BULLDOG BASEBALL RETURNS TO CAMPUS AFTER COMPLETING SUMMER LEAGUE PLAY
/McKenna-slide6.jpg?max_width=400)
August 29, 2008
BULLDOG BASEBALL RETURNS TO CAMPUS AFTER COMPLETING SUMMER LEAGUE PLAY
As the Bryant University baseball team gets ready for fall workouts and to begin Division I play, several team members are wrapping up their summer days on the diamond. Eight returning Bulldogs participated in premier collegiate summer leagues throughout the country in the summer of 2008, all of them finding success. Here is a look at how they performed.
Shortstop Pat McKenna (Orange, Conn.), and pitchers Chris Foundas (Needham, Mass.) and Dan Lozeau (Pelham, N.H.) participated in the New England Collegiate Baseball League as members of the Lowell All-Americans, who finished with a league record of 16-25. McKenna, an NECBL all-star selection, hit .286 with three home runs and 17 RBI while starting in 40-of-41 games. Foundas appeared in two games out of the bullpen, recording a 6.75 ERA in four innings with two strikeouts. Lozeau started eight games for the All-Americans, also making two relief appearances. He posted a 2-2 record with a 4.99 ERA in 48 and 2/3 innings pitched.
http://www.lowellallamericans.com/
The New York Collegiate Baseball League, a league that has seen many Major League baseball greats come through its ranks, played host to three other Bulldog players in junior first baseman Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.), junior pitcher Brent Almeida (Fairhaven, Mass.) and junior outfielder Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.).
In 39 games with Little Falls, Campbell was second on the team with a .306 batting average, while leading the Miners with 11 steals in 12 attempts. He was also named to the NYCBL All-League Second Team. Almeida made nine appearances with three starts for Little Falls, registering a 6.53 ERA in 20 and 2/3 innings and a 1-1 record.
Stone spent his summer with the Bennington Bombers, playing in 36 games while batting .256 with one home run and 10 RBI. The Bulldog first baseman recorded a .361 on-base percentage and was an NYCBL Eastern Division all-star.
Junior catcher Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.) took a trip down south to play in the Florida Collegiate Summer League for the Winter Park Diamond Dogs in 2008. Vigurs, an FCSL all-star, played in 27 games with a .293 batting average and eight RBI. He committed just three errors behind the plate, good for a .980 fielding percentage.
http://floridaleague.athleticsite.com/
Kevin Cobb (Acton, Mass.), a senior pitcher, participated in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Summer Baseball League, playing for the Alexandria Aces. Cobb started eight games for Alexandria, finishing with a record of 1-5 with a 6.81 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
http://www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org/
Sophomore pitcher Matt Griswold (Berlin, Conn.) also participated in summer league, joining the Greeley Grays of the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League. Griswold made 10 appearances on the hill, starting in eight games with a 2.59 ERA. The hurler went 2-3 with 45 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 59.1 innings pitched.
The experience in these summer leagues will be valuable as the Bulldogs get ready for Division I play. McKenna, Stone, Campbell and Vigurs will be star returnees to the team in 2008-09. Bryant will begin fall play in September, taking on Brown University and the University of Massachusetts in its two fall seasons games.
