2012 All-Little East Baseball Teams Announced
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.
– Rhode Island College senior shortstop Kyle Allaire
(Uxbridge, Mass.) and Western Connecticut State University junior
outfielder Conor Bierfeldt (Torrington, Conn.) were selected as the
Little East Co-Players of the Year this afternoon when the
conference office announced its annual major awards program and
All-Little East Baseball Teams. University of Southern Maine senior
Ben Ives (Portland, Maine) was named the Pitcher of the Year and Ed
Flaherty was tabbed as the Coach of the Year by his peers. Eastern
Connecticut State University sophomore outfielder Adam Roderick
(West Hartford, Conn.) was chosen as the Rookie of the Year. The
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was the Team Sportsmanship
Award recipients.
In addition to the major awards program, the Little East coaches
determined the 25-member all-conference teams during an in-person
meeting. The top team is comprised of 12 student-athletes, while 13
players were named to the second squad. Seven of the eight
conference teams were honored on the 16th annual all-conference
teams with the Huskies leading the pack with six selections.
Allaire became the first Anchorman to be selected as the top player
in the Little East. The senior from Uxbridge, Mass. made his second
straight appearance on the All-Little East, first-team as the
shortstop selection. Allaire became the first Rhode Island College
player to eclipse the 200-career hit mark, accomplishing the feat
against conference foe Western Connecticut on April 28, 2012. He
will depart the Providence, R.I. campus as the program's all-time
leader in hits (216) and runs scored (132), while also owning the
single-season hits standard (72). Allaire was selected to the
D3Baseball.com Team of the Week for his performance during the week
ending April 22. A starter in all 43 games, he hit safely in 37
contests including 23 with multiple base knocks. Allaire led the
Little East in hits (71), while ranking among the leaders in
batting average (5th, .397), on-base percentage (5th, .484), walks
(5th, 26), and runs scored (6th, 44). In 14 conference contests, he
batted .456 (26-for-57) with two doubles and eight runs batted in.
Allaire recorded a season-best 16-game hit streak between April 1
and April 26. He registered a season-high four hits four times on
the campaign, most recently against UMass Boston on May 4. Allaire
drove in a season-best three runs against Roger Williams March 20.
He was selected as the Little East Player of the Week once on the
campaign.
Bierfeldt will be the first Colonial to mount the top player award
on his mantle. The junior from Torrington, Conn. also made his
debut on the All-Little East, first-team as an outfielder
selection. Bierfeldt rewrote the Western Connecticut history book
during his junior campaign, establishing a new single-season record
for hits (61), triples (6), and runs batted in (50). According to
the latest NCAA statistical report, he ranked among the Division
III leaders in slugging percentage (3rd, .838), home runs (14th,
10), and runs batted in (16th, 50). Bierfeldt also led the
conference in home runs, slugging percentage, and total bases
(119), while ranking second in batting average (.430), doubles, and
RBI. A starter in 36 of his 37 contests, he hit safely in 32 games.
Bierfeldt feasted on Little East pitching, posting a .446 batting
average (25-for-56) with 14 extra base hits—on 6 doubles and
eight home runs—and 17 runs batted in. He enjoyed his most
successful day at the plate in the first game of a doubleheader at
Southern Maine on April 14, when Bierfeldt went 4-for-4 with a
double and two home runs to drive in three. He also went 4-for-4
against Saint Joseph's College (L.I.) two days later. Bierfeldt
recorded a season-high five runs batted in against Oneonta State on
March 22. He was named the Little East Player of the Week twice on
the season.
Ives became the third Southern Maine hurler to be voted as the top
pitcher in the conference, and first since Tim Therrian headlined
the major awards program in 2009. The senior from Portland, Maine
made his first appearance on the All-Little East teams, earning
first-teams honors. Ives led the conference in victories (9) and
innings pitched (84), while ranking second in strikeouts with 70. A
starter in 12 of his 13 appearances, Ives posted an undefeated mark
of 9-0. He held his opponents to a .239 batting average, allowing
78 hits over the course of 84 innings. Ives recorded five quality
starts during his senior campaign, including back-to-back wins
against Western New England and Rhode Island College. He reached
double figures in strikeouts twice during this past spring,
including a season-best 11 against Lyndon State on March 3. Ives
was brilliant in his last start, throwing a complete-game victory
against No. 27 Keene State College in Game 10 of the 2012 Little
East Baseball Championship. His performance strong-armed the
Huskies into the championship game. Ives was named the 2012 Little
East Baseball Championship Most Outstanding Player.
