Seahawks season in review

Season Ending Notebook - PDF Version

Just a year after a tough 14-27 season, the Salve Regina baseball team used a 10-game winning streak down the stretch to finish the 2013 season with the second-most wins in school history and a trip to the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship game. The Seahawks finished the year 29-12 with a 12-4 mark in the conference, earning the number three seed in the conference tournament. 

The 10-game winning streak over the last part of the season included four CCC doubleheader sweeps and a pair of wins over neighboring Johnson & Wales before Salve Regina wrapped up its regular season with a 14-5 victory over Framingham State. In that span, the Seahawks pounded out 94 hits while batting .405 as a team. Sophomore Joe Haley (North Kingston, R.I.) led the squad with a .406 average at the plate while freshman Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.) belted his first two home runs of the season, both against Roger Williams. Kelly not only hit for power in the winning streak, with three doubles and legging out two triples, but flashed speed on the base paths as the freshman was a perfect 10-for-10 in steal attempts. In fact the entire team was quite proficient swiping bags during the winning streak, as the Seahawks were stole 34 times on 39 attempts.

After a pair of losses to Kenyon to open the season at the Gene Cusic Classic in Ft. Myers, Fla., the Seahawks bounced back to win 10 of their next 11 games to open the year, 10-3. Salve Regina suffered a doubleheader sweep to CCC rival, Western New England, to open conference action and snap a five-game winning streak, but the Seahawks came back and opened the month of April with another five-game winning streak, including a pair of wins over Wentworth to even their conference record at 2-2. Following their 10-game winning streak, the Seahawks sat at 26-7 on season and received votes in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association coaches' poll and earned an eighth-place ranking for the first time since 2006 in the initial NCAA regional rankings of the season. 

Salve Regina fell to the eventual CCC champions Endicott in its final conference doubleheader of the season but earned the number three seed in the tournament and the right to host the first round game. 

Sophomore Tim Harris (Southbury, Conn.) led the Seahawks to a big opening game win over Roger Williams to kick off the 2013 CCC tournament with six RBI and a pair of three-run home runs. After the Hawks took a 3-0 lead in the second, the Seahawks answered with a run in the bottom of the second and a couple four-run innings to take the first game, 11-5. After Endicott got upset in its first game, the Seahawks were back in action at Brother Reynolds Field for the second game of the tournament and the bats did not quite down. Salve Regina defeated Wentworth 9-3 behind a 12-hit day and a stellar performance by junior Vincent Roth (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) on the mound. Roth allowed just two extra base hits over 7.2 innings of work to help the Seahawks to their 29th win, the second most wins in a season in program history. 

Unfortunately the Seahawks couldn't break the 30-win barrier and fell to Western New England for their first loss of the CCC tournament before Endicott eliminated Salve Regina before going on to win the conference crown. 

The Seahawks ended their season with an impressive 29-12 mark while going 12-4 in the conference. 

I'm Honored
Freshman Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.) was honored by the Commonwealth Coast Conference as the Rookie of the Year while juniors Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.) and Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn.) and sophomore Kyle Pheland (No. Scituate, R.I.) were named to the all-conference first team. Sophomore Joe Haley (North Kingston, R.I.) and freshman Ryan Sweenor (South Kingston, R.I.) earned second team honors as well. 

Di Sano represented not only Salve Regina but the conference as well as the only non-pitching selection to the first team New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association squad. The junior catcher is the first Seahawk since Justin Collett in 2009 to receive the honor. 

Colby joined Di Sano on d3baseball.com's All-New England team as Colby was named a second team designated hitter while Di Sano was a first team catcher.

Where They Finished
The Seahawks made quite the noise in the NCAA statistics ranking as they finished the season, with several players finishing in the top-50 in individual categories and the team ranking in the top-50 as well. Below is a complete list of where the Seahawks currently rank in the NCAA. (As of May 22)

Off to the Races
Freshman Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.)  was a force to be reckoned with after he reached base this season. The freshman outfielder stole an impressive 29 bases on 29 attempts, including a season-high four against Johnson & Wales. Kelly finished the season with at least one stolen base in the final three games of the year and had six multi-steal games this year. Kelly was just eight stolen bases shy of the program's all-time season record of 37, set by current associate head coach Eric Cirella in 2005. 

In the Books
Junior Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.) tied the school's career record for runners picked off this season (6) while currently ranks second for caught stealing by with 32 runners. Junior Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn.) is climbing the ranks as he is currently fifth all time in career batting average, hitting .399 for his career (89-233). 

Freshman Ryan Kelly's (Waldwick, N.J.) standout freshman season landed him high in several single-season categories. Kelly scored the third most runs in a single season for Salve Regina crossing the plate 56 times this season while legging out the fourth most triples (5), missing the top mark by just two. Kelly set the new mark for most times being hit by a pitch after wearing 18 pitches this season while his 29 stolen bases was good for fourth in a single season for Salve Regina. 

Sophomore Matt Conroy (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.) tied the program's single season mark with six sacrifice hits each and Colby tied the sacrifice fly record with six as well.