April 13, 2009

BASEBALL MOVES UP TO NUMBER TWO IN NEW ENGLAND IN
LATEST NEIBA POLL; RANKED SECOND IN NORTHEAST BY PING! BASEBALL

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - A 3-1 week against New England baseball teams, including beating URI for the second time this season moved the Bryant baseball team up from number three to number two in New England according to the newest New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association poll. The team also moved into the number two spot in the Ping! Baseball Power Rankings for the Northeast Region (includes ME, NH, VT, RI, MA, NY, PA, MD, NJ, CT, DE, DC). That poll can be found here.

The Bulldogs sat at number three in New England Division I baseball for the first two weeks, but victories over Boston College, Brown, Harvard, Maine and URI twice have given Bryant a 6-1 record against New England DI opponents and bumped the team up to the second spot in a tie with URI. Bryant knocked off URI, 7-1, in Smithfield earlier this season before claiming a 5-1 win last week in Kingston. The Bulldogs also had wins over Harvard and UMass Lowell last week, with a loss to Brown mixed in.

Bryant battles Northeastern, who is ranked fourth in New England, on Tuesday in Boston before traveling to Boca Raton, Florida to take on Florida Atlantic.

Ping! Basebell- Northeast Region

NEIBA Poll (Week of April 13, 2009)

Division I
1. Boston College (8)   22-12 40 pts.
2. Bryant   25-10 25 pts.
2. Rhode Island   19-12-1     25 pts.
4. Northeastern   17-11 16 pts.
5. Dartmouth      14-10 7 pts.
Also Receiving Votes: Connecticut (6), Maine (1).

Division II
1. UMass Lowell (2)     16-9  18 pts.
2. Franklin Pierce (2)  18-13 16 pts.
3. Assumption     16-11-1     14 pts.
4. Bentley  18-14 8 pts.
5. Stonehill      15-12 2 pts.

Division III
1. Wheaton (3)    23-3  37 pts.
2. Southern Maine (2)   20-3  36 pts.
3. Trinity  18-3  30 pts.
4. Eastern Connecticut  19-5  23 pts.
5. Curry    21-3  21 pts.
6. Suffolk  19-4  15 pts.
7. Worcester State      16-9  6 pts.
8. Western New England  17-10 2 pts.
8. St. Joseph's, ME     18-9  2 pts.
8. Wentworth      19-6-1      2 pts.
8. Rhode Island College 16-8  2 pts.
8. Keene State    13-10 2 pts.