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. 

The postseason accolades are the second and third for Nunez, who was also named First Team All-Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Designated Hitter. In his first year with the Cyclones, Nunez batted .344 on the year (33-for-96) with 17 runs, 12 doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI. He led the team in doubles and was second in both home runs and RBI. He ranked fifth in the CSAC in slugging percentage and sixth in doubles.

On Saturday, Kimball came on in the ninth inning with the Nationals trailing, 1-0. He threw 18 pitches, walking one and striking out one without allowing a run, but Washington was unable to score in the bottom of the frame. In the Nationals’ 8-4 win over Florida on Sunday, Kimball needed 19 pitches to close out the ninth inning, striking out one.

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.

Nunez was third on the Cyclones with a .344 batting average (33-for-96). He scored 17 runs on the season and was second on the team in both home runs (five) and RBI (22). Nunez led Centenary with 12 doubles and .625 slugging percentage. In CSAC statistics, Nunez was third in the conference in doubles.

Lemay led the squad with a .359 batting average (23-for-64), while also driving in 12 runs. Penna was second on the team with 18 runs scored and smacked three home runs while driving in 13 runs on the season. DeSomma had another solid year at the plate, batting .351 (39-for-111) and leading the team with 19 runs scored, six home runs and 31 RBI. Smith tied for team-lead with 19 runs scored, while batting .333 (35-for-105) with two home runs and 13 RBI. Campbell led a deep pitching squad with a team-low 4.45 ERA, while striking out nine.

2011 CSAC Baseball Postseason Awards

In the first game, junior Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) immediately set the tone for the Cyclones by belting a home run over the left field fence in the first inning. Smith followed that up with another run scoring hit in the third inning and junior Anthony DeSomma (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) smacked an RBI double to drive in Smith shortly after. Sophomore Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Township) capped off a four-run third inning by swatting a two-run home run over the right field fence, giving the Cyclones the 5-0 advantage.

Centenary looked to be in good shape as junior Shane Solimani (Lopatcong, N.J./Phillipsburg) breezed through five innings without giving up a run. However, Keystone started stringing hits together in the sixth and thanks to some costly Centenary errors, the Giants were able to tie the game at 5-5. The Cyclones had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh, but could not plate the game-winning run after loading the bases.

The game would remain tied until the eighth inning when Roberto Santana drove in Esteban Meletiche (who reached base on an error) with an RBI single, giving Keystone a 6-5 advantage. The Cyclones again mounted a charge in the bottom half of the inning by loading the bases with one out, but they were unable to get the tying run across the plate and Keystone hung on for the victory.

Solimani earned a no decision after pitching six strong innings, giving up seven hits and two earned runs while striking out one. Brad Higgins earned the win in relief for the Giants.

The second game started quick with both teams scoring in the first inning. Keystone got on the board with a Roberto Santana RBI single and Centenary with a Nunez RBI single. However, from here the game would settle into a pitcher's duel with Centenary's Mark Tanis (Pequannock, N.J./DePaul Catholic) and Keystone's Jeremy Beeching each shutting down the opposition through six innings.

The Keystone bats would come alive in the seventh as Austin Straub's RBI double put the Giants in front and another run scoring hit by Meletiche gave Keystone some separation and secured the victory. Although he was touched up a bit in the seventh and final inning, Tanis' gutsy performance is a clear indication of why he has been such an important piece to this Centenary team.

Game 1                                     Game 2

After the Giants took an early 3-0 lead, Centenary bounced back with two runs in the third inning thanks to an RBI base hit from junior Anthony DeSomma (Clifton, N.J./Clifton). The Cyclones hung with the top team in the CSAC until Keystone broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. The Giants smacked seven hits, including home runs from juniors Esteban Meletiche and Andrew Siano in the nine-run inning as Keystone cruised to the victory.

Freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) continued his solid season as he went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, while the Cyclones also received hits from DeSomma, Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional), Brian Lemay (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) and Donny Bunce (Wrightstown, N.J./New Egypt).

For the Giants, Meletiche led the way going 4-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored. Siano went 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored, while Ricky Espinosa struck for three hits as well. Junior Blaine O' Brien went six inning to earn the victory.

The Cyclones conclude their season Tomorrow, May 7, when they host these same Giants in a double-header at Diamond Nation beginning at Noon.

