May 17, 2002
Recap |
Box Score
Fans it is with great appreciation and sadness today that we must say farewell to the seven members of the Siena College baseball class of 2002. As a group, this class has amassed over 100 victories and has been triumphant in two thirds of its conference games. Entering this season, they already had claimed two MAAC regular-season titles and one Tournament Championship as freshmen in 1999. This season, they have each stepped up their games and as a result have left their legacy in the Siena record books and again have the Saints set for a return trip to next week's conference championships where they will attempt a return to the NCAA Tournament. Recently, Head Coach Tony Rossi noted that this may be the most productive senior class he has coached in his 33 years with the program. At this time, we would like to recognize each member individually.
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The greatest offensive player ever to dawn the Green and Gold, our final senior has left his legacy forever entrenched in the Siena record books. During his four years with the Saints, he has caught, surpassed and perhaps put out of reach nearly every career hitting record. Most notable are his 47 career home runs entering today’s game—a number that nearly doubles the old school mark of 25. The 190 runs he has driven in during the course of his career place him over 50 RBI in front of the next closest player in that category. Other career marks he has smashed include: base hits, runs scored, doubles, triples, total bases, extra base hits, games played, plate appearances and at bats—in all, 11 of the 12 major offensive career marks belong to him. His career batting average is .340 placing him third all-time in that category. He has tallied 62 multi hit games and 48 multi RBI games. Earlier this season at Canisius, he did perhaps the only thing he hadn’t done—hitting for the cycle in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. As a freshman, he was recognized as the MAAC Rookie of the Year and last season he was duly chosen conference Player of the Year. As a sophomore he was an All-MAAC selection and a Northeast Regional All-Star. The ECAC has recognized him as both Regional Player of the Week and as a member of their all-regional team over the course of his career. He has been selected MAAC Player of the Week five times in his career. A complete player and true student-athlete, he has stolen 50 bases in his career and recently was accepted into Albany Law School where he will continue his education in the fall… #26 Ryan Finn.
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After coming to Siena as a walk-on second baseman four years ago, our next senior has developed into the team’s everyday centerfielder the past three seasons. This year, he has seen action in a career-high 50 games and has enjoyed a tremendous season in the outfield. He leads the team in fielding percentage and has made several dazzling, run-saving grabs in center. At the plate, he batted .298 as a sophomore with 15 stolen bases. The last two seasons, his average has hovered around .250; however, he has reached base in a third of his at bats. Once on base, this speedster is one of the most proficient base-stealers in school history. He has not been thrown in 14 attempts this year -- and for his career he has a 90% stolen base success rate for his career. Franco also has nearly three times as many sacrifice hits as any other member of the team, further demonstrating his unselfish, team-first playing style…#3 Fausto Franco.
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