Widener University | Baseball

Matt Fischer Earns All-Commonwealth Conference Honors for Baseball a Fourth Time and Tom DeAngelis Named Rookie of the Year; Highlighting Five Gaining League Accolades

5/8/08 -- Senior catcher Matt Fischer (Bensalem, PA) was named first team All-Commonwealth Conference and freshman outfielder Tom DeAngelis (Pottstown, PA) was tabbed both Rookie of the Year and first team all-conference, highlighting five for Widener to earn all-league awards.

Freshman relief pitcher Kevin Culbert (Brookhaven, PA) also was selected first team all-league. Junior first baseman Colin McHale (Wynnewood, PA) and senior pitcher Tristan Harner (Palm, PA) each were tabbed second team all-conference.

Fischer took home the award after being named second team all-conference three times. He is third in the league with a .409 batting average, second with a .679 slugging percentage, tied for third with a .491 on-base percentage, fourth with 56 hits, second with 43 RBI and tied for second with seven home runs.

One of the league’s premier defensive catchers, Fischer threw out nine base runners and owned a .991 fielding percentage. He only committed two errors in 218 chances with 194 putouts.

DeAngelis made an immediate impact with his bat and speed. He is fifth in the league with a .392 batting average, third with 62 hits and third with 20 stolen bases (22 attempts).

DeAngelis had many checking the boxscores by posting an incredible 25-game hitting streak, during which he batted .411 with 12 extra-base hits and 16 RBI. He also recorded 12 doubles for the season in being one of four for the Pride to start at least 37 games.

Culbert gave Widener a much-needed closer, leading the conference with six saves. He notched 38 strikeouts and just seven walks over 31 innings, recording a 3-2 record with a 2.03 ERA.

McHale used his power to sit tied for second in the conference with seven home runs and fourth with a .614 slugging percentage. He also notched 36 hits, a .356 batting average and a .996 fielding percentage with only one error in 244 chances.

Harner again was one of the Pride’s most durable hurlers. He leads the league with 72 innings, is tied for second with six wins, fifth with two saves and tied for third with 16 appearances. Harner finished with a 6-3 record, 31 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA.

Widener (26-14, 5-7 CC) made the conference tournament and reached at least 20 victories a fourth straight year. The squad received votes in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 Poll five straight weeks, sparked by an 8-2 Florida trip and a season-opening victory over then No. 18 Augustana (IL).

Pat Santry and Ryan Walter Earn Commonwealth Conference Baseball Weekly Honors

3/17/08 -- Widener senior Pat Santry (Newtown, PA) was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week and freshman Ryan Walter (Quakertown, PA) was tabbed the league’s Pitcher of the Week.

Santry batted .583 (7-for-12) last week with a home run, seven RBI and two stolen bases. Among his highlights included a three-run homer Wednesday against Neumann, part of a four RBI day in Widener’s 16-2 rout.

Santry is batting .500 (11-for-22) this season, but has not had enough at-bats to qualify for the league leaders. He is fourth in the conference with three stolen bases.

Walter is off to a 3-0 start, thanks to Saturday’s strong effort against University of the Sciences. He struck out eight over seven innings, allowing just two unearned runs, five hits and one walk in the Pride’s 9-2 victory.

Walter is second in the league with a 2.61 ERA, first with opponents batting .200 against him, second with 20 2/3 innings pitched and fourth with 14 strikeouts.

Widener (12-2) has won nine straight games thanks to four victories last week by a combined score of 49-6. The team was picked to finish second in the league one year after playing in the conference final.

The Pride are home Tuesday against Gwynedd-Mercy, beginning at 3:00 pm.

Baseball Receives Votes in D3Baseball.com Top 25 Poll

3/14/08 -- Widener has received votes in the latest D3Baseball.com Top 25 Poll thanks to a phenomenal effort during its Florida trip.

Widener posted an 8-2 record during that run, including a 9-7 victory against No. 18 Augustana (IL) to open the season. Colin McHale (Wynnewood, PA) belted a grand slam and fellow junior Ryan Walter (Quakertown, PA) struck out five over 5 2/3 innings.

Freshman Tom DeAngelis (Pottstown, PA) during the trip batted .410, McHale posted 12 RBI and freshman Kevin Culbert (Brookhaven, PA) notched four saves.

Sophomore Alex Gelegotis(RHP), Dan Gross(RHP) and Freshman Alex Neiman(OF/DH) Sign With the Monroe (NC) ChannelCats in the TarHeel Summer Collegiate League

The league gives some of the nations top college players the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats, while being evaluated by professional scouts. The league consists of a 45-game schedule, beginning the last week of May and ending the last week of July. The league plays other collegiate teams from league's in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Florida, as well as the Burlington Royals, Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and the Wadesboro Orioles, a professional independent team from Wadesboro, NC.

Former Widener Baseball Standout Brian Campbell Enjoys Great Start to Professional Career

8/6/07 -- Former Widener baseball standout Brian Campbell (Media, PA) has made the most of his young professional career with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.

Campbell owns a 2-0 record with a 0.64 ERA over two starts. He has permitted just one earned run and eight hits over 14 innings with six strikeouts and opponents are hitting only .174 off him.

