Baseball wraps up 2009 campaign
New England College baseball finished their 2009 campaign with an overall record of 10-23 and a Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) record of 5-17. The Pilgrims retuned from spring break with a record of 3-3 overall and picked up a key win over Endicott College in early March, their first over the Gulls in program history. The Pilgrims went on to grab conference wins over Anna Maria, Eastern Nazarene and a sweep of Gordon College in NEC’s final home games of the season.
Leading the way for the Pilgrims was senior designated hitter Joe Clark. Clark (Newcastle, Maine) led the team with a .402 batting average, including a team-high 35 hits, 17 runs batted in and 25 runs scored. Clark was a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases and hit four doubles and two triples on the season. Shortstop Scott Miller (Mt. Airy, Md.) played in all 33 games for the Pilgrims finishing with a .333 average with 34 hits, including tied for the team-high with five doubles. Junior Jimmy Hoyt (Rochester, N.H.) hit .304 on the season with 25 runs scored and five doubles, while catcher Jimmy Lauzon (Manchester, N.H.) also hit .304 in 33 games. Rounding out the offense for the Pilgrims was Chris Gagne (Rochester, N.H.) who hit .264 with two triples and 15 runs batted in.
As a team the Pilgrims finished with a .945 fielding percentage and turned 14 double-plays. Leading the Pilgrims on the mound was first-year pitchers Josh Lynch (W. Greenwich, R.I.) and Joe Rini (New London, Conn.) who each captured two wins.
The Pilgrims were named the recipient of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Team Sportsmanship Award for the second consecutive year.
