MU weekly softball l update from MU and SID EO

Team Notes






The Monmouth University softball team is now 28-16 overall and 11-5 in the Northeast Conference, one game behind Wagner for second place. The Hawks end their regular season this Sunday, May 6 when they host Sacred Heart at 3 p.m.

The Monmouth University softball team scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to complete a 6-4 comeback win over Rutgers Wednesday afternoon in nonconference action.

Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland, N.J./Jefferson) drove in Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) with the tying run and Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph’s) scored the winning run on an error by the rightfielder on the same play in the top of the seventh inning. Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) drove in Gilchrist with the insurance run one batter later for Monmouth.

Gordon started the game in the circle and re-entered in the seventh to earn her first save of the year, and Danielle Ellement (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Newbury Park) pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to get the win to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases, which gives her 36 for the season and establishes a new Monmouth single-season record. She eclipses the previous mark of 35 held by Dawn Marino in 1995. Her 53 career stolen bases already place her in fourth place all-time for career swipes at Monmouth.
The Hawks trailed 4-1 after four innings before scoring once in the sixth and four times in the seventh. Alvarez, Nicola, Gordon and Gilchrist each singled in the final frame to push across the four runs and Gordon came back into the game and picked up her first save of the season.

Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) went 2-for-4 with a RBI for the Hawks, who return to action tomorrow, April 26 when they travel to take on Rider for a 3 pm nonconference doubleheader.

Gordon drove in eight runs in the two games combined, giving her 58 RBI on the season, and won the second game in the circle to lead the Hawks. In the first game, Monmouth trailed the hosts 4-1 after three innings before scoring eight unanswered runs, two in the fourth and three each in the sixth and seventh, to complete the 9-4 comeback run.

Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) was 2-for-3 in the lead-off spot with three runs scored and a run driven in. Gordon had a double, but drive in three runs in the first, while teammate Jurewicz continue her hot hitting of late by going 3-for-4 with a RBI and Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) had two hits and a run driven in.

Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) earned the win to improve to 13-5. She threw 3.1 innings of shutout, one-hit relief, striking out five batters and walking only one.

In the nightcap, Monmouth blew the game wide open in the top of the third when Simonetti walked Alvarez reached an error by the third baseman and Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) singled to load the bases, setting up a Gordon grand-slam to give MU a 5-0 lead.

Simonetti scored twice, Nicola went 2-for-4 with a RBI and Gordon ended the game with five runs driven in. Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and driven in and Jurewicz added two hits, including her third home run of the year, two runs scored and two RBI. Alyson Slattery (Staten Island, N.Y./St. John Villa Academy) collected a hit, run scored and a RBI for MU in game two.



Gordon threw two shutout innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 3-5 in the circle this season.

The Monmouth University softball team slugged their way to a doubleheader sweep over Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday afternoon, 10-8 and 11-7 in Northeast Conference action. In the first game, sophomore Sawlsville started and pitched five innings to earn the win, while striking out six batters, before giving way to senior Angela Rand (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) in the sixth inning.

Alvarez walked twice, scored two runs and swiped a pair of bases in the game, while Nicola had a RBI double in the third inning that scored Alvarez. Gilchrist followed with a single that scored in the top of the third for MU.

The Blue and White continued their assault when O'Dell laced a single to center, followed by Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) driving in Gilchrist with a base hit. Jurewicz walked to load the bases and Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) then followed with a RBI groundout for Monmouth.

In the top of the fourth, Alvarez led off with a base hit and Gordon drilled a two-run home run to left. Gilchrist doubled and scored on a wild pitch as the Hawks put three runs on the board in the inning. In the top of the sixth, Gilchrist led off with a solo home run and Jurewicz and Simonetti followed with run-scoring hits, the former a double.

Gordon went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Gilchrist and O’Dell each went 3-for-5 with the senior shortstop drilling a double as well, and Palumbo added two hits.

In the second game, Sawlsville came in during the fifth inning with the bases loaded and struck out two batters to navigate MU through what could have been a very big inning for the Mount. The hosts scored four in the first and two in the second to go up 6-2 after two innings.

MU took the game over with one of their bigger innings of the year when they exploded in the top of the third inning. Alvarez led off the third with a double and was chased home when Nicola blasted a home run over the left field fence. Gordon then walked, Gilchrist singled to right and O’Dell singled to center to load the bases for MU with no outs. Paulmbo, Jurewicz and Mignogna then all reached on errors and Alvarez drove in two with a triple following a Simonetti fly out.

Nicola then tagged her second two-run home run of the inning to blow the game wide open. Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a triple and a double, scored three runs and drove in two. Nicola had three hits, including the two round-trippers, and drove in four runs.

The Monmouth University softball team was swept by non-conference opponent Columbia, 8-4 and 8-6 on Sunday afternoon at the MU Softball Park.

In game one, senior Rand started in the circle and allowed four hits, three runs, two of which were earned and one walk in her four innings of work. She gave way to Sawlsville who pitched the final three innings, and she surrendered five hits and five runs, but only one run was earned, while striking out four and walking none.



MU fell behind 3-0 but struck for two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-3 lead. Simonetti led off the fourth with a single and Alvarez followed suit with a base hit through the left side. After Nicola and Gordon reached on an error and fielder’s choice, respectively and O'Dell drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, Simonetti singled with two outs and Alvarez then doubled. Nicola drilled a double down the left line to plate Alvarez, but it was the last run the Blue and White would push across. Simonetti went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a run.

In the second game, Columbia struck for four runs in the first and three the second, but MU countered with three of their own in the bottom of the second. Gilchrist singled home Alvarez in the home half of the first for MU.

In the bottom of the second, Ferrara led off with a single and Mignogna followed with a base hit. Alvarez then came up and blasted a three-run home run, her first of the season, over the left field fence to cut the Columbia lead to 7-4.

MU struck for two more in the fifth as Gordon scored on a Ferrara fielder’s choice and Gilchrist crossed home on a wild pitch to conclude the Hawks’ scoring. Alvarez was 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in the game. Gordon pitched the final 4.1 of the game in relief and allowed only one run.

Before the game, Monmouth’s four seniors, Ellement, Gilchrist, Gordon and Rand were honored with Senior Day presentations.

The Hawks return to action on Sunday, May 6 when they conclude their regular season by hosting Sacred Heart on the Northeast Conference's make-up weekend in a home doubleheader at 3 p.m. MU and the Pioneers were originally slated to meet on Sunday, April 15 but that doubleheader was cancelled due to rain.

0430 - MU baseball notes from SID Chris Tobin

From me:

NEC standings


Mount 12-4
Q Pac 11-5
MU 10-5
SHU 9-6

CCSU 7-9
Wag 7-9


LIU 3-12
FDU 3-12


MU is at Q pac this weekend..hosts SHU in final regular season weekend. top four teams make NEC Tournament which MU missed out on in 2006





Team Notes from MU: Monmouth is 26-14-1 after its 4-2 week, after falling at Rider, defeating Seton Hall for the third time in five years, and taking three of four from CCSU in conference play.

Junior Brad Brach threw his fourth straight complete-game victory, with his seven-strikeout, two-hit performance over CCSU on Saturday. After his seven Ks against the Blue Devils, Brach now has 173 career strikeouts, 28 Ks behind No. 2 all-time (Joe Aragona, 204, 1995-1998 and Dan Severino, 204, 1997-2000). Brach now has 18 career wins, which ties him for third place in MU’s D-I history with Jim Aragona. Mike Benfield (1998-2001) is the all-time leader with 20 wins.

Brach, who set the single-season record last year for strikeouts (82), has 53 Ks this season in 10 appearances.

Junior Kyle Higgins (Green Brook, N.J./Watchung Hills) collected a team-best nine hits on the week, including three doubles, and scored a team-best seven runs.

Senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) is now 30-for-32 in stolen base attempts this season, giving him 59 swipes in his season-plus with the Hawks, which ranks him third in MU history, one behind Lance Koenig (2000-2003). Greg Landis (1998-2001) is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 90. Landis also holds the single-season stolen base record with 37 in 2001. He is 59-for-64 in stolen bases at Monmouth.

Messineo, who ended last season with two triples, no home runs and 18 RBI, already has three triples, seven homers and 31 RBI after 41 games in 2007. Messineo had no career home runs entering this season and now has seven round-trippers

Senior Matt Coulson (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro) collected six strikeouts in his second straight win on Sunday.

Kyle Breese (Monmouth Junction, N.J./South Brunswick) worked two perfect innings of relief for the Hawks during their weekend series with CCSU.

Junior Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) added eight RBI and now has 124 RBI in the Blue and White. The all-time leader in RBI in MU history is Joe McCullough, who drove in 187 runs from 1995-1998. Meyers connected on his sixth homer of the season on Sunday, giving him 16 for his career. Meyers now has 37 career doubles, which ties him for seventh all-time in MU history with Jeff Toth, Anthony Petrocelli and the 2006 NEC Player of the Year, Nick Massari.

Monmouth head coach Dean Ehehalt (370-374-2) who is in his 16th overall season, reached the 350-win plateau against Wofford. Ehehalt is now 349-336-2 in his 14th season at Monmouth.

MU wins NEC women's lacrosse championship

Hawks to rally to win at the Mount, 9-8.

Shore Regional grad Ashley Waldman nets the game winner.


MU to play at MAAC champion LeMoyne in play-in game...

Below from MU SID Greg Viscomi


MONMOUTH WINS BACK-TO-BACK NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH 9-8 WIN OVER MOUNT ST. MARY’S

Hawks erase late deficit and tally game-winner with less than a minute to play



EMMITSBURG, Md.- Monmouth University’s women’s lacrosse team earned their second straight Northeast Conference Championship and third overall with a 9-8 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday afternoon in Emmitsburg, Md.



With two minutes to play and down by one, MU had their second straight shot at tying the game but turned the ball over in front of the Mount goal. Ashley Waldman (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) earned a free position shot when she was leveled by NEC Defensive Player of the Year Jacqui Ricca, who was forced to leave the game with a yellow card. Waldman passed the ball out and after a few dishes NEC Player of the Year Katie Degen (Glenhead, N.Y./Northshore) tallied the game tying goal, her third straight score of the game with 55 seconds left. The Hawks won the draw, came down when Waldman was fouled inside the eight meter, earning a shot at taking the lead. The junior midfielder came through in the clutch, bouncing the ball low to give MU a 9-8 with 38 seconds to play. The Hawks won the



“I am very proud of our team, they showed a lot of guts out there against a talented Mount team,” said head coach Kelly McCardell. “They never gave up, even when they were down by three late in the game.”



