Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
BULLDOGS HOST NORTHEASTERN IN FINAL HOME GAME MONDAY; TRAVEL TO VERMONT TUESDAY, DARTMOUTH WEDNESDAY
Posted: May 08, 2009

BULLDOGS HOST NORTHEASTERN IN FINAL HOME GAME MONDAY; TRAVEL TO VERMONT TUESDAY, DARTMOUTH WEDNESDAY

May 6, 2009

BULLDOGS HOST NORTHEASTERN IN FINAL HOME GAME OF 2009 MONDAY; TRAVEL TO VERMONT TUESDAY, DARTMOUTH WEDNESDAY

Live stats vs. Northeastern

SMITHFIELD, R.I.- The Bryant University baseball team will finish off what has been a very successful inaugural Division I season, as they take their 29-21 record into the final four games. The Bulldogs will host Northeastern on Monday in their final home game of the 2009 season, before heading to Vermont for a doubleheader on Tuesday, and Dartmouth for their season finale Wednesday. Bryant is coming off back-to-back wins against Brown and Wheaton, beating the Lyons on senior day on May 2, 13-3. Kevin Cobb (Acton, Mass) will bring his 7-0 record to the mound against Northeastern on Monday, while Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.) and Dan Lozeau (Pelham, N.H.) will start against Vermont on Tuesday.

RANKING AMONG THE BEST
The Bulldogs have put up some of the best numbers of any Division I reclassifying teams in the country, and find themselves ranked among the top Division I baseball programs in the nation as well.

Team

  • The Bulldogs enter the week with an RPI of 126, the third best among reclassifying teams and second best among Division I Independents.
  • The team is hitting .305, placing them third among DI reclassifying teams.
  • Bryant's pitching staff has an ERA of 4.65, tying them for 58th in the country and putting them first among reclassifying teams.
  • The team's record of 29-11 puts them third in winning percentage at .580. Only Florida Gulf Coast at 29-16 (.644) and Kennesaw St. at 27-18 (.600) are better.

Individuals

  • Jeff Vigurs is first in batting average among DI reclassifying teams, hitting .392. He also ranks first in RBI with 64, which ties him for 14th overall in the nation. Vigurs' 74 hits places him third among reclassifying teams, and second on the team.
  • Nick Campbell ranks second among reclassifying teams in hits with 75 and fifth in runs with 46.
  • Pat McKenna is first in runs scored with 59 among Division I reclassifying teams, while ranking fourth in hits with 68 and home runs with 12.
  • Kevin Cobb's 7-0 record gives him the most wins and best winning percentage of all pitchers on reclassifying teams.
  • Eric Polvani has a 1.96 ERA, tying him for 10th in the country and puts him first among pitchers on reclassifying teams. The junior is tied for first with Cobb in wins with seven, while ranking third in winning percentage with a 7-2 record.

CAMPBELL BREAKS THE HIT RECORD
A home run over the fence in left field in the bottom of the sixth inning against Wheaton gave Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) a program record 248 hits for his career. Campbell passed Jason Eldridge's record of 247 that he had between 1996 and 1999. Campbell leads the team in hits this year with 75 after having a 97 hit season in 2008, which ranked second for the most hits by a Bulldog in a single season.

UNSTOPPABLE
Starting pitcher Eric Polvani has been dominant in his last seven appearances, going 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA with one save. He has allowed just six earned runs in his last 48 innings pitched while striking out 39, including having one streak of 16-straight scoreless innings. In his last outing, Polvani went six innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out four against Wheaton on May 2 for his seventh win of the season. The junior took a no-hitter into the sixth before a leadoff single ended the bid.

TOPPING THE BULLDOG CHARTS

  • Nick Campbell owns the all-time hit record with 248 in his career. Campbell is also currently tied for fifth all-time in career RBI with 130 in just his junior season.
  • Pat McKenna ranks fifth all-time with 229 career hits while setting the record for most games played in a career with 219. McKenna is the all-time leader in triples with 15, walks with 110, and assists with 791. He also ranks fifth in home runs in a career with 22, third in runs scored with 151 and fourth in doubles with 44. His 12 home runs this season ties him for third all-time in a single season.
  • Kevin Cobb and Dan Lozeau are tied for third place on the all-time win list with 19 each. Cobb is also fifth on the list with 232 innings pitched and third on the list with 172 strikeouts. Lozeau is second all-time in innings pitched with 275.2.

RUN PRODUCER
Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.) is two hits away from becoming the eighth member of the 200-hit club, joining teammates Pat McKenna and Nick Campbell who accomplished the same feat earlier this season. Vigurs currently has 64 RBI, which is the third most by a Bulldog in a single season. He also leads the team in hitting with a .395 average, while his 129 career RBI puts him at sixth all-time in school history, one behind Campbell. The junior is currently on an 11-game hitting streak, batting .486 in that stretch with one home run and eight RBI.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Bulldogs are 7-1 at the Bryant Baseball Complex this season, with their lone loss coming against UConn on April 28. The friendly confines in Smithfield have helped the Bulldogs hit .365 as a team, outscoring opponents 68 to 42. The pitching has also been good, posting a 4.00 ERA while opposing pitchers have a 7.62 ERA. Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) has topped the Bulldogs in hitting at home with a .556 batting average, slugging one home run and driving in 12 RBI. The freshman first baseman drove in five runs against Wheaton on May 2, going three-for-five in the contest. McKenna has been solid at home, hitting .514 with a team-best four home runs and 15 RBI. Polvani and Chris Foundas (Needham, Mass.) have been the top pitchers, as Polvani is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA and Foundas is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three starts.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET
The Bulldogs and Huskies met back on April 14, with Bryant beating Northeastern, 8-4, at Friedman Diamond. Polvani earned the win in the game after seven innings of work, allowing just two runs, while Pat O'Connor (Mattapoisett, Mass.) drove in three RBI including cranking a two-run home run to help the Bulldogs to the win

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northeastern has lost five of their last six games entering play this weekend, but did grab a win their last time out over UMass. The Huskies take on Delaware over the weekend before traveling to Smithfield on Monday. Northeastern fell to Bryant earlier this season, losing, 8-4, to the Bulldogs at Friedman Diamond on April 14. Mike Tamsin went two-for-five for the Huskies, driving in three runs in the losing effort while JT Ross allowing six runs on 11 hits in five innings as he got the loss on the mound. Ross was selected as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week for the week of April 29th, after tossing a one-hitter against URI. He was also named the CAA and ECAC Pitcher of the Week for the performance.  The team currently sits in eighth in the CAA with an 8-10 record.

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont split a four-game series with Hartford their last time out and will take on UMBC in four more games over the weekend before welcoming Bryant on Tuesday. The team enters the weekend in fifth place in the America East Conference with a 7-9 record. Matt Duffy leads the team with a .426 batting average, hitting 11 home runs and driving in 41 RBI.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS LIVE
Follow the Bryant baseball team in their final home game of 2009 through live stats.