July 13, 2011
College notebook: Meo fires no-hitter
by Ed Flaherty/
Coastal Carolina University junior pitcher Anthony Meo (Cranston, R.I.) threw the first no-hitter in Big South Conference tournament history May 25, and was named one of three Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week for his efforts.
Meo retired the first 16 batters he faced and would go on to throw his first ever no-hitter, leading Coastal Carolina to a 5-0 win over Radford.
Meo struck out nine and walked one, while two other Radford hitters reached on errors.
“I had a no-hitter going in high school and gave up a hit with one out to go,” Meo said. “Today, the defense made good plays on some well-hit balls. This was exciting and, to do it in a tournament makes it more special. I really settled in through the middle innings and got in a great groove. I had good command today and my slider was really sharp. I had success earlier in the season so I felt confident. There were some intense moments, I knew I had to make a specific pitch and I was able to do that today when needed. Most importantly, I am glad I was able to help our team get a win and keep our bullpen fresh.”
Blood takes over at Hartford
Justin Blood, the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at UConn for the past six years, was named University of Hartford head coach May 31.
A Franklin Pierce University pitching standout, Blood was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2001. He appeared in 82 minor-league games before retiring.
“I’m looking forward to starting the process of building the Hartford baseball program into a consistent winner,” Blood said. “We will recruit and develop the players necessary to compete for America East championships. This is an exciting time for past, present and future Hawks.”
Among the top five in several career categories at Franklin Pierce, Blood struck out 20 New Hampshire College hitters in one game, which still ranks fifth in NCAA Division 2 single-game history.
New Haven’s Rossi saves
University of New Haven senior Mitch Rossi (Bristol, Conn.) became the all-time saves leader in NCAA Division 2 with the 33rd save of his career in a 2-1 win over Assumption on April 28.
Rossi broke the record of 32 saves set by Jake Williams of Erskine College (2004-07).
Rossi had a New Haven record 12 saves in 2011, giving him 35 for his career. He made 24 appearances in 2011 and posted a 1.02 ERA. He allowed just nine runs all season (four earned) in 35⅓ innings.
Gold Gloves awarded
Three New England players were awarded Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Gloves for their outstanding defensive performances in both Division 2 and Division 3.
In Division 2, Assumption College senior outfielder Blake Youngblood (East Freetown, Mass.) was a recipient after achieving a perfect fielding percentage in 2011 with no errors on 112 putouts with 13 assists.
In Division 3, Wheaton College outfielder Hal Landers (Salem, N.H.) and Western Connecticut State University outfielder Mike Yates (Guilford, Conn.) were honored.
Landers had a perfect fielding percentage for Wheaton with 109 putouts and four assists.
Yates also had a 1.000 fielding percentage with 114 putouts and three assists.
Everybody’s All-Americans
New England players in Divisions 1, 2 and 3 have earned All-America status for their 2011 performances.
In Division 1, UConn stars George Springer (New Britain, Conn.) and Matt Barnes (Bethel, Conn.) were named Louisville Slugger Division 1 All-Americans.
The Division 2 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division 2 All-America teams feature several New England players, including first-team member Ryan Thompson of Franklin Pierce, third-team selection Robert Kelly of Saint Anselm and honorable mention selections Derek Ingui (Sterling, Mass.) of Franklin Pierce and New Haven relief pitcher Mitch Rossi (Bristol, Conn.).
The American Baseball Coaches Association also named its Div. 2 All-America teams, with Franklin Pierce’s Thompson picked for the first team while Saint Anselm’s Kelly and Franklin Pierce’s Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass.) were chosen for the third team.
Thompson was a first-team selection on the Daktronics Div. 2 All-America team along with Southern Connecticut’s Chris Zbin (Colchester, Conn.). Honorable mention selections included Dowd, Kelly and Ingui.
In Division 3, UMass-Boston’s Ryan Walsh (Newton, Mass.) was the lone first-team selection on the D3baseball.com Division 3 All-America team.
Named to the second team were Southern Maine first baseman Mike Eaton (Sabattus, Maine), Wheaton third baseman Dan Haugh (Andover, Mass.) and Tufts pitcher Ed Bernstein (Foxboro, Mass.).
Named to the third team was Eastern Connecticut pitcher/utility player Jim Schult, while honorable mention selections include Worcester State third baseman Corey McDonald (Hudson, Mass.), Western New England DH Ryan Dudzinski (Bristol, Conn.) and Mitchell pitcher/utility player John Apostolo.
The American Baseball Coaches Association named Schult Co-Player of the Year. Joining Schult on the ABCA First Team was UMass-Boston’s Walsh.
Wheaton’s Haugh and Southern Maine’s Eaton were second-team selections, while Babson’s David Ahern (Bedford, Mass.) and Western New England’s Matt Rogers (Portsmouth, R.I.) were named to the third team.
Freshmen honors
Several New England players were named to the 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team, selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
Three players from the University of Maine were chosen, along with one from Sacred Heart and one from Northeastern.
For Maine, RHP Shaun Coughlin (Northford, Conn.), second baseman Troy Black and third baseman Alex Calbick were chosen, along with Sacred Heart LHP Nick Leiningen and Northeastern outfielder Aaron Barbosa (Dracut, Mass.).
This article originally appeared in the July 2011 issue of New England Baseball Journal.
Ed Flahery can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com