In the second half, it took three and a half minutes for Mount to tie the game back up, with senior Jenna Duffy’s goal knotting the game at 4-4. The Mountaineers retook the lead at the 22:37 mark after midfielder Rebecca Douglass beat MU goalie Monica Johnson (Radnor, Pa./Archbishop Carroll). The top-seeded Mountaineers went up by a 6-4 margin after Kathleen Rossetti scored on a free position attempt. Things went from bad to worse for the Hawks as Katelyn Catanese scored the Mount’s fourth straight unanswered goal, giving the home team a 7-4 lead with 18 minutes to play in regulation.



Junior Megan Nutter (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) stopped the bleeding after taking a pass off an eight meter attempt from Carolyn Raveia (Woodbridge, Va./W.T. Woodson) and beating Mount goalie Jane Karger high. Mount came right back after winning the draw control and scored their eighth goal of the game to put the lead at 8-5. It took almost xx minutes, but MU’s Katie Degen got the Hawks within a pair with her unassisted goal with six minutes to play in the game. After the Hawks won the draw, Degen came right back and cut the lead to a goal on a pass from Waldman, making the score 8-7 with 5:25 showing on the clock. Monmouth appeared the score the game-tying goal on a Raveia shot that dribbled passed Karger but the referees waived off the goal. Monmouth had another shot at tying the game with two minutes to play but MU turned the ball over in front of the MSM net. Minutes later Degen netted the game-tying goal, completing the 3-0 run and setting up Waldman’s heroics.



Monmouth earned the first few scoring chances in the opening minutes of the game, taking five shots, but all three that found the goal mouth were saved by Karger. It took almost 14 minutes, but Mount Saint Mary’s got on the board first scoring with a goal from AJ Johnson. Back to back saves from MU’s Johnson, the Monmouth defense broke down minutes later and allowed a one-timer from Jackie Kearney to Catanese to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead with just over nine minutes to play in the half. Monmouth finally got on the board at the 4:34 mark after junior Ashley Waldman (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) fed Megan Brennan (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) in front of the net, to cut the lead to 2-1.



Mount won the ensuing draw and quickly took a shot which was promptly turned away by Johnson. After Waldman caused a turnover she passed the ball to midfield were Megan Nutter would eventually find a streaking Brennan, who tied the game at 2-2 with a low shot that beat Karger. The tie wouldn’t last long as AJ Johnson netted her second goal of the game to give Mount a 3-2 lead with 2:44 left. Less than a minute later senior Carolyn Raveia (Woodbridge, Va./W.T. Woodson) tied the game on a ball that hit the top left of the MSM net. With 50.6 seconds left in the period, Waldman earned a foul away from the ball but was awarded a free position attempt, which she converted on, giving the Hawks a 4-3 lead.



Degen was named as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player after tallying six goals on the weekend, including three straight towards the end of the championship game. Brennan, Johnson, Waldman and Robinson were named to the All-Tournament team.



Catanese finished with three goals in the game, with AJ Johnson scoring a pair. Karger made 15 saves in the loss, while Ricca had three caused turnovers and four ground balls.



Degen finished with three goals in the game, with Brennan and Waldman each scoring two in the contest. Johnson made 12 saves in net for the Hawks.



The Hawks will now await the winner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, LeMoyne College, who the Hawks defeated earlier in the season. Check back to www.GoMUHawks for the date and

More on George Barbour from his high school coach

This from his high school coach - George Tachibana....



He started off with..""Let me tell you about this kid...""

Here are the highlights of what he said:



""He was averaging about 20 points and 12 rebounds in less than 20 minutes. He completely changed our team when he was there, but he was gone for most of the season. He would easily have been All-Area, all-accolades, all awards, but he was injured.



""He was a relative unknown (going inot this year) because three of our guys from last year's team went on to play college ball somewhere. George was a force for us, starting about half the games. This year was really going to be his break out season.



""The reason he was under recruited was because no one knew about him. The Monmouth coaches, to their credit, had a connection out here and when they were looking for good big men people referred them, "Take a look at this kid from Torrance.' ''



""Basically they got him to commit before he hit the (spring) AAU circuit. At the games three of four schools came down and spoke with him, Boston U. West Point, Fla. Atlantic, and he's had 10-20 schools all looking at him and waiting for him to start playing AAU.


(After he visited Monmouth) ""That was his first official visit anywhere. He really liked the campus, the coaches, he got to play some pick up ball with the players, and through all that decicded "I feel really good about this.'



""The big thing was, "Would be be OK back East." He's from the West Coast and once he got there it was like, "Oh, I can easily live out there.'


""He's good now but as his game polishes he has all the athletic tools. It should be exciting to watch him go grow and get better. The sky's the limit for him.''

Interview with MU men's hoop recruit George Barbour from Torrance, Calif

George Barbour, 6-7, 220 pounds, from Torrance, Calif. High School has signed with Monmouth University



Late Wednesday I spoke with Barbour. Here is the bulk of that interview:



TG: George, do you know about how many points, rebounds, you averaged this year?

Barbour: I didn't play that many games because I've been hurt for most of the sason. I would say on average like 19 points (per game).

TG: About how many games did you play and how many games were you out?

Barbour: I played about 10 games this season. I was coming back from knee surgery, I came back, pretty much recovered. Two games after I fully recovered and started doing good I broke my foot so I was out for another four weeks.

TG: A frustrating year for you right?

Barbour: Yeh, pretty frustrating, I got to come back and finish it up strong.

TG: George, about what did you average as a junior?

Barbour: About eight or nine points. We had Deon on our team (6-8 Deon Thompson) and he's at North Carolina now.

TG: How many years did you play varsity?

Barbour: I was on varsity three years, I started the last two.




TG: George, how did you become involved with Monmouth?

Barbour: Our travel coach knew coach Calloway and he told him about me. They were already out here looking at another player (Jermaine Smith). They came down to see me and he liked me.

(Soon after Barbour visited Monmouth).


I liked the school. I like the schedule and everything. They look like a good team. They have a chance to go back to the (NCAA) Tournament. They had great people. The guys on the team were good. I liked the coaches. I thought I would fit in pretty good.

TG: Had you ever heard of Monmouth?

Barbour: I had seen them in the Alaska Shoot Out. They're a small school but I had heard of them.

TG: Did any other schools offer you a scholarship?

Barbour: I think Boston U. was about to but I had a lot of interest from other schools.

TG: What other schools were you scheduled to visit?

Barbour: San Francisco.

TG: What sort of a player are you?

Barbour: I'm pretty athletic but I can also bring the ball up sometimes, too, to help break pressure. I'm really athletic. I can face up soemtimes and sometimes I can back them (the defenders) up.

TG: How are you on defense?

Barbour: This year I was like the main offensive player. Last year that's (defense) all I did - play defense, I'm pretty good on defense.

TG: What are your plans for this summer.

Barbour: I want to come out and play out there in the summer league. I have to talk with my parents about it.

(End of formal interview)


Then, thanks to Jay Gomes of njhoops.com, I was put in touch with with Dinos Trigonis who ran a showcase (listed below) last month:


2007 Fullcourt Press Senior Showcase Report: Part I
By Dinos Trigonis
(April 2, 2007)

The 2007 Fullcourt Press Senior Showcase was held on Friday March 23rd at Cerritos College (Cerritos CA) and there was plenty of unsigned senior talent present. On hand were several NCAA Division II, III, NAIA and JC coaches as well as scouts like Dinos Trigonis (Fullcourt Press), Gerry Freitas (Hoop Review), Etop Udo-Ema (Fullcourt Press & Hoopmasters), Jorge Calienes (C-Sports) and Dave Keefer and Dave Rogahn (California Preps). Here in Part I of a two part report, we focus on several players who stood out:


George Barbour 6’7” Sr. Torrance (Torrance CA)
Intriguing power-forward runs floor well and is active on the glass.


I asked Trigonis about Barbour. Trigonis: ""He's an agile forward, athletic. He was hurt a large part of the season which limited a lot people from seeing him. But he's a nice prospect.

He's got a nice body, his Dad is real big. He could be 6-7, 235. He's the kind of a guy who can face up and post inside. He's very mobile. For the mid-major level or below he's a good player.''

Monmouth U baseball upends Seton Hall/from the MU web site - and softball l defeats Rutgers

MEYERS' EIGHTH INNING SINGLE SPARKS BASEBALL TO 8-7 WIN OVER SETON HALL
Courtesy: Monmouth Sports Information




WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Junior Andy Meyers’ (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) RBI single in the bottom of the eighth proved to be the game-winning hit, as the Monmouth University baseball team defeated Seton Hall, 8-7, on Wednesday afternoon. The win improves the Hawks to 23-13-1, while the Pirates fall to 19-20.

The Pirates rallied from four runs down to tie the score at 7-7 in the top of the eighth, before Monmouth notched the game-winning run on Meyers’ single through the right side, with the infield playing in. Meyers drove in Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove), who led off the eighth with a single, his third hit of the contest.

Justin Esposito (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown North), who entered the game in the eighth and was touched up for two runs, including the game-tying run, on four hits, pitched out of a first and third situation, with one out in the ninth. With runners on first and third, Esposito struck out leadoff hitter, Matt Smedberg, before pinch-hitter Dan McDonald laced a shot at shortstop Kyle Higgins (Green Brook, N.J./Watchung Hills) to end the game.

Monmouth took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, tallying two unearned runs off Seton Hall starter Keith Cantwell. A throwing error with Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) and Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) on second and third, allowed both runs to cross home.

The Hawks went ahead 3-0 in the third frame, as Niederhaus drove in Higgins, on a fielder’s choice groundout.

Seton Hall pulled within 3-2 in the fifth, as the Pirates’ Chris Affinito and Greg Miller hit back-to-back solo home runs off Monmouth starter Nick Vallillo (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional).

Monmouth pushed the lead to 4-2 in the home half of the fifth when Mike Casale (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) was hit-by-a-pitch with bases loaded. The Pirates tallied a single run in the sixth, when Smedberg delivered an RBI single up the middle, making the score 4-3.

The Blue and White inflated the lead to 7-3 in the seventh inning, when a failed pickoff attempt at first allowed Higgins to score, Niederhaus collected an RBI single through the left side of the infield and John Elia (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) lifted a sacrifice fly.

Esposito (3-1) picked up the win for the Hawks, working 2.0 innings, with two strikeouts. Vallillo, who collected a career-high five strikeouts, went 6.0 frames, scattering seven hits, while allowing three scores. Matt Frazier (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) worked 1.0 inning of middle relief, allowing two runs on one hit.

Miller was saddled with the loss for Seton Hall, surrendering the game-winning run in the eighth. Cantwell worked 5.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out six.

Messineo went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the leadoff spot for the Hawks, while Higgins, Meyers and Niederhaus each collected two hits apiece.

Monmouth returns to action on Friday, when the Hawks take on Central Connecticut State at 3 p.m., in game one of a four-game NEC series.

MU hoops to open 2007-2008 at Seton Hall new arena?

This is not official...but it's what I'm hearing ..that MU may face the Pirates in SHU's first game at the new arena in Newark.

That would be the season-opener for MU which would then head for the Paradise Jam to take on Notre Dame or Ga. Tech in the first game in the Virgin Islands.

MU women's Lacrosse update/from MU SID Greg Viscomi

Hawks begin defense of NEC crown Friday at the Mount vs. Sacred Heart


Head Coach Kelly McCardell earned her 25th win of her career against Quinnipiac on Friday. She achieved the feat in just 36 games, 11 fewer than her predecessor Sue Cowperthwait needed to reach the mark. Monmouth now moves to 12-0 all-time against Quinnipiac.


Monmouth locked up the second seed in the NEC Tournament after Friday’s win, and will compete in their ninth consecutive Northeast Conference Tournament.

Going into the weekend MU senior Katie Degen ranked fifth in points per game and 14th in goals per game and assists per game in the country. Monica Johnson was eighth in save percentage, stopping 53.5 percent of shots on goal. Johnson’s 406 saves is second in MU school history. Degen moved into third all-time on MU’s scoring list over the weekend. With at least one more game to play she has 230 career-points, four behind Jeanette Stott who is in second. Carolyn Raveia is sixth on the same list with 202 career-points.

Monmouth was one of four team’s with three different players scoring 30+ goals in the nation. Denver has four players with 30+ goals, while Monmouth, Northwestern and Drexel each have three players with at least that many scores. Monmouth’s three players are Megan Nutter, Degen and Raveia.

The Hawks, who will face Sacred Heart on Friday at 3:30, finished the regular season with a 13-4 record and a 7-1 conference mark.

The semi-final game will be a rematch of last year’s NEC Championship match, which the Hawks won by a score of 10-5. Earlier this season the Hawks defeated the Pioneers 11-8 at home.

MU softball update/from MU SID EO

MU comment - disasterous weekend for first place hopes. Pitching! Pitching !Pitching!!!




The Monmouth University softball team dropped a pair of Northeast Conference doubleheaders and a nonconference double dip during the week to fall to 23-14 and 9-5 in the NEC.

The Hawks dropped two games to Lehigh on Wednesday before being swept by Long Island 1-0 and 6-1 on Saturday and 6-5 and 8-0 by Wagner on Sunday.



The softball team had its eight-game winning streak snapped earlier in the week when they were swept by Lehigh in a non-conference doubleheader 5-2 and 9-1 on Wednesday



In the first game, Lehigh scored five runs in the third inning to jump in front of MU and went on to defeat the Hawks 5-2. Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief to keep the Mountain Hawks at bay, while only surrendering one hit and striking out four with no walks.



Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a triple, while also driving in a run to pace the MU offense. Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) had a hit and scored and a run and Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) had a base hit and a run driven in and Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) added a single as well.



In the nightcap, Lehigh scored three runs in the second inning and five in the third to pull away from the Hawks. Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) went 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot for MU, while Lisa DiLeo (Commack, N.Y./Commack) added a base hit as well. Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland



The Hawks then dropped a pair of games to Long Island 1-0 and 6-1 Saturday afternoon at LIU Field in Northeast Conference play.



The first game featured a pitcher’s duel between two of the best hurlers in the NEC as LIU’s Jenny Giles pitched a complete-game shutout to best MU’s Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson), who threw a two-hitter. Sawlsville struck out six and walked only one in the game.



Palumbo got Monmouth’s first hit of game one with a two-out double in the top of the second and appeared poised to score the game’s first run after Lisa DiLeo (Commack, N.Y./Commack) blooped a single over shortstop, but LIU’s Chelsea Martinson cut Palumbo down at the plate to end the third frame.



Pinch-hitter Holly Erwin got the game’s scoring started for LIU with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the third inning, the Blackbirds first hit of the game, to give the hosts a 1-0 lead after three.



Simonetti led off the top of the fifth inning with a double to right field for the Blue and White, the second straight inning MU led off the frame with a two-bagger after Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) did it in the fourth, but the Hawks failed to push a run across the plate.



In the second game, LIU got on the board first again as Brittany Murphy scored on an errant Gilchrist throw as she tried to complete a double play and the Blackbirds went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Alvarez gunned down the third out of the bottom of the second at home, but the Blackbirds struck again in the frame for three runs on two Monmouth errors to take a 4-0 lead.



Jurewicz got the Hawks on the board when she smacked a two-out solo home run over the right-centerfield fence to cut the LIU lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth inning. Randi Gillespie answered for LIU with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to extend the Blackbird lead to 6-1. Monmouth stranded eight runners in game of the two games of the doubleheader.



Monmouth concluded the week by dropping a pair of Northeast Conference games to Wagner Sunday afternoon, 6-5 in 10 innings and 8-0.



In the first game MU took a 5-4 lead over the Seahawks in the top of the tenth inning when Nicola drove in Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), but the Hawks were unable to keep the lead, giving up two runs in the bottom of the frame.



Monmouth got the scoring started when Nicola drove in Simonetti in the top of the first inning and got on the board again in the top of the fourth when Gordon hit a solo home run to give MU a 2-0 lead. Wagner struck for one in the bottom of the sixth and MU answered when Nicola scored on a O'Dell sacrifice fly.



The Seahawks got three in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at four before sending the contest into extra innings.



Sawlsville started the game and gave up four earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched before giving way to Angela Rand (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert), who pitched the final three innings of relief and collected the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season.



Nicola went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, while Simonetti also went 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Gordon had three hits, including the home run, and Gilchrist added two hits.



In the second game, the Monmouth bats couldn’t get anything going against Wagner’s Kate Eshelman as the freshman threw a complete game two-hitter and didn’t walk a batter.



Monmouth returns to action this Thursday, April 26 when they travel to Rider for a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader with the Broncs.

MU baseball update from SID Chris Tobin

Monmouth is 22-12-1 after its 4-1 week, after defeating St. Peter’s in non-conference play, while taking three of four from FDU over the weekend.

Junior Brad Brach, who threw two straight complete game victories, including a no-hitter, earned his third straight win on Friday against FDU. After his five Ks against the Knights, Brach now has 169 career strikeouts, 35 Ks behind No. 2 all-time (Joe Aragona, 204, 1995-1998 and Dan Severino, 204, 1997-2000). Brach now has 17 career wins, which ties him for fourth place in MU’s D-I history with Jim Carone, the 2002 NEC Pitcher of the Year. Mike Benfield (1998-2001) is the all-time leader with 20 wins.

Freshman Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan) remained unbeaten, improving to 6-0 on the year, after his win over FDU on Saturday. The school-record for wins in a season is 10, set by Jim Carone in 2002, when the righty earned NEC Pitcher of the Year honors. Buch has 43 strikeouts on the season and currently leads the Hawks with his 2.11 ERA.

Monmouth has played six three-game series so far this season, and has won five of them, taking two-of-three from UCF, Wofford, Vermont, Liberty and Long Island. MU lost 2-of-3 at Navy, with the two losses coming with a 2-1 score.

Senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) is now 29-for-31 in stolen base attempts this season, giving him 58 swipes in his season-plus with the Hawks, which ranks him third in MU history, two behind Lance Koenig (2000-2003). Greg Landis (1998-2001) is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 90. Landis also holds the single-season stolen base record with 37 in 2001. Messineo, who had a career-high four swipes against Princeton, was 5-for-5 this week in his attempts. He is 58-for-63 in stolen bases.

Messineo, who ended last season with two triples, no home runs and 18 RBI, already has three triples, six homers and 30 RBI after 35 games in 2007. Messineo had no career home runs entering this season and has six round-trippers

Senior Frank Catalano (Manasquan, N.J./St. Rose) collected his first career RBI, with a pinch hit sac fly against FDU on Sunday.

Sophomore Mike Casale (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North), who batted .400 on the week, connected on a home run and was hit-by-a-pitch four times in one game, on Sunday versus FDU.

Senior Matt Coulson (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro) collected a career-high seven strikeouts in his win over FDU on Sunday. The lefty made two appearances on the week, and had 10 Ks and zero walks.

Meyers, Kyle Higgins (Green Brook, N.J./Watchung Hills), Casale, Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) and Brett Holland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) have each already set new career for hits in a season.

Junior Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) added eight RBI and now has 116 RBI in the Blue and White. The all-time leader in RBI in MU history is Joe McCullough, who drove in 187 runs from 1995-1998. Meyers connected on his fifth homer of the season on Sunday, giving him 15 for his career. Meyers now has 37 career doubles, which ties him for seventh all-time in MU history with Jeff Toth, Anthony Petrocelli and the 2006 NEC Player of the Year, Nick Massari.

Junior John Dennis (Union, N.J./Union) made his collegiate debut on the mound against St. Peter’s, throwing one full inning in relief, facing three batters, while striking out one.

Monmouth head coach Dean Ehehalt (366-372-2) who is in his 16th overall season, reached the 350-win plateau against Wofford. Ehehalt is now 345-334-2 in his 14th season at Monmouth.

Monmouth returns to action on Tuesday, when the Hawks travel to Rider at 3:30 p.m.

MU football spring game/from MU web site/your thoughts?

Please make any comments/observations, etc., here. I was unable to attend.


Thanks


DEFENSE EDGES OFFENSE IN ANNUAL BLUE/WHITE SPRING GAME, 47-42

Hawk defenders tally 10 sacks, offense puts up 370 yards of total offense





WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The defense defeated the offense 47-42, at the annual Monmouth University Blue/White spring football game Sunday afternoon at Kessler Field. The game used a modified spring football scoring system that rewarded points for touchdowns, first downs, turnovers and sacks among others.



“I am very happy with the effort we put forth this spring,” said head coach Kevin Callahan. “I feel we made a great deal of progress over the past 15 days but we are still not where we need to be yet.”



Matt Fullam (Wayne, N.J./DePaul Catholic) led the Hawks on offense by completing 10-of-13 passes for 138 yards and a score to Nick Romeo (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills), who caught six passes for 118 yards. That duo got the Monmouth offense started and brought the crowd of 1,100 to their feet with a 68-yard scoring pass on a third and 12.



David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) led the ground attack with four carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. Brett Burke (Wall, N.J./Wall) completed 8-of-10 passes for 109 yards and Ryan Folsom (Somerdale, N.J./Triton Regional) went 6-of-9 for 83 yards.



Ryan Skorupka (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) had three catches for 104 yards.



One of the longer and more interesting plays of the day occurred when Folsom completed a short pass to Romeo, who fumbled, but Skorupka scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 40 yards down to the 10-yard line. That set up a Mike Pizzuli (Oceanport, N.J./Red Bank Regional) 26-yard field goal.



The offense’s second big play of the day happened when Sinisi, Monmouth’s leading rusher last season, broke a tackle on a fourth and two and scampered 33 yards for a touchdown.



Skorupka hit for another long play as he took a shovel pass from Folsom and rambled 52 yards down the sideline to the 15 yard line. That score set up another Pizzuli field goal, this time of 24 yards.



Joe Arneth (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) led the MU defense with nine tackles and a pass break up, while Kevin Walsh (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) had eight tackles and two sacks. David Kennedy (Fort Lee, N.J./Paterson Catholic) had eight tackles as well, with two sacks and three and a half tackles for loss. Chris Reed (Stewartstown, Pa./York Catholic) had three tackles for loss and two sacks, while Steve Scholl (Manasquan, N.J./Wall) added three TFL as well.



In all, the defense had 10 sacks, broke up three passes and forced and recovered three fumbles.



A host of Hawks contributed multiple-reception days, as Sinisi and Ron Lauch (Wall, N.J./Wall) had three catches and Korey Yngstrom (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro), John Nalbone (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) and Rodney Salomon (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) hauled in two passes each.



Jack Daniels (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) handled the majority of the punts, averaging 36.1 yards per kick on six attempts. The two teams were awarded points for a variety of plays, including sacks, turnovers, third and fourth down stops and three and outs for the defense while the offense earned points on touchdowns, field goals, first downs, runs of 12+ yards and passes of 20+ yards.

MU football news/from njvarsity.com

From me MU battling in some "big time" company for this kid..seems like he's interested ...

Here is the story -



LB Mike Carbone of West Deptford (NJ) first came to our attention during the 2006 National Underclassmen Combine, and has since enjoyed a fantastic junior season and is now dealing with his recruitment.


Monmouth offered Carbone last week

Carbone, 6-foot-0 and 220-pounds, finished his junior season with 93 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. His performance on the field earned him 1st Team All-State Group II, 1st Team All-South Jersey, 1st Team All-South Jersey Group II, and 1st Team All-Conference honors.

"Personally I had an amazing year," said Carbone. "I achieved above and beyond people's expectations. As a team we had a great year too. We made it to the South Jersey Group II Championship Game against Manasquan, and ended the season at 11-1."

Losing in the State Championship game is always a tough way to end a season, but for Carbone and his teammates, this loss gave them additional motivation towards 2007.

"I believe that we will be a great tem with lots of talent," said Carbone. "We have a great chance to return to the title game and win it. Personally, I will work on my leadership skills. Now that I am going to be a senior, it will be my turn to lead my team to success."

With the pressure of receiving his first offer now behind him, Carbone can now concentrate on the May Evaluation Period and further enhancing his stock.

"I am receiving interest from a variety of great programs," said Carbone. "The top schools are Monmouth, Delaware, New Hampshire, Stony Brook, Rutgers, Lehigh, Army, Purdue, Maryland, Temple, Buffalo, Pitt, BC, and UNC. I was offered a full scholarship from Monmouth University on Tuesday, April 11th. I went up to Monmouth and I liked them a great deal. Delaware is also showing a great deal of interest. In May, I will find out which schools are interested the most."

Carbone has already attended a spring practice at Monmouth, and now has a few other upcoming scheduled events.

"I am attending the Nike Camp at Rutgers in May," said Carbone. "I plan to attend Monmouth's Camp and Delaware's Camp. Depending on who shows the most interest will determine which camps I attend."

NJVarsity.com will stay in touch with Carbone throughout the recruiting year!

MU football

Due to scholastic obligations and scheduling I will not be able to cover the MU Blue-White game Sunday (and they're still going to hold it without me? - the nerve!)



However, MU SID Greg (Mr. Eagle) Viscomi will write a release on the game for the MU web site which I will re post here on the blog for your comments, thoughts, and certainly observatons from those who attend.

So please post anything related to the Sunday Blue-White game here.

Thanks...

MU softball weekend preview/from EO on the MU web site

My question - MU has four big games this weekend. How many does it win??? MU is looking to take first place for the first time since '99. It has never won the NEC Tournament.

Standings
LIU 6-0
MU 9-1
Wagner (5-3)



PREPARES FOR PIVOTAL WEEKEND IN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PLAY



The Monmouth University softball team, who is 23-10 and in second place at 9-1 in the Northeast Conference, visits first-place Long Island on Saturday and third-place Wagner on Sunday for a pair of crucial NEC doubleheaders. The four games the Hawks will participate in this weekend will have a huge impact on the upcoming NEC Tournament, which is May 11-13 at the campus of the number one seed.



Monmouth is 3-1 on the road in NEC play, and the Hawks are hitting .352 as a team in the league. Five Hawks are hitting above .400 in NEC action, with Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) leading the way hitting an eve. .500 with a home run and 11 RBI. Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) is batting .457 with four round-trippers and 13 RBI and a .886 slugging percentage, while Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) is batting .438 with 14 runs scored and is a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen base opportunities in league play.



Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland,N.J./Jefferson) is batting .429 with eight RBI with a .556 on-base average and Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) is batting .419 with two home runs and six RBI in her first season in the Blue and White.



Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) is 6-0 in the circle in league play with a 0.71 ERA for MU.



Now here's a closer look at Monmouth's two opponents for this weekend.:



Long Island (20-16 overall, 6-0 NEC)



Blackbirds at a glance: LIU is 4-0 at home this season and is currently in first place in the NEC. LIU features the reigning NEC Player of the Year Randi Gillispie, who is leading the league in batting this season with a .479 average, and the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Year Jenny Giles, who is 12-6 with a 1.92 ERA. Long Island has finished either first or second in the league in each of the last nine years, including winning the conference tournament championship five times since 1999.



Wagner (15-15, 5-3 NEC)



Seahawks at a glance: Wagner is currently in third place in the Northeast Conference and is 3-3 at home so far this season. Katie Stevens leads Wagner with a .378 average and 34 hits. The pitching staff is led by Morgan Miller, who is 6-6 with a 2.95 ERA, and freshman Kate Eshelman, who is 7-6 with a 3.13 ERA. The Seahawks are tied for the league lead with Robert Morris in fielding percentage defense with a .963 team average.

04/19 - Latest thread on MU hoops starting here

Re: men's recruits. Apparently Smith was going to commit, Barbour had
committed, and, apparently, Barbour, the 6-7 power forward from Calif, is coming to MU. MU only has the one scholarship.

Advisory - Was tied up all Thursday night with scholastic duties and mainly same for today and tomorrow. BUT will try and have more on all this at some point this weekend. Hope to talk with Barbour at some point soon and eventually have a Press story down the road with Calloway commenting on the recruiting class.

Thanks for hanging in there.

MU softball update/from the MU web site and EO

The Monmouth University softball team is continuing their tremendous 2007 season as the Hawks, now 23-8 and 9-1 in the Northeast Conference, continue to find themselves among the nation's elite in a number of statistical categories, according to the latest NCAA Ranking Summary.



Monmouth ranks first nationally in team doubles in per game with 2.1 two-baggers per contest, while also placing second in the country in team batting average with a .349 team mark. MU also ranks fifth in scoring, as they put up 6.8 runs per game, and is also 19th in team slugging with a .497 clip.



The Blue and White also boast three individuals that rank first in all of Division I in their respective categories. Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) is first nationally in runs batted in with 1.55 RBI per game and also doubles, with .52 per contest. Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) leads the country in runs per game, crossing the plate 1.39 times a contest.



The Hawks place four batters in the top 100 nationally in batting average with Gordon, who is hitting .472 (10th), Alvarez's .447 average (24th), Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) who is hitting .412 (64th) and Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) who is batting .410 (69th). Alvarez also places 13th in triples per game with .13 a game.



The MU pitching staff is also represented, as the unit places 87th with a 2.65 team ERA, and Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) is 30th in the nation with a 1.30 ERA.



The Monmouth University softball team's doubleheader originally scheduled with Rutgers for Wednesday, April 18 at 3 p.m. has been cancelled, and the Hawks will now take on Lehigh this afternoon.



Big East and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference obligations forced the games to be switched. Rutgers, MU's original opponent, had to drop the Hawks in order to take on Seton Hall in Big East play. Lehigh, who is 24-15-1 and 11-1 in Patriot League play, was scheduled to face Rider, but the Broncs had to drop them in order to play Marist in MAAC action.



Lehigh went 43-14 and 19-1 in conference last season and won the Patriot League championship a year ago. They defeated nationally-ranked #13 Texas A&M in the NCAA Regional round last year before falling to Massachusetts in the Regional Final round.

MU football

Below is from the MU web site and SID Greg Viscomi..I am posting it here so folks may comment (and offer others the opportunity to take a breath from whining about men's basketball)...




MONMOUTH FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE: DEFENSIVE PREVIEW

Over the past 14 seasons one thing has been consistent in Monmouth football, the defense is always one of the best in the conference. Last season the MU defense held opponents to 12.67 points per game, which ranked first in all of the FCS (formerly I-AA). Monmouth also finished third in pass efficiency defense, seventh in total defense and eighth in rushing defense. MU will have to replace nine of 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball, including Regional All-American Matt Hill and four other All-Northeast Conference performers.

Defensive Line: The Hawks lost all three of their starters on the defensive line but there are players on the roster that have game experience. Kevin Walsh (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) returns for his junior season after recording 13 tackles in 10 games, with 4.5 of those takedowns coming in the backfield. The defensive tackle demonstrated good speed off the ball while playing with strength as he finished 2006 with the third most sacks on the team (3.5 for a loss of 28 yards). Senior Chris Reed (Stewartstown, Pa./York Catholic) also saw significant time last season, appearing in all 12 games and finishing with 13 tackles. Monmouth’s quickest d-lineman will be competing for a starting spot at defensive end where he should develop as MU’s most dangerous pass rusher.

Fifth-year senior Vinny Fonti (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) is pound-for-pound the strongest player on the Blue & White and figures to compete for a starting spot at defensive end. Fonti has gameday experience in each of his three previous seasons, including five games last year. Junior David Kennedy (Fort Lee, N.J./Paterson Catholic) is the Hawks top backup at the defensive end position. Kennedy, who plays with power and has solid pass-rush moves, played in four games as a sophomore. Redshirt-freshman Jeff King (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) could see time at the noseguard/tackle position as one of Monmouth’s top run stoppers. Two converted linebackers, Troy Butler (Pennsauken, N.J./Woodrow Wilson) and Steve Scholl (Manasquan, N.J./Wall) round out the defensive line. Butler made the switch before the 2006 season and will compete at the defensive end position due to his speed off of the edge. Scholl, a junior, will look for a spot in the rotation at defensive end. His athletic ability and speed will help him get to quarterbacks in passing situations.



Linebacker: Senior T.J. Cerezo (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) is the only returning starter at the linebacker position. The outside linebacker started all 12 games last season, recording 32 tackles and a fumble recovery. Cerezo knows the Hawk defense and has been a leader to primarily young MU defensive personnel during the spring sessions. Junior Tyler Burnett (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) will compete for a starting spot in the spring and preseason. Burnett, who consistently puts himself in a position to make plays, played in seven games in 2006. Matt Sterner (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) is competing for a starting spot at inside linebacker. Sterner, a junior who played in two games last season, is a physical player who has demonstrated a good understanding of Monmouth’s defensive schemes.

Senior Larry Hudson (Somers Point, N.J./Mainland Regional) has been asked to move to inside linebacker and is taking the spring to learn his new role. Junior Tom Larkin (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) had a good offseason in the weight room and should compete for a backup spot as he continues to learn the MU defense. Sophomore Joe Cella (Jackson, N.J./Jackson) played on special teams in two games as a true freshman. The local product will make a push for playing time if he continues to improve during the spring and preseason. Freshman Jeff Brady, (East Aurora, N.Y./St. Francis) will get more reps in the spring as his continues to get comfortable with the Blue & White’s schemes.

Two freshmen, Joe Bates and Anthony Fiorillo, joined the team just prior to the spring session. The coaching staff is impressed with their progress but the duo are still learning the position and the defense. Senior Jordan Good (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley) has been out in the spring due to an injury suffered late last season.



Defensive Back: Senior Ayo Falae (Newark, N.J./Barringer) is the lone returning starter in the Hawk defensive backfield. Last season he was fourth on the team in tackles with 48 takedowns, while recording two pass breakups, an interceptions and a blocked kick. The conerback has shown considerable leadership on the field in the spring, which is important on a team with so much young talent. Senior Marcus Shell (Westhampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley) is MU’s leading candidate to replace All-NEC corner David Jiles. Shell, who has good coverage instincts, saw action in 11 games last season as a key backup in the defensive secondary.

Senior Bryan Bischoff (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) will compete for time at corner in the spring and preseason. Bischoff was a key defensive special teams player last season, recording 16 tackles in 10 games. Senior Brian Robinson (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) has had a very impressive spring to date. The Monmouth speedster led the Hawks in kick return yardage in 2006 but could be in the mix for a starting cornerback spot depending on how things play out leading up to the season opener. A trio of redshirt freshman in Ken Amsel (Demarest, N.J./Northern Valley Regional), Joe Arneth (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) and Jon Stolarz (Andover, N.J./Hopatcong) will also compete for playing time in the backfield. Amsel has decent cover skills and good foot speed but is surrounded by a lot of talent at the position. Arneth is a physical player who can cover well and could challenge for significant playing time this fall if not a starting spot. The coaching staff will have to wait till the summer to get a better look at Stolarz, who has successfully recovered from off-season shoulder surgery but will not be participating in contact drills during spring practice.

With the loss of both starting safeties, the position is wide open for competition. Fifth-year senior Derek Bischoff (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) Stolarz could also be a surprise competitor at the safety position as well. Jay Robinson (Camden, N.J./Woodrow Wilson) has improved physically over the winter break and will compete for time at one of the two spots. Chad Tirpack (Manasquan, N.J./Wall) could be vie for a top spot in the defensive backfield depending on how he performs in the spring. Freshman Bobby Cole (Jackson, N.J./Jackson) missed all of the fall with an injury and will be using the spring to get a grasp on the defensive schemes. Cole brings a physical presence to the Hawks and could be in the mix for significant playing time in the fall. Freshman Matt Walsh (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) moved from corner to safety and will use the spring to learn his new responsibilities.

Junior Gary Michalowski (Hockessin, Del./Charter School) and seniors Neal Haynes and Nick Schneider (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) will add depth to the Hawk defensive backfield and will be looking to make an impression on the coaching staff this spring.



Check back to www.GoMUHawks.com for a breakdown of the Monmouth special teamers. The Hawks wrap up the spring season with their annual Blue & White Spring game on Sunday, April 22. Admission is free, with kickoff starting at 12 noon.

From courtside hoops to tennis court coaching

Got word from Craig D'Amico, who broadcast MU hoops on MCX this season, that he has become
the youngest
head coach in the history of Union County high school tennis.

This from Craig " I currently coach Arthur L Johnson high school in Clark, NJ...we are 5-1 (started 5-0) and are getting set to play Westfield, the #1 tennis team in
the state of NJ on Wednesday.''


This from a press release on his hiring - D’Amico, 21, returns to the Crusaders where he was a four year varsity letterwinner from 2000-2003. He served as team captain and won the 2003 Most Valuable Player award in his senior season. D’Amico becomes the first former Johnson Tennis player to come back and serve as Head Coach.

(Who knew Craig was a home town tennis icon?)

“I am very excited for this opportunity. Becoming the head coach for the Johnson Tennis program is like a dream come true,” said D’Amico. “We have a veteran team that’s been learning how to win the last couple of years, and I believe this year we can make something special happen.”

Craig is graduating MU this spring with a degree in communications.

Congratulatons to Craig and best of luck.

Latest MU men's hoops news/updates

Starting a new thread for comments/info here.... I ended comments on the other hoops updates - simply to make this topic more easily accesable...

MU lacrosse update/from Greg Viscomi

Team Notes

NEC Standings


MSM 7-0

MU 5-1

Q pac 5-2



Monmouth had its 13 game conference win streak snapped on Friday with a 11-8 loss against Mount St. Mary’s… The Hawks also had a six-game win streak snapped with the loss… The Hawks are now in second place in the Northeast conference, with a showdown against Quinnipiac at Kessler Field looming on Friday… Mount St. Mary’s was also the last team to defeat MU in conference play, with the Mountaineers taking a 11-10 victory on April 24, 2005… Senior Katie Degen had her consecutive-game with a point streak broken at 47 games as the Mountaineers held her without a point… junior Megan Nutter, who was 14-for-14 in free position goals going into the game was 0-for-3 in Friday’s loss… Junior Ashley Waldman led the Hawks with four points on a trio of goals and an assist, while Nutter finished with a hat trick… Senior Kaitlyn Robinson had a career-high seven ground balls in the game, while adding a caused turnover… sophomore goaltender Monica Johnson tallied 11 saves in the game.


So - from me - looks like MSM will host the NEC Tournament

TG

MU baseball update from Chris Tobin /and me

MU at FDU for four this weekend..in my opinion..must win 3 or sweep....(top four teams make the NEC Tournament)




1 Mount St. Mary's 6-2 .750 16-15 .516 W4 6-5 6-6 4-4
2. Central Conn. St. 5-3 .625 14-7 .667 W1 8-1 6-6 0-0
3. Monmouth 4-3 .571 18-11-1 .617 L1 6-3 12-7 0-1-1
Sacred Heart 4-3 .571 13-16 .448 W3 4-3 4-6 5-7


5. Quinnipiac 4-4 .500 11-10-1 .523 L1 4-2 6-6-1 1-2
6. Wagner 3-5 .375 8-20 .286 L4 2-5 6-15 0-0
7. Long Island 2-5 .286 7-19 .269 W1 2-6 3-8 2-5
Fairleigh Dickinson 2-5 .286 7-23 .233

I found this interesting from the NEC web site...


RPI Update
The NEC, which has had one of its stronger non-league seasons in recent memory, is ranked 22nd among 30 conferences in the latest unofficial RPI rankings. The NEC is currently ahead of the Atlantic 10, America East, Ivy, Mid-Continent, Horizon, MAAC, SWAC and MEAC. Central Connecticut State is the league’s highest rated team, ranking 113th of the 293 Division I teams that sponsor the sport.

MU team Notes: Monmouth is 18-11-1 after its 4-1 week, after defeating Princeton for a fourth straight time and Lafayette a sixth straight time. The Hawks took two-of-three from the Blackbirds.

Monmouth’s win over Mount St. Mary’s to open conference play this year, made the Hawks 10-3 in league-openers under coach Ehehalt.

Junior Brad Brach, who threw the first no-hitter for Monmouth since the 1990 season when Glenn Spencer tossed a 7.0-inning no-hitter versus Mount St. Mary’s, now has 164 career strikeouts, four Ks behind No. 4 all-time (John Garrabrant, 168, 1992-1995). Brach now has 16 career wins, which times him for sixth place in MU’s D-I history with Mike Liloia, Andrew Palmieri and Joe Cummings. Mike Benfield (1998-2001) is the all-time leader with 20 wins.

Freshman Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan) remained unbeaten, improving to 5-0 on the year, after his win over Long Island on Saturday. The school-record for wins in a season is 10, set by Jim Carone in 2002, when the righty earned NEC Pitcher of the Year honors. Buch has 38 strikeouts on the season and currently leads the Hawks with his 2.15 ERA.

Monmouth has played six three-game series so far this season, and has won five of them, taking two-of-three from UCF, Wofford, Vermont, Liberty and Long Island. MU lost 2-of-3 at Navy, with the two losses coming with a 2-1 score.

Senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) is now 24-for-26 in stolen base attempts this season, giving him 53 swipes in his season-plus with the Hawks, which ranks him third in MU history, seven behind Lance Koenig (2000-2003). Greg Landis (1998-2001) is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 90. Landis also holds the single-season stolen base record with 37 in 2001. Messineo, who had a career-high four swipes against Princeton, was 7-for-7 this week in his attempts.

Messineo, who ended last season with two triples, no home runs and 18 RBI, already has three triples, five homers and 27 RBI after 30 games in 2007. Messineo had no career home runs entering this season and has five round-trippers

Junior Shawn Teters (Springdale, Ark./Springdale) and sophomore Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) each collected their first career home runs in the win over Lafayette.

Sophomore Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) collected a team-high 11 hits this week, including a home run. He batted .550 and registered a .800 slugging percentage. Niederhaus, the 2006 NEC Rookie of the Year, is on a six-game hit streak.

Freshman Matt Frazier (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) made two appearances this week, earning a win and posting a 0.00 ERA. He tossed 2.0 scoreless innings, surrendering two hits, with a strikeout to earn the win over Lafayette. Worked 1.1 innings in middle relief in MU’s win over LIU on Saturday.

Monmouth freshman pitchers have accounted for 10 wins so far this season, and three saves.

Junior Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) added three RBI and now has 108 RBI in the Blue and White. The all-time leader in RBI in MU history is Joe McCullough, who drove in 187 runs from 1995-1998.

Monmouth head coach Dean Ehehalt (362-371-2) who is in his 16th overall season, reached the 350-win plateau against Wofford. Ehehalt is now 341-333-2 in his 14th season at Monmouth.

Monmouth returns to action on Tuesday, when the Hawks host Rider 3:30 p.m.

MU softball from EO and me/First place battle shaping up!!!

From me - First place in the NEC likely to be decided Saturday when MU 23-8, 9-1 visits LIU 20-16, 6-0.

MU has never won the NEC softball tournament. It did finish first regular season in in '99

From E0 -

Team Notes: The Monmouth University softball is now 23-8 and 9-1 in the Northeast Conference after going 4-0 this past week, including sweeping Saint Peter’s 9-4 and 11-8 on Wednesday and Fairleigh Dickinson 3-0 and 8-0 on Saturday.
A little history and a great comeback were on display Wednesday afternoon when the Hawks took two games from Saint Peter’s, downing the Peahens 9-4 and 11-8 in non-conference action. Monmouth Senior Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph’s) -
from me - that's ""Home Run Heather" !!!

set the all-time single season school record for runs batted in during the first game on a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first and the Hawks came back from down 8-3 in the second game to complete the sweep. Gordon came into the game tied with Michelle West (1999) with 42 RBI this season and didn’t need long to establish the mark as her own with her two run-scoring single in the bottom of the first in game one. On the afternoon, Gordon went a combined 5-for-7 with six RBI in the two games.

More softball notes will be on the NEC web site Monday...

MU football intra-squad scrimmage/this will be longer than the Press story that will run Sunday

By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER

WEST LONG BRANCH - Fans watching Saturday's Monmouth University intra-squad football
scrimmage might have throught the Hawks were throwing caution to the winds.
Monmouth certainly
was throwing.

As footballs filled the air at windy Kessler Field all four quarterbacks, Brett
Burke, Ryan Folsom, Matt Fullam, and Kyle Brandon, lined up exclusively in shotgun
formation.

Wide outs Chris Kiley, Adam San Miguel, and Nick Romeo ran reverses, and tight end
Johh Nalbone dove into the line after catching shovel passes.

""This is not a new offense,'' said coach Kevin Callahan whose Hawks normally employ
a multiple look. He said the team is without fullback Marion Easley, who hurls the
javelin in the spring, and that Nalbone was the only healthy tight end.

""So we're doing a little bit more of our wide receiver package which has always
been a part of what we do,'' said the coach. ""That was a point of emphasis today in the
scrimmage to look at some specific things out of that.

""We added a little more option than we've had, we didn't run as much option last
year. We wanted to take a good look at that today.''

Wall High School graduate Brett Burke, the heir apparent to Brian Boland at
quarterback, had a big day Saturday.

According to the Monmouth sports information department Burke, who will be a
red-shirt junior in September, was 7-for-9 for 108 yards. Nalbone registered a team
high six catches for 123 yards.

Burke and wide out Chris Kiley (4-for 85 yards), a Point Boro High School graduate
who will be a senior in September, seemed to envision Saturday's spread attack as
evolving into more than a passing fancy.

""It's a fun offense for us,'' said Burke who ran the power-I at Wall. ""We've still
got to get better.''

The wide open approach led to a number of errant center snaps, receivers being
tackled in the backfield, and may have been a factor in some of the five fumbles.

""It's definitely a high risk, high reward type of offense,''said Kiley who caught a
45-yard TD pass from quarterback Matt Fullam, a transfer from Fordham.

It marked the lone TD scored by the offense despite its amassing 319 yards
(29-for-41) though the air.

The running game, substantially reduced by wide receiver losses and quarterback
sacks, netted just 12 yards.

Defensive highlights included some big hits by red-shirt freshman cornerback Joe
Arneth from Jackson, junior linebacker Tom Larkin, and an acrobatic pass break up from
senior corner Ayo Falae. Steve Scholl (Wall) had one of the team's five sacks.

""On the defensive side we weren't as solid against the pass as we need to be,''
said Callahan. ""There's a lot of work that has to be done there. We didn't finish
plays, we didn't tackle as well as we would have liked at the halfway point in spring
ball.

""As I told the team we're doing some good things, working hard, but we've really
got to take another step to be where we want to be at the conclusion of spring.''

Monmouth's 2007 spring practice ends with the Blue-White game noon next Sunday at
Kessler Field.

e-mail tonygsports@aol.com.

MU junior right-hander Brad Brach hurls no-hitter vs. LIU

Takes perfect game into the ninth inning. Details up coming on MU web site. Care to comment?..You my do it here...

MU football scrimmage

Has been changed from noon Sunday to 10 am Saturday at Kessler Field. I hope to be attending (wearing my woolies) and writing a story for Sunday.

Anyone attending or with comments on the scrimmage may post them here. The spring game will be one week from Sunday.

MU football/Spring practice/via MU web site from Greg Viscomi

The full offensive preview is available at the Monmouth web site...as in this case I mention and or copy many of the MU releases here so as to make the topics available for discussion..


I hope to attend Saturday's practie to write a story for Sunday Press.

Sunday's practice looks like a wash out at this stage....
.

MONMOUTH FOOTBALL SPRING PRACTICE: OFFENSIVE PREVIEW



With a handful of spring practices in the books already, Monmouth has already begun to put together the building blocks for a run at their fourth Northeast Conference title in five years. Last season the offense ranked second in the NEC in total offense (353.58 ypg), passing offense (200.75 ypg) and scoring offense (23.38 ppg). Below is a position by position breakdown of the players competing in the spring:


“Spring practice is about developing our players, improving technique and establishing depth in all positions,” said head coach Kevin Callahan. “Offensively, although we graduate some key players, we should be very strong. Obviously, we will need to replace a four-year starter at quarterback, but with All NEC performers in almost every position (OL, TE, RB, WR) we should be poised to exceed last year’s accomplishments.”

MU softball poised for stretch drive/Can Hawks win the title?

from Eddie O/MU SID


SOFTBALL READY FOR SEASON'S SECOND HALF AFTER STRONG START

NEC Standings
LIU 4-0
Monmouth 7-1
Wagner 4-2

MU plays at LIU and Wagner back to back April 21-22





The Monmouth University softball team has enjoyed a very successful 2007 season to date, going 19-8 and 7-1 in Northeast Conference play. As the Hawks prepare for the second half of their conference schedule, they look to remain in the hunt for a first place finish in the NEC with a potent offense and solid pitching, and the proof is in the numbers.



Senior Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph’s) and sophomore Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) lead the nation in runs batted in (RBI) per game and stolen bases per game, respectively, in the NCAA’s initial National Softball Ranking Summary, released Tuesday. Gordon is averaging 1.56 RBI per game, while Alvarez is averaging 0.93 swipes per contest. The speedy sophomore from nearby Brick is also second among all Division I hitters in runs scored per game with 1.37 and fifth in the country in triples per game with 0.15 three-baggers per game. The heavy-hitting Gordon also ranks seventh in the country in doubles per game with 0.41 per contest.



“Our team goes into every season well-prepared,” said head coach Carol Sullivan. “It’s gratifying and confidence-building to the players and coaches these results. We have worked hard and that has earned us some spots among the nation’s best.”



The Hawks, as a squad, are second in the country in team batting average, as their .344 average is right behind Oklahoma’s .345 team mark. The Blue and White offensive assault also ranks seventh nationally in scoring, averaging 6.67 runs per game. MU also places among the Division I leaders in team slugging percentage, ranking 24th with a .483 slugging mark.



MU places three hitters in the top 100 in the nation in individual batting average as well, as Gordon’s team-leading .449 average ranks 22nd in the nation, while Alvarez’s .438 mark is 30th and freshman Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) comes in at 90th in the nation with a .398 average. Sophomore Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) ranks 45th in the country in runs per game, averaging 0.96 scores per game. Junior Gina Mignoga (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) also checks in at 64th in the country in doubles per game with 0.3 per contest. Gordon also appears on the list for the fourth time as her .714 slugging percentage is good enough for 62nd in the country. The MU pitching staff has also earned national standing , as sophomore Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) checks in at 24th among all Division I pitchers in earned run average with a 1.19 ERA.



“While it is great to have national recognition and eye-popping stats, the team and coaches would trade every accolade for a Northeast Conference title, which is our primary goal,” Sullivan said.



Aside from the national recognition, the Monmouth University softball records book has been changing all season as well. Gordon is already the program’s career leader in home runs with 32 and RBI with 136, and still adding to each category. With her next run driven in, Gordon will also break the MU single-season record for RBI in a single season with her 43rd RBI of the year. Also, with 11 more stolen bases, Alvarez will set the single-season mark for swipes in a year. If Sawlsville continues her current pace with her 1.19 ERA, she could also land on Monmouth’s single-season top ERA list as well.

MU men's hoops update

Well, non update so far. Today is first day of spring signing period that runs through May 16.

MU expects to get signature of R.J. Rutledge who has verbaled. MU still involved with Jermaine Smith, but otherwise no news there. MU also said to be involved with some high school players (Plan B).

MU Lax report from Greg Viscomi/first place showdown with Mount Friday

Brittany McLaughlin was named NEC ROOKIE of the Week.
She picked up 11 points on the week, her first points of the season/career all coming off the bench for the Hawks. Against Lafayette, the freshman scored a hat trick and added an assist. In the St. Francis game she tallied two goals and had three assists. She excelled on defense as well in that game, with two ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. She rounded out the week with two assists while playing in the second half against Robert Morris.


Team Notes:


Hawk head coach Kelly McCardell will look for her 25th career win in MU’s next game. Monmouth heads down to Mount St. Mary’s for a matchup that could decide who wins the conference. The two undefeated teams meet on Friday at 3:30.


The Hawks are now 11-3 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in Northeast Conference play. Monmouth went 3-0 on the week to complete their four-game home stand with a 4-0 record. The Hawks outscored their three opponents by a combined total of 59-14, including scoring back-to-back 20+ goal games against Lafayette and St. Francis, marking just the third time in school history a Monmouth team has done so. MU celebrated senior day against Robert Morris, with Katie Degen, Carolyn Raveia, Kaitlyn Robinson, Becca Ozl, Amy Hanson and Nicole Marcou being honored before the game. Degen led the hawks in scoring during the week with nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points, while corralling three ground balls, five draws and causing six turnovers. Freshman standout Megan Brennan continues her impressive season, scoring eight points on six goals and two helpers this week. Brennan also had four ground balls, four draws and a caused turnover on the week. Megan Nutter continued her perfect free position percentage, going 1-for-1 on the week and upping her season total to 14-for-14. Sophomore Monica Johnson started all three games for Monmouth in net, while Ozl came in relief in all of the contests. The two combined for 11 saves and a 4.67 goals against average on the week. Hawk head coach Kelly McCardell will look for her 25th career win in MU’s next game. Monmouth heads down to Mount St. Mary’s for a matchup that could decide who wins the conference. The two undefeated teams meet on Friday at 3:30.

MU baseball update from Chris Tobin

Team Notes: Monmouth is 14-10-1 after its 3-2 week, defeating Columbia at home and splitting the series at Mount.
After its win on Thursday at Mount St. Mary’s to open conference play, Monmouth is now 10-3 in league-openers under coach Ehehalt.
Junior Brad Brach tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts at Mount St. Mary’s, and now has 158 career strikeouts, four Ks behind No. 5 all-time (Glen Keeton, 162, 2000-2004). Brach now has 15 career wins, which ties him for seventh place in MU’s D-I history with Glen Keeton and Brian Gismonde. Mike Benfield (1998-2001) is the all-time leader with 20 wins.


Monmouth has played five three-game series so far this season, and has won four of them, taking two-of-three from UCF, Wofford, Vermont and Liberty. MU lost 2-of-3 at Navy, with the two losses coming with a 2-1 score.


Senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) is now 17-for-19 in stolen base attempts this season, giving him 46 swipes in his season-plus with the Hawks, which ranks him fourth in MU history, six behind Jon Lewis (2002-2005). Greg Landis (1998-2001) is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 90.Messineo, who ended last season with two triples, no home runs and 18 RBI, already has three triples, five homers and 23 RBI after 25 games in 2007. Messineo had no career home runs entering this season and has five round-trippers


Sophomore John Elia (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) connected on his first career home run this weekend. The sophomore went 2-for-3 on the week and posted a 1.667 slugging percentage.
Senior Matt Coulson (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro) earned two starts this week, going 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. He worked 13.0 innings, allowing six hits and striking out nine.


In his first start in nearly a month, Coulson worked 7.0 innings to earn the win against Columbia, allowing one earned run with six strikeouts. The lefty worked 6.0 frames in a no-decision, allowing two hits, in a start on Saturday.
F

reshman Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan) remained unbeaten, earning a no-decision on Friday, working 5.0 innings with four strikeouts.


Sophomore Brett Holland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) collected his first career triple in MU’s loss to Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.
Junior Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) led the Hawks with a .471 average, collecting a team-best eight hits with two doubles and four RBI. Also drew four walks, registering a .609 on-base percentage.


Andy Meyers now has 105 RBI in the Blue and White. The all-time leader in RBI in MU history is Joe McCullough, who drove in 187 runs from 1995-1998.


Monmouth head coach Dean Ehehalt (358-370-2) in his 16th overall season reached the 350-win plateau against Wofford. Ehehalt is now 337-332-2 in his 14th season at Monmouth.
Monmouth returns to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Princeton.



My thoughts: Hard-to-swallow loss in the last game of the series at the Mount Saturday.

MU baseball on Radio/Is GAMETRACKER in the wings?

Got word from the WMCX guys that Tuesday's baseball game at Princeton will be carried on WMCX as well as some selected home games.


Also.. the word at MU is that perhaps, before the end of the spring, MU will have GAMETRACKER up and running for home sporting events.

""Home Run Heather" powers Monmouth softball (19-8, 7-1)/notes from MU SID EO

Gordon was instrumental in helping MU going a perfect 4-0 on the week. Gordon went 4-for-6 in Monmouth’s Saturday doubleheader sweep over St. Francis (Pa.) with a pair of RBI and a double. She saved her best for the latter part of the weekend however, as she went 4-for-8 against Robert Morris, including hitting a home run in each game, and driving in five runs on the afternoon, including the game-winner in the nightcap. She also made a key defensive play right before RMU tied the game as Gordon made a catch of a fly ball in leftfield and gunned out Colonial Brooke Panepinto at the plate as she tagged up and tried to score to end the sixth before the Colonials scored the equalizer in the top of the seventh. Gordon then delivered the game-winning single through the left side to score Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) who led off the inning with a single, and give MU the win. For the week, Gordon slugged an amazing 1.071 % and tallied a .571 on-base percentage.





Sophomore Kristine Sawlsville won three of the four games the Hawks prevailed in during the week, including tossing two complete-game gems. She kicked MU’s four-game winning streak off with a no-hitter against St. Francis (Pa.), striking out eight and only walking one batter. She then started the first game of the doubleheader the next day against Robert Morris, throwing a four-hitter while only allowing one earned run and striking out eight again against only two walks. Then, for an encore, she pitched the final 2.1 innings of relief in the nightcap against the Colonials to pick up her third win of the week. On the week, she threw 16.1 innings, while only surrendering eight hits and one earned run, while striking out 17 batters and only walkng three. Her ERA for the week was a paltry 0.43.


Team Notes


The Hawks are 19-8 and 7-1 in the Northeast Conference after going 4-0 in league play this past week. MU swept through the state of Pennsylvania this past week, defeating St. Francis (Pa.) 5-0 and 10-2 on Friday, and Robert Morris 3-1 and 10-9 on Saturday. Sophomore Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson), who went 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA on the week, tossed a no-hitter in the week’s first game, a 5-0 win over the Red Flash in the first game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon at the MU Softball Park. Sawlsville struck out eight, walked one and hit one batter in the game. Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph’s) went 2-for-4 with a run driven in on a first inning double to lead the MU offensive charge in support of Sawlsville in game one.
Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) led off the bottom of the second inning with a single and came around to score on a wild pitch. Lisa DiLeo (Commack, N.Y./Commack) singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) later in the inning.
Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland, N.J./Jefferson) led off the fifth inning with a single, and scored on a Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) base hit, and Caitlin Tighe (Somers, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) concluded the Monmouth scoring when she scored after pinch-running for O’Dell.
In the second game on Friday against the Red Flash, another solid pitching performance and two tremendous defensive plays stole the show as Angela Rand (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) threw a five-inning complete game to improve to 4-1 on the season. She allowed seven hits and struck out five to earn the win. The defensive gems were supplied by Nicola, who playing behind the plate made a sliding grab against the fence behind home plate in the top of the third, and Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Twp.), who made a diving catch to end the top of the fourth inning with Red Flash runners on second and third.


Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) went 1-for-4, but scored two runs and drove in three RBI in the second game, while Gilchrist went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Gordon went a perfect 2-for-2 with a RBI, O’Dell and Nicola each went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI. MU pounded out 12 hits in the nightcap as five Hawks registered at least two hits in the game.
Then on Saturday, Sawlsville won both games and senior Heather Gordon hit a home run in each game as the Monmouth University softball team swept a doubleheader from Robert Morris, 3-1 and 10-9.
Sawlsville dealed a complete game four-hitter in the first contest with the Colonials, striking out eight and walking only two. In the second game, she came in to pitch the final 2.1 innings in relief to earn the win and Gordon delivered the game-winning single through the left side to score Simonetti who led off the inning with a single.
In the first game with the Hawks trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Nicola stepped to the plate and blasted a two-out, two-run home run over the left-centerfield fence to score Alvarez, who had singled, with what proved to be the game-winning run.
Gordon then added an insurance run with a round-tripper of her own in the bottom of the fifth inning to give MU their 3-1 lead. Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) just missed out on a home run of her own as she smacked a double in the fifth inning that hit off the base of the fence.
In game two Monmouth jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning and held a 9-4 lead after four before Gordon’s late-game heroics supplied the 10-9 win in the bottom of the seventh. The Hawks got it going when Mignogna laced a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the second. Simonetti followed with a RBI single to score Mignogna.


The Colonials came back with a three-run double by Ashley Smith in the third, and chipped away to tie the game at 9-9 in the top of the seventh. Right before RMU tied the game, Heather Gordon gunned out Brooke Panepinto at the plate and Nicola supplied the tag to end the sixth before the Colonials scored the equalizer in the top of the seventh.
Simonetti went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the second game, while Alvarez went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. She also had five stolen bases on the day, including four in the second game. Gordon with 3-for-5 with four RBI and Nicola, Mignogna and Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) each collected two hits and one run scored.
MU hit .393 as a team on the week, with six different players batting at least .400 over the four-game stretch. Monmouth outscored their two opponents 28-12 this past week, and out-hit them 42-23. Alvarez was 6-6 on stolen base opportunities, bringing her season total to 25-for-26.
The Hawks return to action when they host Saint Peter’s on Wednesday, April 11 in a doubleheader with the first pitch set for 3 pm. They resume NEC play when they host a pair of doubleheaders, against Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday with the first pitch set for 1 pm and Sacred Heart on Sunday with the first pitch set for 12 noon.

Todd Frazier update /History in the making

I know this isn't a Rutgers forum, but Todd is a special, standout, local product who will probably go very high in the 2007 Major League draft. So this might be of interest to some..



