Five Bulldogs Earns All-Conference Baseball Honors

Five Named All-Conference For 2005

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. --- A total of five Bryant University baseball players were recognized on the 2005 Northeast-10 Conference All-Conference baseball team which was announced Sunday afternoon.  The Bulldogs placed two players on the second team and three on the third team after finishing the year 22-21 overall and reaching the conference tournament for the second year in a row.
    
Junior second-baseman Adam Rourke (Rowley, Mass.) - left - was named second team all-conference after hitting a team-best .355 with 55 hits and seven doubles.  Rourke started the season playing right field but moved to second just prior to the start of conference play and turned in a stellar season.  This spring, Rourke had 118 assists and a field percentage of .926, helping the Bulldogs turn 33 double plays.
   
Joining Rourke on the second team was slugger Daryle Crowley (Danvers, Mass.).  The junior leftfielder hit .303 and drove in 27 runs in 38 games for the Bulldogs.  With nine doubles, two home runs, Crowley led the team with a .423 slugging percentage this season. 

First baseman Mike Rocco (Tewksbury, Mass.), third baseman Paul Novakowski (Prospect, Conn.), and centerfielder Mickey Ryan (Lowell, Mass.) all earned third team all-conference honors for 2005.  Rocco hit .277 as a sophomore this season, finishing with six doubles and a triple in starting all but one game this year at first.

Novakowski was second on the team with a .314 batting average this year and while his hitting was among the best in the league this year, his defense at third helped earn recognition this year by the conference coaches.  Novakowski, showing tremendous range and arm strength, had 93 assists this year and committed only seven errors for a fielding percentage of .950.  

Ryan, a returning all-American this season, batted .250 with 39 hits including five doubles and a pair of triples.

Complete release at:  www.northeast10.org