Fourth-Ranked Wheaton Collects Five All-Conference Baseball  Honors, Laplante is Fourth Lyon Voted NEWMAC Player of the Year  
Fourth-Ranked Wheaton Collects Five All-Conference Baseball Honors, 
Laplante is Fourth Lyon Voted NEWMAC Player of the Year

WORCESTER, MA- The nationally-ranked Wheaton College baseball team capped 
its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship 
weekend with five all-conference selections and two major awards at 
Tuesday's coaches meeting at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).  Ranked 
fourth by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), the Lyons had 
three players voted to the all-conference first team.

Junior catcher Adam Laplante (Harwich, MA/Harwich) earned NEWMAC 
Player-of-the-Year honors, becoming the fourth Wheaton player to do so, 
while head coach Eric Podbelski was named NEWMAC Coach of the Year for the 
sixth time since the conference's inception in 1999.  The Lyons have had 
the conference player of the year for three straight seasons and six of the 
last seven campaigns.

Laplante, along with sophomores Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South 
Portland) and Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth), gave Wheaton a 
conference-best three first teamers, while senior pitchers Jamie Baker 
(Boxford, MA/Masconomet Regional) and Chris Martin (Marshfield, 
MA/Marshfield) earned second-team honors.  Guillerault, who was voted 
NEWMAC Rookie of the Year in 2005, is the team's starting third baseman 
while McDonough is a member of the Lyon pitching staff.

Laplante has had a breakout season behind the plate, which has included 
being named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) 
Co-Player of the Week earlier this spring.  Starting 36 of 37 games and 
hitting in 18 straight games at one point, Laplante is ranked tied for 
third in the conference in triples (2), fourth in home runs (7), fifth in 
RBI (29), tied for sixth in runs scored (33) and 11th in batting average 
(.346).

Guillerault, who underwent off-season shoulder surgery, notched multi-hit 
games 14 times this spring.  Out of the number-three hole, Guillerault 
leads the NEWMAC in runs batted in and home runs with 43 and 11, 
respectively.  He also stands tied for fourth in doubles (12), tied for 
sixth in runs (33) and 12th in batting average (.343).  Posting at least 
one hit in 24 of his last 31 games, Guillerault leads the team in both 
on-base (.473) and slugging (.679) percentages.  Solid defensively, he has 
committed just one error during the last 21 outings.

McDonough has been extremely consistent on the mound this season, placing 
tied for first in the NEWMAC with six wins, second to a Wheaton teammate in 
earned run average (1.85) and fourth in strikeouts (52).  He has allowed 
one earned run or fewer in six of eight appearances and fanned eight-plus 
three times.  McDonough went at least seven innings on six occasions, 
tossed three complete games and limited opposing hitters to a .167 average.

Baker has transitioned into Wheaton's closer after being used as a starter 
his first three seasons and has proven to be a huge asset to the 
bullpen.  Baker finished the NEWMAC regular season with a league-best six 
saves, which ranks 12th nationally, including three saves in conference 
play.  He made 14 scoreless appearances, including 11 straight without 
allowing an earned run, and held opponents to a .155 average.

Martin has put together an excellent season thus far, tying for third in 
the league in wins, ranking third in earned run average and sixth in 
strikeouts.  Martin blanked three conference opponents for a total of 26 
innings, including firing a pair of two-hit shutouts, and did not allow any 
extra-base hits in 81 at bats.  Martin yielded no earned runs during four 
of his last five starts, going at least six innings four times.

Podbelski had guided Wheaton to a 31-6 record, including an NCAA Division 
III-leading 24-game win streak, and its eighth straight NEWMAC regular 
season and seventh conference tournament championships.


**********************************************************
Scott Dietz
Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations
Wheaton College
26 East Main Street
Norton, MA  02766
P- (508) 286-3768
F- (508) 286-8273
sdietz@wheatonma.edu
http://www.wheatonma.edu/athletics

