SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Highlighted by three major award winners -- NEC Pitcher of the Year Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.), NEC Rookie of the Year Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) and NEC Coach of the Year Steve Owens – the Bryant University baseball team saw nine players collect all-conference honors, the league announced on Wednesday night at the annual pre-tournament banquet.
The Bulldogs placed seven on the All-NEC First Team, the most of any team, and two on the All-NEC Second Team. Schlitter brought the pitcher of the year honors back to the Bulldogs for the first time since 2012, while Albanese becomes the third-straight Bulldog to win rookie of the year laurels. Coach Owens has now been named the coach of the year three-straight seasons.
Bryant swept the first team honors at starting pitcher as Schlitter and junior Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) were honored for their outstanding seasons. Joining them were sophomore first baseman Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.), junior third baseman John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.), junior center fielder Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.), sophomore DH Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) and senior utility player Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.). Albanese and senior catcher Tom Gavitt (North Stonington, Conn.) were named to the second team.
One of the greatest pitchers in Bulldog history, Schlitter has put an exclamation point on his historic career this season. He is 9-1 with a 2.17 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 17 walks in 78.2 innings. Schlitter was even more impressive in league play, going 5-0 with a 0.97 ERA. He etched his name into the program record books as he is currently in sole possession of second place all time with 27 career victories. Schlitter is also second all-time with 236 strikeouts and fourth all-time in innings pitched (283.2). This season, he has posted three complete-game shutouts, including a two-hit shutout of Wagner last Friday that earned him his fourth NEC Pitcher of the Week honor.
Albanese put together one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory to earn rookie of the year honors. He follows in the footsteps of McAvoy and AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) who won the award in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Albanese is hitting .342 and leads the league with 16 doubles. He also has four triples, two home runs, 36 RBI and leads the team with 51 runs scored. Albanese hit .393 with a league-high 25 runs scored during NEC play. He was a four-time NEC Rookie of the Week and was also honored as the NEIBA Rookie of the Year.
McAvoy's first team honor comes on the heels of a very impressive junior campaign and is the second all-conference accolade (2nd team in 2012) of his career. The right-hander is 8-1 with a 2.89 ERA and a league-high 81 strikeouts in 84.0 innings. McAvoy has walked just 21 and allowed just 64 hits this season, holding opponents to a .210 average. He tossed back-to-back shutouts against Delaware and Albany in March, striking out a career-high 12 against the Great Danes. McAvoy has been superb of late and enters the NEC tournament working on a string of 18-straight scoreless innings.
Rinn earned his first NEC postseason honor thanks to one of the most consistent seasons of any Bulldog. The only player to start all 53 games during the regular season, Rinn hit .320 with 13 doubles, two home runs, 32 RBI and 35 runs scored. He also excelled in getting on base, walking 30 times and getting hit 17 times to lead the NEC with a .459 OBP. Rinn was a stout defender as well, committing just three errors in 456 chances for a .993 fielding percentage.
Mullen shook off a tough start to the season to garner the first all-conference honor of his career. The veteran third baseman started the season 0-18 but used a 12-for-19 week to turn his season around and hasn't looked back. Mullen is currently hitting .324 with 10 doubles, four home runs, 35 RBI and 30 runs scored. He has now driven in 30-plus runs all three years and even added 15 stolen bases and a career-high 18 walks.
After putting together one of the most impressive all-around seasons in program history, Anderson has been named to the first team for the second-straight season. A candidate for the player of the year honors, Anderson is hitting .327 with 10 doubles, three triples, 47 runs scored and leads the team in home runs (7), RBI (39) and stolen bases (28). His 28 stolen bases are a Division I single-season record, while his 52 career stolen bases are the most at the DI level. Anderson has also played a great center field, fielding all 112 chances flawlessly.
A transfer from Stetson, McCarthy has made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs and earns his first postseason honor. Bryant's primary DH over the last half of the season, McCarthy has proven to be one of the most consistent hitters on the team and enters the NEC tournament with a team-leading .355 average. He also has 13 doubles, three home runs, 27 RBI, 28 runs scored, 20 walks and a .457 OBP.
A second-team selection a season ago, St. George appears on the first team this spring. St. George has once again proven his ability to play multiple positions for the Black and Gold. He has excelled in the outfield, at second base and a third base, hitting .292 with seven doubles, 13 RBI and 21 runs scored.
Gavitt earns his first postseason honor after putting together an outstanding season as Bryant's primary catcher. Offensively, Gavitt has enjoyed a career-year with a .328 average, eight doubles, four triples, six home runs, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored. Defensively, he's caught a pitching staff that leads the league with a 3.09 ERA, committing just one error in 231 chances (.996). Gavitt is also throwing out 39 percent (10-36) of the runners attempting to steal against him.
Owens earns his third-straight coach of the year honor after leading the Bulldogs to their third-straight regular-season title. Under his watch, the Bulldogs gained their highest RPI in school history at 32 and are one win shy of recording their second-straight 40-win season.
