HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (August 3, 2011) – Former Centenary pitcher Cole Kimball is the cover story in the latest issue of Diamond Nation Magazine. Kimball made his Big League debut with the Washington Nationals on May 14.

Kimball will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn right rotator cuff. He made the most of his short time with the Nationals, going 1-0 with 11 strikeouts and a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings.

Prior to his call up, Kimball was in his first year with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs and was named International League Pitcher of the Week on April 11. Last year with Double-A Harrisburg, Kimball saved 12 games in 16 chances while going 5-1 with a 2.33 ERA and 74 strikeouts. He began the 2010 season with the Single-A Potomac Nationals, going 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA. He gave up five earned runs in 24.2 innings pitched while making 19 appearances.

Kimball was a 12th-round pick by the Nationals in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. In his two years at Centenary, he went 11-9 with a 3.70 ERA, striking out 139 in 136.1 innings. He ranks third in program history in strikeouts and fourth in ERA.

To read the article, visit www.diamondnationmagazine.com.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (June 17, 2011) - The Centenary baseball team finished the 2011 campaign 11-24 overall, including 5-13 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Despite the disappointing season, the team returns most of its squad in 2012 and head coach Scott Kushner knows that Centenary will be back in contention for a CSAC Championship and perhaps an NCAA Tournament berth.

In his first season with the Cyclones, sophomore Victor Nunez earned First Team All-CSAC Designated Hitter, Third Team New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) All-State and NJCBA All-Rookie Team honors. He batted .344 (33-for-96) and led the team in doubles (12) and slugging percentage (.625) while recording 17 runs, five home runs and 22 RBI. He ranked fifth in the CSAC in slugging percentage and sixth in doubles and he tied the program’s third-best single-season doubles mark.

He was joined on the All-Conference teams by juniors Anthony DeSomma and Chris Smith and seniors Brian Lemay and Lou Penna, as each were named Honorable Mention. DeSomma posted a team-best six home runs and 31 RBI while batting .351 (39-for-111) with 19 runs and six doubles while Smith hit .333 (35-for-105) with 19 runs, nine doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI. Lemay led the team with a .359 batting average (23-for-64) and posted a .982 fielding percentage while Penna was the only Cyclone to hit for the cycle on the season, with seven doubles, one triple and three home runs.

Junior Donny Bunce made the move from pitcher to shortstop prior to the season and rewarded his coach’s decision by starting 34 games and batting .306 (33-for-108) with 18 runs, three doubles and 16 RBI. Freshman Mike Crowe finished the year with a .283 batting average (26-for-92). After a tough start to his season he finished red-hot, hitting .556 (20-for-36) over the team’s final 12 games, with nine runs, five doubles, five RBI, a .694 slugging percentage and a .610 on-base percentage.

On the mound, sophomore Chris Zaneski led the team with three wins and fellow classmate Shane Solimani, senior Mark Tanis and sophomore Kyle Bayse each recorded two wins.

After a three-game sweep at the hands of conference opponent Neumann that left CC 4-16, the Cyclones finished their season strong, going 7-8 the rest of the way. In their final two games of the year, Centenary held its own with top-seed and eventual champion Keystone.

The Cyclones built a 5-0 lead in game one, only to see Keystone rally to tie the game in the sixth and eventually win in extra innings. Game two was tied entering the final inning before Keystone broke the game open with four runs in the frame.

CC will be without its five seniors next year, Dan Chapman, Lemay, JP Palmer, Penna and Tanis. But with the experience the younger players received and the way the team finished the year, the 2012 season is shaping up to be a successful one for Centenary baseball.