who recently began to extend himself in a starting role, has effectively pitched to contact, allowing only 14 walks in 33.1 innings pitched.  Brown is 24-19-1 on the year with only one home loss in 18 games and a 15-5 Ivy League record.  

IF Patrick Brady (Bellarmine Knights) is hitting .322 and ranks second on the team with six home runs and 41 RBI.  Brady has shown tremendous plate discipline, walking 17 times with only 11 strikeouts in 183 at-bats, and leads the Knights in stolen bases with 15 in 18 attempts.  Bellarmine is 33-22 thus far with a 19-13 record in the GLVC.

P Tim Busbin (UC-Davis Aggies) has made 10 appearances out of the bullpen, compiling a 1-1 record and a 5.14 ERA while striking out nine batters in 14.0 innings pitched.  Busbin has also contributed at the plate, collecting six hits in 19 at-bats (.316) with two RBI.  The Aggies are 7-35 this season with one win in Big West action.

P Matthew Costello (Valdosta St. Blazers) leads the Blazers in batting, hitting at an astounding .512 clip, while recording 10 home runs and 65 RBI in 47 starts and 166 at-bats.  Costello has an other-worldly .831 slugging percentage and a .597 on-base percentage, with only 15 strike-outs.  On the mound, Costello has been stellar as well, turning in an 8-2 record and a 3.76 ERA in 19 appearances (12 starts) with two complete games, one shutout, and two saves.  Costello has led the Blazers to a 37-17 season with an 11-7 record in the Gulf South Conference.

OF Tre Dennis (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) is hitting .227 with a home run and nine RBI in 28 games.  Dennis has stolen six bases and is one of six Dirtbags to collect a triple this season.  Long Beach St. is 23-20 thus far, and 10-5 in Big West conference play.

OF Tyler Derby (Campbellsville Tigers) is batting .303 with 16 RBI.  Derby has plagued opponent-pitching, walking 29 times with only 16 strikeouts in 132 at-bats, while recording a .429 on-base percentage.  Campbellsville is 35-9 this year with only four losses coming in 25 home games.  The Tigers were superb in Mid South Conference play, posting a 16-1 record with their only loss coming at Lindsey Wilson.  With a win at Georgetown College on Sunday, Campbellsville wrapped up their fifth consecutive MSC Tournament title.  The NAIA National Championship begins on May 12.

C Michael Dowd (Franklin Pierce Ravens) leads the Ravens in batting at .374 with six home runs and 38 RBI.  Dowd boasts a .563 slugging percentage, a team-best .449 on-base percentage, eight stolen bases, and has only struck out 15 times in 174 at-bats.  As noted above, the Ravens are 33-15 on the season with only two losses in 18 home games.  Franklin Pierce is 24-6 in the Northeast-10 conference thus far.

P Mark Fraser (Rhode Island Rams) has a 4.22 ERA with no record in 17 appearances out of the bullpen.  Fraser has struck out 16 in 10.2 innings pitched while limiting opponents to a .243 batting average.  The Rams are 32-15-1 with a 13-2 record at home and a 17-3 record in Atlantic-10 play.

P Jared Freni (UMass Minutemen) is 1-3 with a 6.76 ERA in 12 starts this season.  Freni has collected one complete game with 40 strikeouts in 60.0 innings pitched.  Freni has not been hesitant to pitch batters inside, hitting a team-high 11 batters thus far this year.  The Minutemen stand at 19-22 with an 11-10 record in the Atlantic-10. 

C John Hill (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) is batting .282 with a home run and six RBI in 17 games and 39 at-bats.  Hill has posted a superb .408 on-base percentage and .818 OPS.  As noted above, Long Beach St. is 23-20 thus far, and 10-5 in Big West conference play.

P Ryan Juarez (Cal. State-Northridge Matadors) is 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA in a team-high 11 starts with one complete game.  Juarez has racked up a team-best 65.1 innings pitched while only issuing 24 walks.  Northridge is 18-29 this year with a 4-14 Big West record.

