Keith Renaud Heads List of Ten All-NE-10 Selections
Southbridge, Mass., native named NE-10 Player of the Year
RINDGE, N.H. (May 14, 2007) - Ten members of the Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament champion Franklin Pierce baseball team have earned All-Northeast-10 honors as selected by the Conference's 13 coaches.
Junior pitcher/designated hitter Keith Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) heads the list, which falls just one selection shy of Franklin Pierce's program record of 11 set in 2006, as he was named NE-10 Player of the Year. It marks the fourth-straight year a Raven has taken home the Conference's top honor as Renaud joins Garrett Olson (2006), Bryan Duplissie (2005) and Eric Cavers (2004).
Joining Renaud, who earned a spot at utility, on the All-NE-10 first team were senior second baseman Jake Christman (Newton, Mass./Newton South), senior centerfielder Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty), junior catcher Matt Anderson (Medford, Mass./Medford) and sophomore pitchers Mike Adams (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) and Tom Cote (Swanzey, N.H./Monadnock Regional).
Earning spots on the second team are junior relief pitcher Tyler Bishop (Milford, N.H./Milford), junior leftfielder Kevin Renaud (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) and freshman right fielder Kevin Rivers (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern), while senior shortstop Cory Shepherd (Worcester, Mass./Burncoat) was selected to the third team.
Keith Renaud, a transfer from Becker College, has shined in his first year with Franklin Pierce both with the bat and on the pitcher's mound. He ranks among NE-10 leaders in several categories, leading the team with a .379 batting average, 54 runs scored, 78 hits, nine doubles, a triple, six home runs, 19 stolen bases and 39 RBI. Renaud is second on the team with 21 multi-hit games, including a team-best nine with three or more, and is tied for second with 13 multi-RBI outings. He set a single-season record earlier this spring when he posted a 20-game hitting streak.
Renaud has made a team-leading ten starts on the mound and posted a 5-2 record and 3.38 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 23 walks over 56.0 innings, holding opposing batters to a .189 average. He ranks among NCAA Division II leaders with his 11.89 strikeouts per nine innings.
In Conference play, Renaud hit .304 (35-for-115) with 25 runs scored, four doubles, a triple, three home runs, 13 steals and 17 RBI. On the mound, he was 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 12 walks in 37.0 innings of work over six starts, holding opposing batters to a .169 average.
Pennell earns All-Conference honors for the fourth-straight year. In 53 games this season, he is hitting .358 with 54 runs scored, 73 hits, 13 doubles, a school-record matching six triples, a home run, 25 stolen bases and 37 RBI. The Ravens leadoff man has also totaled a team-best 23 multi-hit games, including seven with three or more hits, and six multi-RBI outings driving in five-plus runners in two games. Pennell hit a team-best .372 (42-for-113) in Conference play this season, with 25 runs scored, six doubles, four triples, 14 steals and 21 RBI.
Pennell is the program's all-time leader in stolen bases with 93 and is ranked third all-time with 243 career hits - just five shy of former teammate Elliot Shea's program record of 248 career hits. Pennell also ranks among career leaders with a program-record 208 career games played, 154 runs scored (4th), 34 doubles (10th), ten triples (2nd) and 111 RBI (7th).
Christman earns All-Conference honors for the first time with his selection to the first team. He has shined in his first season as a starter at second base for the Ravens, posting a .337 batting average, 39 runs scored, 60 hits, five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 21 RBI while playing all 54 games this year. Christman has also played a solid second base, committing just ten errors in 241 chances (.959 FLD%). In Conference play, Christman was second on the team with a .333 (34-102) batting average, 20 runs scored, a double, two triples, two home runs and 13 RBI, committing just three errors in 141 chances (.979%).
Anderson also collects All-Conference honors for the first time. He is hitting .339 this season with 40 runs scored, 62 hits, 15 doubles, a triple, a team-leading eight home runs and 48 RBI. The Ravens catcher has thrown out 14-of-52 (26.9%) potential base stealers against him and added a team-high three pickoffs. He has also totaled a team-high 19 two-out RBI, 21 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI outings. In Conference play, Anderson hit .290 (31-for-107) with 18 runs scored, eight doubles, three homers and 21 RBI.
Adams adds to the list of five first-time All-Conference selections to earn first team honors. He has made 13 appearances (seven starts) for Franklin Pierce this season and posted a 5-0 record, two saves and a 1.89 ERA with 54 strikeouts and just 15 walks over 62.0 innings, holding opposing batters to a .233 average. He ranks among NCAA Division II ERA leaders, and in eight Conference appearances (five starts) was 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA, 31 strikeouts and just eight walks over 40.1 innings, holding opposing batters to a .233 average.
Cote, a transfer from the University of Massachusetts, is a first time All-NE-10 selection. He leads the team in victories, posting a 7-1 record in 11 appearances (ten starts) this season with a 2.63 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 54.2 innings, holding opposing batters to a .195 average. In six Conference starts, Cote is 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 30.2 innings with opposing batters hitting just .196 against him.
Bishop, a first time pick named to the All-NE-10 second team, has been virtually unbeatable as the Ravens closer this season. In 14 appearances, he has yet to allow a run, while scattering just seven hits (one for extra bases) and six walks (0.63 WHIP) with 26 strikeouts over 20.2 innings to notch a program-record nine saves and a 2-0 record. In eight NE-10 appearances, Bishop was 1-0 with six saves, scattering five hits and three walks with 17 strikeouts over 11.2 innings. His 11 career saves are a program-best.
Kevin Renaud, also a first time pick named to the second team, leads the NE-10 with 56 RBI to go with a .354 batting average, 48 runs scored, 74 hits, 18 doubles, a program-record matching six triples, seven homers and 14 steals. He has also totaled 17 two-out RBI, a team-best 15 multi-RBI games and 19 multi-hit outings. In his first year at Franklin Pierce, along with twin brother Keith, after transferring from Becker, Renaud hit .303 (36-109) in Conference play with 24 runs scored, ten doubles, a triple, ten stolen bases and 21 RBI.
Rivers earns a second team spot after collecting NE-10 Freshman of the Week three times this season. He leads the NE-10 with 20 doubles to go with a .325 batting average, 37 runs scored, 64 hits, a program-record matching six triples, five home runs and 46 RBI. Rivers shares the team lead with 19 two-out RBI to go with 18 multi-hit and 11 multi-RBI outings. In 30 Conference games, Rivers hit .284 (31-109) with 17 runs scored, ten doubles, three triples, a home run and 20 RBI.
Shepherd, also a transfer from Becker in his first year, has earned a spot on the All-NE-10 third team. He has been a consistent addition at the bottom of the Franklin Pierce lineup, starting all 54 games and posting a .326 batting average, 34 runs scored, 58 hits, 15 doubles, a triple, home run and 31 RBI. In 30 Conference games, Shepherd hit .327 (34-104) with 16 runs scored, ten doubles, a triple and 19 RBI.
Franklin Pierce (45-9, 26-4 NE-10), ranked 11th in this week's Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, has been named the top seed and host for this weekend's NCAA Division II Tournament Northeast Regional. The Ravens, who captured their second-straight regular season and second NE-10 Tournament title in three years on Sunday, will open the regional against sixth-seeded Wilmington (Del.) College, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament champions, on Thursday at 11 a.m. Franklin Pierce is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance (third straight) and seeks its third regional title overall and second straight.