His pro debut July 24 at St. Paul saw him hurl seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit in Lincoln’s 2-0 victory. Campbell also pitched solidly August 1 at El Paso, yielding one run and seven hits over seven innings with three strikeouts in a 12-2 rout.

Lincoln won the first-half title in the North Division and will compete in the division finals, beginning August 27. The squad is in third place in the second-half standings, trailing St. Paul by five games.

Campbell last spring was picked first team All-Commonwealth Conference for the second straight season. Notching this year’s award as a pitcher, he easily led the league with a 1.37 ERA and also owned a 4-1 record with two saves and four complete games. Campbell had an impressive 40 strikeouts compared to only 18 walks and yielded a mere eight earned runs over 52 2/3 innings.

Also excelling at shortstop, the three-time member of the Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll paced Widener with a .333 batting average. He was third in the conference with 23 stolen bases, first on the squad with 46 hits, second with 22 RBI and sported a .434 on-base percentage.

Widener (26-16, 12-9 CC) ended tied for third in the league, gaining a berth in the conference tournament a third straight year. The Pride advanced to the championship round before bowing to Elizabethtown.

Brian Campbell and Mike Villari Named First Team All-Commonwealth Conference for Baseball and Matt Fischer Picked Second Team

5/10/07 -- Widener senior Brian Campbell (Media, PA) and freshman Mike Villari (Holland, PA) have been named first team All-Commonwealth Conference for baseball and junior Matt Fischer (Bensalem, PA) was picked second team all-league.

Campbell earned his second straight first-team nod after another stellar campaign. Notching this year’s award as a pitcher, he easily led the conference with a 1.37 ERA and also owns a 4-1 record with two saves and four complete games. Campbell had an impressive 40 strikeouts compared to only 18 walks and yielded a mere eight runs over 52 2/3 innings.

Also excelling at shortstop, the three-time member of the Middle Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll led Widener with a .333 batting average. He was third in the conference with 23 stolen bases, first on the squad with 46 hits, second with 22 RBI and sported a .434 on-base percentage.

Villari stepped in right away as the Pride’s center fielder, leading the conference with 32 stolen bases and standing fourth with a .319 batting average. He was second on the team with 44 hits, third with 20 RBI and posted a .990 field percentage with only one error over 98 chances.

Villari was second on the team with 12 multi-hit contests, one behind Campbell.

Fischer, picked second team for the third straight year, has established himself as one of the league’s pre-eminent defensive catchers. He threw out 13 base runners and owned a .977 fielding percentage with only five errors over 222 chances.

At the plate, Fischer was third on the squad with a .320 batting average, first with 28 RBI and first with 12 doubles. He also has a .469 slugging percentage over 41 starts.

Brian Campbell Named Commonwealth Conference Baseball Player of the Week

4/2/07 -- Widener senior Brian Campbell (Media, PA) has enjoyed a solid campaign and today was rewarded by being named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week.

Campbell earned the award after a solid performance on the mound and at the plate. He notched his first victory of the season (1-0) after firing seven strong innings Saturday in Widener’s 2-1 victory against Susquehanna. Campbell struck out five, surrendered one run and six hits and faced just six batters above the minimum for his first complete game of the year.

The Pride’s starting shortstop also made his mark by hitting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, one RBI and three stolen bases. He opened batting 4-for-4 Wednesday with a double in Widener’s 5-4 victory over Marywood. Campbell had three hits and a double over the weekend as the Pride swept a three-game series from Susquehanna.

The first team all-conference pick from last season is tied for the team lead with a .429 batting average, and is tops with 29 hits and 14 RBI. He paces the squad with a 1.02 ERA, notching 18 strikeouts and four walks over 17 2/3 innings.

The Pride (15-4, 5-1 CC) have won six straight games to match a season best and are tied for first place in the conference with defending champion Elizabethtown.

Widener on Monday was scheduled to visit Moravian for a conference doubleheader. The squad also will be in action Tuesday at home against Delaware Valley, beginning at 3:30 pm.

Kevin Fisher and Anthony Carter Earn Commonwealth Conference Baseball Weekly Honors

3/19/07 -- Widener freshman Kevin Fisher (Abingdon, MD) today was named Commonwealth Conference Baseball Player of the Week and sophomore Anthony Carter (Bensalem, PA) was tabbed the league’s Pitcher of the Week.

Fisher last Wednesday helped put the cap on Widener’s crazy 11-10 victory over Neumann. With the Pride down 10-8 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Fisher lined a two-out, two-run single to left center field. On the play, freshman Joe Peticca (Linwood, PA) hustled home from first base following a pair of errors.

The umpires at that point halted the game due to darkness.

Fisher has been on a tear this season, standing third on the team with a .423 batting average. He also is tied for fourth with seven RBI and is fourth outright with 11 hits. Fisher is batting .500 (11-for-22) during a seven-game hitting streak.

Carter pitched solidly on the mound in that game despite getting a no-decision. He did not allow an earned run over five innings, striking out four and yielding just two walks and six hits.

Carter is one of four for Widener to make two starts this season. He is tied for second on the squad with seven strikeouts.

Widener (9-3) returns home Wednesday to host Marywood, beginning at 3:00 pm.