For Immediate Release
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January 3, 2012
South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference takes a look at the eight student-athletes from conference institutions that were selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Seven of the eight signed professional contracts and competed in the minor leagues last summer.
LHP Jack Leathersich, UMass Lowell – 5th round, 162nd overall, New York Mets
The Beverly, Mass. native got his professional career off to a great start with the Brooklyn Cyclones in short-season ball at the Single-A level. Leathersich (pictured) posted a 0.71 ERA in nine relief appearances, striking out 26 while walking only three in 12.2 innings of work. He made his professional debut on August 30 against the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park, the home of his very own UMass Lowell River Hawks. The lefty received a standing ovation upon entering the game before allowing an eighth-inning base hit that broke up a potential no-hitter for Brooklyn. Cyclones pitching coach and former Cy Young winner Frank Viola also gave Leathersich his token of support in a Lowell Sun article last September. As a junior with the River Hawks, Leathersich went 6-2 for in 13 games (12 starts) while posting a 1.62 ERA. He also had 126 strikeouts in just 89.0 innings.
C Mike Dowd, Franklin Pierce – 12th round, 363rd overall, Seattle Mariners
The Bridgewater, Mass. native hit .228 with two home runs and 16 RBI in 45 games with the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League. Dowd was outstanding defensively, throwing out 23 of 50 would-be base stealers (46 percent) from behind the plate in the minors. During his junior year at Franklin Pierce, Dowd hit .340 and struck out just 10 times in 203 at-bats while finishing third in the Northeast-10 in hits (63) and tied for second in doubles (17). With four players selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, Franklin Pierce has now produced 21 draft picks since 2001.
RHP Brenden Shepard, Stonehill – 28th round, 862nd overall, Boston Red Sox
The Boxford, Mass. native went 1-1 with a 4.84 ERA in 10 games spanning 22.1 innings with the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Red Sox last summer. With the Skyhawks, Shepard was a shortstop into his junior year before posting a 1.53 ERA with four saves that season, and then followed up with a 3.63 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 22.1 innings as a senior. His selection made Shepard the first student-athlete in program history to be drafted by an MLB organization.
RHP Garret Jewell, Southern New Hampshire – 31st round, 958th overall, Minnesota Twins
The Alexandria, N.H. native made eight appearances for the Elizabethton Twins of the Appalachian League last summer and also took part in a team no-hitter on July 16 against the Greeneville Astros, throwing a scoreless eighth inning in the 6-0 victory. In his junior year with the Penmen, Jewell posted a 1.80 ERA in 10 games overall and a mere 0.49 ERA in his five starts. He went at least seven innings in each start did not allow an earned run in four of those outings. His breakout performance came on April 15 at home against nationally-ranked Franklin Pierce and eventual draft pick Ryan Thompson, who suffered his only defeat of the season on the mound that day. Over eight innings pitched, Jewell allowed just one unearned run while striking out 10 with no walks in a 4-2 win over the Ravens. He became the second player in program history to be selected in the MLB Draft.
RHP Ryan Thompson, Franklin Pierce – 36th round, 1109th overall, New York Yankees
The reigning Daktronics East Region Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-American returns to Rindge, N.H. for his junior season in 2012. He will again garner a selection in next June's draft, and it will in all likelihood come much earlier than the 36th round should he remain healthy. The 6-foot-3 Thompson is a native of Calgary, Alberta and transferred to Franklin Pierce from the University of Connecticut.
LHP Brian Maloney, Franklin Pierce – 45th round, 1377th overall, San Francisco Giants
The Brockton, Mass. native struck out 28 over 17.2 innings pitched in combined stints with the Arizona League (AZL) Giants and the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League. He finished his senior year at Franklin Pierce with a 1.52 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 88.2 innings pitched (11.67 K/9) while holding opponents to a .176 average. As a junior, Maloney posted a 2.24 ERA and averaged 10.97 strikeouts per nine innings.
RHP Robert Nixon, Adelphi – 46th round, 1388th overall, Cleveland Indians
After leading the Northeast-10 in innings pitched (113.1) last season, Nixon tossed an additional 80.1 innings for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Pennsylvania League last summer. The right-hander went 7-3 with a 4.82 ERA in 15 starts at the professional level after pitching to the tune of a 1.43 ERA with the Panthers as a senior. A native of Welland, Ontartio, Nixon tied for first in the conference in wins (11) and pitched 10 complete games last spring. He leaves Adelphi as the all-time leader in career wins (28) and strikeouts (256).
LHP Gregg Downing, Franklin Pierce – 47th round, 1424th overall, Los Angeles Dodgers
Downing went 2-0 with a 5.48 ERA in 18 relief appearances with the Arizona League (AZL) Dodgers, striking out 24 in 23.0 innings pitched. The lefthander completed his junior year with a 9-2 record in 12 games (11 starts) and a 2.30 ERA in 74.1 innings before opting to sign. Downing is a native of Howard Beach, N.Y.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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