BRYANT BASEBALL PICKED TO WIN NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE IN '05
Bulldogs Garner Nine of 13 First Place Votes By League's Coaches

South Easton, Mass. – Bryant University is the pre-season favorite for the Northeast-10 Championship according to this season’s coaches’ poll.

The Bulldogs earned nine of 13 first place votes and 161 points overall, edging second place Franklin Pierce College, which earned 155 points and the remaining four first place votes.

Saint Anselm College, the defending regular season champion, was picked third with 134 points, while Southern Connecticut State University, with 126 points, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, with 113 points, rounded out the tip five.

UMass Lowell is the four-time defending tournament champion. The River Hawks downed Southern Connecticut in last year’s double-elimination tournament final. Bryant and Saint Anselm qualified for the NCAA tournament last season with Bryant winning the regional tournament and advancing to the College World Series.

Stonehill College, newcomer Pace University, the College of Saint Rose, Merrimack College, Bentley College, Southern New Hampshire University, Assumption College and American International College rounded out the preseason poll, respectively.
The season has already opened for two teams, while a bulk of teams begin action in early March.

The six-team Northeast-10 tournament begins May 11th with first round single-elimination games, followed by the double-elimination Final Four tournament May 13-15. The Final Four will once again be held at LaLacheur Park in downtown Lowell, Mass., which is the home of both the River Hawks’ program and the Lowell Spinners of the Single-A Short Season New York-Penn League.

Pace University will compete under the Northeast-10 banner in 2005 during its transition from NCAA Division I to Division II. The Setters program will not be eligible for post-season play this season.
Sponsoring 23 championship sports and 15 full-time members, the Northeast-10 is the second largest NCAA Division II athletic conference in the nation and sponsors the most championships of any Division II conference.