FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2015
MANSFIELD, Mass. - Southern New Hampshire University, ranked 11th, and Franklin Pierce University, ranked 18th, both appear in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Poll, which was released earlier this week.
For the complete poll, as well as all of the NCBWA Preseason Information (including the East Region rankings listed below), see the link at the top of this release.
The Penmen are coming off a 2014 season that saw them finish 41-14 overall, capture the program's first Northeast-10 Conference championship, and qualify for and host the NCAA East Regional for the third straight season.
So. New Hampshire returns a total of seven NE-10 All-Conference performers from a season ago. One of those All-Conference performers, relief pitcher Benjamin Criscuolo, pictured, was named a First Team Preseason All-American by the NCBWA.
Crisculo, a consensus All-America choice as a freshman in 2014, made 25 appearances for the Penmen, going 6-0 with 14 saves, a 0.0 earned run average and 46 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. He held opponents to a .152 batting average, including .131 in NE-10 games.
Franklin Pierce finished 35-18 a year ago, including 20-7 in NE-10 play. The Ravens, a perennial east region power, once again were a part of the NCAA Baseball Championship field during the 2014 season.
Merrimack third basemenFrank Crinella was tabbed a 2nd Team Preseason All American, while Franklin Pierce starting pitcher Conor Gleason was named Honorable Mention All American.
NCBWA East Region Preseason Poll
1. Southern New Hampshire
2. Franklin Pierce
3. St. Thomas Aquinas
4. Wilmington
5. Dowling
6. Felician
7. Stonehill
8. Merrimack
9. Bentley
10. New Haven
Additional information for this release provided by the Southern New Hampshire University athletics communications staff.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 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 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. 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.
– #NE10 –
