Dowling (27-23) will open up the 2016 NCAA East Regional tonight against Southern New Hampshire (45-5) in Rindge, N.H.at 3pm.
The Golden Lions will have Cody McPartland (6-4, 3.44 ERA) on the hill. He won Game One of the ECC Tournament over Molloy and also recorded the save in the clinching game against the University of Bridgeport.
The Penmen just won the Northeast-10 tournament against the College of St. Rose by the score of 5-4.
They are a well-rounded team that presents many challenges.They are making their fifth straight appearance in the East Regional and won it all in 2012. Let’s break their team down:
Pitching:
They ranked sixth in the nation in ERA at 3.00. They are led by lefty Tim Viehoff (8-1, 2.77 ERA, 81.1 IP, 100 Ks) who was named the East Region Pitcher of the Year. That is who they will have to deal with tonight.
Offense:
The bats are no joke either. They averaged 8.82 runs per game. They compiled a .309 team average. Their leading four hitters of Mike Mastroberti (.365/.410/.609), Manny Cruz (.377/.492/.514), Carson Helms (.373/.450/.514) and Zach Goldstein (.332/.435/.513) present a huge challenge for McPartland and the Golden Lions’ staff.
Mastroberti is especially an issue as he smacked 15 doubles, 13 triples and four HRs. His 13 triples is leading the nation.
Base Running:
They are second in the nation (behind only Franklin Pierce) with 154 stolen bases. Additionally, they have only been caught 34 times (82.7 percent rate) which is a remarkable rate. Being successful on more than 75 percent of stolen base attempts is considered an advantage for the offense.
They are also a threat when it comes to extra-base hits. They are leading the nation in triples with 37 and they have 101 doubles.
Essentially, they do everything right. This is why they are 45-5. They have an ace and four bats that have been red-hot all season as well as a team that runs the bases very aggressively. Oh, and their Head Coach, Scott Loiseau, won the Coach of the Year for the East Region.
Dowling will have their hands full for sure, but they have been red-hot of late.
