Kean Earns NCAA Division III
National Championship!

Grand Chute, Wis. (5/29/07) - For the first time in the program's history and just its fifth appearance in the national tournament, the Kean Cougars (43-8) took home the biggest prize in Division III baseball with a 5-4, 10-inning victory over Emory University (43-10) on Tuesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. It's the second NCAA national title in any sport for Kean.

"No matter how much money you make, what position you're in in life, you can't buy these things," said Kean coach Neil Ioviero. "You have to earn these. And no matter what they do for the rest of their lives, the memories they've created and garnered here will be with them the rest of their lives. No one could ever take this away."

From throwing baby powder into the air on the first Cougar at-bat of each game in the tournament to good-luck statues and superstitions, the team played with a loose, devil-may-care attitude throughout the weekend.

Of course, Ioviero wouldn't call his team's attitude this weekend "loose."

"If you asked the question to them (the players), how do we practice, you'll see that it's not loose when we practice. We get on them like crazy. We create crazy, pressure situations. We make the biggest deal out of the littlest things," Ioviero said. "We describe it to them like you study for a test. The teacher can throw whatever she wants at you, and you're prepared. These guys play as if they're prepared, and that creates that looseness, because they know they're ready to go, they know those little things are going to matter."

Like taking advantage of every situation thrown at them, including an unlikely ending to what turned out to be a classic championship game.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, leadoff hitter Joe D'Andrea (Hamilton, N.J.), who had already hit two triples in the game, reached base when a grounder snuck under the glove of Emory third baseman Frank Pfister. On a sacrifice bunt attempt, a throw from relief pitcher Rich Babb sailed into center field, advancing D'Andrea to third. An intentional walk loaded the bases, and after a flyout to short center field, an infield grounder to the shortstop by Perry Schatzow (Ocean Twp., N.J.) plated D'Andrea with the winning run.

The 10th inning provided an unlikely ending for Emory, a team that had committed just 70 errors with a .967 team fielding percentage before Tuesday's game. Its .968 fielding percentage entering the championships was eighth-best in Division III baseball.

"That's why we won games, we didn't commit errors," said Emory coach Mike Twardoski. "Frank Pfister is one of the best defensive third basemen in the country, and for that to happen to him, I'll tell you right now, there's nobody that feels any worse for making that than he does. He's a gold glove in my mind ... One thing about errors is that sometimes errors happen when you're tired, and this team is tired."

Emory was attempting to rally back after losing its opening game of the tournament, winning four games in three days to reach the final round. Meanwhile, Kean had the luxury of staying in the winner's bracket throughout, winning three games in a row to earn a day off on Monday before playing Tuesday's game.

But the two teams staged a back-and-forth championship tilt, just the fourth in the history of the Division III championships (and first since 1989) to go to extra innings.

Emory pitcher Ian Ganzer threw a solid nine-inning effort, striking out eight while walking two. Twardowski said that Ganzer threw 125 pitches before handing it off to reliever Babb to start the 10th. Babb was suffering from muscle strain in his arm, Twardowski said, but he added that he wasn't going to keep the senior from playing.

"I cannot tell a team that works as hard as this team (does) that they're not going to be able to have a chance to compete out there. It's not the right thing to do," Twardowski said.

Freshman pitcher Joe Bartlinski (South Amboy, N.J.) got the start for Kean and lasted four-and-a-third innings, allowing five hits and four runs while striking out four. Reliever Andy Cupido (South Plainfield, N.J.), a junior, went five-and-two-thirds innings to get the win, striking out two while walking four and allowing three hits.

Kean jumped on the scoreboard in the first inning, when leadoff hitter Maikel De La Rosa (Newark, N.J.)  hit a double to the left field corner, and was driven home on a single by Dan Mattonelli (Hamilton, N.J.).

In the bottom of the third, D'Andrea launched a one-out triple to the right field corner, and came in on a sacrifice fly by Mattonelli. Derek Gianakas (Edison, N.J.) followed that with a solo homer to deep left, his sixth blast of the year and 40th RBI.

Steve Bralver led off the Emory fourth inning with a solo homer to left, his fourth shot of the year. A single, hit batter and two stolen bases put runners on second and third with one out in the fifth for the Eagles, and a walk loaded the bases. Kean pulled starter Bartlinski in favor of Cupido, and a high chopper for a double over the third baseman's head by Bralver plated two runs and tied the game at 3-3, and a sacrifice fly by Pfister gave the Eagles the lead.

"Other than that play (the double), there were 'zeroes' on the board the rest of the day," Ioviero said of Cupido's relief performance. "That's one of the top three lineups we've faced all year."

In the bottom of the fifth, De La Rosa reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error, and a bunt single by D'Andrea, plus another throwing error, plated De La Rosa to tie the game at 4-4. The teams played even baseball after that, leading to the extra-inning finish.

Kean put four players on the All-Tournament Team - D'Andrea, Schatzow, and pitchers Joe Augustine (Highland Park, N.J.) and Dan Zeffiro (Old Bridge, N.J.). Emory's Bralver, Pfister, shortstop Brandon Custer and pitcher Jason Glushon also were named to the elite squad.

Wisconsin-Stevens Point pitcher/designated hitter Jordan Zimmerman, who pitched a one-hit shutout in a 2-0 win over Emory on Friday and hit a tournament-best .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles, two home runs and six RBI, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Chapman University outfielder Tyler Dean and Carthage College second baseman Steve Rucks also earned All-Tournament Team honors.

Tuesday's championship game was played before 1,158 spectators, and the 24,872 in attendance throughout the weekend was the second-largest paid attendance in the 32-year history of the championship finals.