Roderick became the fifth Warrior to be earn the coveted top rookie
award, and first since Melvin Castillo in 2007. The West Hartford,
Conn. product also made an appearance on the All-Little East,
second-team pick as an outfielder. Roderick ranked among the
conference leaders in stolen bases (2nd, 23), triples (7th, 5),
runs scored (8th, 40), and hits (12th, 58). Roderick hit safely in
31 of his 39 contests, including 20 multi-hit games, to sport a
.365 batting average. He registered 14 extra-base hits, including
eight doubles, and drove in 26 runs this past spring. Roderick
launched his first collegiate home run against Western Connecticut
on April 10. He penned a season-high four hits in his ledger
against Little East rival Keene State on April 10, which sparked a
season-best 10-game hitting streak. Roderick matched his
season-high in runs batted in with three at the Colonials on April
17. His performance helped Eastern Connecticut reach the 29-win
plateau for the 13th consecutive campaign.
Flaherty made his sixth appearance as the top coach in the Little
East, after previously earning the award in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006,
and 2009. He guided Southern Maine to its third Little East
Baseball Championship this past weekend, when the Huskies defeated
Plymouth State University 6-1 in the finale. In 2012, Flaherty led
his squad to a record of 27-17, raising their season win total by
five from the previous campaign. The Huskies sported an 11-3 mark
in the conference circuit to clinch their seventh Little East
regular-season title in program history. Southern Maine will enter
the 2012 NCAA Division III tournament as one of the hottest squads
in the 56-team field, winning 11 of its past 12 contests. The
Huskies earned the sixth-seed in the Willimantic, Conn. Regional
and will face New England Small College Athletic Conference
champions Trinity (Conn.) in the first round at 4:30 p.m. on May
16.
Formed in 1986, the Little East serves as New England's premier
athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III.
Featuring 19 championship sports, the Little East sponsors quality
competition in every season for our student athletes. Our eight
state colleges and universities dedicate themselves to an ongoing
fulfillment of the Division III mission of passion, responsibility,
sportsmanship, and citizenship.
| 2012 All-Little East Baseball Teams | ||
| First Team | ||
| Position | Name | Institution |
| Designated Hitter | Tucker White | University of Southern Maine |
| Catcher | J.P. Stone | Rhode Island College |
| First Base | Joe Balowski | Eastern Connecticut State University |
| Second Base | Joan Mustafa | Rhode Island College |
| Shortstop | Kyle Allaire | Rhode Island College |
| Third Base | Greg Bates | Keene State College |
| Outfield | Conor Bierfeldt | Western Connecticut State University |
| Outfield | Erik Bergstrom | Keene State College |
| Outfield | Kyle Morrill | Keene State College |
| Pitcher | David Hoey | Rhode Island College |
| Pitcher | Ben Ives | University of Southern Maine |
| Relief Pitcher | Nick Douglass | University of Southern Maine |
| Second Team | ||
| Position | Name | Institution |
| Designated Hitter | Luke Merrill | Plymouth State University |
| Catcher | David Simone | Western Connecticut State University |
| First Base | Matt Consiglio | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Second Base | Zack Dandrea | Western Connecticut State University |
| Shortstop | Danny O'Connell | Eastern Connecticut State University |
| Third Base | Nick Grady | University of Southern Maine |
| Outfield | Forrest Chadwick | University of Southern Maine |
| Outfield | David Ricker | University of Southern Maine |
| Outfield | Adam Roderick | Eastern Connecticut State University |
| Outfield | Mike Yates | Western Connecticut State University |
| Pitcher | Bobby Chatfield | Plymouth State University |
| Pitcher | Jeff Pelkey | Keene State College |
| Relief Pitcher | Jeff Thomas | University of Massachusetts Boston |
| Co-Players of the Year | ||
| Kyle Allaire, Rhode Island College | ||
| Conor Bierfeldt, Western Connecticut State University | ||
| Pitcher of the Year | ||
| Ben Ives, University of Southern Maine | ||
| Rookie of the Year | ||
| Adam Roderick, Eastern Connecticut State University | ||
| Coach of the Year | ||
| Ed Flaherty, University of Southern Maine | ||
| Team Sportsmanship Award | ||
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth | ||