Mike Dowd Named To Northeast-10 Weekly Honor Roll

Freshman honored by conference; Ravens get votes in NCBWA Poll

Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Release
NCBWA National/Regional Polls

RINDGE, N.H. (March 31, 2009) – Freshman catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) of the Franklin Pierce University baseball team have been named to the Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week ending on March 29, as announced Monday by the conference office. In addition, Franklin Pierce (9-11) received votes in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Poll and is third in the NCBWA East Region Poll.

Dowd clubbed his way to a .467 batting average (7-for-15) over four games last week. He belted two home runs on the week along with one double, drove in five runs, scored five times, walked once, was hit by a pitch and stole a base. Dowd posted a .933 slugging percentage and a .556 on-base percentage last week.

In the fourth NCBWA Division II Poll of the season, the Ravens appear in the “others receiving votes” section of the poll. Franklin Pierce received two points in the poll, down from 10 a week ago. Grand Valley State (24-3) won three of its four games last week to collect 366 points and remain in the No. 1 spot for the third week in a row while collecting 10 of 15 first-place votes. The remaining first-place votes were split, with four going to No. 2 Southern Arkansas (28-7) and one going to No. 3 Mesa State (28-5), both of which occupy the same position in the poll as they did a week ago. Fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Massachusetts Lowell (11-6) went 1-3 last week, fell two spots to No. 21 and is the only East Region team to crack the top 25.

The fourth NCBWA East Region Poll of the year sees the Ravens drop one spot to the third position after a 2-2 week. Massachusetts Lowell collected three of six first-place votes and 57 points to stay in first place for the third consecutive week. Dowling (12-6) garnered the remaining three first-place votes at 55 points to place a close second. Franklin Pierce amassed 46 points in the third position. After the Ravens and Massachusetts Lowell, four more Northeast-10 teams placed in the region’s top 10. Southern Connecticut State (7-9) stayed in fifth for the second week in a row, Bentley (14-9) jumps into the regional rankings in seventh, Stonehill (9-11) fell three spots to ninth and Pace (9-13-1) fell from a tie for eighth into a tie for 10th.

The Ravens return to the field later this afternoon, when they host Saint Rose in a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field in Rindge.