P Nate Klein (Hawaii Rainbow Warriors) is 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in eight starts.  Klein has showcased tremendous control on the mound, only walking nine batters in 44.0 innings pitched.  Hawaii is 27-20 with a 9-10 record in the WAC.

P Christopher Kowalski (Boston College Eagles) is 3-1 with a 5.47 ERA in a team-leading 24 appearances out of the bullpen.  Kowalski has been difficult to hit this year, allowing only 23 hits and a .253 opponent batting average in 24.2 innings pitched.  The Eagles are 29-19 on the year and 12-13 in the ACC.

IF Alex Lee (Wofford Terriers) is hitting .264 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 26 games.  Lee has displayed excellent plate discipline, walking 22 times with only 18 strikeouts and a .442 on-base percentage.  Wofford is 17-26 and 7-16 in the Southern Conference.

P Matt Lewis (UC-Davis Aggies) is 0-1 with a 11.12 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen.  Lewis has nearly one strike out per inning pitched, recording 11 strikeouts in 11.1 innings of work.  As noted above, the Aggies are 7-35 this season with one win in Big West action. 

P Frank Luongo (Pace Setters) is 2-2 with a 4.30 ERA in 20 appearances out of the bullpen with a team-best six saves.  Luongo has been tough to hit, permitting a mere .218 opponent batting average in 23.0 innings pitched.  Pace is 20-30-1 on the year with a 13-17 record in the Northeast-10.

P Jason Markovitz (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) has spent on the mound as both a starter and a back-end reliever, posting a 1-1 record and a 3.31 ERA in 15 appearances with two starts and 16.1 innings pitched.  Markovitz holds a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has only allowed six earned runs.  As noted above, Long Beach St. is 23-20 thus far, and 10-5 in Big West conference play.

C Joe Medeiros (UC-Davis Aggies) is hitting .339 with one home run and 8 RBI in 26 games and 13 starts. As noted above, the Aggies are 7-35 this season with one win in Big West action. 

OF Kyle Multner (UMass Minutemen) ranks third on the Minutemen with a .320 batting average to go with four home runs and 20 RBI.  Multner has a .520 slugging percentage and an .889 OPS thus far.  As noted above,  the Minutemen stand at 19-22 with an 11-10 record in the Atlantic-10.

P/OF Jim Schult (Eastern Connecticut State Warriors) is third on the Warriors with a .411 batting average and five home runs, while ranking second on the team with 44 RBI.  Schult has compiled an absurd .721 slugging percentage and .510 on-base percentage in 35 games.  On the mound, Schult has been dominant in seven starts, posting a 3-0 record and a 3.13 ERA.  Schult has struck out 30 batters while walking only 11 and holding opponents to a .260 batting average.  Eastern Connecticut St., at 32-6 overall and 11-3 in Little East Conference action, was recently ranked fourth among the nation’s Division III baseball teams by D3Baseball.com.

P Jeff Tardiff (Le Moyne Dolphins) holds a team-best 3.04 ERA with a 5-2 record in 11 starts.  Tardiff has registered three complete games and a team-high 80.0 innings pitched, striking out 57 batters and holding opponents to a .267 batting average.  The Dolphins are 21-21 on the year.

OF Tyler Thompson (Florida Gators) has seen increased playing time off the bench, appearing in 30 games with six starts and recording a .250 batting average (10-40) with six RBI in his freshman campaign.  Thompson has contributed to Florida’s superb season, in which they have gone 34-14 with only six losses in 30 games at home and a 16-8 record in the SEC.  The Gators are ranked 11th in the nation by Baseball America and 12th in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll (with two first place votes).

P Michael Zaccardo (Connecticut Huskies) has not yet appeared in a game during his freshman season.  The Huskies are 27-21 with 10-11 in the Big East.

Head Coach Jason Falcon (Clark Cougars) led Clark University to a 14-21 record before falling to MIT in the NEWMAC (New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference) Tournament Semifinals.

…check back soon for introductions to our three newest navsbloggers…

Weekly Update: 3/23 – 4/5

This extended version of the NavigatorsBlog Weekly Update is highlighted by Sebastian Bellitto, who now leads St. Bonaventure with a 2.59 ERA after seven-plus innings of one-run baseball against A-10 opponent Saint Joseph’s, and Mike Dowd, who leads Franklin Pierce in hitting at .350.

