Theetge, Ward take home NEC weekly honors

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball junior Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) were named the Northeast Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Monday afternoon.

It is the second time this season that Theetge has earned the honor, while Ward picks up his seventh rookie of the week accolade.

Theetge twirled a gem in Friday's series opener against Wagner. In a battle between a pair of teams that began the week tied for first place in the NEC standings, the veteran southpaw spun 7.0 innings of one-run ball while pitching to an 0.57 WHIP. Theetge, who fired 59 of his 94 pitches for strikes, fanned seven batters and issued one base on balls on the way to completing 7.0 frames for the fifth time in his last six NEC starts. After retiring the first five batters of the game, the lefty Bulldog surrendered a solo home run with two outs in the second inning. Theetge responded to the long ball by setting down the next four Seahawks to face him. Wagner managed only two more hits – leadoff singles in the fourth and sixth frames – off Bryant's starter the rest of the way. Theetge, who retired the side in order thrice, did not permit multiple base runners at any point during his appearance.

With first place on the line, Ward reached base seven times during Bryant's three-game series against Wagner. The redshirt freshman, who hit safely in all three contest, batted .385 (5-for-13) with two walks and one run scored. He singled during his first at-bat of the series and proceeded to steal second base to put some pressure on the defense with two outs in the first inning of an eventual 2-1 triumph. With Bryant facing a 4-1 deficit in the 10th inning of the series' middle game, Ward connected on a leadoff single and came around to score before the rally ended with the tying run at the plate. The second baseman singled in the third, fifth and seventh frames of the series finale, a 3-2 win.

In addition, junior reliever Craig Lacey (Westfield, Mass.) was named an NEC Prime Performer. Lacey was the pitcher of record in both Bryant victories, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. He retired the final three batters of the 11th inning on Friday, stranding a runner on second, to setup the walk-off victory. On Sunday, he stranded a runner at third in the eighth before tossing a scoreless ninth to setup another walk-off win.