TRINITY BASEBALL MAKES RETURN TO NCAA TOURNAMENT

Hartford, CT, May 18 - The Trinity College baseball team, which finished the 1999 regular season with a best-ever 24-9 record, has earned its second consecutive bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. The Bantams, seeded fifth in the New England region, will face the University of Southern Maine (34-11) on Thursday, May 20 at 1 p. m. in the first round of the six-team, double-elimination tourney. First round games will be played at the University of Southern Maine at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. All games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be played at Hadlock Field in Portland, ME. The winners of the eight regions will advance to the NCAA Division III national tournament May 28 -June 1 at the Salem Baseball Stadium in Salem, VA.
Trinity, coached by Bill Decker (ninth season, 167-97) boasts one of the top pitching staffs in the nation with a team earned run average of 3.21 and 220 strikeouts in 252 innings. The Bantam defense has played a significant role in the success of the pitchers with a .954 fielding percentage, while junior tri-captain catcher Jake Miles (Lewistown, IL.) has just 11 passed balls and has thrown out 17 out of 30 potential base stealers. Trinity is led by New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Pitcher of the Year Jarrett Bayliss (Williamstown, MA). The sophomore righthander has a 9-2 record in 11 appearances, seven complete games, 73 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched, and a 1.70 ERA. Junior right-hander Brendan Moss (Orange, CT) has been almost as impressive as the number-two starter with a perfect 5-0 record in eight starts and a 2.30 earned run average. Junior co-captain James Klocek (Grafton, MA) and freshman Greg Spanos (Auburn, MA) round out the Trinity rotation. The two have combined for a 6-3 mark in 12 starts with 57 strikeouts in 66 innings and both have an ERA under 4.00.
The Trinity offense boats six regulars with averages over .300, paced by the team's only senior, Kirk Chisholm (Winchester, MA). The lefty-hitting outfielder/DH has a .394 batting average with 11 doubles, six homers, and 24 RBI, and became Trinity's all-time home run leader this season with 19. Freshmen Andrew Freimuth (Bristol, CT) and Steve Cella (Peabody, MA) have provided potent offense and solidfied the defensive middle. Freimuth has started all 33 games at shortstop, and is hitting .382 with 10 doubles and a team-high 39 RBI. Cella has emerged as the squad's centerfielder, while batting .320 with 10 doubles and 24 RBI. Other Bantam regulars batting over .300 include junior third baseman Jayson Barbarotta (Trumbull, CT) at .388, and junior first baseman Brian Powell (Holyoke, MA) at .381, and Klocek, who plays rightfield, at .339.