Posted: Jun 03, 2009

POLVANI NAMED PITCHER OF THE YEAR AS BULLDOGS PUT SIX ON ALL-INDEPENDENT TEAM

June 3, 2009

POLVANI, VIGURS, ANDREWS EARN FIRST TEAM ALL-INDEPENDENT HONORS; MCKENNA, COBB, CAMPBELL PLACED ON SECOND TEAM

Junior Eric Polvani was named All-Independent Pitcher of the Year.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University baseball team had six players earn Division I All-Independent honors, including junior starting pitcher Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.), who was named All-Independent Pitcher of the Year while also being placed on the All-Independent first team as announced Wednesday. Joining Polvani on the first team were junior catcher Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore relief pitcher Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.), while senior shortstop Pat McKenna (Orange, Conn.), junior outfielder Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and senior starting pitcher Kevin Cobb (Acton, Mass.) were all named to the second team. The two teams were voted on by the 16 Independent coaches and administrators.

The Bulldogs were one of two teams to place six players on the All-Independent team, tying them with Dallas Baptist. Shortstop Ryan Goins of Dallas Baptist was named the Player of the Year, while head coach Dan Heefner was named Coach of the Year.

First Team
Polvani, who also earned first team All- New England honors last week, was tops among Independent pitchers with a 2.04 ERA, which also ranked sixth in the country. The All-Independent Pitcher of the Year and first team performer recorded eight wins to tie him for the most among Independent pitchers. In his last eight appearances, Polvani went 6-0 with a 1.33 ERA in 54.0 innings, recording one save and 42 strikeouts. The junior has been nothing short of impressive, going six-plus innings in ten of his 11 starts, while holding opponents to two earned runs or less in 11 of his 12 appearances.

Just the third Bulldog to record double-digit saves in a season, Mark Andrews stepped into the role of closer in 2009 and led all Independent pitchers with 10 saves, also tying him for 19^th in the country. After struggling in his first outing against Mercer, Andrews became a dominant closer, giving up just one run in his next 16.2 innings, spanning 14 appearances. In that stretch, the sophomore recorded nine saves and 15 strikeouts while allowing just 10 hits. Andrews finished the season with a 4.38 in 24.2 innings and 21 appearances, striking out 20 batters in the process.

The final first team performer, Jeff Vigurs led Bryant in just about every offensive category

Junior Jeff Vigurs

including batting average (.389), RBIs (70), doubles (23), and on-base percentage (.447). Vigurs, who was also named to the All-New England second team, was tops among Independent catchers in batting average and RBI for the year. A clutch performer, the junior hit .512 with runners in scoring position and two-outs (21-for-41), driving in 32 runs with 11 extra-base hits. He put together a 17-game hitting streak at the beginning of the season, and reached base safely in 52 out of the team's 54 games, including an incredible streak of 37 games in a row at one point. Vigurs had at-least one hit in 50 of the team's 54 games, while playing great defense for Bryant, committing just two errors all year.

Second Team
Four-year shortstop Pat McKenna earned second team honors, finishing an illustrious career that saw him start every single game since he walked onto campus as a freshman. A three-year captain, McKenna ranks among the best to ever play for the program. He finished his career ranked first in career walks, first in career triples, fourth in career, and tied for fifth in career home. He hit 12 long balls this year, which is third most by a Bulldog in a single season and sixth among Division I reclassifying teams. McKenna also finds himself fourth on the program's all-time hit list with 234. This season, he put together a 20-game hitting streak which is tied for the longest by a Bulldog since 2003. McKenna finished third on the team with a .338 batting average in the leadoff spot, registering a .425 on-base percentage while his 43 RBI is second on the team. McKenna was tops among Independent shortstops in runs scored, crossing the plate 62 times this season. Defensively, McKenna was solid, making dazzling plays with his glove each game. This season, he led the team with 175 assists, recording a .917 fielding percentage.

Senior Pat McKenna

Nick Campbell became the all-time hit leader in the history of the Bryant University baseball program this year in just his junior season, recording his 248^th career hit on May 2. Campbell, who was also named to the All-New England second team, led the team in hits for the second-straight season, finishing the year with 84 which was also second among all Division I reclassifying teams and 13^th in the country, while ranking second on the team with a .375 batting average. He was also among the toughest to strike out in the country, going down on strikes just 15 times this season, which worked out to one strike out for every 14.3 at-bats, tops among Independent teams.

The leader of the Bryant pitching staff, Kevin Cobb made the transition from reliever to starter after his sophomore season. Since that time, Cobb has put up 19 wins, including a career-high seven wins this season. Cobb, an All- New England second team performer, finished this season with a 7-0 record, becoming the only Independent pitcher to finish undefeated. In ten starts this season, Cobb finished with a 3.36 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 80.2 innings. He finished second behind Polvani for best ERA among Independent pitchers. Cobb recorded the first Division I win for the Bulldogs against Delaware State on March 7, starting a streak where he won each of his first six starts.