LOCAL COLLEGE NOTES
Around the region
• Redshirt sophomore Kevin Ferrer (Stonington) returned to the UConn baseball lineup last weekend after missing about three weeks with an oblique injury. He appeared in all three games during the series sweep at Butler, finishing 4 for 12 with a double, home run and five RBI. The No. 13 Huskies (37-8, 11-1) reside in first place in the Big East and host second-place Creighton (25-12, 102) in a big three-game series next weekend in Storrs.
• Tufts sophomore Sophia DiCocco (Norwich Free Academy) leads the NESCAC in earned run average (0.61), innings pitched (138.2), fewest walks (eight), fewest earned runs allowed (12) and is tied for first in wins (14). She was named the conference's pitcher of the week after winning all three of her starts. Tufts (30-9, 11-1) earn the top seed in this week's softball conference tournament.
On the baseball field, freshman Connor Podeszwa (Waterford) pitched two scoreless innings in relief in a 12-3 win over Brandeis on Saturday. Podeszwa, who's 4-2 and has made eight appearances, lowered his earned run average to 3.51.
• Eastern Connecticut State University catcher Matt Malcom (East Lyme) contributed to his team's doubleheader sweep of Rogers Williams. Malcom's three-run triple in the seventh inning rallied the second-ranked Warriors (32-3) to a 4-2 win in game two. He's hit career highs for home runs (a Little East-leading nine), RBI (43) and walks (27) this season.
• Junior Collin Wiltshire (Ledyard) won the triple jump last weekend at the Little East outdoor track and field championships, helping the ECSU men place third. His winning attempt was 47 feet, 1.5 inches.
• Junior Andrew Gromko (NFA) helped the Eastern golf team capture first place at its own Thread City Invitational Sunday at The Windham Club. Gromko tied for 13th place with an 81 in the 13-team tourney. The Warriors are coached by Chris Wojcik, a 2006 Montville graduate.
• Junior Ben Abely (Stonington) competed on the Lasell University 4x100 meter relay team that set the school record while finishing first at the Pre-Conference meet on April 25 in Newton, Mass. The foursome finished in 44.72 seconds.
• Sophomore Trystan Levesque (East Lyme) earned his fourth win of the season on Sunday, going seven strong innings and allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one in Rhode Island's 5-3 win over George Washington. He lowered his ERA to a team-best 3.98.
• Senior catcher/outfielder Alex Chambers (East Lyme) had a two-run triple in the Trinity College softball team's 9-1 win over Smith on April 27. She has started 30 games for the Bantams.
• Sarah Galan (Bacon Academy), a senior midfielder, scored her career-best 50th goal of the season in a 13-6 loss at Salve Regina on April 23. She finished the season as the team leader in goals and points (59). In her career, she had 139 goals and 34 assists in 40 games.
• Junior midfielder Jonathan Russack-Baker (Fitch) had a team-high 12 ground balls for the Western Connecticut State men's lacrosse team in a 29-7 win at Salem State on Friday.
• Rhode Island College sophomore Katelyn Ashe (Bacon, a starting first baseman, is batting .296 with seven doubles, a team-high 12 walks and 10 RBI in 26 games.
• Saint Joseph junior Liliana Stoddard (Waterford) had three hits in a softball doubleheader at Dean College on Saturday. In 36 games, she has career-highs in hits (28), doubles (five), triples (one), runs (13), walks (11), RBI (12) and batting average (.292).
• Roger Williams junior outfielder Alex Burdick (NFA) has played in 26 games, starting 16, for the softball team. She has three doubles and has driven in seven runs.
• Sophomore Abby Rogers (Fitch) ran a leg on the Wheaton College 4x100 meter relay team that placed second in the NEWMAC Championship on Saturday. The quartet finished in 47.82 seconds. She also ran on the 4x400 relay team that took fifth. Dominic Morabito (NFA) is second on the UConn
Avery Point baseball team in batting average at .364. He also has 11 doubles and 13 stolen bases — both team highs. The Pointers (20-11-1) host Monroe (24-10-1) in a best-of-three game series in the Subdistrict tournament starting on Friday at Roger Bidwell Field in Groton.
Mariners riding a wave
• The Mitchell College softball team is the No. 2 seed in the New England Collegiate Conference tournament. The Mariners open the double elimination event against No. 4 Lesley on Friday at host and top-seeded Eastern Nazarene in Quincy, Mass. Gemma Landry, a candidate for league rookie of the year, ranks second in the league in batting average at .465 while pitcher Katelyn Lipsky has a conference-best 125 strikeouts.
Landry earned league rookie of the week honors for the third time after going 9 for 18 with seven runs scored, two stolen bases and an RBI in three games last week.
• Mitchell is the defending NECC baseball tournament champion but top-seeded New England College is the favorite to capture the 2022 crown. New England College will host the double elimination event for the first time starting Friday in Henniker, N.H.
The second-seeded Mariners (25-10) have won five of the last seven league tournament titles. They open on Friday, facing No. 3 Eastern Nazarene (20-16-1). Mitchell won all three regular season meetings.
Freshman Bo Yaworski (Killingly) ranks second in the league in batting average (.433) and RBI (35). Junior Lelo Martinez (New London) is hitting .370 with one home run and 29 RBI and junior Matt Falk has a league-leading nine home runs to go with 31 RBI. Freshman Dan Driscoll (Waterford) has a league-low 0.74 earned run average.
• In men's lacrosse, freshman goalie John Grieco was named NECC defensive player of the week and John Porcelli was selected as the rookie of the week. Grieco recorded his first win in goal, making seven saves in a 17-0 shutout of Eastern Nazarene, while Porcelli had career-high five goals.
Tracking the Bears
• With only four seniors on the roster and momentum from a successful season, the Coast Guard Academy women's lacrosse team has a bright future. First-year coach Sue Behme has the program heading in a positive direction.
The Bears (11-6) have reached the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tournament semifinals for just the second time. They won a program-best six league games during the regular season and stand one win shy of tying the program high of 12 set in 2018.
Behme gave some credit to Mary Heneberry who served as Coast Guard coach for five seasons before leaving last summer.
"Mary brought these players here," Behme said. "I just happen to be the right fit for them right now. Credit goes where credit is due. I really believe in that. What we're building off of that is what is going to solidify this foundation."
No. 4 Coast Guard visits top-seeded Springfield Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the semisfinals.
• The men's lacrosse team begins NEWMAC tournament action on Wednesday by hosting third-seeded Springfield (7-8) at 6 p.m. in the semifinals. The second-seeded Bears (9-7) won the regular season meeting, 13-9, on April 23. Junior Caleb Holdridge (Waterford) leads Coast Guard in goals (47), assists (45) and points (92).
• Coast Guard softball, the No. 5 seed in the NEWMAC tournament, will play at No. 4 Springfield on Wednesday afternoon in the first round. The two teams split their regular season doubleheader on April 22. Junior Mariah
Dewey and sophomore Isabelle Shroyer are the team's top two hitters, batting .473 and.436, respectively. Dewey also has team highs for home runs (five) and RBI (31).
• After posting a winning league record (9-8) for the first time since 2002, the baseball team earned the No. 4 seed and a home game against No. 5 MIT in the NEWMAC tournament first roundon Thursday. The Bears (18-14) swept the regular season series, winning 13-9 and 8-3 on April 2.