Boxscore

The contest was dominated by pitching on both sides with Centenary junior Chris Campbell (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) as the tough luck loser in the game, despite lasting seven innings. Campbell gave up two runs and five hits, while striking out two. Nelson Maldonado went the distance for the Gothic Knights, giving up two run and seven hits, while striking out seven.

Centenary took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when freshman Nick Miller (Dalton, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) swatted an RBI single to right field. Miller finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI. NJCU tied the score on a sacrifice fly in the third inning and took the lead on a Jordan Tetrick solo home run in the fourth that barely stayed fair. The Cyclones had opportunities to even the score in the middle and later innings, but had a runner thrown trying to score at home and then again on an attempted suicide squeeze.

The Gothic Knights pushed their lead to 3-1 in top of the ninth as Centenary's pitching and defense, which was so impressive for eight innings, began to falter and untimely walks and an error lead to the third NJCU run. Miller's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth trimmed the deficit back to one run, but the Cyclones could never get the elusive tying run.

Centenary freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) had a pair of hits and runs scored and sophomore Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Twp.) also had a pair of hits. Freshman Jason Pennypacker (Easton, Pa./Notre Dame) pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Cyclones.

Centenary returns to action on Friday, May 6, with a road contest at CSAC rival Keystone College at 3:00p.m.

Boxscore

Montferrat led Centenary to a 4-1 CSAC week as the Cyclones clinched the second seed in the CSAC Tournament for the second consecutive year. The sophomore batted .533 (8-for-15) in the five games with one double, two triples, two home runs and nine RBI. She slugged 1.267 and finished with an on-base percentage of .611. Montferrat also had a stellar week behind the plate, with 46 putouts, one assist and a fielding percentage of 1.000.

DeSomma hit three home runs in Centenary's 8-0 win over Baptist Bible on April 30, the first time in program history a player hit three home runs in a single game. His offensive barrage included a grand slam, the second of the season for Centenary, as junior Shane Solimani (Lopatcong, N.J./Phillipsburg) hit one against Philadelphia Biblical on April 15. DeSomma ended his week by batting .444 (4-for-9) with three runs, three home runs and six RBI as Centenary went 2-1.

Junior Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) hit 5-for-7 in the two games, with three runs, two doubles and three RBI and senior Lou Penna (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) reached base seven times, going 3-for-5 with four walks, while also recording five runs, two doubles, one RBI and two stolen bases. Freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) continued his hot streak, going 4-for-7 at the plate with two doubles, one run and four RBI. He is hitting .636 (14-for-22) in his last eight games.

Sophomore Chris Zaneski (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley) went the distance in the first game for his second complete game of the season. He struck out four and gave up three runs while recording his team-leading third win of the year. Fellow classmate Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Twp.) hit 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs and two RBI while Smith went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run and three RBI.

Centenary found itself trailing, 4-0 entering the bottom of the third of the nightcap. But the Cyclones rallied, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to three PBU errors. The big blast was a two-RBI double by Lemay that scored Smith and junior Anthony DeSomma (Clifton, N.J./Clifton).

After the Crimson Eagles tied the game at seven apiece in the top of the four, CC scored two in the bottom of the inning, five in the fifth and two more in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Kyle Bayse (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) gave up four earned runs over 5.1 innings to pick up the win, his second of the season. Lemay saw action as a pitcher for the first time in his career, facing the final batter and inducing a lineout to second base to end the game.

CC returns to action on Tuesday, May 3, with a home game against non-conference foe NJCU at Diamond Nation at 3:30 p.m.

DeSomma batted 4-for-6 in the two contests and knocked in six runs. Sophomore Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Twp.) finished 4-for-5 with three doubles, one home run and three runs and freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two runs.

All three of DeSomma’s home runs came in the second game of the day. He hit solo shots in the second and fourth to give CC a 2-0 advantage. In the fifth inning, Centenary loaded the bases and DeSomma brought all three runners home with his third homer of the game and the second grand slam for a Cyclone this season, as junior Shane Solimani (Lopatcong, N.J./Phillipsburg) hit one against Philadelphia Biblical on April 15. Solimani got the start on Saturday against BBC, throwing six innings of three-hit ball to get the win.

In the first contest, Nunez and Penna each hit a home run and combined for three runs and three RBI. Crowe and fellow classmate Steven Taggart (Dayton, N.J./South Brunswick) combined to go 3-for-5 with two runs and juniors Matt Andrews (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) and Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) each recorded an RBI. Tanis went 5.2 innings for his first win of the season and Chapman finished off the game for his second save of the year.

