Woods named NEC Player of the Year

SOMERSET, N.J. -- Bryant University baseball senior Matt Woods was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year during the league's announcement of major award winners and All-NEC teams on Wednesday afternoon. 

Woods becomes the sixth Bulldog in DI program history to earn NEC Player of the Year honors and was also named to the All-NEC First Team. Bryant has now won 30 major awards in 12 seasons of NEC play. The Bulldogs have now won each of the last two player of the year honors and five of the last six overall. 

In addition, Alex Lane and Collin Lowe were named to the All-NEC First Team, while Carmine Petosa and Jake Gustin were named to the All-NEC Second Team. 

Woods has put together one of the best seasons in DI program history this spring, entering the NEC Tournament hitting .389 with 17 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 41 RBI and 41 runs scored. His .658 slugging percentage currently ranks second in DI program history, while his 127 total bases are the eighth-most in a single season in DI program history. Woods leads the league in batting average, triples and total bases, ranking third nationally in triples. He has posted a team-high 24 multi-hit games, posting a pair of five-hit outings. His 31 extra-base hits are the third-most in a season in DI program history and just the fourth time a Bulldog has had 30+ XBHs in a single season. 

Lane earns All-NEC First Team honors after posting 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 48 RBI this spring. He missed the 2021 season with injury but returned with force this spring. Lane's 12 home runs are tied for the second-most in a single season in DI program history, while his 48 RBI are a career-high. He ranks tied for third in home runs and fourth in RBI in the NEC. 

Lowe earns All-NEC First Team honors in his first season in Smithfield. He enters the NEC Tournament with a 5-4 record and a league-leading 2.81 ERA. Lowe has struck out 74 in 73.1 innings, averaging 9.04 K/9. He has walked just 12 and allowed just 63 hits in those 73.1 innings. In league games, Lowe went 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA in eight starts. He started his Bryant career with 5.0 shutout innings at No. 12 East Carolina and has posted seven quality starts on the year. Lowe allowed one run on four hits over 8.0 innings vs LIU and then struck out 10 and allowed just one hit in 6.0 shutout innings vs Sacred Heart. 

Petosa picks up All-NEC Second Team honors thanks to a second-half surge that sends him into the NEC Tournament with a .316 average. He's posted seven doubles, five home runs, 20 RBI and a .455 OBP. After returning from an injury on Apr. 22, Petosa is 23-for-55 with four home runs and 10 RBI.

Gustin picks up All-NEC honors for the second-straight year after returning from an injury to hit .302 with five doubles, two triples, five home runs and 19 RBI. He's also 7-for-7 in stolen bases. Gustin has posted a pair of multi-homer games this year and has posted at least one hit in 20-of-23 games since his return. 

Bryant, the No. 2 seed, will face third-seeded Central Connecticut on Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the first round of the 2022 NEC Baseball Championships. The tournament is being held at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut.