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Tuesday, April 12, 2005
EASTERN DOMINATES WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARDS
Seven Warriors in four sports cited for exceptional play last week
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – A total of seven spring student-athletes in four sports were recognized by the Little East Conference Monday as part of its weekly awards program.
Among 12 student-athletes recognized by the conference as either Player, Rookieor Pitcher-of-the-Week, the Warriors garnered seven awards. Eastern athletes took both the Defensive and Rookie-of-the-Week honors in both men’s and women’s lacrosse, were named Player and Rookie-of-the-Week in baseball and Pitcher-of-the-Week in softball.
Four of Eastern’s selection had previously been recognized with a weekly honor this year. This year, Eastern athletes have been recognized a total of 14 times: five times in women’s lacrosse and baseball, three times in men’s lacrosse and once in softball.
Through the weekend, men’s lacrosse, softball and baseball were all undefeated and in sole possession of first place in the conference while women’s lacrosse was in third place, just a half-game behind the leaders.
SOFTBALL
Lindsay Savelle (Jr., RHP, Cheshire, CT)
Pitcher-of-the-Week
Savelle won three and appeared in four games during the team’s 4-2 week. She won both games of Saturday’s Little East Conference doubleheader at Plymouth State, pitching her first career no-hitter in the opener and pitching 3 2/3 innings of hitless relief in the nightcap to improve Eastern’s conference record to 4-0. In 27 2/3 innings during the week, Savelle was 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA, fanning 18 batters and walking four. The no-hitter was the 29th in program history but first 1-0 no-hit decision in 18 years. Both Savelle and Plymouth All-America senior Kim Jeffs threw no-hitters but Eastern won by scoring an unearned run in the top of the sixth inning. Savelle remained undefeated (4-0) in her career against Plymouth and Jeffs.
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WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Erin Calkins (So., G, Stony Brook, NY)
Rookie-of-the-Week
Calkins earned the honor for the second time in four weeks. In her first season with the program, Calkins averaged 12 saves in a 2-1 week (1-1 in the conference) and posted a .581 save percentage and 8.67 goals-against average. Calkins made eight saves as Eastern remained undefeated all-time against Western Connecticut State University with a 13-5 win Tuesday and recorded back-to-back 14-save home games against Babson College (12-10 win) and Plymouth State University (11-10 conference home loss). Having played a conference-leading 610 minutes this year, Calkins is also ranked first in the conference among starting goalies in save percentage (.562), second in saves per game (12.70) and fourth in GAA (9.74).
Kara Bradley (So., D, North Haven, CT)
Defensive Player-of-the-Week
Bradley earned the honor for the second time in three weeks. A second-year starter, Bradley helped Eastern to two home wins in three home games against Western Connecticut State University 13-5 Tuesday and 12-10 over Babson College Wednesday. In those games, she led Eastern with eight ground bals and six caused turnovers and was second on the team with six draw controls. On the season, Bradley has started all ten matches for Eastern and leads the Warriors with 34 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers and is second with 16 draw controls. Eastern, which had a five-game winning streak snapped Saturday, is 5-5, 2-1 in the conference.
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MEN’S LACROSSE
Will Holland (Jr., G, Kent, CT)
Defensive Player-of-the-Week
A second-year member of the program after transferring from Elmira College, Holland led Eastern to its 33rd and 34th straight conference wins last week with a 15-5 win at Western Connecticut State University Wednesday and a 9-3 home win over Plymouth State University Saturday. In those wins, Holland totaled 21 saves and allowed only six
goals in 111 minutes. He lowered his season goals-against average to 8.37 and raised his save percentage to .636. Holland has started every game in net for Eastern and has played 459 of a possible 483 minutes. He has led the Warriors to a 5-3 overall record, 3-0 in the conference. Among starting conference goalies, Holland ranks first in minutes, second in save percentage and saves per game (14.00) and fourth in GAA.
Chris Elrod (So., A, Riverside, CT)
Rookie-of-the-Week
Elrod was honored with the award for the second time in four weeks. A first-year transfer from Colgate University, where sickness and injuries prevented him from playing, Elrod is a member of the first attack line at Eastern. Last week, Elrod helped lead Eastern to its 33rd and 34th straight conference wins with a 15-5 win at Western Connecticut State University Wednesday and a 9-3 home win over Plymouth State University Saturday. Against Western, he had career-highs of six goals (scoring on five straight shots at one point), two assists and eight points. He scored three of the team’s first four goals in that match to give the Warriors a 4-1 lead late in the first half. Against Plymouth, he contributed a goal and assist. In two games, he scored on seven of 11 shots and also had five ground balls. He has led the Warriors to a 5-3 overall record, 3-0 in the conference.
BASEBALL
Zach Mehrbach (Jr., IF, Lyme, NH)
Player-of-the-Week
Mehrbach led the Warriors to six straight wins during the week, batting .440 (11-for-25) with five runs, three RBI and three doubles. A third-year member of the program who is in his first season as a full-time starter, Mehrbach led the team during the week with 11 hits and extended his batting average to a career-high nine… in a conference doubleheader sweep of UMass Boston at the Eastern Baseball Stadium, the left-handed hiting second and third baseman was 6-for-9 with three RBI and two runs scored. He posted his 11th multiple-hit game of the year in the first game, going 4-for-5 with a run scored and RBI. On the season, he is batting a team-high .426 and also leads the Warriors in hits (40), runs (26) and doubles (9) and is second in RBI (17).
Joe Esposito (Fr., RHP, East Haven, CT)
Rookie-of-the-Week
Esposito of East Haven was named top rookie for the second straight week. Esposito won two games during the week, pitching 1 2/3 innings of relief in a 2-1 win at Montclair State April 5 for his first win against one loss and in a 7-0 win over conference opponent Massachusetts Boston Saturday, Esposito threw the team’s first complete-game shutout of the year, allowing only three singles and striking out a career-high 12. In 10 2/3 innings, he did not allow an extra-base hit, giving up only five hits while fanning 16 and walking four. On the year, Esposito has won three and lost one with a 1.45 ERA. He has struck out 28 and walked only nine and is second on the team in innings pitched with 31.0. A four-time national champion, Eastern is ranked 13th in the most recent NCAA Division III national baseball poll, released today. The Warriors are 17-6 and have won ten straight through Monday’s 7-3 home win over Babson College
