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Feb. 3, 2010

TUCSON, AZ - University of Massachusetts Boston baseball players Ryan Walsh (Newton, MA), Dan Noonan (Westport, MA) and Mark McCormack (Shelton, CT) have been named as "Players to Watch" for the 2010 season as chosen by Division III baseball coaches it was announced in the January issue of Collegiate Baseball.

Walsh was named to the 2009 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association New England Division III Baseball Second Team as well as the Little East Conference First Team following one of the greatest all-around offensive seasons in school history last year. The junior led the team with a .424 (70-165) batting average, which ranked sixth among conference leaders and stands as the third-highest batting mark in school history. Walsh set school records for hits (70) and total bases (98), while tying the school mark for doubles in a season with 18. His hit total placed him sixth among LEC players, while standing 14th in total bases and sixth in doubles. The second baseman finished just one stolen base shy of the Beacons' single-season record with 24 to lead UMass Boston and rank second in the league. He was among the LEC's top 10 in on-base percentage with a team-leading .503 mark to rank sixth, hit by pitch with nine to stand seventh, sacrifice flies with a team-high three to place eighth and fielding assists with 104 to stand sixth and rank as the sixth-highest total in school annals. A graduate of Newton North High School, he led the team with a .594 slugging percentage, which was good for 17th in the league, scored 48 times for the second-most in school history and ranked 13th among conference leaders, while smacking a pair of triples to place 20th in the Little East and knocking in 34 runs for the fifth-highest total in school history. Walsh started all 41 games for the Beacons after making the switch from shortstop to second base prior to the start of the season, and made the most of every game he was in, hitting safely in all but five games.

Walsh is currently hitting .367 (116-316) in 82 career games to rank third on the UMB all-time list and owns a .440 on-base mark.

Noonan made the switch from the mound to the field, concentrating strictly on hitting and fielding and the move paid off with a .372 (55-148) batting mark that ranked 20th among LEC leaders. The junior began the season at third base, before making the move to shortstop and broke the school record for RBIs with 42, a total that placed him 16th in the league. The Westport High School product shattered the school standard for being hit by a pitch with a league-leading 19 to contribute to a .484 on-base percentage to place 11th among LEC leaders. His hit total of 55 hits was the fourth-highest figure in school annals and ranked him 19th in the LEC, while his 18 stolen bases put him second on the team and eighth in the league. Noonan started all 41 games and made the adjustment to the infield just fine, recording 90 fielding assists to rank 11th among LEC leaders.

McCormack enjoyed arguably the greatest rookie season in school history, hitting .392 (65-166) to place 11th in the league, while scoring a school-record 55 runs to rank ninth among LEC leaders. The centerfielder got the starting nod in all 41 contests and tied the school mark with 18 doubles to place sixth in the league, while cracking a team-high four home runs. The left-handed sophomore showed patience at the plate as well, drawing 24 walks for the 10th-highest total in the league and owned a .475 on-base percentage to rank 13th in the LEC. He set the UMass Boston freshman record for hits with 65, which placed him 10th among league leaders, while his 97 total bases put him second on the team and 16th in the Little East. The 5'8" leadoff hitter was a threat on the base paths as well with 18 stolen bases to rank eighth in the league.

The Beacons finished last year with a 19-22 record, including a school-record 8-6 Little East Conference mark. UMass Boston defeated a pair of nationally-ranked teams along the way, including number one University of Southern Maine on April 24 and swept Rhode Island College in the LEC Tournament to advance to the tournament's final four.