Centenary returns to action on Monday with a double-header against Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) foe Philadelphia Biblical at Diamond Nation at 4:00 p.m.

Senior Lou Penna (East Haven, Conn./Notre Dame) finished 1-for-3 with one run and two RBI, including a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Both of his two career homers have come this season. Sophomore Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Twp.) hit 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI and juniors Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) and Matt Andrews (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) each scored a run. Freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) continued his hot streak, going 2-for-3 in the contest. He is batting .444 (8-for-18) in his last eight games.

After GMC put two on the board in the top of the first, including a solo home run by Dante Cassano, Centenary answered in the bottom of the frame with two of its own. From there, however, it was all Griffins, as the road team scored four apiece in the third, fourth and fifth innings before going on to win, 18-4. Sophomore Jason Pennypacker (Easton, Pa./Notre Dame) started and suffered the loss, giving up 10 runs in four innings.

Centenary takes a break from CSAC action with a non-conference matchup at USMMA on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

Junior Anthony DeSomma (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) finished 3-for-5 with two walks and an RBI in the two-game set and freshman Mike Crowe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) hit 2-for-4 with a walk and a run. Junior Matt Andrews (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional) reached base four times, going 1-for-3 with three walks, while scoring two runs and knocking in one more.

The first game was scoreless through four innings. In the top of the fifth, Crowe singled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by sophomore Steven Taggart (Dayton, N.J./South Brunswick). Andrews then singled Crowe home to stake CC to a 1-0 lead. After a single by junior Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional), DeSomma plated Andrews with a single of his own. But GMC scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and went on to win, 3-2. Junior Shane Solimani (Lopatcong, N.J./Phillipsburg) gave up five hits over 5.2 innings to take the loss.

In the nightcap, GMC scored four in the bottom of the first and added two in the fourth, four in the fifth and five in the sixth to win going away, 15-1. Senior Mark Tanis (Pequannock, N.J./DePaul Catholic) suffered the loss, giving up four runs over 2.1 innings.

The two teams conclude their three-game set on Monday with a single game at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J., at 3:00 p.m.

Crowe had almost half of CC’s total hits, as the Cyclones mustered only seven off the Pioneers’ pitchers. Sophomore Victor Nunez (Santo Domingo, D.R./Ocean Twp.) went 2-for-4 and hit his team-leading eighth double of the season. Freshmen Nick Miller (Dalton, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) and Marquay Mayo (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton) each recorded a hit off the bench.

As a team, Centenary hit just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position but was unable to knock in any of the runners. WP made good on most of its chances, going 11-for-19 in scoring opportunities. After three innings of scoreless play, the Pioneers plated three in the third inning, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. CC got on the board in the bottom of the third when Crowe doubled, advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch.

Leading 6-1, WP broke the game open with four in the eighth and six in the ninth. Centenary loaded the bases in the eighth inning and picked up another run when junior Garrett Meagher (North Warren, N.J./North Warren) was hit by a pitch, but the Pioneers got out of the inning without giving up the big blow.

Centenary’s defense did not help its pitchers, as three errors led to eight unearned runs. Junior Chris Campbell (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) got the start and gave up seven runs, four earned, in 4.2 innings of work to take the loss.

CC returns to action with a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) double-header at Gwynedd-Mercy on Saturday at noon.

It was also the third straight game that the Cyclones swung the bats well and scored 10 or more runs. Five different Cyclones had multi-hit games, including junior Anthony DeSomma (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) who blasted his team-leading third home run during a six run fourth-inning that proved to be the difference in the Cyclone victory. Junior Chris Smith (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) scored two runs and smacked two doubles that led to a pair of RBI, while fellow classmate Donny Bunce (Wrightstown, N.J./New Egypt) also scored a pair of runs and knocked in two RBI. Senior Brian Lemay (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) and sophomore Steve Taggart (Dayton, N.J./South Brunswick) also each had a pair of hits, with Taggart also stealing three bases on the afternoon.

The Cyclones also got a strong performance from sophomore starting pitcher Chris Zaneski (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley). He scattered five hits and two walks over six strong innings, while striking out three and earning his second win on the season. On the other side, the PSU-Abington pitching staff struggled with control throughout the game as they walked a total of 12 Centenary batters during the contest.

Centenary returns to action tomorrow, April 20, with a non-conference match-up against William Paterson at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater at 3:30 p.m.

Boxscore