P Sebastian Bellitto (St. Bonaventure Bonnies) sparkled in the Bonnies’ 3-1 win over Saint Joseph’s, lasting 7.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five.  The win improved Bellitto’s record to 3-1, where it remains after a relief appearance against George Washington last Sunday.  The Bonnies, who have won six of their last eight games, are 13-9 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  Bellitto holds a team-best 2.59 ERA.

IF Kyle Bellows (San Jose St. Spartans) went a combined 4-10 with four runs scored in back-to-back games against #12 Cal Poly and CSU Bakersfield.  Bellows ended this two-week stretch with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored at Hawaii.  After losing three of four in Hawaii, San Jose St. stands at 20-8 and 1-3 in the WAC.  Bellows is hitting .355 with a home run and 15 RBI.

IF Benjamin Benigno (Franklin Pierce Ravens) went 4-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored in Franklin Pierce’s 15-2 win over American International.  With help from Benigno and his six stolen bases, the Ravens are now 7-3 in conference play and sit at 16-12 overall.  Benigno is batting .266 with a home run and 13 RBI.

P Matthew Boylan (Brown Bears) picked up his first two wins of the year, both coming in conference play.  Boylan began this two-week stretch throwing 4.1 innings of one-run baseball in a 20-8 win over Pepperdine before recording the win over Princeton with four-plus innings of two-run baseball.  Boylan finished last week with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief while striking out two, helping Brown best Columbia 9-7 and extending Boylan’s record to 2-0 on the year with a 4.29 ERA.

IF Patrick Brady (Bellarmine Knights) went 2-4 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, and three stolen bases in Bellarmine’s 11-8 win over Kentucky Wesleyan.  Brady totaled six runs batted in as Bellarmine won six of their last ten games, bringing the Knights’ record to 21-13 on the year.  Brady is hitting .289 with three home runs and 22 RBI.

P Tim Busbin (UC-Davis Aggies) has made one appearance in the last two weeks, throwing 2.2 innings and allowing three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out two in the Aggies’ 14-0 loss to Tony Gwynn and San Diego St. in a game started by Stephen Strasburg, who is expected to be the 1st pick of the 2009 Major League Baseball amateur draft.  Busbin is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA on the year.

P Matthew Costello (Valdosta St. Blazers) homered in the Blazers’ 5-1 win over Albany St., picked up three hits and three RBI in eight at-bats against West Alabama, collected four hits, four RBI, and four runs scored against West Georgia, and completed play last week by going 3-3 with his seventh home run, two RBI, and two runs scored while throwing seven innings of one-run-ball on the mound.  Valdosta State is 25-13 this year and Costello is hitting .525 with seven home runs and 50 RBI.  On the mound, Costello is 6-1 with a 4.36 ERA.

OF Tre Dennis (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) has been solid atop the Long Beach St. batting order of late, going 1-4 with two runs scored and a walk against San Diego at the beginning of this two-week stretch.  The Dirtbags are now three games under .500, and Dennis is batting .250 with one home run and eight RBI.

OF Tyler Derby (Campbellsville Tigers) walked four times and scored twice in the Tigers’ 12-1 win over Union University, went 2-4 with two runs scored in a 14-0 win over West Virginia Tech, and scored two runs and stole a base in a consequent game against West Virginia Tech.  Campbellsville is now 27-6, and has only lost once in 14 conference games.  Derby is batting .290 and 13 RBI.

C Michael Dowd (Franklin Pierce Ravens) has been dominant of late; he homered against Southern New Hampshire, went 2-3 with a homer, three RBI, and a stolen base against American International, went 3-5 with a double and two RBI later in the series, went 2-3 with three RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base against Saint Rose, went 4-4 with a two doubles, a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored against Saint Michael’s, and picked up three more hits and a stolen base against Southern Connecticut State.  Dowd is now hitting a team-high .350 with four home runs and 24 RBI.

