Junior right-hander Jonah Bayliss (Williamstown, Mass.) allowed three hits and one run with eight strikeouts over six innings in the first game against Wesleyan. Senior co-captain SS Andrew Freimuth (Bristol, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI, freshman Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.) was 2-for-4 with two RBI, and junior 3B Jayme Dorr (Osterville, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles.

Junior infielder Kurt Piantek (Wallingford, Conn.) was 4-for-4 in the second game with five RBI and smacked a three-run homer, while Bantam senior righty Mark Mahoney (Newton, Mass.) and freshman right-hander Mark Tremblay (Hooksett, N.H.) combined on a seven-hitter, holding Wesleyan scoreless after the first inning. Junior Rob Dolliver (Norwich, Conn.) was 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles, and Freimuth was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Opening the NESCAC Championship Tournament against Wesleyan, Freimuth blasted a three-run homer to break a 6-6 tie in the 11th inning to give Trinity its third in three games over Wesleyan over the past seven days and vault the Bantams into the tourney’s winner bracket game at Tufts. Bayliss allowed four earned runs and six hits, including his first two home runs allowed of the season, over nine innings before yielding to Tremblay who got the win in relief. Mahoney was 3-for-5, Piantek was 3-for-6 with two runs and a double, Dorr was 3-for-5 with two RBI and a homer, and freshman catcher Andrew Fries (Dublin, Ohio) had two runs, two RBI, and two homers for the Bantam offense. The win was the 239th in the career of Trinity Head Coach Bill Decker (Greenfield, Mass.), tying him with Dan Jessee as the College’s all-time winningest baseball coach.

At Tufts, which was ranked No. 3 in New England and No. 26 in the nation entering the game, Piantek and Freimuth had a pair of hits for the Bantams in a losing effort. Later that day, senior 1B Nick Callini (Westfield, Mass.) singled home the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to eliminate Wesleyan and give Trinity a chance to win the tourney with two victories at Tufts the next day. Mahoney went the distance on the mound for the victory, while Natale and senior outfielder Tom Osuch (Fairhaven, Mass.) had two hits apiece. The win was the 240th in Decker’s career, passing Jessee to become the College’s all-time winningest baseball coach with a career mark of 240-130 (.649).

Natale singled home senior co-captain Greg Spanos (Auburn, Mass.) for the winning run in the 10th inning against Tufts in the first game of two which Trinity needed to capture the NESCAC title. Natale finished 4-for-5 for the game with two runs, two RBI, and started the game off with a home run. Spanos was 3-for-5 with two runs and a double, Dorr was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a home run, and Mahoney went 2-for-5 for the Trinity offense. Junior right-hander Kevin Tidmarsh (Meriden, Conn.) and Bayliss combined on 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, despite having both started games earlier in the tournament.

Trinity was leading Tufts, 4-2, in the middle of the fifth inning in the second game when the game was called due to rain. The NESCAC Championship Tournament rules require the games to go the full nine innings, which negates the short game (It would have been an official game during the regular season.), and gives Tufts the NESCAC Championship title for having reach the finals out of the winner’s bracket. The Bantams finished 26-10 for the season, setting a new College record for wins in a season, but failed to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.

Trinity finished the regular season in second place in the NESCAC East with an 8-4 division record. Fries is ranked third in the league with a .434 batting average (36-83), while Bayliss is ranked fourth in the NESCAC with a 2.43 ERA, and Tidmarsh is ninth with a 3.31 ERA. Trinity was ranked No. 5 in the final New England Division III Coaches Poll. The Bantams hoped to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament but No. 1 Eastern Connecticut, who was upset in its conference tournament, was selected instead.

Final New England Coaches’ poll (conducted on May 6):

1. Eastern Connecticut 30-7 40

2. Wheaton (Mass.) 33-7 35

3. Tufts 23-7 27

4. Worcester State 33-7 25

6. Brandeis 23-11 15

7. Southern Maine 24-13 14

8. Babson 24-19 5

Also: Bridgewater State, Massachusetts College, Suffolk, Western New England

Natale led Trinity in hitting with a .441 batting average (26-59), and added 26 hits, 25 runs, three homers, and 13 RBI in 27 games (19 starts) at 2B and in the outfield. In addition to Fries’ team-high batting average, he also totaled 36 hits, 19 runs, six doubles, five homers, five steals, and 26 RBI in 26 games (21 starts) at catcher and DH. Piantek finished third on the team in hitting with a .371 average (52-for-140, 52 hits led team), starting all 36 games at 1B and 2B. Piantek also produced team-highs of 12 homers (new Trinity Record), 52 RBI (new Trinity record) and 38 runs, and had 12 doubles. Dorr batted .339 (43-for-127) in 36 games (36 starts) at 3B with 30 runs, 11 doubles, eight homers, six steals, and 38 RBI, and Dolliver hit .337 (35-104) with 25 runs, 10 doubles, five homers, and 24 RBI in 33 games (27 starts) at catcher and DH.

