Athletics: Spring 2004 Wrap-up - Falcons Dominate Spring
Baseball
The 2004 baseball season was one to remember for Fitchburg State.
The Falcons won a school record 24 games, finished nationally ranked
in several offensive and defensive statistical categories and were
ranked in New England for the first time in school history. As a
result, head coach Pete Egbert garnered his second consecutive MASCAC
Coach of the Year award.
The Green and Gold began the season with a 5-3 trip to Homestead,
Florida, with the win total surpassing the total of the previous
three spring trips. The Falcons proved they were a threat to be
reckoned with in New England during their first week back north.
They limited a tough Johnson & Wales lineup to just a single
run in a 6-1 victory before putting together a rally for the ages
in a 13-9 win at WPI. The ‘BURG was trailing 9-3 with two
outs in the top of the ninth inning before ripping of 10 straight
runs to steal the victory. The non-conference slate was also highlighted
by a 15-4 win versus nationally ranked Suffolk.
Fitchburg State enjoyed success in MASCAC play as well. The Falcons
finished a solid 10-4 to earn the third season in the MASCAC Tournament.
The conference slate was highlighted by five sweeps, including a
remarkable sweep of league power Bridgewater State that snapped
at 34 game losing streak to the Bears. It also marked the first
time since 1980 that Fitchburg had swept BSC.
A pair of Falcon senior hitters earned All-New England status.
Shortstop Tim Sullivan (Tewksbury, MA) was second
in the MASCAC in hitting at .426 clip to go along with an eye-popping
.524 on-base percentage. He became the first FSC player since 1996
to play in the NEIBA all-star game at Fenway Park. First baseman
Mike Savastano (Plymouth/Coyle-Cassidy) was All-New
England performer as well, hitting .402 with a MASCAC-best 37 RBI
and seven home runs. Junior outfielder Dustin Fredieu
(Farmersville, LA) was a terror on the basepaths with a MASCAC leading
28 stolen bases and 42 runs scored. The Falcons received several
other outstanding offensive performances: third baseman Justin
Schultz (Pepperell/North Middlesex) batted .316 with four
homers, second baseman Ray Richard (Millbury, MA)
hit .365 with 34 runs scored and designated hitter Tim Raymond
(Sutton, MA) batted .350 with 10 extra base hits. Three other outfielders
also made large contributions. Brian Milleisen
(Miller Place, NY) hit .301 with 9 stolen bases, Manny Torres
(Lynn/Classical) plated 15 runs batted in and Rusty Shafer
(Peabody, MA) played outstanding defense to go along with a .356
batting average.
The Falcon pitching staff had one of its best seasons in over
two decades. The top four starters, Tommy Motta (Lakeville/Apponoquet),
Rick Terry (Amesbury, MA), Nick Barnes
(Westford/Westford Academy) and Colin O’Hara (Athol,
MA) combined to amass a 18-3 record. All four were underclassman
with freshman Motta earning second team All-MASCAC. In the bullpen,
sophomore Nick Murray (Douglas, MA) set the school
record for saves in a season (3) and career (4).
Softball
The Fitchburg State softball team continued to prove to be one
of the finest programs in New England. Head coach Michelle Daley
saw her team earn a postseason bid for the third consecutive season.
The Falcons were selected to participate in the ECAC New England
Tournament where they took first seeded Smith College to the limit
before dropping a 1-0 decision.
The Green and Gold finished in a three-way tie of second place
in the always competitive Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference.
The Falcons avoided being swept by any MASCAC opponents and was
one of two conference teams to post a win over regular season and
tournament champion Bridgewater State. Fitchburg State was seeded
third in the double elimination tournament, where they dropped a
pair of tough extra innings contests to Framingham State and Worcester
State. The non-conference portion of the schedule featured a 5-2
victory at Western New England, a team that appeared in the 2003
College World Series and one of eight top seeds in the 2004 NCAA
Tournament.
