Riley, Pierce Named to D3baseball.com All-New England Team

D3baseball.com 2012 All-New England Team (PDF)

BRIDGEWATER, MASS. -- Bridgewater State University junior second baseman Sean Riley and junior first baseman David Pierce have been selected to the D3baseball.com 2012 All-New England Team.

Riley, who hails from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, garnered second team honors, while the East Bridgewater native Pierce was voted to the third team by the region’s coaches.

The 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Player of the Year, Riley batted .373 (62-166) with eight home runs, 25 doubles, six triples, 52 runs scored and 40 runs batted in 45 games.  He leads all of Division III in doubles and is second in totals bases (123), 11th in slugging percentage, 21st in runs scored and 24th in triples.

Riley eclipsed BSU single-season records for doubles, extra base hits (39) and totals bases. He, along with junior catcher Keane Costa (Fairhaven, Mass.) and junior centerfielder John Garabedian (Mansfield, Mass.), also set the school record for games played with 45.

Pierce posted a team-best .381 (61-160) batting average with 12 doubles, two triples, a home run, 13 stolen bases, 25 runs scored and 40 RBI, while playing a stellar first base (.997 fielding percentage).  In 104 games over his first three seasons, Pierce has a career batting average of .347 (120-346) with 23 doubles three home runs, 64 runs and 67 RBI.

Under the guidance of Head Coach Rick Smith, the Bears finished the 2012 campaign with an overall record of 30-15, reaching the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in team history.  Bridgewater posted a 12-2 mark in MASCAC play to capture the program’s 16th conference regular season title.  The Bears won the MASCAC Tournament championship for the fifth time in the 12-year history of the event, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second straight season and 14th time overall.

Earlier this month, Riley and Pierce, along with sophomore pitcher Andy Sadoski (Harwich, Mass.) were also named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Division III All-New England Team.