Athletics - Franklin Pierce University

Pennell Named NE-10
Freshman of the Week
Spencer, Mass., native honored for first time
this season

RINDGE, N.H. (April 5, 2004) – Franklin Pierce outfielder Vinny Pennell (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty) earned Freshman of the Week honors by the Northeast-10 Conference office this afternoon.

Pennell, who earns his first award of the season, is the second Franklin Pierce baseball player to earn Freshman of the Week honors this season, joining classmate Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) who has received the award twice, including last week.

Pennell led the Ravens last week with a .417 batting average and is riding an eight-game hitting streak.

Pennell led the Franklin Pierce offense in a 2-2 week as he hit a team-best .417 (5-12) with two runs scored, a double, two RBI and a stolen base. He was a combined 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in a doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State, ranked second in the Northeast Region, to open the week. In game one of the twinbill, Pennell was 2-3 with an RBI and run scored. He rounded out the week with a 1-3 effort, scoring a run, in the Ravens 2-0 victory over No. 10 Bryant College, the region’s top-ranked team.

While he doesn’t yet have the required number of plate appearances (3.0/gm) this season to qualify for NE-10 and NCAA statistical leaders, Pennell is off to a tremendous start to his collegiate career. He is hitting .356 (21-59) with 14 runs scored, a team-best seven doubles (3^rd NE-10), 15 RBI (2^nd on team) and five stolen bases (on five attempts) in 22 games (20 starts). Of his 15 RBI this season, a team-best 11 have come with two outs and he is also hitting .476 (10-21) with runners in scoring position this spring.

In Conference play, Pennell ranks second on the team with a .391 (9-23) batting average, six runs scored, two doubles, five RBI and four steals. Over his current team-best eight-game hitting streak, Pennell is batting .400 (10-25) with six runs scored, two doubles, five RBI and four steals.

Franklin Pierce (10-14, 5-2 NE-10), ranked seventh in this week’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Northeast Region poll, returns to action on Thursday when it visits Bentley College at 3:30 p.m.