…continue to check back as the weekly update is extended to include all of the navigators…

Weekly Update: 3/16 – 3/22

NavigatorsBlog will be providing weekly updates on the 2009 Navigators’ collegiate seasons.  The March 16-March 22 updates are highlighted by Valdosta St.’s Matthew Costello, who was named the Gulf South Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

P Sebastian Bellitto (St. Bonaventure Bonnies) started and picked up the win in the Bonnies’ 6-1 victory over Buffalo in game one of a mid-week doubleheader.  Bellitto hurled four scoreless innings in the seven inning contest, only allowing three hits and two walks while striking out two.  Bellitto also started the final game of a three-game set with Dayton over the weekend.  Bellitto picked up the loss, tossing six innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on ten hits and three walks while striking out one.  The Bonnies finished the week 1-4, splitting a doubleheader with Buffalo and losing three times in A-10 play in Dayton, and now stand at 7-7.  On the season, Bellitto is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA.

IF Kyle Bellows (San Jose St. Spartans) went 2-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored in the Spartans’ 31-1 win over Chicago State.  Bellows followed that up with a big weekend against Dartmouth, going a combined 4-7 with a home run, five RBI, three runs scored, and three stolen bases.  San Jose St. went 5-0 on the week with three wins against Chicago State and two wins over Dartmouth and now stand at 16-3 on the year.  Bellows is hitting .395 with one home run and 13 RBI.

IF Benjamin Benigno (Franklin Pierce Ravens) picked up a hit in the Ravens’ 9-5 loss at Lynn University.  Franklin Pierce went 1-4 last week after opening the season with a 6-5 record.  Benigno is hitting .204 with seven RBI in the young season.

P Matthew Boylan (Brown Bears) did not pitch over the weekend at San Diego.  Brown lost the first two games of the series before defeating San Diego 9-8 on Sunday, and now stand at 2-7 on the year.  Boylan has no record and a 5.06 ERA on the year.

IF Patrick Brady (Bellarmine Knights) went 3-5  with two doubles, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base in a 15-3 game one win of a four-game series at Lewis University and Brady stole two bases in the final game, a 4-2 win, against Lewis.  Bellarmine won three of four against Lewis over the weekend to stretch their record to 15-9 on the season.  Brady is hitting .277 with two home runs and 16 RBI thus far.

P Tim Busbin (UC-Davis Aggies) did not play last week, as the Aggies had a week off.  They are now 3-12 this season.  Busbin is 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in five appearances out of the bullpen and is 4-11 at the plate in five games (three starts) with a double.

P Matthew Costello (Valdosta St. Blazers) earned Gulf South Conference Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, batting .542 with three doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI, and seven runs scored while leading the Blazers to a 4-1 record over #26 North Georgia and Alabama-Huntsville.  Valdosta St. is now 24-10 on the year, and Costello is hitting .526 with four home runs and 40 RBI in 95 at-bats.  On the mound, Costello is 5-0 with a 4.50 ERA in eight starts.

OF Tre Dennis (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) batted lead off, picked up a hit, and stole a base in the Dirtbags’ 12-6 win over Loyola Marymount.  Long Beach St. would then travel to Wichita St. and lose two of three to the Shockers, giving the Dirtbags a 7-11 record on the year.  Dennis is hitting .250 with one home run and six RBI this year.

OF Tyler Derby (Campbellsville Tigers) collected four RBI in the Tigers’ sweep of Pikeville, including a 2-4 day with a double in game one of the four game series.  With a 5-1 week, the Tigers are now 21-3 on the season and a perfect 9-0 in Mid South Conference play.  Derby is batting .328 with 13 RBI and five stolen bases.

C Michael Dowd (Franklin Pierce Ravens) caught three of the Ravens’ five games last week.  Franklin Pierce went 1-4 after opening the season with a 6-5 record. Dowd is hitting .288 with one home run and seven RBI in 15 games this year.

P Mark Fraser (Rhode Island Rams) faced one batter and allowed a hit in Rhode Island’s 11-9 win at William & Mary.  The Rams, who swept a doubleheader against William & Mary and took two of three at George Washington over the weekend, now stand at 12-6 with wins over Miami, Ohio St., and Oklahoma St. already this year.  On the season, Fraser has not allowed a run in five appearances out of the bullpen.

