This years Brandeis University Judges baseball team is making history through stellar play and accomplishments. Five players were honored by being placed on the University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Conference team.
Catcher Artie Posch 10, in conference play, had a .391 batting average and a conference leading .739 slugging percentage. These stellar statistics and Poschs phenomenal play helped him become the third player in Brandeis history to win UAA Rookie of the Year honors.
Posch made first-team honors along with first baseman Ryan Healey 10 who lead the team with a .421 batting average, and was third in the entire league. Healey was also second in the league with a .520 on-base percentage.
Infielder Jeff Bourdon 07, outfielder Chuck Sheehan 08, and pitcher Drew Brzozowski 10 all earned second-team honors.
The Judges took their recent accomplishments into their home opener on March 28 against the Salve Regina Seahawks.
The Brandeis players were unable to uphold their reputation in this game as they fell to the Seahawks 6-2.
Pitcher Rocco Toppi 08 dropped to 0-1 on the season as he received the loss for this game.
This loss gives the Judges their fifth loss in a row. After starting the season at 4-1 they now stand two games under .500 with a 4-6 record.
Prior to this game, Brandeis fought regional foes Wheaton in a 1-1 tie until the last inning when a suicide squeeze by the Lyons Brandon Leonard. Craig Letendre 08 threw for 6.2 innings, surrendering one run on six hits and picked up for strikeouts. Posch led the offense with two hits.
The narrow defeat from then number 10 ranked Wheaton came three days after the Judges split a double header on the road against Rogers Williams. Williams took the first game, 2-0. Tyler Robinson threw for 5.1 innings, coughing up only two runs. Those runs made the difference though because the Judges had no answer for Roger Williams hurler, James Lyndon. Lyndon in the seven inning game, gave up hits only to Mike Alfego 09 and Ben Dashefsky 07.
The team had better luck in the second game. Like the first, offense was nil and it was a proverbial pitchers duel. Rookie hurler Drew Brzoxwski threw 6.1 innings of nearly perfect baseball. The lone offense came in the top of the last frame when Posch pushed the winning run across with an RBI double. James Collins 09 earned the save in the second game.
The Judges hope to get back on a winning track as six of their next nine games will be played at home. They hope that the home field advantage will boost the team morale and inspire a few more victories to get the men back on track.
Their next game is against Springfield College and will be played on Thursday March 29. This is a home game, and the Judges will be looking for the support of the students at Brandeis University to help them end their losing streak and get to a winning pace.
