WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State's baseball team had four players named to the 2017 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball team, on Wednesday, led by first-teamers Anthony Crowley (Bellingham, Mass.), Matt Nunes (Taunton, Mass.) , and Dan Rokitowski (Ketcham/Wappingers Falls, N.Y.). Junior outfielder John Lippincott (Northwestern Regional/Barkhamsted, Conn.) was named to the second team.
The Owls won the MASCAC's regular season title with a 28-9 overall record and had a 12-2 record in conference play. While Westfield dropped two games in the conference tournament this week, the Owls remain on the bubble for an NCAA tournament.
Crowley, a sophomore outfielder, won two out of three of the league's triple -crown categories, leading the circuit with seven home runs and 40 runs batted in. He hit .395, good for second in the league. Crowley scored 30 runs, recorded 20 total extra base hits (seven doubles, six triples, and seven home runs) and had an on-base percentage of .490 and slugging percentage of .790 while playing a solid defensive center field.
Nunes, a senior, was two pitchers on the first team. He posted a 6-2 record with a 2.14 ERA in 54.2 innings of work. Nunes allowed just 36 hits, struck out 44 and walked 23, and opponents hit just .188 against him with three extra base hits all season. Nunes worked his way back from Tommy John surgery two seasons ago, and has an extra-year of eligibility available.
Rokitowski was selected as the first-team first baseman. The Owls steady left-handed bat hit .277 with three home runs, 10 doubles and 26 runs batted in while scoring 23 runs. Rokitowski is a senior, who has an additional year of eligibility remaining.
John Lippincott
Lippincott, was a second team pick in the outfield. A junior transfer from Division I Central Connecticut, who was playing his first season with the Owls, batted .336 with 30 runs batted in, and scored 26 runs. He had a school-record 17-game hitting streak in the middle of the season, and rapped 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs this season. His glove also played an important factor in the Owls success, as he recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, and made more than a handful of spectacular diving catches for the Owls.
The NCAA Division III tournament selections will be announced on Monday, May 15. The Owls are vying for one of 13 Pool C at-large bids in the 56 team field.
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