Theetge, Owens win major awards; 8 named All-NEC

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball senior Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) became the first two-time Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year in league history and head coach Steve Owens earned his league-record fifth Coach of the Year honor, the league announced via Twitter on Wednesday.

It marks the eighth-straight year that the Black and Gold have won multiple major awards, and the sixth-straight year a Bulldog pitcher has taken home pitcher of the year honors. In addition, Bryant placed six individuals on the All-NEC First Team and two more on the All-NEC Second Team.

Joining Theetge on the All-NEC First Team is sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, N.Y.), junior first baseman/relief pitcher Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.), junior DH Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.), redshirt sophomore outfielder Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) and senior outfielder Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.). Sophomore catcher Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) and redshirt sophomore shortstop Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) both earned All-NEC Second Team honors.

Theetge becomes the first pitcher in NEC history to win multiple pitcher of the year honors after also earning the honor as a sophomore in 2017. He's also just the second Bulldog to be named to the first team three times, joining Robby Rinn and Angelini. The only other four-time All-NEC honoree in Bryant's DI program history is Kevin Brown.

This spring, he solidified himself as one of the greatest pitchers in school and NEC history. Theetge led the circuit in wins (8), innings pitched (89.0), strikeouts (82) and ERA (2.02) during the regular season. He's pitched at least six innings in 10 of his 15 starts and has gone eight innings on two occasions. Theetge became Bryant's all-time leader in victories on May 16 with his 31st career win and is 23-2 in 29 career regular season starts against NEC opponents.

Owens picks up his fifth NEC Coach of the Year, the most in league history, after leading the Black and Gold to a 38-18 overall record during the regular season. The Bulldogs won 12 of their 14 weekend series during the year and claimed their eighth-straight NEC Regular-Season title with a 19-5 record in conference play. Owens's group has produced one of the greatest offensive seasons in league history, setting the NEC record for home runs with 81, while setting DI single-season program records for hits, runs scored and RBI. Owens earned his 300th win at Bryant on Mar. 26 and won his 900th career game on Apr. 18.

Mattison gives the Bulldogs two starting pitchers on the All-NEC First Team. A year after picking up All-NEC Second Team honors, Mattison posted an 8-1 record and a 3.63 ERA during the regular season. He walked 28, struck out 58 and allowed 78 hits in 74 1/3 innings. Mattison continued to shine in NEC games, going 5-0 with a 1.79 ERA in eight starts. He closed the regular season by allowing three earned runs or less in each of his last eight starts.

Wright was named to the All-NEC First Team at both first base and as a relief pitcher. The junior finished the regular season fifth in the NEC in RBI (49), sixth in hits per game (1.18), sixth in runs scored per game (0.79), fourth in doubles (14), first in saves (12) and third in strikeouts (60). Wright not only put up 100 total bases, he has averaged 17.23 strikeouts per nine innings this season, having punched out 60 in just 31 1/3 innings. His 12 saves are tied for the most in a single season in DI program history and are one shy of tying the single-season NEC record.

Cruz jumps up to the first team after earning second team honors as a DH last spring. After entering the season with just one career home run, Cruz has hit nine this spring to go along with four doubles, 34 RBI and a .353 average. In NEC-only games, Cruz hit .338 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and 16 runs scored during the regular season. Cruz got hot in late April, posting multi-homer games in back-to-back weekends against Wagner and Mount St. Mary's. Against Wagner, he hit a solo home run in the eighth to pull Bryant closer and then hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth to lead the Bulldogs to a series-opening victory.

Ward, the 2018 NEC Player and Rookie of the Year, earns his second-consecutive first team nod this spring. He put together another impressive regular season that saw him hit .392 and lead the NEC and rank fifth nationally with 91 hits. Ward also finished second in the NEC in runs scored (57), fourth in RBI (51), second in home runs (13), first in total bases (148), fourth in doubles (14), sixth in stolen bases (11), second in OBP (.462) and second in slugging (.638). He set the DI single-season program record for home runs and is the first player in school history with multiple seasons with 90+ hits.

Angelini makes his return to the first team after he put together an outstanding final season in the Black and Gold. Now a three-time All-NEC First Team selection, Angelini hit .338 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 52 RBI, 54 runs scored and 12 stolen bases as Bryant's everyday center fielder. He was even better in NEC play, batting .406 with six home runs, 26 RBI and 27 runs scored in 24 games. Angelini has posted 11 three-hit games and ranks in the top four in the NEC in hits, runs scored, RBI, total bases and stolen bases.

Titus finds himself on the second team for the second time in his career. After missing all of last season, Titus has returned hit .341 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs, 63 RBI, 48 runs scored and a .426 OBP. Titus is tied with Robby Rinn for the second-most RBI in a single season in DI program history. He leads the NEC in RBI, ranks seventh in average, second in hits, fifth in runs scored, fourth in home runs and second in total bases (126). Titus led Bryant and the NEC with 31 RBI in 24 league games.

After serving as Bryant's everyday shortstop last spring, Owens moved behind the plate this year and has enjoyed a breakout season. He enters the postseason hitting .335 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 35 RBI and a .440 OBP. Owens has been hit a league-leading 20 times this year and has cut his strikeout numbers down from 53 to 32. He hit .394 with 19 RBI, 22 runs scored and a .482 OBP in 22 NEC games.

Bryant has now produced 69 All-NEC players since joining the league as a full member in 2010. In addition, the Bulldogs have featured eight NEC Pitchers of the Year, including each of the last six, eight NEC Rookies of the Year, four NEC Players of the Year and six NEC Coaches of the Year.