P Jared Freni (UMass Minutemen) hurled 6.1 innings, only surrendering two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out four, but received a no-decision in UMass’ 14-inning, 4-3 loss in Richmond.  The Minutemen, now 5-9, split mid-week games with George Mason and VCU before losing two of three at Richmond.  Freni (0-1) leads eligible pitchers on UMass with a 3.96 ERA in four starts.

C John Hill (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) did not appear in a game during the Dirtbags’ 2-2 week against Loyola Marymount and Wichita St, extending the Long Beach St. record to 7-11.  Hill is batting .150 with one home run and two RBI in 20 at-bats.

P Nate Klein (Hawaii Rainbow Warriors) did not pitch in the Rose City Baseball Invitational, in which Hawaii won three of their four games with wins over Washington, Oregon, and Portland.  The Rainbow Warriors are now 13-7 this season.  Thus far, Klein is 0-1 with a 4.21 ERA in four starts.

P Matt Lewis (UC-Davis Aggies) did not play last week, as the Aggies had a week off.  They are now 3-12 this season.  Lewis has no record and a 4.50 ERA in 8.0 IP out of the bullpen this season.

P Frank Luongo (Pace Setters) pitched twice in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings against Molloy and hurling 2.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts at Saint Anselm.  The Setters finished the week 2-3 and are now 6-11-1 on the year.  In six appearances out of the bullpen, Luongo has no record and an 8.68 ERA.

P Jason Markovitz (Long Beach St. Dirtbags) pitched in three games last week for the Dirtbags against Loyola Marymount and Wichita St., hurling 3.1 scoreless innings and allowing two hits while striking out two.  Long Beach St. now stands at 7-11 on the year.  Markovitz has no record and a 1.17 ERA in seven appearances out of the bullpen.

C Joe Medeiros (UC-Davis Aggies) did not play last week, as the Aggies had a week off.  They are now 3-12 this season.  Medeiros is hitting .263 with two RBI in 12 games this year.

OF Kyle Multner (UMass Minutemen) hit safely in four of UMass’ five games last week, including a two-hit game against VCU and a 1-3 day with an RBI and two runs scored in UMass’ 24-9 win over Richmond.  The Minutemen, now 5-9, split mid-week games with George Mason and VCU before losing two of three at Richmond.  Multner is batting .259 with four RBI thus far.

P Jeff Tardiff (Le Moyne Dolphins) started the first game of a four-game set at Stony Brook and took the loss, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking out six.  The Dolphins were able to salvage the final game of the series by the score of 10-7 after losing the first three, bringing their record to 4-13 on the season.  Tardiff is 1-2 with a 5.58 ERA in five starts, including one complete game.

OF Tyler Thompson (Florida Gators) saw action in four of the Gators’ five games this week and picked up an RBI sacrifice fly in Florida’s 7-3 win over UCF.  Florida won all five games they played, beating Florida St. and UCF in mid-week contests before sweeping Tennessee over the weekend in Gainesville to push their record to 14-7.  Thompson, a highly-touted prospect fighting for playing time on a talented Gators squad, is batting .130 in 23 at-bats with two RBI.

P Michael Zaccardo (Connecticut Huskies) has not yet appeared in a game in his freshman campaign.  The Huskies finished the week 2-3, but a sweep at the hands of West Virginia left Connecticut 0-3 in Big East play with a 7-10 overall record.

IF Chad Zurcher (Memphis Tigers) went a combined 4-12 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, five runs scored, and three stolen bases in a three-game series against Marshall.  Memphis, 9-12 overall and 1-2 in C-USA action, lost two of three to Marshall after losing mid-week contests against UT-Martin and Ole Miss.  Zurcher, who started all five games this week, is batting .267 with one home run and eight RBI in 12 games.

Head Coach Jason Falcon (Clark Cougars) has led Clark University to a 7-10 record to open up the season.  Clark went 2-2 last week with wins over Norwich and WPI.

Please check NavigatorsBlog periodically, as weekly college updates will become a staple of the blog up until the start of the NECBL season.