Rutgers University junior shortstop Todd Frazier, a former Toms River High School South star, belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth cap a rally from a 9-1 deficit and give Rutgers a 12-10 victory over Connecticut in a Big East Conference game. It was Frazier's third homer in as many days, 13th of the season and 33rd of his career.He is one off both Rutgers' season and school record for homers. Frank Meade set the season record last year and Frazier's older brother, Jeff, now with the Seattle Mariners' West Tennessee Double A team, set the career record from 2002-2004.

Latest on the RMU job - please see comments

Advisory -for the forseeable future (which is a long time!) we will not be running any blogs dealing with coaches unless - as we have here - they are published reports - or I speak personally with a coach or member of a staff - MU or other wise.

I feel this is the most professional approach - which some bloggers, sadly, continue to attempt to circumvent.

This also includes those "non basketball-playing issues."

If anyonewould like to discuss this or any other matter further: e-mail tonygsports@aol.com




Friday, April 06, 2007By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


St. Bonaventure still didn't have a basketball coach yesterday, but Mark Schmidt does have a decision to make in that regard over the next few days.


Schmidt, the coach at Robert Morris the past six seasons, and his wife, Anita, returned to their Moon home last night after spending two days in Olean, N.Y., where Schmidt yesterday received an offer to coach the Bonnies.

That offer is believed to be a seven-year contract that could be worth as much as $2.1 million.

That $300,000 per season deal would more than double Schmidt's current annual stipend at Robert Morris.
"I've got to think about it," Schmidt said.


It's believed Schmidt, whose Robert Morris contract runs through the 2008-09 season, will get back to St. Bonaventure with an answer by Monday or Tuesday.


"We love him," Robert Morris athletic director Craig Coleman said of Schmidt. "And we hope he stays."


The Colonials are 82-90 under Schmidt. They qualified for the Northeast Conference tournament in five of his six seasons.

I am allowing the comment feature on this post because:

1. Any comments sent here - published or not - still count as a blog hit...(we and the Press love blog hits).

2. You never know when someone might have something to say that we can actually use.

U Conn guard To Q Pac? /from the NEC web site and the Hartford Courant

as we speak ..nothing new on Monmouth's pursuit of Jermaine Smith.



Quinnipiac Trend? UConn's Garrison Considers Following Moore
April 4, 2007By MIKE ANTHONY, Courant Staff Writer

STORRS -- Longtime UConn assistant coach Tom Moore left UConn last week to become coach at Quinnipiac.Sophomore guard Rob Garrison may follow him."I hadn't talked to Coach Moore about that until [Monday]," Garrison said Tuesday at Gampel Pavilion. "We talked for about 10 minutes and he doesn't want to put any pressure on me. But he thinks I can be the best player in the [Northeast Conference]."Garrison, who has been given permission to speak with other schools as he looks to transfer, said he plans to visit Quinnipiac. Still, he said he is in no rush to make a decision.

"I haven't even officially said I'm transferring yet," Garrison said.Garrison, 6 feet 2, from Niagara Falls, N.Y., is also considering Niagara, Southern Mississippi and Charleston."Arizona State called my family," Garrison said, "but that's a little too far west. ... Coach Moore is right down the road. It would be funny, playing for the same guy who recruited me [at UConn] at a different school. ... I've heard they've got a great facility and I know Coach Moore expects them to be the best in the conference every year."

Garrison averaged 1.4 points in two years at UConn.Freshman forward Ben Eaves, who announced March 20 he was leaving the Huskies, will transfer to Rhode Island.

Eaves, of Lancashire, England, scored one point in 11 games. He spent his senior year of high school at Worcester Academy.

"Ben still looks at his year at UConn as a positive experience," Worcester coach Eddie Reilly said. "The one thing this year did for him was confirmed his ability. He didn't [have a major role] but was able to show some things in practice."Both players will have to sit out a season after transferring.''

MU baseball weekend preview

Don't know how often I can do this during the spring, but I had a little time tonight -

Where does MU finish in the NEC????

See..this is what I was talking about. MU baseball off to a good start..beginning the NEC season today ,and no one even bothers to offer on how they'll do in the league this year.

Now if they were 4-16 some people would be screeching I'm sure. Well..such is human nature I guess.




With the Monmouth University baseball team (12-8-1) launching its 2007 Northeast Conference season with four games at Mount St. Mary's (10-12) beginning Thursday I spoke a little while ago via cf with MU coach Dean Ehehalt...

Brad Brach will pitch Thursday's opener followed by Ryan Buch and Brett Brach in Friday's DH. The ever popular "undecided" will pitch Saturday.


Ehehalt - "We've done everything we've needed to do to get ready for conference play. We're playing scrappy, shown improvement, and our pitchers have done a real nice job of keeping us in every game.


.
""Offensively I think we have the makings of a real, good offensive team. We have less power than in the past, but we don't strike out as much, we've got some speed, and a pretty good lineup.
""I think we came out and hit right from the start and it gives you a lot of confidence.''


NEC INDIVIDUAL BATTING
NAME CL G Avg
HIGGINS, Kyle MU.......... JR 21 .411
CRUZ, Orlando LIU......... SR 15 .400
SCHILLACI, Jay CCSU....... JR 12 .400
MURRAY, Ryan MSM.......... FR 18 .394
MEYERS, Andy MU........... JR 21 .392
BINKOSKI,Tim QU........... FR 13 .389
HANSON, Jeff SHU.......... JR 20 .364
DELANEY, John QU.......... FR 9 .361
TETERS, Shawn MU.......... JR 20 .359
DIGERONIMO, Joseph WC..... SR 19 .357


MU has won two of three from Central Fla, Wofford, Liberty, and Vermont.

As for the weekend Game Four starter: ""Depends on what happens in the first three games,'' said Ehehalt. ""We've played it this way all year. It could be Matt Coulson (Tuesday's winner vs. Columbia) or Matt Frazier. We're going to play the first three games, than worry about the fourth.''


BUCH, Ryan....... 1.93 4-0
FRAZIER, Matt.... 2.73 2-0
BRACH, Brad...... 3.94 2-1
BRACH, Brett..... 4.50 1-1
ESPOSITO, Justin. 1.29 1-1
MEYERS, Nick..... 3.00 1-0
REAGLE, Mike..... 4.91 0-0
VALLILLO, Nick... 6.23 0-0
BREESE, Kyle..... 6.30 0-3
BALLARD, Tim..... 6.75 0-0
COULSON, Matt.... 7.02 1-2
MCDONNELL, Andy.. 9.00 0-0
MARC-AURELE, Matt 13.50 0-0
Totals.............. 4.24 12-8
Opponents: ...... 6.46 8-12

Ehehalt said it won't be left-hander Matt Marc-Aurele, who though he has been pitching in relief, and s still rehabbing from off season shoulder surgery.


NEC batting

Monmouth............ 21 .320
Quinnipiac.......... 13 .295
Wagner.............. 19 .287
Long Island......... 18 .269
Mount St. Mary's.... 22 .267
Fairleigh Dickinson. 21 .264
Central Conn. St.... 12 .258
Sacred Heart........ 20 .252


NEC TEAM PITCHING G ERA W L
Central Conn. St.... 12 3.42 8 4
Monmouth............ 21 4.24 12 8
Sacred Heart........ 20 4.25 8 12
Quinnipiac.......... 13 4.50 6 6
Mount St. Mary's.... 22 5.89 10 12
Fairleigh Dickinson. 21 7.06 5 16
Long Island......... 18 7.62 5 13
Wagner.............. 19 7.80 4 15

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ADVISORY

I am posting this here as an alternative ( because there is no where else to do it) to let folks know our high school baseball blog has been on the fritz since last night..must have taken a fastball to the chops.

Anyway...I think it's safe to assume there won't be any local baseball played today.

MU MEN'S TRACK REPORT/from Greg Viscomi of MU

At Charlotte, MU’s throwers stepped up once again, with Marion Easley (Somerville, N.J./Somerville) and Nick Williams (Adamstown, Md./Urbana) taking first and second in the javelin. Easley smashed the competition with a throw of 204’11" with Williams’ throw of 178’04" coming in as the next best toss. Ed Skowronski’s (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) throw of 201’02" won the hammer and teammate Kyle Hirschklau (Morristown, N.J./Morristown) took fifth with a distance of 149’0". Skowronski and Williams finished two-three in the discus, with throws of 141’07" and 139’06", respectively. The Blue & White finished off the throwing events strong, with Williams, Hirschklau and Skowronski finishing in third, fourth and fifth place. The trio earned marks of 54’4", 51’ 2 ¼" and 48’11 ¾" in the event.

In the track events, senior Martin Suarez III (Burlington, N.J./Holy Cross) took home a third place finish in the 3000m run, finishing with a time of 8:48.95. Junior Jude Rene (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton North) took home a fifth place finish in the 110m hurdles, crossing the line in 15.31. Fabrice St. Elme (Rahway, N.J./Rahway) was sixth in the 100m, finishing in 10.89, while David Gaines’ (Freehold, N.J./Colt’s Neck) time of 1:53.24 in the 800m was also fifth. The meet featured Charlotte, Davidson, North Carolina A&T, James Madison, High Point and N.C. State among others.

The throwing squad at Maryland also had a fine outing, with Ryan Connell (Nutley, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep) taking first in the hammer with a throw of 168’11". Larry Lundy (Friendsville, Pa./Montrose) was second in the event with a toss of 165’09" and finished second in the discus with a throw of 149’05". Shawn Sabo (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) and Gerald Lewis (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) also placed in the discus with a fourth and fifth place finish (144’10" & 144’8"). Lundy rounded out his day with a sixth place showing in the shot put with a distance of 49’3 ½".

Monmouth’s 4x100 relay team of Jerome St. Bernard (Markham, Ontario/Michael McGivney), Dave Martell (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional), Chris Taiwo (Budd Lake, N.J./Mt. Olive) and Darrin Chandler (Hackensack, N.J./Paramus Catholic) took fifth place with a time of 43.08. Matt Caporaso’s (Matawan, N.J./Old Bride) time of 9:51.58 earned him seventh in the steeple chase while Craig Segal (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) finished eighth in the 1500m with a time of 4:00.24.Former MU All-American Bobby Smith won the javelin, with current Hawks Bryan Fill, Tim Raywood and Matt Mizerek taking third, fourth and seventh, respectively.