Providence College Athletics
Providence College
St Johns
FRIARS WIN BIG EAST BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 1999
TRENTON, N.J. - The 1999 Providence College baseball team was a team on a mission. With their win over the St. John's Red Storm, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the BIG EAST Tournament in Trenton, New Jersey, the Friars won their second BIG EAST title in the 1990's and advance to an automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA regionals. Mission accomplished.
Ever since that fateful day last October when the Friars were told that Providence College would be dropping the baseball program along with golf and men's tennis so that the College could come into compliance with Title IX requirements for gender equity, the Friars focused on winning the BIG EAST title.
"This was our goal and this is what we were shooting for," commented team captain and third baseman Angelo Ciminiello.
Senior righthander MarcDesRoches was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament as he got his second win, scattering seven hits and giving up one run while walking two and striking out eight. He improved his record to 14-1 on the season.
After a shaky first, where he gave up the lone run of the game on a walk and two hits, the steady DesRoches settled down retiring 10 in a row before a one out single by Eric Potts in the fourth. The Red Storm threatenend just one more time as they loaded the bases in the sixth, but DesRoches got St. John's designated hitter Charles Bilezikjian on a called third strike.
"It took me a little while to get going in the first, but once I got loose and started throwing hard my control came around," said DesRoches. "This was our national championship game and we got it done."
Even having a shaky first inning didn't get his fellow Friars to waver in their confidence. "Marc was perfect all year and for him in the first game of the tournament he was off a little," said Ciminiello. "Today he was back to his old self. We have so much confidence when he is on the mound so we weren't worried early in the game."
His teammates got him all the runs he would need in the bottom half of the first. With two outs, sophomore Mike O'Keefe sliced a solo home run to left centerfield, his 12th of the year off starter and loser Keith Stamler (6-6).
Keith Reed followed with a single and then stole second. Neal McCarthy walked. After Angelo Ciminiello reached on an infield hit, Dan Conway singled in two runs and when the ball got by centerfielder Dan Neil, the Friars had a 4-0 lead.
PC added insurance runs in the second on a sacrifice fly by O'Keefe and one more in the bottom of the eighth when shortstop Jamie Athas singled in Ciminiello who had singled and stole second for the 6-1 final.
The win puts the Friars in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the 1990's having been there in 1992, the last year that PC won the tournament and in 1995.
The Friars continue their magical season with a record of 47-14. St. John's raps up their season with a record of 32-22-2.
The win was sweet for the Friars' players who see their days dwindling as the final season of Providence College baseball come to an end.
"This is a very special moment for this team, they've been through a great deal this year," commented head coach Charlie Hickey in the victorious Friars' locker room. "At this point, these kids have learned a great deal about life and a lot about themselves."
Sophomore first baseman Mike O'Keefe commented on the successful season. "To win the BIG EAST Championship is what we set out to do. We stuck together and did it as a team. We are going out in style and that's the way we wanted it," said clutch hitting O'Keefe.
The Friars now wait until 3:00 p.m. on Monday when they find out where they will go in the NCAA Tournament.
For now, the mission has been accomplished and maybe a bigger one is about to begin.