Spanos batted .336 (50-for-149, 149 at-bats was new Trinity record) in 36 games (36 starts), predominantly in centerfield. He recorded 34 runs, a team-high 14 doubles, six steals and 21 RBI. Freimuth hit .311 (42-for-135) in 35 games (34 starts) at SS, and notched 32 runs, 10 doubles, four homers, a team-high seven steals, 29 RBI. Osuch posted a .317 batting average (20-for-63) with 14 runs, five doubles, and 14 RBI in 23 games (16 starts) in the outfield, while Mahoney batted .267 (28-for-105) with 22 runs, three home runs, and 20 RBI, and Callini hit .254 (17-for-67) with 15 runs, nine doubles, and 13 RBI in 25 games (22 starts) at 1B.

Spanos finished his career with 158 hits in 452 at-bats for a .350 batting average. He notched 119 runs, 42 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 105 RBI, and 233 total bases, while earning all-league honors three times and All-New England honors once. Spanos set a new Bantam record for doubles with 18 in 2001. Freimuth finished his career with 197 hits (new Trinity career record) in 533 at-bats (new Trinity career record) for a .370 batting average (10th-best all-time). He notched 139 runs (new Trinity career record), 51 doubles (new Trinity career record), seven triples (tied Trinity career record), 17 home runs, 143 RBI (new Trinity career record), 313 total bases (new Trinity career record), 22 stolen bases, 342 assists (new Trinity career record), and 55 double plays (new Trinity record), while earning all-league and All-New England honors three times apiece. Osuch finished his career with 48 hits in 187 at-bats for a .257 batting average. He notched 41 runs, 10 doubles, two home runs, and 41 RBI in four seasons. Mahoney finished his career with 57 hits in 240 at-bats for a .279 batting average. He notched 57 runs, 12 doubles, four home runs, and 44 RBI in three seasons. Callini finished his career with 60 hits in 202 at-bats for a .297 batting average. He notched 61 runs, 15 doubles, two home runs, and 45 RBI in four seasons.

Bayliss finished as the Bantams’ top hurler, appearing in 10 games (nine starts) and leading Trinity in innings pitched (66.2), complete games (five), shutouts (two), and strikeouts (84). Bayliss finished with an 8-1 record and a 2.43 ERA. Tidmarsh was 4-2 on the mound in 49 innings with four complete games, two shutouts (tied with Bayliss for team lead), 42 strikeouts, and a 3.31 ERA in nine appearances (seven starts). Tremblay had a 4-2 record on the mound in 42.1 innings with 32 strikeouts, two saves, and a 3.83 ERA in a team-high 13 appearances (four starts). Spanos was 4-2 in 37 innings with two complete games, 33 strikeouts, and a 5.11 ERA in six starts, while Mahoney finished at 4-2 in 44 innings with 28 strikeouts and a 5.52 ERA in seven starts. On the mound, Spanos totaled 122 inning pitched with 63 walks and 93 strikeouts for a 4.20 ERA and an 11-6 record in 21 appearances (18 starts), while Mahoney missed three seasons of pitching due to an injury prior to the 2002 season.

Other Bantams who made significant contributions to the team this season include senior outfielder Alan Andreini (Greenwich, Conn.), senior right-hander Justin Olewnik (Cheshire, Conn.), junior right-hander Craig Tredenick (Cornwall, Prince Edward Island), sophomore catcher Tony O’Shaughnessy (Manchester, N.H.), sophomore right-hander Austin Kern (West Hartford, Conn.), freshman outfielder Robert O’Leary (Easton, Mass.), and freshman righty Derek Falvey (Lynn, Mass.). Andreini posted a .364 batting average (20-for-55) with 16 runs, five doubles, and 11 RBI in 18 games (16 starts), while O’Shaughnessy batted .244 (10-for-41) with 10 runs and six RBI, and O’Leary hit .269 (14-for-52) with 11 runs in 18 games (14 starts). Olewnik was 0-1 in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts in five appearances, Tredenick finished at 2-1 in 10.2 innings with 12 strikeouts and an 8.44 ERA in three starts, Kern pitched 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts, one save and a 1.35 ERA in five appearances after joining the team in April, and Falvey totaled 11 innings with seven strikeouts and a 9.82 ERA seven appearances. For their careers, Andreini finished with 118 hits in 339 at-bats for a .348 batting average, tallying 75 runs, 18 doubles, two home runs, and 61 RBI in four seasons. Olewnik pitched 60.2 innings with 39 walks and 50 strikeouts for a 9.04 ERA, a 2-1 record and two saves in 30 appearances (three starts).

