Corsairs finish fourth in Little East Conference as Munkholm and Ronayne earn All-LEC honors

(Dartmouth, MA) -- While UMass Dartmouth's 15-22-1 overall record and an 8-6 mark in the Little East Conference wasn't quite what the Corsairs expected for the 1999 season, losing only one senior from the roster should mean a solid core of returning players for next season.

Senior catcher Eli Munkholm (Salem, MA) is the only player Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs will lose to graduation following the 1999 season. Munkholm capped his four-year career with a solid senior season, finishing among the Corsairs' top hitters and earning several post-season honors. For a second straight year, Munkholm was selected as the Little East Conference First-Team All-Star catcher and earned similar honors from American Baseball Coaches Association, which named him their First-Team All New England Division III catcher. Munkholm batted .366, third best for the Corsairs, while adding a team-leading 37 RBI along with 11 home runs and 56 hits.

Joining Munkholm for a second year in a row as a First Team All-Little East Conference selection was sophomore first baseman Brian Ronayne (Bridgewater, MA). Last year's LEC Rookie of the Year had another strong offensive season, hitting .404, fourth best in the LEC, while adding team-highs in home runs (12) and runs scored (39). Ronayne added 34 RBI on 57 hits and a team-leading .766 slugging percentage. Ronayne's .32 home runs per game ranked him 13th nationally in Division III and tops within the LEC.

Junior shortstop Jeff Cross (Holden, MA) turned out to be one of the offensive surprises of the season for UMass Dartmouth. A three-year starter for the Corsairs, Cross was UMass Dartmouth's top hitter with a .416 batting average, placing him second in the LEC batting race. The Corsairs' shortstop led UMass Dartmouth and was second in the LEC in hits (62). He led the Corsairs in stolen bases (19 of 22) and was second in doubles (15) and runs scored (38). He also connected for six home runs and 26 RBI.

First-year outfielder Brian Pereira (New Bedford, MA) was another surprise in his rookie season for the Corsairs. Pereira finished fourth in hitting at .342 with five home runs and 32 RBI and a team-high 20 doubles. His .53 doubles per game ranked Pereira eighth in that category within the NCAA Division III. Pereira capped his first season by being named to the LEC's All-Tournament Team after going 5-10 in the Corsairs' three LEC tournament games with three doubles, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.

Among the Corsairs' other top hitters for the 1999 season were freshman infielder Mike Dougan (Marlborough, CT) (.338, 2 HR, 17 RBI), who also earned LEC Honorable Mention at second base, freshman catcher Mike Rahme (East Providence, RI) (.328, 2 HR, 9 RBI) and junior outfielder Manny Santo (Warwick, RI) (.319, 7 HR, 27 RBI).

UMass Dartmouth finished second in team batting within the LEC, hitting a combined .333 and the Corsairs were third in scoring, averaging 7.18 runs per game. In addition to Cross and Ronayne atop the LEC batting average leaders, Ronayne, Munkholm and Santo took the top three spots in home runs.

UMass Dartmouth's young pitching staff gained some valuable experience during the season with three pitchers earning three wins each. Sophomore right hander Jason Hinchliffe (New Bedford, MA) led the staff with 15 appearances and a 3-5 record, plus a team-high three saves, second best in the LEC. Hinchliffe posted a 4.78 earned run average with a pair of complete-game efforts racking up 57 strikeouts and 27 walks.

Junior right hander Steve Lauzon (Albion, RI) appeared in 11 games and posted a 3-6 record with a 5.27 earned run average. Lauzon had 48 strike outs and allowed 20 walks in his 68.3 innings pitched. Junior right hander Greg Zackrison (Bridgewater, MA) was the Corsairs' third three-game winner at 3-5 with a 6.64 earned run average. Zackrison started seven games and pitched 44.7 innings, striking out 40 and walking 26. Rounding out the Corsairs' staff were sophomore left hander Tim Troup (Kingston, MA) (1-3, 5.80 ERA) along with freshman right hander Tim Dwyer (Franklin, MA) (1-1, 5.98 ERA), freshman right hander Ryan Dearborn (Townsend, MA) (0-1, 7.18 ERA) and Ronanye (1-1, 8.57 ERA, 1 save).

The Corsairs' 8-6 LEC regular season record seeded them fourth in the LEC Tournament. After losing the first round game to Plymouth State, 4-3, the Corsairs knocked off the top-seed and defending Division III national champions Eastern Connecticut State University, 5-4. UMass Dartmouth's season came to a close when they were eliminated from the LEC Tournament following a 13-5 loss to Keene State College.

Jim Mullins
Assistant Director, Sports Information and Daily News
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth,MA 02747-2300
Phone: News (508) 999-8965 Sports (508) 999-8720
Fax: (508) 999-9200
JMullins@UMassD.edu

 Last Updated On: 9/1/06