Sophomore third baseman receives All-America honors from ABCA and NCBWA  

RINDGE, N.H. (July 5, 2005) - Franklin Pierce sophomore third baseman Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) was received All-America honors from both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) following a standout season.

Olson was named to the Rawlings/ABCA Division II All-America second team while receiving third team honors from the NCBWA. He is the lone sophomore named to any of the top three teams for both organizations and he becomes the third All-American in the past three seasons for Franklin Pierce after right-handed pitcher Matt Weagle in 2003 and catcher Eric Cavers (also from Oxford Hills) in 2004. Teammate Bryan Duplissie (East Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional) earned second team utility honors from the NCBWA, while junior second baseman Mike Chambers (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) was an honorable mention pick by the NCBWA.            

Olson, a first team All-Northeast Region and All-Northeast-10 Conference pick, ranked among Conference leaders in numerous categories as he posted a .375 batting average (4^th), 57 runs scored (1^st), 13 doubles (10^th), two triples, 11 home runs (1^st), 42 RBI (3^rd) and 14 steals (10^th) to go with a .442 on-base (3^rd) and .625 slugging percentages (2^nd). He also led the NE-10 with 75 hits. In addition to his offensive numbers, Olson was nearly flawless at third base, committing just seven errors (down from 24 as a freshman) in 155 chances (.955 fielding percentage).

The Ravens leadoff hitter reached base 53.2-percent (41-of-77) of his opportunities when leading off an inning and converted a team-best nine-of-18 opportunities with runners on third and less than two out. He led the team with 21 multiple hit games (team-best 11 with three or more hits), while his 12 multi-RBI outings and 18 two-out RBI ranked second on the team. Olson also logged an 18-game hitting streak early in the season and matched a program record with six RBI in the Ravens 12-2 win over the College of Saint Rose in which he hit a record-tying two home runs for the second time this season.

Olson's totals from this season have placed him lofty company among the program's single-season lists in program history. His 75 hits, 57 runs scored are all good for second all-time, while he ranks fifth in home runs, eighth in doubles and tenth in steals with this year's totals.

Olson already ranks among career leaders at the College with a .355 batting average (4^th), 97 runs scored (9^th), 26 steals (9^th), 14 home runs (9^th), 140 hits (10^th) and 394 at bats (10^th). He has also been hit by a school-record 25 pitches in 101 career games.

Duplissie, the Northeast-10 and NCBWA Northeast Region Player of the Year, was named to the writer's All-America second team after a standout first year at Franklin Pierce as a pitcher, first baseman and designated hitter after transferring from Wheaton (Mass.) College.

On the mound, Duplissie posted a team-best 6-1 record (7^th NE-10) on the mound with a 1.58 ERA (5^th), 54 strikeouts (9^th) and 21 walks in 62.2 innings over nine starts for the Ravens while limiting opposing batters to a .220 batting average. He was one of just nine pitchers in the Conference not to yield a home run on the year.

Offensively, Duplissie hit .294 (52-of-177) with 28 runs scored, 14 doubles (5^th), a triple, 11 home runs (1^st NE-10) and 49 RBI (1^st) to go with a .571 slugging percentage (5^th). He hit a team-best .418 (28-67) with runners in scoring position and totaled a team-best 21 two-out RBI.

Chambers, a first team All-Region and All-Conference selection for the second-straight season, received honorable mention All-America honors from the baseball writers. He hit .332 for the Ravens this season to go with 47 runs scored (2^nd NE-10), a school-record 18 doubles (1^st), nine home runs (3^rd) and 45 RBI (2^nd) while registering a .572 slugging percentage (4^th).

Chambers earned Louisville Slugger College Division MVP honors at the 31^st Annual New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star game in late June. He led the Ravens this spring with 14 multi-RBI games, while his 19 multi-hit games ranked second to Olson. Chambers also registered a team-best 19-game hitting streak, which set a program record for a hitting streak at the start of the season.

Franklin Pierce (32-14, 21-9 NE-10) claimed its first Northeast-10 Conference Tournament championship this past spring, earning its second NCAA Tournament berth in three years. The Ravens hosted the NCAA Northeast Regional for the first time in program history and advanced to the regional title game before falling to Southern Connecticut State University. Franklin Pierce has matched the program record for wins three-straight years and the season ranked No. 29 in Collegiate Baseball magazine's Division II ranking and No. 24 in the NCBWA poll.