BABSON PARK, Mass. – Southern New Hampshire University head baseball coach Scott Loiseau was selected as the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Division II Coach of the Year on Wednesday.
Loiseau, who was also named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region Coach of the Year for the second time and Northeast-10 Coach of the Year for the third time last month, guided the Penmen to an overall record of 50-7, after the team reeled off a program-best 19 straight wins from March 31-April 24. The squad set a new program record for victories, surpassing the 43 wins by the 2012 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series in Cary, N.C. Loiseau steered the Penmen to their second Northeast-10 championship and their fifth straight NCAA Championship appearance at the East Regional. After dropping the opener, the Penmen staved off elimination five straight times over four days to force a winner-take-all game two in the final before falling, 6-3, to Franklin Pierce University.
NEIBA also released its Division II All-Stars last week, with eight Penmen making up the team of 13.
Senior Tim Viehoff (Derry, N.H.) added to his already-impressive list of accolades, which include Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-America Third Team, NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings East All-Region First Team, D2CCA East Region Pitcher of the Year, D2CCA East All-Region First Team, NCBWA East Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA East All-Region First Team, Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year and NE-10 All-Conference First Team. Viehoff finished 8-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 14 starts. Over 92 innings, the lefty gave up 53 hits, while striking out 115 and walking just 29. Over six outings from March 26-April 24, Viehoff, who has limited the opposition to just a .165 batting average this season, went 5-0 with a microscopic 0.42 ERA and 59 strikeouts in just 43 innings. Viehoff finished the regular season tied for second in the conference in wins and ranked third in both ERA and strikeouts.
Junior Carson Helms (Farmington, Conn.), who had previously earned First Team East All-Region honors from the ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA, as well as Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team recognition, hit .377 (80-212) to go along with nine home runs, 61 RBI and 61 runs scored in 56 games. The center fielder put together a slash line of .448/.656/1.104, while successfully swiping 24 of 29 bases. The quad-captain led the league in doubles and ranked second in slugging and extra-base hits, third in runs and total bases, fourth in batting and OBP, fifth in hits, home runs and RBI and eighth in triples.
Graduate students Mike Mastroberti (Ramsey, N.J.), an ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA East East All-Region Second Team and NE-10 First Team selection, batted .363 (90-248) in 57 games this season, while hitting five home runs, racking up 63 RBI and scoring 62 runs. The second baseman also got on base at a .410 clip and slugged .593, while going 16 of 18 in stolen base attempts. The quad-captain put together a 13-game hitting streak from April 10-April 24, during which he was 29-for-57 (.509) with 12 extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 16 runs scored, to go with a slash line of .554/.772/1.326. Mastroberti, who broke SNHU's single-season record for RBI, hits and triples, paced the league in hits, extra-base hits, triples and total bases, while placing third in RBI and doubles , fourth in slugging, fifth in batting and eighth in runs scored. Defensively, the 32 double plays he helped turn led the league, while his 128 assists were sixth most. Mastroberti was named the Northeast-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player after going 7-for-16 with two extra-base hits, including a home run, three walks, six RBI and four runs scored to go along with a slash line of .438/.500/.750/1.250 during the four games.
Junior Derek Bauer (Millis, Mass.), a D2CCA East All-Region Second Teamer, NCBWA East Honorable Mention and NE-10 First Team selection, played in 53 contests, crafting a slash line of .276/.359/.492/.851, while launching 10 home runs, driving in 67 runs and scoring 35 times. The first baseman came on strong down the stretch, driving in at least one run in 15 straight from April 16-May 10. Bauer, who set the program's new single-season record for RBI, ranked second in the league in that category, while placing third in home runs, sixth in walks and 13th in slugging.
Grad student Ryan Gendron (Nashua, N.H.), an ABCA and D2CCA East All-Region and NE-10 All-Conference Second Team pick, submitted a slash line of .275/.398/.529/.872 in 57 games. The quad-captain cranked a program single-season record 12 home runs, knocked in 46 runs and scored 58 times, while going 32-for-36 in stolen base attempts. The right fielder also committed just one error in 86 total chances for a .988 fielding percentage this season. Gendron led the league in fielding percentage, while ranking second in home runs, fourth in steals, sixth in RBI and runs, seventh in slugging, ninth in extra-base hits and walks and 10th in total bases.
In 57 contests, Junior Manny Cruz (Wolcott, Conn.) posted a .373 batting average (79-212), to go along with three home runs, 39 RBI and a school-record 68 runs scored. Cruz paced the league in runs and walks, while ranking third in batting and OBP, fourth in hits and eighth in doubles and total bases. The slick-fielding shortstop also led the NE-10 in assists and was second in double plays turned. Cruz has also received ABCA and D2CCA East Second Team, NCBWA East Honorable Mention and NE-10 Second Team honors this season
Sophomore Justin Valdespina (Garfield, N.J.), an ABCA and D2CCA East and NE-10 Second Teamer, went 10-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 13 starts for the Penmen. The right-hander allowed just 73 hits, while punching out 91 and walking 22 over 81 innings. Valdespina, who matched teammate Alex Person (Foxboro, Mass.) for the program record for wins in a season, ranked second in the conference in wins, fourth in strikeouts and 11th in ERA.
Sophomore Jake Walkinshaw (Seymour, Conn.), who received ABCA and D2CCA East and NE-10 Second Team nods, was nearly lights out at the back of the bullpen this season for Southern New Hampshire. In 23 appearances, the closer went 5-0 with 11 saves and a 1.76 ERA. He allowed 30 hits, while striking out 47 and walking just 11 over 41 innings. Batters hit just .201 against the righty, who worked more than an inning 13 times, including four times when he picked up a save.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams here.
