BOSTON – Maine put an exclamation point on its #AEBASE Regular Season Championship with a walk-off grand slam against Bryant to cap off a sweep of the Bulldogs on Saturday. UMass Lowell and NJIT, meanwhile took series wins against Binghamton and UAlbany.
Ryan Turenne gave the Black Bears a sweep on Saturday with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn the 11-8 victory over Bryant. Maine concludes the regular season at 19-5, the best #AEBASE record for any team in the conference since 2016.
UMass Lowell and NJIT each took two of three this weekend, with the River Hawks scoring an impressive 40 runs during their three-game series with Binghamton. The Highlanders scored 26 runs in their first two games of the weekend, but UAlbany avoided the sweep with an 8-0 shutout on Saturday. NJIT and UMass Lowell finished with matching 11-13 records in conference play, but UMass Lowell earned the No. 5 seed thanks to their sweep to NJIT earlier this year.
The 2023 #AEBASE Championship gets underway this Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN+ in its entirety. The River Hawks face off against No. 4 seed Bryant at 1 p.m. to open play. No. 3 Binghamton and No. 6 NJIT follow at 5 p.m. Both games are single elimination, and the winners move onto the double elimination portion of the tournament which starts on Thursday. Visit Championship Central for a full breakdown of the schedule, along with links to follow the action.
#AESB Weekly Award Winners – May 22
Player of the Week
Robert Gallagher, UMass Lowell – Gr., Infield, Mullica Hill, N.J.
- Batted .667 with a .750 on-base percentage with seven runs, 14 total bases and three steals while helping the River Hawks take two of three from Binghamton.
- Went 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs in a 17-7 win over Binghamton.
- Finished the series 3-for-3 with a walk and a homer short of the cycle in a 14-13 win.
Pitcher of the Week
Owen Birkman, UAlbany – Jr., Pitcher, Williamsville, N.Y.
- Shut down NJIT, tossing 8.1 scoreless innings to lead UAlbany to an 8-0 victory.
- Gave up just four hits while walking four and striking out a pair as only one runner reached third base.
Rookie of the Week
Gianni Gambardella, Maine – Fr., Pitcher, West Haven, Conn.
- Collected the save with 4.0 IP of work in a 3-1 victory over Bryant.
- Allowed just four hits and one earned run with zero walks and six strikeouts. Only allowed two singles and zero runs over his final 3 innings of work.
Follow the @AEGameDay Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East baseball news all season long and use #AEBASE to join the conversation.
The preseason poll was announced Feb. 2.
2023 #AEBASE Weekly Award Winners
Feb. 21 – Player of the Week: Connor Goodman, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Aidan Kidd, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Gianni Gambardella, Maine
Feb. 28 - Player of the Week: Albert Choi, NJIT; Pitcher of the Week: Coleman Picard, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Holden de Jong, NJIT
March 7 - Player of the Week: Quinn McDaniel, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Matt Draper, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
March 14 - Player of the Week: John Hosmer, Bryant; Pitcher of the Week: Coleman Picard, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
March 21 - Player of the Week: Tommy Reifler, Binghamton; Pitcher of the Week: Colin Fitzgerald, Maine; Rookie of the Week: Dylan Banner, UAlbany
March 28 - Player of the Week: Brian Schaub, Bryant; Pitcher of the Week: Jackson Vanesko, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
April 4 - Player of the Week: Dylan McNary, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Aidan Kidd, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Ty Sallie, NJIT
April 11 - Player of the Week: Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Luke Johnson, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
April 18 - Player of the Week: Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Grant Vurpillat, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Justin Hackett, Bryant
April 25 - Player of the Week: Jake Rainess, Maine; Pitcher of the Week: Ryan Fischer, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Zac Zyons, Bryant
May 2 - Player: Jeremiah Jenkins, Maine; Pitcher: Jayden Shertel, UMBC; Rookie: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
May 8 - Player: Fritz Genther, UMass Lowell; Pitcher: Joshua Becker, UMass Lowell; Rookie: Gianni Gambardella, Maine
May 15 - Player: Jake Gustin, Bryant; Pitcher: Noah Lewis, Maine; Rookie: Leewood Molessa, UMBC
May 22 - Player: Robert Gallagher, UMass Lowell; Pitcher: Owen Birkman, UAlbany; Rookie: Gianni Gambardella, Maine
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