The Fitchburg State pitching staff enjoyed a fine season in the
circle. Sophomore Jenn Neslusan (Douglas, MA) earned
first team All-MASCAC status by going 10-6 with a razor-thin 1.24
ERA and 76 strikeouts. Her season was highlighted by first career
perfect game in early April at Massachusetts Maritime. Rookie hurler
Michelle Yuille (Acushnet/New Bedford) proved to
be very effective as she won 7 games with an impressive 1.60 ERA.
The Falcons had several performances from position players. Designated
Player Alyssa Freda (Leominster, MA) earned first
team All-MASCAC and All-New England (ECAC) honors after hitting
.316. The junior added five extra base hits and drove in 13 runs
despite battling several nagging injuries. Classmate Lacy
Gillotti (Provo, UT) had quite and offensive season while
patrolling the hot corner. The third baseman batted a team-best
.343 with 27 runs scored, seven doubles and a pair of home runs.
Freshman shortstop Keri Kravetz (West Bridgewater,
MA) was an RBI machine for the Falcons, driving in 25 runs while
hitting .298 and sporting one of the better arms in the MASCAC from
the shortstop position. She earned second team All-MASCAC honors
along with freshman second baseman Danielle MacDonald (Brockton,
MA). MacDonald was one of the team’s steadiest players, hitting
.270 with just three errors on the year.
Sophomore Kristen Bissonnette (Springfield/Minnechaug
Regional) helped beat opponents with arm and her bat. As an outfielder
she batted .270 with 20 runs scored. As a pitcher, Bissonnette changed
speeds effectively en route to going 2-4 in the circle with a 2.06
ERA. The outfield featured strong defense with Bissonnette pairing
with senior Danielle Dion (Lowell, MA) and freshman
Colleen Silva (Halifax/Silver Lake). Behind the
plate, senior catcher Krystal Souza (Bedford/Greater New Bedford)
was solid managing a young pitching staff while batting .250 with
12 runs batted in.
Outdoor Track and Field
The Falcons men’s and women’s track and field teams
had several outstanding performances as they at the MASCAC championships
as both teams placed third at the meet held April 27th at Rhode
Island College in conjunction with the New England Alliance meet.
Sophomore sprinter Cortney Kelly (Hanson/Whitman-Hanson)
had a day to remember as she set the MASCAC record while winning
the 100 meter dash in a time of 12.52. Her incredible day did not
stop there as she finished second in the 200 meter dash in a time
of 25.82. That result topped any time prior to the 2003 championships.
Freshman Dominique Smallwood (Boston/Concord-Carlisle)
joined Kelly as a MASCAC champion as she took home first place in
the triple jump with a leap of 32’07.50. Other top performers
on the women’s side included Jen Kurtinitis
(Pittsfield, MA) who placed second in the hammer throw and fourth
in the triple jump and the shot put. Rachael Norman (Springfield/Science
and Tech) finished second in the 10,000 meter run while Megan
Hamel (New Boston, NH/Goffstown Area) placed third in the
shot put and fifth in the discus and Andrea Keith (Latham,
MA/Shaker) finished fourth in the javelin and fifth in the shot
put.
The men’s team sported three conference champions and several
other strong efforts. Matt Germain (Haverhill,
MA) captured the 1,500 meter title with a time of 4:05 and was nipped
at the finish line by teammate Chris Keegan (Uxbridge,
MA/Blackstone-Millville) in the 800 meter who won in a time of 2:00.67.
Dan Savukoski (Fitchburg, MA) captured the 10,000
meter crown with a time o f 34:13.69 and finished fourth in the
5,000 meters. Other top men’s performers included Craig
Martin (Westminster, MA/Gardner) who placed third in the
200 meter dash and fifth in the triple jump, Ryan Miller
(Natick, MA) who finished fifth in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meter
races and Ed Lynch (Norwell, MA) who placed third
in the hammer throw. Dan Navoroli (Leominster,
MA) finished third in the 10,000 meter run and Keith Kantor
(Winchendon/Murdoch Regional) took home fifth place in the 3000
meter steeplechase.
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