The Trinity College women’s tennis team downed Bowdoin, 6-3, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at Williams on May 10. The Bantams fell at Williams in the NCAA Second Round, 8-1, the next day.

Sophomore Sarah Krueger (Burlington, Vt.) and freshman Diana Dreyfus (Scarsdale, N.Y.) won their singles matches in straight sets and combined for an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles against Bowdoin, which was ranked No. 5 in the Northeast and No. 18 in the nation entering the match. Led by sophomore No. 1 Diana Goldman (Milton, Mass.), the Bantams scored impressive wins at four singles spots. Three of those matches went into close third sets, but Trinity prevailed in each.

At Williams, which was ranked No. 1 in New England and the nation entering the match, the Bantam No. 3 doubles duo of Goldman and junior Karen Huebner (Burlington, Mass.) posted the lone Bantam victory with a thrilling 8-7 win.

Trinity, coached by Wendy Bartlett, is ranked No. 4 in the Northeast region and No. 14 in the nation by the Omni Hotels/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Goldman, who has a 16-9 singles record, is the No. 6-ranked player in the Northeast and the No. 22 player in the nation and has qualified for the NCAA Division III Singles Championships next week at Sweet Briar in Virginia.

The Trinity College men’s tennis team lost, 7-0, against Bowdoin in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at Middlebury on May 11.

Against Bowdoin, which was ranked No. 2 in the Northeast and No. 8 in the nation entering the match, sophomore Scott Levy (Waban, Mass.) forced his match to three sets at No. 2 singles.

Trinity, coached by Rob Hallagan in his first season, is ranked No. 6 in the Northeast region and No. 25 in the nation by the Omni Hotels/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Lawrence is the No. 6-ranked player in the Northeast and the No. 22 player in the nation and has qualified for the NCAA Division III Singles Championships next week at Cal.-Santa Cruz.

The Trinity College women’s varsity eight crew finished fourth in the petite final of the New England Rowing Championships with a time of 6:59.26 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Masson May 4. The women’s novice eight won its petite final with a time of 7:19.30. The women’s varsity eight crew finished fourth in the third level final of the Avaya Collegiate Women’s Championships with a time of 7:23.34 on Mercer Lake on May 12. Trinity, coached by Erica Schwab, is ranked No. 10 in the U.S. Rowing Collegiate Coaches national poll.

The Trinity College men’s varsity eight crew, coached by Steve Fluhr, finished fifth in its preliminary heat and failed to qualify for the next round of races in the New England Championships on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. The Bantam men’s second varsity eight won its petite final with a time of 6:20.43.

Track and Field Competes in New England Championship Meets

The Trinity College men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams finished 13th and 14th, respectively, in the New England Division III Championships on May 4. The men finished tied for 32nd and the women failed to score in the New England Open Championships on May 11.

Freshman Christina Kane (Springfield, Mass.) won the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:22.65 in the New England Division III Championships at Springfield. Her time set a new Trinity record, breaking Kane’s own mark of 11:23.21 which she set at the Penn Relays in late April. Kane was named All-New England for her efforts, along with eight other Bantams. Sophomore Kristina DePeau (Stafford, Conn.) finished fourth in the 5,000-meter run (18:06.93) and senior tri-captain Jennifer Villa (Hyannisport, Mass.) placed fifth in the triple jump (36’08.50”). Junior Sarah Hackett (Stonington, Conn.) finished seventh in the 10,000 meters (40:43.17) and freshman Kristi Wallin (Drexel Hill, Pa.) was eighth in the 100-meter dash (1:00.40). Junior Kate Klein (Huntington, Vt.), sophomores Karen Roy (Ashford, Conn.) and Liz Brown (Belmont, Mass.), and Kane earned All-New England honors for their sixth place finish in the 4x800-meter relay. The foursome recorded a time of 9:52.78.

In the Men’s Division III Championships at Williams, junior tri-captain Ryan Bak (Suffield, Conn.) won the 800-meter run with a College-record time of 1:53.22, and was named All-New England for his efforts, along with three other Bantams. Sophomore James Porter (New Haven, Conn.) finished third in the 400-meter dash (49.47), freshman Jarrod Bullock (Mattapan, Mass.) placed seventh in the long jump (20’07.25”), and fellow freshman James Sullivan (Sterling, Mass.) was eighth in the 10,000-meter run (33:02.92) for Trinity.

Junior James Emord (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished seventh in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:06.96 to earn All-New England honors in the New England Open Championships at Northeastern. The Trinity women did not score as a team, although Kane finished 10th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:34.85).

The men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams will compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championships at Springfield on May 17-18.