Falcons Earn Sixth Seed In ECAC Tournament

Sixth-seeded Falcons battle third-seeded Wentworth on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

FITCHBURG, Mass. (May 5, 2009) - The Fitchburg State baseball team earned an ECAC Division III New England Baseball Championship berth this afternoon after being named the sixth-seed for the tournament by conference officials.

Sixth-seeded Fitchburg State (18-17) will battle third-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology (22-17-1) in the first round of the Championship on Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be at Brandeis University with the first-round winners advancing to the semifinals on Saturday, May 9 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 

The tournament is a six-team field with first round, semifinal and championship rounds. After finishing the regular-season with a 26-11 record, WPI has earned the top seed in the tournament with Worcester State (28-14) coming in a close second. Other first round action includes fifth-seeded Becker College (17-14-1) traveling to fourth-seeded Castleton State College (25-14) on Wednesday, while WPI and Worcester earn first round byes.

Sophomore John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) has led the Falcons this season, collecting MASCAC All-Conference first team honors. He has posted a single season record, 55 hits this year, while registering team-highs in doubles (9), triples (3), and total bases (76). He ranked among conference leaders in multiple categories, including batting average (3rd), doubles (3rd), triples (2nd), and stolen bases (T-2nd).

Also aiding the Falcons this season has been 2009 All-Conference selection Kris Breen (Griswold, Conn./Griswold). Breen, a 2009 MASCAC All-Conference second team honoree, has led Fitchburg State in all power categories, posting a team-high six homeruns, 42 RBI and a .566 slugging percentage. More recently, Breen became the Falcons all-time single season RBI leader after driving in five runs over his last three contests.

On the hill, the Falcons have used a balanced attack as freshman Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards), senior Andy Sauer (Willington, Conn./E.O. Smith) and rookie Perry Russo (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford) have shared the ball. Mercier has led the way, posting a minimal 4.13 ERA in 28.1 innings with 23 strikeouts and two complete games. Russo has also been solid with a 3-1 record in his first collegiate season, striking out 17 over 25.1 innings pitched, while Sauer rounds out the Falcons top three guns, tossing a team-high 28.2 innings with three wins, one complete game and ten K's.

For more information regarding the ECAC Division III New England Baseball Championship, please contact Sports Information Director, Keith Brouillard at 978-665-3343 or via email at kbrouil3@fsc.edu.

2009 ECAC Division III New England Baseball Championship

WEDNESDAY MAY 6^TH, 2009 - FIRST ROUND

GAME 1: #5 Becker (17-14-1) at #4 Castleton State (25-14), 4 p.m.
GAME 2: #6 Fitchburg State (18-17) vs. #3 Wentworth (22-17-1), 4 p.m. at Brandeis University

SATURDAY MAY 9^TH, 2009 - SEMI-FINALS AT WPI

GAME 3: Winner GAME 1 vs. #1 WPI (26-11), TBD
GAME 4: Winner GAME 2 vs. #2 Worcester State (28-14), TBD

SATURDAY, MAY 9^TH 2009 - CHAMPIONSHIP AT WPI

GAME 5: Winner GAME 3 vs. Winner GAME 4, TBD